What will a Donald Trump presidency look like in terms of foreign affairs. He has summarized his approach as peace through strength, remains critical of NATO and has repeatedly praised authoritarians. Could his approach help end the war in Ukraine, bring peace to the middle east and help the U.S. as the world realigns? The pre-election polls indicated it was a tight race, giving Kamala Harris a slight edge. But in the end, American voters chose Donald Trump. A look at what led to Trump’s decisive win.
As election day approaches, U.S. officials issue warnings about potential violence from domestic extremists. The concerns go beyond election day into January and the inauguration. Also, as America continues to become more ethnically diverse as divisions over immigration and the nation’s division deepen. It’s become a major theme in the presidential campaign.
An ominous report from the UN paints a dire picture about the direction the planet is heading without immediate climate action. The report says if the current pace continues it will result in global warming of more than 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Will abortion play a role in the U.S. presidential election? Former President Donald Trump takes credit for overturning the U.S. Supreme Court decision which guaranteed the right to abortions in the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has promised to reinstate a national abortion protection law.
South Korea’s spy agency says North Korea has sent 1,500 special forces troops to Russia for training and likely deployment for combat in the war in Ukraine. The allegation comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed 10,000 North Korean soldiers could join the war, based on intelligence information. The U.S. expresses concern. We talk with VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin and Naoko Aoki, a political scientist at RAND.
The week began with a somber milestone in the Middle East marking the one-year anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel as the region edges closer to all-out war. Reflecting on the past year and what the future holds, a conversation with John Lyndon, Executive Director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace. Two massive hurricanes that hit the United States became the poster child for climate change. We talked with Michael Wehner, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Fears of a wider regional war in the Middle East may already be a reality after Iran’s missile attack and Israel’s military operations targeting militants on two fronts. Could the U.S. be dragged into war? After months of working toward a peace agreement and warnings of a wider war, what if anything can the Biden Administration do? We get perspective from Bruce Riedel, with the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy. Intensifying hostilities come just days ahead of the one-year mark of the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
World leaders meeting in New York this week for the U.N. General Assembly were contending with multiple escalating global conflicts. Israeli Prime Minister vowed to continue targeting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, dimming hopes for a ceasefire and raising fears it could spiral into an all-out regional war. The speech came a day after Palestinian President Abbas urged the UN to stop the war in Gaza, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to New York to sit down with Former President Donald Trump after meetings with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Tensions are reaching a boiling point between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Rocket fire pounded northern Israel Friday while Israeli warplanes carried out intense airstrikes on southern Lebanon, including a rare strike on the Beirut suburbs. A Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel shares his concerns for a broader regional conflict. The crisis will be one of many complex global issues world leaders will confront next week at the UN General Assembly. And what does Israel’s expanding military operation mean for any sort of ceasefire deal and the fate of the hostages still being held in Gaza? We’ll speak with a member of the Hostages Family Forum.
President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met at the White House Friday as Ukraine intensifies pressure to loosen restrictions of U.S. and U.K. provided weapons to strike Russia. With the U.S. presidential election less than two months away, the next president will have to contend with ongoing conflicts and other serious foreign policy issues. A look at the differences in potential approach of each candidate and what’s at stake. And despite their historically low record of turnout, could young voters tip the scales in deciding the winner?
Outrage over the murders of 6 hostages in Gaza, Israelis came out in droves demanding a ceasefire deal, as Prime Minister Netanyahu dug into his own demands. A conversation on the sentiment on the ground from policy expert Shira Efron with the Israel Policy Forum. Israel’s military operation in the West bank left dozens of people dead, including an American woman attending a demonstration against settlement expansion. Another warning from the U.N. on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a conversation with a Doctors without Borders physician in Khan Younis on the polio vaccination efforts.
Israel agrees to a series of daily humanitarian pauses for a major polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, as a resurgence of the highly contagious virus creates alarm. Israel continues its large-scale military operation in the West Bank. John Lyndon, Executive Director with the Alliance for Middle East Peace on the motivation and why now. Also, we hear from a Russian American journalist freed from jail by the Kremlin and look at the rising threats to those risking their lives to bring truth to light.
On the final, and most anticipated night of the Democratic National Convention, Kamala Harris formally accepts her party’s nomination for President, a speech before an electrified crowd. Drawing a sharp contrast with her Republican opponent Donald Trump, Harris made a rousing call to the war in Gaza and promised to fight tyranny around the world. If elected, she will become the first woman to in U.S. history to hold the office of President. We’ll dive into the historical significance.
