This article appeared first on The Corporate Dispatch Week
This week saw a strengthened focus on climate change and the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook travelling business. Former French President Jacques Chirac passed away at 86, while Netanyahu was given a mandate to form a government but most of the attention was taken with the developments in the UK and the US.
Once upon a time, the UK and the US share d the responsibility of being the global police force. They earned their role through their positioning on ‘the right side of history’ over the years.
Over the years, their position was challenged and took a twist after the second Iraqi war, when the credibility of the US and the UK was challenged in view of doctored reports about the presence of weapons in Iraq. Although these challenges came from forces outside the two countries, few doubted the credibility of the strength and whenever a decision was taken, the link between the two was always given the relevant weight at the UN and other fora.
Forward to 2019 and we have a situation where both leaders of the UK and the US are under fire in view of the developments which took place this week. The revelations by the whistleblower, which indicate that US President Trump has asked his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate Democrats’s contender Biden’s son triggered a process to seek the impeachment of the US President. In the UK, the Supreme Court found the decision to prorogue parliament as unlawful. This decision was the first of two which put the spotlight on the ‘rightfulness’ of the Boris Johnson. On Friday Johnson has been referred to a police watchdog over his alleged relationship with an American businesswoman when he was mayor of London.
With these issues at home, their country’s role and function in a global geopolitical scenario continues to be questioned and doubted. Various countries keep jockying for the ‘leading’ role in an evolving scenario which is continuously challenged by disruption. A week is indeed long, perhaps too long in today’s world’s geopolitical scenario.
Jesmond Saliba
