Iran’s nuclear deal: Everyone from Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin to Barack Obama and David Cameron has welcomed the agreement July 14, 2015 It's not often world leaders from the UK and US agree with those from Russia and Syria, but today is one of those rare moments. David Cameron, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad have all welcomed the historic nuclear deal inked between the world's leading powers and Iran today. This morning the [...]
Barack Obama makes personal intervention in Greek crisis talks July 8, 2015 With Greece given five days to reach an agreement ahead of an emergency summit attended by all 28 EU member states, President Barack Obama has made his first personal intervention in the crisis in months. Obama spoke to both Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel before the leaders gathered in Brussels. [...]
Healthcare stocks rise after Supreme Court Obamacare decision June 25, 2015 Healthcare stocks in the US were up after Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) won an important victory today. Up for debate was whether subsidies would be available to people in all 50 states, or just those which set up insurance marketplaces under the act. The court ruled the subsidies should be available universally. [...]
EU referendum: 40pc increase in campaign budget limit angers Eurosceptics as Barack Obama again voices support for Yes vote June 8, 2015 David Cameron has angered Eurosceptics with plans to raise the campaign spending limits for the EU referendum by 40 per cent. According to The Times, he amount the “lead” organisation in each campaign will be permitted to spend will hit £7m, up from £5m, while the total for each campaign would be £35m, up from [...]
Despite Obama’s silver tongue, the future of Iraq is looking pretty bleak after fall of Ramadi to Islamic State May 25, 2015 No Mr President, losing Ramadi is not a “tactical setback” – it is a catastrophe. Having also got by on my wits in graduate school, I always had a sense that I understood the elusive failings of Barack Obama far too well. When he obfuscates, he does so elegantly, often speaking in half-truths, illustrating his [...]
Potus tweets, world listens: Barack Obama finally gets his own Twitter account May 19, 2015 Barack Obama is used to enduring long battles but even by his standards, a six-year wait to get a Twitter account must have been something of a slog. Still, he's made his point, gaining 1.77m followers in less than 24 hours, easily beating poor old David Cameron, who languishes down the table with * [...]
David Axelrod compares embattled Douglas Alexander to Barack Obama May 4, 2015 Labour's shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander, who is battling to cling on to his Paisley and Renfrewshire South seat, has been compared to Barack Obama by the man who was instrumental to the President's two election victories. David Axelrod who served as a senior adviser to Obama and is now working as a consultant for [...]
Was a part of the Conservative manifesto borrowed from an Obama campaign ad? April 14, 2015 Most of the focus on the Tory manifesto has been on the pledges to extend right-to-buy, double free child care and spend another £8bn on the NHS. But one of the stranger aspects of the Conservative manifesto can be found on page three. The heading declares in rather Orwellian fashion "we have a plan for [...]
Obama should listen to the people in pushing through his Iran nuclear deal April 6, 2015 Foreign policy analysis in any country tends to be the preserve of a tiny elite: a small number of people practise it, and generally a miniscule section of society follows it. In the UK, to all our shame, a far greater percentage of the population watches The X Factor than exhibits a healthy understanding [...]
Netanyahu wants to kill the US-Iran nuclear deal: Obama must not let him March 9, 2015 For all the clouds of controversy that perpetually swirl around him, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu possesses two great qualities that wholly elude the timid and colourless European leaders I am fated to spend so much of my time writing about: he has a gambler’s heart and he is eloquent. Both these admirable traits were [...]