The mpox virus has been detected in Pakistan, the health ministry said on Friday, days after the WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency. A new variant case was also confirmed in Sweden on Thursday, the first case outside Africa. We talk to Dr. Jarod Fox, Chair of the Infectious Disease Department at Orlando Health. Gaza cease-fire talks resumed Thursday in Doha. Will they succeed? We talk to Boaz Atzili is a professor at the Department of Foreign Policy and Global Security, School of International Service, American University. And as the Democratic National Convention approaches, we’ll talk to John Mark Hansen, a professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago to find out what he thinks they need to accomplish.
Israeli troops began a new assault into the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where officials believe Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ newly named leader - one of the architects of the October 7 attack on Israel could be hiding in underground tunnels. Russia declares a “federal level” emergency in the Kursk region after hundreds of Ukrainian troops pour in across the border. New polls show Kamala Harris edging ahead of Donald Trump with less than three months to election day. The historic nature of what it would mean for Americans to elect the first woman to hold the office of President of the United States.
Tears of joy at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington as three Americans released from Russian custody stepped off the plane that returned them to U.S. soil and their families. Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and American journalists Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich were greeted with hugs by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Freedom House interim President Nicole Bibbens Sedaca on why this is really a part of the autocrat playbook and suppressing free speech. A deeper look into the dictator's mindset in a conversation with author Anne Applebaum.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a divided U.S. Congress Wednesday, with many Democratic lawmakers boycotting his speech and protesters surrounding the U.S. Capitol. But congressional Republicans said the speech was key to reaffirming the U.S. commitment to its Middle Eastern ally in the midst of the 10-month-old war with Hamas. Netanyahu’s speech to Congress was as much an address to the Israeli and Arab worlds about Israel’s goals as it was an address to the American public about the importance of U.S. support of Israel. VOA Flashpoint: Global Crises host Steve Karesh speaks with Avi Melamed, author and former Israeli intelligence officer and negotiator, for a look at how Netanyahu’s message was received at home. In addition to addressing the U.S. Congress, Netanyahu also met with U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and 2024 Republican nominee for President, Donald Trump. What did the trip achieve? Professor Michael Provence, who teaches modern Middle East history, focusing on the 20th century Arab East, at the University of California, San Diego shares his insight. Scott Paul, Oxfam America Associate Director of Peace and Security discusses the ongoing humanitarian concerns in Gaza after it released a scathing report on conditions there. Plus, Agusta University political science professor discusses the latest developments in the 2024 U.S. Presidential election following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal.
Donald Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination with a marathon speech that began with a call for unity pivots into grievance and apocalyptic warnings for the country if he is not returned to the White House. Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman joins us for her view on what's at stake in the presidential election. Trump’s coronation before an adoring audience on Thursday stood in contrast to the turmoil roiling President Joe Biden’s campaign who is said to be considering whether to abandon his reelection bid under pressure from fellow Democrats. William Howell, professor of political science at the University of Chicago has analysis. Could domestic and foreign policy dramatically change in Trump wins? Liana Fix, fellow of European Policy with the Council on Foreign Relations weighs in.
A growing number of Democrats in Congress are publicly calling on President Joe Biden to end his reelection bid against Republican rival Donald Trump. Jessica Taylor analyst with the Cook Political Report talks about the challenges facing Biden's campaign. NATO leaders wrapped up their summit in Washington Friday with unity in support for Ukraine and as the political turmoil in the U.S. lingered under the cloud of uncertainty in its most powerful member – the United States. Rose Gottemoeller, lecturer at Stanford University, research fellow at the Hoover Institute and deputy secretary-general of NATO from 2016 to 2019 joins us for insights.
Britain’s new Prime Minister officially takes office after his UK Labour Party’s landslide victory in a parliamentary election that ended 14 years of Conservative government. Timothy Hellwig, Professor of Political Science with a focus on politics of European Nations at the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences provides insights into what the historic vote says about how voters are feeling, and if it signals a shift of the trend toward right leaning leadership. And with the U.S. presidential election just months away, Senior Clinical Professor of Law and the director of Appellate Practice clinic at Cleveland State University Law Doron Kalir talks about what the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity could mean for democratic norms in the United States.
We’re halfway through 2024, and the elections taking place across the globe this year will set the course for the latter half of this decade. Political landscapes are shifting, and the outcomes of four contests could shape our collective future. What are these critical elections and what is their potential impact on the world stage?