← The Globalist
Loading summary
Transcript128 lines
- [00:04]
UBS Announcer
We're proud to support the craft of journalism. UBS brings you the latest news from around the world with the Globalist on Monocle Radio. Be part of an international network that brings together leading insights, research and technology across 24 time zones and 12 key financial hubs. With you at the centre of it all, UBS advice is our craft.
- [00:38]
Georgina Godwin
You're listening to the Globalist, first broadcast on the 1st of August 2025 on Monocle Radio. The Globalist in association with UP. Hello, this is the Globalist broadcasting to you live from Midori House in London. I'm Georgina Godwin.
- [01:15]
Dr. Ronan Lee
On the show ahead, Canada intends to.
- [01:18]
Inzamam Rashid
Recognize the state of Palestine at the 80th session of the United Nations General assembly in September 2025.
- [01:26]
Georgina Godwin
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to raise tariffs on Canad goods to 35%. Washington's linked this in part to what it said was Canada's failure to stop fentanyl smuggling. However, could it also be because of that announcement Canada's vow to recognize Palestine? The US Special envoy Steve Witkoff is in Israel as the country becomes increasingly isolated. How long can Washington support Tel Aviv and what's the strategy now? We'll browse the international papers and then head to Myanmar where the military junta is lifting the state of emergency after years in order to hold elections. But there are serious doubts as to whether these can be credible in any way.
- [02:09]
Andrew Muller
Then we learned that there was one war he intended to wage unto the death, as in between rounds of cheating at golf in Scotland, a well earned break from cheating at golf in America. He resumed his lifelong tilt against windmills.
- [02:24]
Georgina Godwin
Andrew Muller gives us his take on the week. We'll have a roundup of news from the United Arab Emirates. And finally, we explore New Zealand's golden visa program. Why a high net worth individuals so anxious to isolate themselves in the remote country? And can money really buy you safety anywhere in the world? That's all ahead here on the Globalist. Live from London. First, a look at what else is happening in the news. The United States has set new trade tariffs for both Thailand and Cambodia at 19%. That's down from a threatened 35. Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have had the first meetings moving towards a peace deal. And the heads of NASA and Russia's Space Agency have met to discuss joint cooperation. Do stay tuned to Monocle Radio throughout the day for more on those stories. Now, the US has also announced it will raise tariffs on Canadian goods to 35% from 25 on products outside the scope of the U. S Mexico Canada Trade Agreement. Washington has linked the increase in part to what it said was Canada's failure to stop fentanyl smuggling. Before the increase announcement, Mark Carney, the Canadian Prime Minister, stated that Canada would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General assembly in New York in September. Well, just how political are these US Tariffs? How have trade agreements become a stick to beat those who don't agree with Washington? And what might the Democrats do about it? Well, I'm joined now from Los Angeles by Mark Adelman, a long standing campaign and communications consultant to the U.S. democrats. Mark, how, how has Donald Trump used tariffs up to this point to support his political agenda?
- [04:15]
Mark Adelman
Well, you know, Georgina, it's interesting. It's something he has talked about consistently since he sort of burst on the political stage in 2015. And if you go back even farther into the world of Donald Trump of the 1980s and 1990s, this is always something he's been very motivated to talk about and clearly very motivated to execute. And, you know, this goes back to his whole kind of grievance about fairness and what he deems is fair, I think both to him individually as a businessman, but to Americans writ large about the kind of deals that they're getting every day as consumers.
- [05:10]
Georgina Godwin
So he is saying that these punitive tariffs on Canada, 35% is to do with fentanyl in part. But I wonder if this is really about Carney's support of Palestine.
- [05:24]
Mark Adelman
You know, I almost think that, you know, this was sort of in the cards a long time before even Mark Carney became Prime minister, which was, as you know, very recently. And you know, when Trudeau was there, there were seemingly lots of issues between the two of them. Personally. The, the truth of it is that the fentanyl problem is not a problem from Canada. It is a problem as it comes through the southern border. And the majority of them, fentanyl reaches Mexico and the United States border from China. And so it's always been kind of puzzling to those that are sort of engaged in pay to this about how Canada sort of takes ownership of this. And I'm not saying there isn't some fentanyl that has come from the Canadian border, but it is diminutive compared to what's happening on the southern border.
- [06:26]
Georgina Godwin
So Trump recently made a relatively favorable deal with the UK but the UK like Canada and France, has also pledged to support the two state solution. Do you think we could see Trump roll back that agreement with Sir Keir Starme as punishment?
