The Economist Analysis | 001

Politics this week

Feb 1st 2018

Donald Trump’s first State of the Union speech to Congress conveyed his dark view of a hostile world, but one in which he would “make America great againfor all Americans”. The president touted his plan for immigration reform. This would introduce a decade-long path tocitizenship for the “Dreamers”,migrants who came to America illegallyas young children, which could potentiallyhelp up to 1.8m people, in return for lower overall immigration and money tobuild a border wall. 

In a rare public statement the FBI criticisedthe drive by Republicans in Congress to publisha classified memo. Written by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee,the memo purports to show that theagency acted improperly when it carried out a surveillance operation on a former aideto the Trump campaign. The FBI said it had “graveconcerns about material omissions of fact” from thedocument.

A few days earlier, Andrew McCabe stepped down as deputy-director of the FBI. He had faced relentless criticism from Mr Trump, in part for the political donations that Mr McCabe’swife received from what the president has described as “Clintonpuppets”. 

Steve Wynn resigned asfinance chairman of the Republican Party following a report that he had coerced female employees at his casino in Las Vegas into sex or tomassage him. The allegations, which Mr Wynn called “preposterous”, stretch back decades. Wynn Resorts is one ofthe world’s largest casino companies. 

Negative connotations

Colombia’s president, Juan ManuelSantos, suspended peace talks with the ELN, a guerrilla group that has been fightingthe state for more than 50 years. He blamed the ELN for three bombings in which seven policemenwere killed and 47 people injured. The group accepted responsibility for thebloodiest attack but not the others. Rodrigo Londoño, the leader of the FARC, alarger guerrilla group that made peace with the government in 2016, launchedhis candidacy for Colombia’s presidency.

Honduras’s president, Juan Orlando Hernández, was sworn in for a second term. Protesterswho say the presidential election in November was rigged, marchedtowards the stadium in whichthe ceremony was held. Security forces fired tear-gas at them.

Spirited opposition

Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader, was briefly jailed in Russia to prevent him appearing at a rally atwhich he was to demand a boycott of the presidential election in March.Meanwhile, America’s Treasury department released alist of politicians and oligarchs with ties to Vladimir Putin. Those who appearon the list (which seemed almost identical to a similar list reported in Forbes)are not necessarily subject tosanctions. 

Defying the polls, the Czech Republic’s Eurosceptic president, Milos Zeman,was re-elected in a tight second round of voting.

The Speaker of Catalonia’s parliament postponed a session that had beenexpected to reinstate the separatist CarlesPuigdemont as president of the region, prolonging a tense stand-off with the Spanish central government in Madrid.

The government of Ireland decided to hold a referendum beforethe end of May on whether to legaliseabortion. Leo Varadkar, the prime minister, said he would campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the constitution, which gives equalstatus to the life of a fetus and its mother.

As speculation swirledabout her party plotting to depose her as prime minister, Britain’s Theresa May visited China to beat thedrum for closer post-Brexit trade relations. Mrs May is under pressure tocontain the battle raging in the Conservative Party between “hard” and “soft”Brexiteers. 

A princely sum

SaudiArabia said that a crackdown on corruption had raked in $107bn for thegovernment. Prominent princes and businessmen had been detained at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel inRiyadh until they agreed to hand over a portion of their wealth.

Separatist forces in Yemen captured most of the port city of Adenfrom the government, splitting analliance formed to fight Houthi rebels in the north who occupy the Yemenicapital, Sana’a.

White commercial farmers in Zimbabwe are to be allowed to rent their landon 99-year leases, instead of a maximum term of five years, as the governmenttries to revive investment. Thepolicy marks a reversal from that of Robert Mugabe, who was deposed as president last year and whohad forced thousands of white farmers off their land.

Officials at the African Union accused China of bugging its headquarters andhacking into its computer system. The AU’sheadquarters, and its computer systems, were a gift from China to theorganisation, which is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Some turbulence ahead

A dispute escalatedbetween China and Taiwan over the opening of new civil-aviationroutes by China in the Taiwan Strait, without asking Taiwan’sgovernment. Taiwan responded byrefusing permission for two Chinese carriers, China Eastern and XiamenAirlines, to lay on 176 extra round-trip flights across the strait in Februaryduring the lunar new-year holiday.

Officials in Hong Kong barredtwo people from standing in a by-election that is due to be held in March for having expressed supportfor the territory’s self-determination.

A bomb placed in a fake ambulance killed more than 100 people in Kabul. Islamic militants alsoattacked an army base in the Afghan capital, killing 11 soldiers. 

Malaysia’s highest court ruled that the consent of both parentsis needed before a child can convertfrom one religion to another, closing a legal loophole whereby a Muslim parentcould win a custody battle with a non-Muslimspouse by having their children declared Muslim. The ruling is a rare instanceof Malaysia’s civil courts standing up to Islamic ones.

A trove of top-secret documents turned up in a consignment ofsecond-hand furniture that had once belonged to the Australian government. Among the secrets revealed were several other instances when officials had been careless with important papers.

words:

tout his plan for 

try to persuade people to buy something by telling them about it, especially loudly and in public

introduce a decade-long path

purport to show that

claim or seem to be something or to do something, especially when this is not possible or true

step down as deputy-director

resign as finance chairman

coerce femal employees

make someone do something by using force or threats

stretch back decades

was sworn in for a second term

sworn--swear: make a promise to do something

the presidential election in November was rigged

rig: influence something such as an election in a dishonest way in order to produce a particular result

are not necessarily subject to sanctions

reinstate the separatist 

 give someone their previous job or position again

repeal the Eighth Amendment of the constitution

state officially that a law no longer has legal authority and has ended

raked in $107bn for the government

 earn a lot of money

Prominent princes and businessmen had been detained 

splitting an alliance 

who was deposed as president 

force a political leader or a king or queen out of their position of power

A dispute escalated between China and Taiwan over 

become much worse or more serious, or to make something do this

Officials in Hong Kong barred two people 

 forbid, prohibit, interdict, proscribe, veto, disallow, obstruct

phrases:

convey his dark view of 

face relentless criticism

suspend peace talks with

gives equal status to the life of a fetus and its mother

responded by refusing permission for 

a by-election that is due to be held in 

Among the secrets revealed were several other instances when

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