Europe looks to a new US president who knows what comes of ‘wrong patriotism’
by Rashmee
Posted on January 30, 2021
This, the second weekend since Joe Biden got to the White House, is a good moment to understand the depths of Europe’s dismay over his predecessor’s destructive and dangerous four-year presidency. Long story short, it’s basically a mixture of trepidation and hope that America, Europe and the world turns the page on Trumpism’s gleeful and … Continue reading “Europe looks to a new US president who knows what comes of ‘wrong patriotism’”
Read MoreGumbo diplomacy vs Swagger
by Rashmee
Posted on December 1, 2020
In May 2018, US diplomacy was supposed to be all about “swagger”. That was the boast of Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump’s new secretary of state. (Click here, here, here and here for previous blogs about how that “swagger” went.) Thirty months later, one of America’s most seasoned diplomats, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for UN envoy, … Continue reading “Gumbo diplomacy vs Swagger”
Read MoreHow to read the ‘Arab street’ as America pushes rapprochement with Israel
by Rashmee
Posted on August 28, 2020
This week, Donald Trump’s official and unofficial secretaries of state – Mike Pompeo and Jared Kushner – fanned out across the Middle East and North Africa to push Arab-Israeli rapprochement in the aftermath of the August 13 Israel-UAE deal. The US-sponsored deal between Israel and the UAE was only the third such accord Israel has struck with … Continue reading “How to read the ‘Arab street’ as America pushes rapprochement with Israel”
Read MoreWhat to make of Mike Pompeo’s ‘crusade’ against China
by Rashmee
Posted on August 16, 2020
Jeffrey Sachs’ contextualisation of America’s “crusade” against China is worth reading, what with Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump’s secretary of state, recently touring the world to push his aggressive agenda. On August 11, Mr Pompeo took off for Europe – Prague, Pilsen, Ljubljana, Vienna and Warsaw. He finished the tour at the weekend. In the Slovenian … Continue reading “What to make of Mike Pompeo’s ‘crusade’ against China”
Read MoreThe great drama in Belarus is matched by the great indifference of Trump’s America
by Rashmee
Posted on August 11, 2020
The great drama around elections in Belarus is matched only by the great indifference of the United States. Consider what’s happening. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the principal opposition candidate, has fled to Lithuania, along with her campaign manager Maria Moroz, who had been in detention for days. The head of Belarus’s secret police, which is still … Continue reading “The great drama in Belarus is matched by the great indifference of Trump’s America”
Read MoreTrump or not, it’s Washington’s way or Huawei
by Rashmee
Posted on February 18, 2020
If there’s anything that the Munich Security Conference cleared up, it’s this: Donald Trump or not, Washington’s hard line on Chinese firm Huawei will stay. Which means the US will continue to view with disfavour any country that avails of Huawei’s technology. (Boris Johnson had better be listening. By all accounts, Huawei is the reason … Continue reading “Trump or not, it’s Washington’s way or Huawei”
Read MoreHow Suleimani’s death will affect India and Pakistan
by Rashmee
Posted on January 6, 2020 / The National
To properly consider the possible fallout of Friday’s targeted US strike on Qassem Suleimani, of Iran’s elite Quds Force, disregard the tub-thumping rhetoric from Washington and the ominous rumblings from Tehran. Listen instead for the sound of silences within disparate countries’ statements on the situation. Consider the responses offered by South Asia’s nuclear-armed neighbours, India … Continue reading “How Suleimani’s death will affect India and Pakistan”
Read MoreUS foreign policy has bipolar disorder
by Rashmee
Posted on November 24, 2019 / The Arab Weekly
In validating the transgression of international law, the Trump administration is dismantling a crucial pillar of an order based on rights, both as an aspiration and a hope. US foreign policy has bipolar disorder. It swings wildly between low and high moods. This is why US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo can say that Israeli … Continue reading “US foreign policy has bipolar disorder”
Read More‘Mr Swagger’ on Day 30 of the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump
by Rashmee
Posted on October 24, 2019
Mike Pompeo is still at the US State Department and is still His Master’s Voice. Just about. That’s despite his growing role in the Ukraine controversy and the sense that he serves Donald Trump as enabler and lackey rather than as a foreign policy professional. Why should we expect it to be any different? Mr Pompeo … Continue reading “‘Mr Swagger’ on Day 30 of the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump”
Read MoreTrump’s grand delusions – treason and the unfolding coup
by Rashmee
Posted on October 2, 2019
The dictionary meaning of treason is as follows: The crime of betraying one’s country, especially by attempting to kill or overthrow the sovereign or government. In the same sort of category might be these other actions or behaviours: lese-majesty sedition mutiny rebellion Treason certainly has connotations of disloyalty, but not quite in the way Donald … Continue reading “Trump’s grand delusions – treason and the unfolding coup”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK