Financial Times (April 9)
“Among the many consequences of the stand-off in the Strait of Hormuz, it seems that we may look back on this as the week in which one of America’s most powerful geopolitical tools was shown to be a weakened stick. Threatening to limit access to the global dollar system now seems less fearsome.” US Treasury sanctions cover the entire country of Iran. “But not only does this not appear to have prevented it from selling oil while at war with the US, it has not seemed to stop it from charging ransom fees to international shipping seeking to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Tags: Consequences, Fearsome, Geopolitical tools, Global dollar system, Iran, Oil, Ransom fees, Sanctions, Stand-off, Strait of Hormuz, Threatening, Treasury, U.S., Weakened
Business Times (March 28)
Kim Jong Un’s visit to Beijing “is only the latest sign of moving geopolitical plates over the Korean stand-off. Following spiralling tensions in the peninsula in 2017 over the North’s nuclear weapons and missile programmes, 2018 has brought unexpected, and what could yet prove remarkable, diplomatic respite that has seen a mini-rapprochement between North and South.”
Tags: Beijing, Diplomatic, Geopolitical, Kim, Korea, Missiles, Nuclear weapons, Rapprochement, Stand-off, Tensions
The Economist (October 7)
If Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy “thought that cracking heads would put a stop to secessionism, he could not have been more wrong. He has only created a stand-off that has energised his enemies and shocked his friends.” Rajoy’s reaction “has thrown Spain into its worst constitutional crisis since an attempted coup in 1981…. Only a negotiation can restore calm and it should start immediately.”
Tags: Calm, Constitutional crisis, Coup, Enemies, Negotiation, Rajoy, Secession, Spain, Stand-off, Wrong
Daily Nation (September 23)
As the standoff at Kenya’s Westgate Mall enters the third day, “all round, there is a sense of gloom and doom. Tension is palpable and the citizens are worried about the grotesque drama…. The stand-off and uncertainty are taking a huge toll on the economy as businesses remain closed and many people kept away from work. Worse, the tragedy has sent the wrong message that Kenya is an unsafe destination even when it is clear that terrorism knows no borders.”
Tags: Economy, Kenya, Stand-off, Tension, Terrorism, Tragedy, Uncertainty, Westgate Mall
