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Is the “special relationship” being relaunched?

Boris Johnson was obviously delighted to meet Joe Biden on June 10 on the eve of the G7 summit in Cornwall, southwest England. Britain’s conservative prime minister praised the Democratic American president as a “big breath of fresh air” after the difficulty of dealing with Donald Trump and his “America First” strategy, and spoke about the “unbreakable relationship” between the US and the UK. relationship
Johnson avoided using the more familiar “special relationship” between Washington and London because it sounded old-fashioned – as it indeed does – and implies neediness and weakness, as he believes. That phrase dates back to the early years of the Cold War and was a reference to the Atlantic Alliance of which Nato was the direct result. Many of his predecessors have employed it since then, but as the UK’s global status and power have declined, it has often been seen as one more important to British politicians, if often happily indulged, by friendly US presidents. relationship
But Boris – as he is widely known on both sides of “the pond” – succeeded in updating that key connection with the publication of what was officially referred to as “the Atlantic Charter” – a modern version of the two countries’ shared interests.
Both men are hoping for historical comparisons with Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt by forging a new agreement to demonstrate that the current UK and US governments can frame a post-Covid order in the same way the 1941 charter, designed to destroy Nazi tyranny, inaugurated a new world order after 1945. “Just as our countries worked together to rebuild the world following the second world war, so too will we apply our combined strength to the enormous challenges facing the planet today – from global defence and security to building back better from coronavirus to stopping climate change,” Downing Street declared.
The new charter mentions eight shared challenges, including cyber-warfare, the climate crisis, protection of biodiversity and preventing future pandemics. With regard to Covid, Johnson pledged that the UK will donate more than 100 million vaccines to poorer countries over the next year, while Biden promised 500 million doses of Pfizer jabs to 92 low and middle-income countries and the African Union.
In all, the G7 nations have collectively agreed to provide a billion doses of vaccine in an effort to end the pandemic in 2022, even as charities and campaigners have warned that the global approach was not happening fast enough and that the current health and economic crisis will not be over until the entire world has been jabbed. This point has been made repeatedly by the former Labour prime minister, Gordon Brown, who described the summit as “a colossal failure.” A related difficulty is that the UK and Germany will not agree to waive intellectual property rights on vaccines.
Another highly challenging topic is the inexorable rise of an autocratic and assertive China and what to do about that given the different approaches in Washington and Brussels, as well as individual EU member states, especially Germany. The new Atlantic Charter includes not a single reference to China although many of its issues are relevant to Beijing’s growing dominance. Forced labour by the Muslim Uighur minority is an increasingly worrying issue.
Having noted a G7 promise to set up an alternative to China’s “belt and road initiative” as part of a push back covering human rights, supply chains, support for Taiwan and demands to reveal more about the origins of Covid, Beijing issued an angry statement, via its London embassy London, complaining that "the days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone.” This confrontation is only likely to escalate.
Yet another source of G7 tensions is concern about the damaging standoff between the UK and the EU over post-Brexit arrangements. Little time remains to sort this out: a ban on sausages and mincemeat being exported from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, which still abides by EU rules, is due to come into force on June 30. Biden (of Irish origin) has urged the UK to avoid a trade war and preserve the Good Friday peace agreement of 1998 and do everything not to inflame sectarian violence.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, warned Johnson that a “re-set” in relations between Paris and London depended on a speedy resolution of this dispute. Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, raised the issue too, as did Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission and Charles Michel of the European Council. Dominic Raab, the British foreign secretary, undiplomatically urged the EU to be “pragmatic” not “bloody-minded.” Raab also accused European countries of believing “offensively” that Northern Ireland was not part of the UK. relationship
Biden, on his first trip to Europe since his January 20 inauguration, was to keen to repeat his message that “America is back and diplomacy is back” after the disruptive four years of his Republican predecessor. But the three days G7 leaders spent at their summit in Cornwall were a vivid and disturbing reminder of the uncertain times in which the whole world is living – even if Trump is no longer in the White House. levant
by: IAN BLACK levant
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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