The US Congress used to bully the White House by threatening to put a lid on public expenditure, forcing the administration to face failure. Mr Trump has turned the rules of the game upside down by menacing that he will do this should Congress fail to fund the Mexican wall.
As Trump played his part in the reshuffle of Saudi Arabia for the succession of Mohammed bin Salman, he could likely play a salient role in the apparent coup in the UAE — this time for the succession of Abu Dhabi’s crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed. The plot could help Trump to have complete control over the Gulf in a way that he wishes for US interests.
Mr Trump would be wise to avoid further threatening once he’s made clear that the US will immediately retaliate should North Korea launch even a harmless attack close to Guam. Undoubtedly Mr Kim got the message. That said, no-one knows how he might react next time.
Larry Beck via Fair Observer | The Democratic Party must seize the moment now and deliver a message of change, but change driven by a renewed collective conscience with social justice at its core.
Carax Alphavalue |The European pharmaceutical sector hit record highs almost two years ago, since when it has had an overall disappointing performance. So far this year, there has been no sign of its defensive qualities, although it continues to pay attractive dividends.
The biggest financial risk this August – a month particularly prone to financial crises, like the last one which began in August 2007 – is geostrategic: the ongoing misunderstanding between Trump and North Korean leader Pyongyang.
Nick Ottens via Atlantic Sentinel |US President Donald Trump ‘s big mouth has failed to impress the world. And that is dangerous. At some point, the American might feel he needs to make good on his threats.
The markets are becoming increasingly sceptical about Trump’s ability to enforce any coherent economic policy mix. Even if his advisors in this field are seasoned bankers, the White House is rapidly losing its grip on critical decision-making areas, such as the budget stance.
Nick Ottens via Atlantic Sentinel | Brexit and Trump may have made Europeans realize bad things can happen — and shocked them out of their complacency.
Xavier Colás (Moscow) | Although NATO is an alliance based on the sum of military power, emotions count for something in the day by day of the organisation. For the Russian president, NATO is another of the US’ foreign policy tools, where there are no allies “but just vassal states”.