Trump or Harris — fate of Middle East hangs in the balance
Beyond US shores, November's presidential election will also determine the fate of the Middle East. Donald Trump says he's "the most pro-Israel president in US history," Kamala Harris is for equity in the region.
When US voters cast ballots, the whole world watches in suspense. This year, no region will be more directly affected by the result of the US November's presidential election than the Middle East — which has been caught up in its latest cycle of violence since the Islamist group Hamas launched a terror attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
The US, Israel's closest ally, holds considerable geopolitical sway in the region and can directly influence the future course of events there. No matter if Kamala Harris follows fellow Democrat Joe Biden into the White House or Donald Trump returns after being voted out of office in 2020, the election will have a profound impact on the region.
Trump, a friend to Israel
Trump sees himself as "the most pro-Israel president in US history" according to a video he posted on his social media platform Truth Social. As president, he fulfilled many of Israel's most long-held wishes: In 2018, he had the US embassy moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — something that other countries, including Germany, have refused to do, pointing to East Jerusalem and its as yet unresolved status under international law.
In March 2020, the US also recognized the Golan Heights, which Israel annexed from Syria, as sovereign Israeli territory.
Shortly afterwards, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner presented a peace plan that was widely seen as being one-sided in favor of Israel. Trump then cut funding to UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, as well as making it difficult for the citizens of numerous Muslim countries to enter the US.
In the fall of 2020, the US negotiated the Abraham Accords, a series of bilateral agreements in which Israel — 70 years after its founding — normalized relations with a number of Arab and North African states.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.