TIDE TURNING AGAINST TRUMP?

“Diplomacy of Power” ended the war and freed the remaining hostages

Several events indicate that Trump’s policies are turning against him and drawing backlash 

Losing New York to a “Socialist”

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old Ugandan-American state assembly member, clinched a razor-thin win with 50.4% to become Mayor of New York. His agenda, rent freezes for stabilised units, universal free childcare, and aggressive affordability measures, resonated with progressives and working-class voters alike, securing cheers for its unapologetic equity push amid soaring living costs. As the city's first Muslim, South Asian and the youngest in over a century, Mamdani's ascent marks a milestone of representation in the world's media capital. From a Queens stage late Tuesday, he rallied supporters with a defiant vow: "To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us." Turning to President Trump, whose Truth Social barbs labeled his plans "radical socialist nonsense" and floated federal aid cuts, Mamdani quipped: "Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up!"


Losing Virginia 

Shifting to Virginia, former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger claimed the governorship as a centrist Democrat, flipping the statehouse with wins for Ghazala Hashmi as lieutenant governor and Jay Jones for attorney general. Allies pointed to voter unease with border measures and tariff-driven price hikes, according to Edison Research exit polls. GOP stalwarts highlighted robust rural backing and cautioned against Democratic overextension. In California, Proposition 50 sailed through with 58% support, entrenching Democratic edges by mandating independent redistricting commissions to curb gerrymandering attempts. New Jersey saw parallel Democratic advances, even as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott zeroed in on local crises like disaster recovery.

 

Tourism and Economy in Decline 

Tourists and businesses traveling to America have declined after Trump's inauguration and hostile border policies. Tourism Economics documented an 8.2% drop in international visitors and business travel year-over-year, linking it in part to perceptions of U.S. border "hostility" that have curbed hotel bookings in gateway cities and stalled corporate deals. The World Travel & Tourism Council flagged threats to millions of jobs in hospitality.
 

Courts Stopping the National Guard, Courts Stopping the Tariffs? 

Federal courts have delivered a patchwork of decisions: injunctions halted National Guard immigration enforcement in states like Oregon and California over executive overreach claims, while others affirmed tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The Supreme Court has hinted at closer review of tariff breadth, possibly triggering refunds and fueling GOP rifts between protectionists and free-traders, as Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) pushes for narrower tweaks to balance trade goals with inflation risks.

Republicans Getting Angry at Their Own Government

On the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) voiced qualms about foreign policy blind spots, like Romania troop shifts, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warning of NATO strains. Four GOP senators are eyeing war powers bills for greater oversight. Republican and Democratic lawmakers slammed the Pentagon on Tuesday for not briefing them on national security issues and said at times top defense officials appeared to be undermining U.S. President Donald Trump's own policies, in a rare bipartisan show of frustration with the administration. During the more than two-hour-long hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, lawmakers said senior Pentagon officials were unresponsive to questions and concerns from Congress.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican, singled out Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's top policy official. "Man, I can't even get a response.”

These domestic headwinds have nudged Trump toward foreign policy bright spots to consolidate support, channeling Ronald Reagan's spirit, not just in adapting "Make America Great Again" for economic resurgence and resolve, but in chasing bold nuclear reductions akin to Reagan's START pacts with the Soviets and Gorbachev. Unfortunately also in foreign policy there are major backlashes:

  • China and other powers are taking over soft power centers of influence all over the world where USAID has been eliminated. The U.S. is losing geopolitical influence massively.

  • Trump has been played by Putin for 9 months. The August Anchorage summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin was a humiliation for Ukrainian victims as well as the host. Putin has used the peace talks to secure the first major military advance in two years in Ukraine this week. 

  • In Gaza there are still no security forces and no Palestinian leadership in place, leaving Hamas in charge - and the war actually still going on.
     

