TV7 Powers in Play – Do Superpowers have Super Presidents?
The United States 2024 presidential and congressional campaign is already underway 18 months before constituents are due to cast their ballots. Both incumbent President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump will compete as leaders of their parties, Democratic and Republican, respectively.
While no candidates are running against Biden, Trump faces multiple contenders and has vowed to remain in the race despite many legal problems.
What impact will a repeat of the 2020 elections have on global affairs?
Aside from rhetoric, how varied is current White House foreign policy and national security agenda from that of the preceding administration? Have the two Chief Executives been equally observant of public and congressional opinion?
The US is the world’s sole Superpower for now, although China is closing the gap, whereas Russia is in possession with a huge nuclear arsenal. Are Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin relatively more powerful than either Biden, and Trump aspires to be again?
Panel:
- Host: Amir Oren, TV7 Editor at Large, Host of TV7 Watchmen Talk.
- Col. (Res.) Reuven Ben-Shalom, TV7 Powers-in-Play Panelist, Cross-Cultural Strategist and Associate at ICT, Reichman University.
- Amb. Danny Ayalon, Co-host TV7 Middle East Review, NYU Lecturer, former Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the US.
- Brig. Gen. (Res.) Doron Gavish, Former Air Defense Chief, Israel Air Force.
You are welcome to join our audience and watch all of our programs - free of charge!
- 5047 views
- Published: May 26, 2023
- Duration: 42 min
TV7 Powers in Play
Episodes
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TV7 Powers in Play – Global and regional powers in the Israel-Hamas War. November 2023
Some two months after Hamas surprised Israel, perpetrated the worst atrocity in its history and drew the IDF into a war in Gaza, World and Mideastern powers are still jockeying for positions vis-a-vis the combatants and the regional order once the hostilities are over. The United States, with its diplomatic activity and deterrent power, took…December 01, 2023 9565 views -
TV7 Powers in Play – Is the world spiraling into a WWIII? - Oct. 27 2023
Gaza and beyond - what are global powers doing in the crisis generated by the Hamas horrific Negev massacre. With the United States leading the Western effort to help Israel’s defensive moves while restraining its offensive ones, and with Russia enjoining the attention being focused away from Ukraine and China leading the anti-American axis, what…October 27, 2023 18709 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - The Yom Kippur War - 50 Years On
After one third of Israel’s years so far, the Yom Kippur War engulfed it in the worst crisis of all. Even today, that war’s generation recalls it, indeed lives it, as the most searing experience of its life. A lot has happened globally, regionally and localy in the last 50 years, but some features seem…September 29, 2023 4076 views -
TV7 Powers in Play – Back to Basics - Food, Energy, Climate
Typically nations fight over territory, ideology or resources; however, what about the basic building blocks of human existence – individually or in communities – such as reliable food and energy supplies and shelter from extreme climate? Recently, all of these have come into question. Rising summer temperatures, wildfires, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes - the whole…August 25, 2023 2966 views -
Have the Americans really left the Middle East? - TV7 Powers in Play
Over the last decade or so, throughout the successive Administrations of Obama, Trump and now Biden, a common theme shared by these very different Presidents has been the move away from the Middle East and the change in the military presence and posture in this region. For a while, it seemed to be implemented on…July 28, 2023 4469 views -
TV7 Powers in Play – Ukraine’s “Israel Model," Non-NATO Assurances?
One motive of Russian President Vladimir Putin for his invasion of Ukraine has been Kiev’s wish to join NATO and place itself under its collective security umbrella. In a race of who would preempt whom, Putin beat Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy only to be bogged down in a war of attrition. The problem now is…June 16, 2023 5798 views -
TV7 Powers in Play – Do Superpowers have Super Presidents?
The United States 2024 presidential and congressional campaign is already underway 18 months before constituents are due to cast their ballots. Both incumbent President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump will compete as leaders of their parties, Democratic and Republican, respectively. While no candidates are running against Biden, Trump faces multiple contenders and has…May 26, 2023 5047 views -
TV7 Powers in Play – The changing power map around Israel, 75 years On
Israel next week celebrates its 75th anniversary birthday as a Jewish State - independent of the British Mandate that preceded it, and in spite of hostile efforts to eradicate it. In 1948, Great Britain was the dominant great power in the region, with France competing with it and the Soviet Union looking for openings. The…April 21, 2023 6434 views -
TV7 Powers in Play – China, Saudi, Iran deal: a crisis or opportunity for Israel?
This episode focuses on Israel’s internal tug-of-war and the Saudi-Iranian thaw as perceived by leading world powers. Other topics for discussion include US policy toward Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confronts Palestinian terrorism as well as domestic anti-government protests, China’s success in mediating détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and Russian military deals with…March 17, 2023 6650 views -
TV7 Powers in Play – Ukraine: Russia’s roulette or routine?
As Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its 11th month with no real prospect of ending this winter, the issue seems one of perspective: the gloomiest predictions of conflict spreading into other European nations and drawing NATO into actual fighting. International assistance in equipment and training were proven wrong, or at least premature; while hopes for…February 17, 2023 3467 views -
TV7 Powers in Play – Realignment or Routine, the Future of the Russia-Ukraine War
As Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its 11th month with no real prospect of ending during this winter, the issue seems one of perspective: the gloomiest predictions of conflict spreading into other European nations and drawing NATO into actual fighting - rather than assistance in equipment and training were proven wrong, or at least premature.…December 23, 2022 3457 views -
TV7 Powers in Play –Views on Iran-Israel, Intake from US Gen. (Ret.) Frank McKenzie
When he celebrated his birthday Saturday 20 November, having turned 80, the oldest American President ever had a lot to look forward to, as his party, running on his platform and record - and although “all politics is local” - kept control of the Senate. But Joe Biden has three strong rivals, equal to him…November 25, 2022 3954 views -
TV7 Powers in Play – Biden’s new world strategy
After almost two years in office, the Biden administration published its authoritative guidance to officers and officials in a pair of documents last month. The first, entitled “National Security Strategy,” was issued by the President himself. Derived from it was the second one, “National Defense Strategy,” signed by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Both documents…November 04, 2022 4627 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - UN: Important or impotent, ritual or realpolitik?
The old Frank Sinatra song Autumn in New York brings the promise of new love - which may often be mingled with pain. Autumn in New York is the annual ritual of the United Nations General Assembly session with heads of states and governments and foreign ministers descending upon the glass house in Manhattan for…September 30, 2022 3276 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - The Buck Stops Where?
Decision making in global affairs: When a Putin, a Xi or an Erdogan finishes his deliberations and decides on a policy move, it is executed with success dependent on the amount of friction with other world actors. But when a Biden wants something done, or not (as was the case with the Pelosi trip to…August 12, 2022 3821 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - China In The Middle?
While the United States has always seen itself as both a Pacific and Atlantic power, when it had to set a priority it chose the defeat of Germany over Japan in spite of the attack at Pearl Harbor rather than the Manhattan Piers. This perspective seems to be changing despite attention on Europe and Russia…July 23, 2022 4800 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - Have Russia and Iran killed the NPT?
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is one of the most remarkable achievements of the post-World War II era. Some 98% of the world’s nations agreed to either give up their sovereign rights to acquire nuclear weapons - or if they already had them, to gradually get rid of their arsenals. The few holdouts deserve special treatment…June 17, 2022 6644 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - Unity vs. Opportunity
NATO’s need for agreement across the board is now being challenged by Turkey’s conditions for admitting Finland and Sweden into the alliance. Regardless of the merits of Turkey’s case, the issue at stake is the ability of a holdout, last man standing, to torpedo a plan all others wish to advance, or conversely exact a…May 27, 2022 3524 views -
TV7 Powers in Play-Finland after Russia’s threat regarding NATO membership - deterred or determined?
Is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization a stabilizing force in European affairs, or a trigger for the Russian preemptive aggression? When the leaders of the 30-member meet late June in Madrid, they will consider how the alliance protects its current membership and encourages expansion. Russia is vehemently opposed to any of its neighbors coming under…May 06, 2022 4674 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - Resistance, assistance and persistence
As Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its third month with no end in sight, Kyiv knows full well that no power will join its active defense against the forces of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine will fight alone, with the most it can expect from the outside is material assistance of weapons, ammunition, equipment. This…April 22, 2022 4102 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - Nuclear-Armed Russia Vs. Weaker Ukraine, Lessons for Other Nations
Can the international system function when two Superpowers are in direct conflict just short of an actual collision? The Russia-Ukraine war has for the first time since the rise of the Berlin Wall in 1961 ignited greater friction between Moscow and Washington than the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War or clashing interests in the Levant.…April 01, 2022 4963 views -
Powers in Play - Does War Have a Future? Early Lessons of The Ukraine Crisis
With the Russia-Ukraine crisis overtaking all other international phenomena, the issues discussed in this episode include: diplomacy, deterrence, intelligence use by policymakers, sanctions, nationalism and breakaway states, United Nations institutions (Security Council and General Assembly), NATO, nuclear weapons, navigation by smaller countries between big powers, military aid without intervention, and above all - the legitimacy…March 11, 2022 4177 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - Personality or policy?
When Xi Jinping met Vladimir Putin ‘love was in the air,’ or at least mutual interests. Joe Biden’s evident traits are of course somewhat different than Donald Trump’s. Erdogan rubs some of his counterparts the wrong way. Merkel is out - what now? And so on, the old question in a new setting: how does…February 18, 2022 3401 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - Does the World have a tri-polar condition?
“The arc of the moral universe is long,” Martin Luther King Jr. once said. The political universe may not be very moral, but it, too, has an ARC - the American-Russian-Chinese domination of world affairs. In this episode, we will explore the relationship between the three components of this ARC, which with the tensions within…January 21, 2022 7189 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - Cold War II or false alarm?
Is winter coming to international relations? Is the world on the verge of Cold War II, with China playing the part of the old Soviet Union, this time with Russia in a supporting role? Or are the omens of doom and gloom being overplayed? A lively Powers in Play discussion with new guest Ambassador Alon…December 17, 2021 7655 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - Problems and Priorities: Analyzing Great Power Competition
There are several hotspots in most regions at any given time, but not all of them threaten to get out of hand and erupt into world-class crises. What are the most urgent friction points, should immediacy take precedence over importance and are there powers-led mechanisms in place to take care of them? Panel: - Host:…November 26, 2021 7194 views -
TV7 Powers in Play - Telescope and Microscope - Analyzing Great Power Competition
The inaugural episode of TV7’s new monthly program Powers in Play explores the panelists’ objective to examine global affairs by telescope while simultaneously analyzing the Middle East through a microscope. As 2021 draws to a close, which powers are opposed and which are aligned? Should only national actors or also international, multi-national and sub-national be…October 29, 2021 6891 views