Notes from the front of 12-03-2018
*** Trump’s protectionism: Aiming at China, killing jobs
*** Trump’s concedes to talk directly with North Korea
Trump
Notes from the front of 19-02-2018
Trump’s increased military spending will lead to war on US workers
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DUP blocks moves to equality, emboldened by their Tory sponsors
The rehabilitation of Trump – stepping up the economic offensive
Donald Trump used his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos on 26 January to set the agenda for a new offensive against the working class and oppressed globally, by rallying the bourgeoisie to a virulent neo-liberal framework.
Trump’s tour of Asia: an emperor with no clothes
By Jude Woodward
Despite the razzamatazz of Trump’s visit to Asia, the verdict of the international news media was unanimous: the trip had simply served to underline the US’s declining influence in Asia; a decline that Trump is blamed for accelerating by ceding leadership to China on the crucial issues of contemporary geopolitics: trade, climate change, development and multilateral agreements.
The further adventures of Trump’s Saudi ally
By Sammy Barker
On 5 November the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, launched an ‘anti-corruption’ campaign involving the arrest of eleven princes, four serving ministers and ‘tens’ of former ministers. Along with these were some major business people, including Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal, the country’s wealthiest man, reportedly worth $30 billion, Mohammed Hussein Al-Amadi, the second richest man, reportedly worth $10.9 billion. Also arrested was Bakr bin Laden, the head of the biggest construction company in the country. Some Saudi sources put the number of arrests as high as 500, with double that questioned.
NFL protests & victory of Steve Bannon’s candidate in Alabama shows deepening US political polarisation
Two recent events in the US – the victory of Steve Bannon backed candidate Roy Moore in the Alabama Republican Senate primary and the huge dispute around NFL players kneeling during the national anthem – confirm the deepening polarisation in US politics. The background which is driving this is the very slow growth in the US economy.