The World Forum suggests solutions for both conflicts:

1. The Ukraine / Russia Peace (LINK) & deterrence plan (LINK). Trump may follow Clinton, who has been honoured this year as “The Peacemaker of the Century” for ending seven wars in the 1990s. As Putin has rejected all initiatives by President Trump and we received encouraging responses from numerous heads of state, some believe the time has come to resume peace efforts with enforcement. Russia could be motivated to sign a peace treaty in a similar way President Bill Clinton motivated Serbia and Slobodan Milosevic in 1995 - either sign a peace treaty or lose the war. The US, NATO and Europe could demonstrate that any further war will result in devastating losses for Putin.

2.  For The Council for Gaza to govern Gaza and inspire the creation of new parties for elections in Gaza and the West Bank in 2027 which shall give alternatives to Fatah and substitute Hamas. Right now the West Bank would mostly vote for Hamas as 600 checkpoints and 1200-1400 gates as well as the expansion of illegal settlements and settlers violence as well as Israel’s annexation legislation provoke a maximum of opposition - even among the moderate voices in the West Bank. Israel passing bills to introduce a death penalty for Palestinian prisoners is escalating tensions even further.

The World Forum suggests as:

  • President without executive power, who can unite all Palestinians and lead a new party as chairman for the 2027 elections, if President Trumpmakes Israel release him from prison: Marwan Barghouti

  • CEO (and interim prime minister if needed for Gaza and West Bank): former prime minister and World bank manager Salam Fayyad

  • Deputy CEO: Husam Zomlot, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK since October 2018, previously served as PLO envoy to the United States until Trump closed the mission. Academic economist with PhD from SOAS, former professor at Birzeit University and Harvard fellow. Strategic adviser to President Abbas and senior member of Fatah Revolutionary Council

  • Speaker: Nasser al-Kidwa former foreign minister, nephew of Yasser Arafat, peace partner with former Israeli Prime Minister Olmert

  • Security Chairman: Mohammed Dahlan, born in Khan Younis refugee camp, has been involved in regional diplomacy and was influential in the Abraham Accords, was in charge of security in Gaza before and brings resources from UAE

  • Chairman of reconstruction: Bashar Masri, he built the model city of Rawabi in the West Bank and he is from Gaza - where he has a popularity of 40%.

We advise to CONSIDER YOUNGER COUNCIL MEMBERS for potential future leadership and as candidates for the prime minister position for elections in 2027 with new parties to substitute Hamas and to provide pluralistic alternatives to Fatah:

a) The youngest contender in a current role, 52 years, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK: Husam Zomlot

b) Mustafa Barghouti (the runner up in 2006 elections), he has a clear vision and represents a younger generation compared to the traditional old guard. He is independent of Fatah. 

c) Mohammad Asideh from Ramallah, 38 years, worked in Washington, Australia, Singapore, created grassroots movements from Ramallah and has started last year a policy club with 15 future leaders.

d) Samer Sinijlawi 53 years, led the Fatah youth organisation many years ago, lives in Israel, publishes on the title page of New York Times op-eds, speaks on CNN and conferences, aligned with Al-Kidwa. “Waiting for 30 years for our chance of elections and renewal.”

We advise to consider as Senior advisors of the Council

  • Hanan Ashrawi (79 years old), First woman elected to the PLO Executive Committee (2009), resigned in 2020 calling for reforms and renewal of Palestinian political system

  • Nabil Shaath (87 years old), taught Donald Trump at Wharton. Veteran Palestinian diplomat, served as PA's first foreign minister (2003-2005), briefly as acting prime minister in 2005, and currently adviser to Abbas on international relations. Has PhD in economics from University of Pennsylvania, taught at Wharton, and led Palestinian delegation coordination at Oslo Accords. Key architect of Yasser Arafat's 1974 UN speech, member of Fatah Central Committee 1990-2016, Palestinian Legislative Council member. Western-educated, has close ties to Israel and the US. Currently heads PLO's Committee for Palestinian Refugees in the Diaspora

TOGETHER with SENIOR REPRESENTATIVES of U.S., EU, Arab League, Egypt (ElBaradei for example), Jordan, Qatar, Saudi, UAE, Indonesia, France, UK, Germany.

Age Problem: Most senior figures are in their 70s-80s (Abbas 89, Shaath 87, al-Kidwa 72, Fayyad 72, Mustafa 70, Ashrawi 79). You should build on some younger leaders in their 50s. 

Legitimacy Crisis of any current Palestinian representation: No elections since 2006. New leadership is needed in Gaza AND West Bank, new parties must be developed - otherwise Hamas will never disappear from power. 

Trump could win the Nobel Prize next year if he manages to execute the peace deal with his “diplomacy of power” in Israel and Palestine, end the war in Ukraine, start an Alliance of Democratic Nations, protect Taiwan, support democracy in Venezuela, stop civil war in Sudan and keep the USA democratic - and end speculation about a third term, stop dismantling civil rights in the US and oppose Peter Thiel’s and JD Vance’s philosopher Curtis Yarvin’s vision of a “just monarch”. As George Clooney quoted Ed Murrow in the film “Good Night and Good Luck” in his fight against McCarthy for the freedom of speech: “You cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.”

To use metaphors - “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and the bearer of “the Ring that rules them all” succumbed to absolute power, but Donald Trump has the chance to achieve the greatest relative power any US President has ever held – as the democratic leader of a new Alliance of Democratic Nations across the globe. If Trump favors “Gandalf” to “Sauron” in Peter Thiel’s “Palantir”, the seeing stone from “The Lord of the Rings”, which provides the name of the world's possibly most influential data surveillance and analysis software, he can not only win the Nobel Prize next year, but protect democracy and freedom in the world against hegemonic and oppressive powers.

"America's Burning" directed by David Smick

COP30 Starts Off in Belém Amid U.S. Climate Pullback and Global Urgency

 COP30: We Don't Have Time

BELÉM -  Against a backdrop of escalating diplomatic friction, eyes worldwide are fixed on Belém, Brazil's lush Amazon gateway, where the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) launched, with pre-summit forums building momentum for the main proceedings from November 10 to 21. Hosted in the heart of the rainforest, the gathering draws world leaders to tackle climate finance reforms for vulnerable developing nations, as Brazilian President Lula calls for a "bold path" to shield at-risk islands like the Marshall Islands from encroaching seas. Yet even here, environmental woes loom large: the Amazon, vital to global climate stability, grapples with rampant deforestation driven by cattle ranching and wildfires that have choked the canopy, while summit preparations have ignited backlash over a new highway slashing through tens of thousands of acres of protected forest, an ironic scar on the green agenda.

As anticipation builds in Belém, the week's preceding events in Brazil injected optimism into the global climate dialogue. Just days ago, in Rio de Janeiro, the Earthshot Prize, Prince William's prestigious environmental awards, unveiled its 2025 winners during a high-profile ceremony on November 6. The five honourees, each awarded £1 million to scale their innovations, included re.green, a Brazilian initiative harnessing AI and satellite tech to restore degraded tropical forests, directly addressing Amazonian biodiversity loss; The City of Bogotá's urban greening programme transforming concrete jungles into resilient ecosystems; the High Seas Treaty, advancing ocean conservation beyond national waters; Lagos Fashion Week's circular economy model for sustainable apparel; and Friendship, a Bangladeshi effort building climate-adaptive coastal communities. These triumphs not only spotlight scalable solutions but also underscore Brazil's role as a hub for planetary innovation, with re.green's win serving as a poignant rallying cry for COP30 delegates to prioritize reforestation funding amid the host nation's own deforestation crises.

Echoing this momentum, the C40 World Mayors Summit wrapped up in Rio from November 3 to 5, convening over 100 mayors and local leaders from the world's largest cities to forge urban climate strategies ahead of COP30. Hosted by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the gathering, attended by figures like New York Mayor Eric Adams and São Paulo's Ricardo Nunes, emphasised "city-led mutirão," a Brazilian term for collective action, with pledges to accelerate net-zero transitions, expand green public spaces, and mobilise $100 billion in subnational finance for adaptation in vulnerable urban areas. A joint declaration urged national governments at COP30 to amplify local voices, warning that without empowered cities, global goals like limiting warming to 1.5°C remain elusive. As summit-goers transitioned from Rio's beaches to Belém's rainforests, the event's focus on equitable, on-the-ground implementation has set a collaborative tone, bridging grassroots ingenuity with high-level diplomacy.

Yet the summit's shadow is cast long by the United States: President Donald Trump's administration, having withdrawn from the remnants of the Paris Agreement, will send only mid-level envoys, if any, drawing sharp rebukes of "climate denialism" from European partners and fears of sabotage. Optimists eye potential wins on carbon markets and Amazon conservation, but detractors caution that American foot-dragging could stall advances, much like deadlocked talks in past forums. As delegates convene, the stakes feel existential: will COP30 forge unity in division, or fracture further under geopolitical strain?

Earthshot Award 2025 winners

Mayors launch letter in Rio de Janeiro and advocate for cities to play a leading role in climate action

James Watson, Godfather of Modern Biology, Dies at 97

"James Watson: Decoding Watson" directed by Mark Mannucci

James D. Watson, the Nobel laureate whose co-discovery of DNA's double-helix structure in 1953 revolutionised biology, died on November 6 at age 97 in a hospice in East Northport, on Long Island, New York. His son, Duncan, confirmed the death to The New York Times. Working with Francis Crick at Cambridge University and crucially building on Rosalind Franklin's overlooked X-ray crystallography, Watson and Crick's breakthrough unlocked the genetic code, earning them the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, shared with Maurice Wilkins. Dubbed the "godfather of modern molecular biology," Watson's insight sparked the genomics revolution, enabling CRISPR gene-editing tools to target inherited diseases and mRNA vaccines that curbed the COVID-19 pandemic, spawning biotech giants and saving countless lives. Yet his legacy remains double-stranded, laced with controversy: in later years, unsubstantiated remarks tying race, genetics, and intelligence, most infamously in a 2007 interview and a 2019 PBS documentary, sparked outrage, leading many to revoke his titles and emeritus status.
 

What He Said

In 2007, Watson told Britain's Sunday Times he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours, whereas all the testing says not really.” He also stated that while he hoped everyone was equal, "people who have to deal with (mentioned color) employees find this is not true."

After initially apologising in 2007, Watson doubled down in a 2019 PBS documentary. When asked if his views on race and intelligence had changed, he replied: "Not at all. I would like for them to have changed, that there be new knowledge that says that your nurture is much more important than nature. But I haven't seen any knowledge." He also made other offensive statements over the years about women, homosexuality, and other topics.

The National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins stated that most intelligence experts attribute differences in IQ testing mainly to "environmental, not genetic, differences." Smithsonian Magazine Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where Watson had worked for decades, declared his comments "reprehensible, unsupported by science" and stated "The Laboratory condemns the misuse of science to justify prejudice."

Studies of heritability consistently show that genetic factors play a significant role in individual intelligence - estimates typically range from 50-80% heritability depending on age and environment. The key distinction - and where Watson was wrong - is about between-group differences versus within-group variation:

Within populations: Genetics clearly contributes to why some individuals are more intelligent than others within the same population.

Between populations: The scientific consensus is that there's no credible evidence that genetic differences explain average IQ score differences between racial or ethnic groups. The observed differences are better explained by educational quality and access, socioeconomic factors, nutrition and healthcare, test bias and cultural factors, historical and systemic inequalities. The scientific criticism of Watson wasn't that "genetics don't influence intelligence" - it was that he claimed genetic differences between racial groups explained IQ gaps, which lacks scientific support. This is a crucial distinction that often gets muddled in these debates.

The heritability of intelligence within a population tells us nothing definitive about whether differences between populations are genetic. This is a fundamental principle in population genetics that Watson either ignored or didn't understand - even though witnessing everyday examples such as Barack Obama being the brightest US President of the 21st century.

"The Race for the Double Helix" directed by Graham Chedd

"The Theory of Everything" directed by James Marsh

Jaka Bizilj