Politics

Donald Trump received a warm welcome in Saudi Arabia, where he described the kingdom’s de facto leader, Muhammad bin Salman, as an “incredible man”. In a speech emphasising his break from American foreign-policy orthodoxy, Mr Trump said that the “gleaming marvels” of Riyadh and other cities in the Gulf region were not created by “nation-builders, neocons or liberal non-profits” but by Arab regimes that embraced their “national traditions” and heritage. He also pleased his hosts by announcing that America would lift sanctions on Syria. Mr Trump briefly met Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s president, and urged him to reconcile with Israel. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were also on Mr Trump’s itinerary.

The sky’s the limit

Before the trip Qatar’s offer of giving Mr Trump a Boeing 747 to be refurbished as Air Force One, the presidential plane, raised eyebrows in America among MAGA conservatives as well as Democrats. Some Republicans have questioned America’s close relationship with the Gulf state because of its support for Hamas.

As Mr Trump visited the Gulf states Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza, killing 80 people, according to the Hamas-run authorities. The UN warned of an imminent risk of famine, saying around half a million face starvation. Israel, which has maintained a blockade on aid since March, denies there is a crisis and says it wants to work with private contractors to deliver supplies, so that Hamas can’t steal them.

Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage after holding him for 19 months. Edan Alexander is thought to be the last living American to have been held by the militant group. Several Americans are among the more than 30 bodies of dead hostages that Hamas has not released.

The killing of a militia leader in Libya sparked the worst fighting in Tripoli, the capital, in years. The clashes took place between a unit aligned with the government of national unity and an opposing faction. Observers worry that any further trouble could see factions outside Tripoli being drawn into the city.

The junta in Mali dissolved all political parties, continuing a crackdown on the country’s remaining vestiges of democracy. The opposition has been galvanised by an attempt by General Assimi Goïta, the “transitional” president, to stay in power until at least 2030.

Around 100 people died in flooding in eastern Congo, according to regional officials. The floods affected an area near Lake Tanganyika that is still under the control of the government in Kinshasa and has not fallen to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.

Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, announced that his country will join China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a vast network of development projects. The symbolic shift towards China by a traditional ally of the United States will irritate the Trump administration. Colombia was one of the last holdouts in Latin America and the Caribbean against joining the BRI. At a summit in Beijing Xi Jinping pledged to provide the region with fresh credit and investments.

Luis Arce decided not to stand for re-election as Bolivia’s president this August. Mr Arce is pulling out in order not to split the left, which is divided in its support for him and for a faction loyal to Evo Morales, a former president who is embroiled in legal troubles. The constitutional court has also ruled that Mr Morales cannot stand for another term.

Peru’s prime minister resigned rather than face a censure vote in Congress over rising crime and the recent murder of 13 miners. It is another headache for the deeply unpopular president, Dina Boluarte, who registered an approval rating of just 2% in a poll this week.

Mexico has sued Google over its decision to label the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America on maps it presents to users in the United States. Mr Trump signed an order in February seeking to change the name, which the House of Representatives has voted to include in federal documents. Mr Trump also wants to change the name of the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Gulf, much to Iran’s chagrin.

After a few breaches at its start, a ceasefire held between India and Pakistan in their worst military conflict for 25 years, which was triggered by a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. Donald Trump claimed credit for brokering the ceasefire, which annoyed India. It wants any talks to focus on Pakistan’s support for terrorist groups, rather than the future of Kashmir.

A midterm election in the Philippines brought gains for politicians allied with Ferdinand Marcos junior, the president. But politicians aligned with Sara Duterte, the vice-president, also did well, complicating plans in Congress to try her on impeachment charges. The president and vice-president are elected separately, and the current administration has been riven by fighting between the Marcos and Duterte dynasties.

In a ruling that could bring about more political transparency in the European Union, the EU’s General Court found that the European Commission should not have withheld text messages between Ursula von der Leyen, the commission’s president, and the chief executive of Pfizer, a drugs company, during the pandemic. Mrs von der Leyen was instrumental in striking a vaccine deal with Pfizer. The case was brought by the New York Times, which sued the commission after it refused to release the texts in 2022.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist group in Turkey, officially decided to disband and end its militant push for a separate Kurdish state. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, welcomed the announcement and said the authorities would monitor the situation. The PKK wants to see how the Turkish government responds to its decision to disband before it hands over its weapons.

Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, who heads the Socialist Party, won his fourth election in a row, gaining 52% of the vote in a low turnout against the right-wing Democratic Party led by a former prime minister and president, Sali Berisha, with 34%. Mr Rama, who took office in 2013, is bidding for Albania to join the EU by 2030. European leaders are gathering in Tirana, Albania’s capital, on May 16th for a summit of the European Political Community, which includes EU and non-EU countries such as Britain, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.

Britain’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, proposed a tougher policy on legal immigration, arguing that the system seems “almost designed to permit abuse”. Changes to cut immigrant numbers include raising skill requirements for work, reducing the length of student work visas and extending settlement requirements from five to ten years. All immigrants, including spouses, will need to speak basic English. Sir Keir suggested that he was not responding to the recent success of the anti-immigration Reform UK in local elections.

Saints and Sinner

Pope Leo XIV had a busy first week after his election by the conclave of cardinals in the Vatican. As well as being the first pontiff to hail from the United States he also holds Peruvian citizenship. Pope Leo paid a surprise visit to a shrine and wrote a letter to the American Jewish Committee pledging to strengthen the Catholic church’s “dialogue and co-operation with the Jewish people”. He also met the world’s number one tennis player, Jannik Sinner.