- [06:43]
Mark Adelman
Well, look, I think the thing that we know about Donald Trump is that nothing is static and the White House consistently changes their tune about things on a daily basis. As you know, with regards to tariffs and the so called Liberation Day at the beginning of April, There have been 100 iterations and I'm sort of being flipped, but many, many iterations of what this was going to look like, what day this was going to happen. And even in announcing today the tariffs sort of writ large for most of the world, the can has been kicked back now to August 7th. And so I think that with everything, Donald Trump doesn't follow any sort of consistency or continuity. And that doesn't, you know, lend itself to things when you're talking about the conflicts that are going on worldwide and clearly what's going on economically right now with the sort of tariffs that we're seemingly implementing in the next couple weeks.
- [07:49]
Georgina Godwin
So do you think that we might be reaching a point where the USA will completely isolate itself, being cut out of the equation altogether, or is it such a powerful country that won't happen and nations will have to continue trading with it?
- [08:03]
Mark Adelman
Look, United States is the second most powerful trading country in the world. I would add that the EU bloc, if you put all those countries together, comes in second under China. But the idea that the United States is not going to be a part of the worldwide commerce efforts and the idea that the United States is, you know, going to take a step back, I think on the stage as much as some of the rhetoric that is coming out of this country would lead many to believe, I just don't think is a sort of prudent way of thinking about it. I do, I do believe that certainly countries around the world look at the United States right now and ask if they are a reliable partner in all the ways that they have been in the 20th century and certainly the first part of this century that we're in. And that applies writ large, of course to what we're talking about today with monetary policy. But it, you know, USAID and wars abroad and conflicts that are happening in other countries and how much does the United States get involved and what does that look like? And so I do think that, you know, the line, of course, from 2008, too big to fail. You know, the United States will, will forever be one of the most important countries on the planet. And certainly what the President, United States does and what our Congress does has far reaching impacts around the entire, the entire world. And, and so I would say though that, you know, these moments that we've had, certainly in the first Trump term. And now in the second Trump term, I understand why that would give foreign leaders pause.
- [10:04]
Georgina Godwin
Mark, you've worked very closely with the Democrats in the past. What is the thinking from the opposition when they look at this? And is there any plan for a fight back?
- [10:19]
Mark Adelman
Well, look, the, the, the president has sweeping authority to make decisions when it comes to these kinds of policies. Congress can get involved, but as we know, the Congress is also controlled by the Republicans, both in the Senate and the House. And so from a power standpoint, there is very little Democrats can actually do to stop the policies that are being enacted right now. And I think that, as I remind a lot of my friends and certainly people that I just talked to professionally, that what the Democratic Party experienced last year was akin to a nuclear bomb. And living through that and surviving that takes a long time to sort of get your footing back. There are a lot of different ideas that are rolling around the Democratic Party right now, and I think that the patience of the voters and the patience of people that want to support Democrats are being tested. You are looking at elections in November in the state of New Jersey for governor and the state of Virginia for governor. My anticipation is Democrats will win there. Those are both moderate Democrats that are running in those respective states. But I do think there is a, a lot of ground to be made up in what the policies are the Democrats are offering the American people. You can't be against something and not for something. And these types of things that are happening right now, tariffs that were announced today, what the president called the big beautiful bill, which passed a few weeks ago, will have real significant impact on the American people and in my opinion, in many ways in a negative way. And Democrats not only need to make sure that people who are feeling that are being heard, but they have to come up with policies of their own that are going to uplift Americans that are both in the cities and in the rural parts of this country. And there's a lot of people that don't feel part of, you know, the quote, unquote, American dream, which I think the 20th century was so personified by. And we as Democrats, and I say that as somebody who's done a lot of work for the Democrat Party, really need to figure out how our policies and our messages are reaching people in places that we are losing voters. And, you know, there are sizable blocks that have left the Democrat Party and gone to the Republican Party. What are the reasons for that and what are Democrats doing to win those people back? And that is a really big question that a lot of people are asking themselves that are in Congress. And certainly you see all these different governors that are flirting with states like New Hampshire and South Carolina, which of course will be high on the list in 2028. And I don't know if anybody's landed on anything, but what Democrats do need to do is show a fight and show that they can actually be present and be accessible and be available and give people something to hope and vote for.
- [13:49]
Georgina Godwin
Mark, thank you very much indeed. That's Mark Edelman in Los Angeles, a long standing campaign and communications consultant to U.S. democrats there. And this is the globalist to Gaza, where US Special envoy Steve Witkoff has now arrived following the breakdown of talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha last week. This comes in the face of the widening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and just as the State Department has announced sanctions on the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the very bodies that France, Britain and Canada say they would entrust to run the Palestinian state that they've pledged to back. Well, I'm joined now from Jerusalem by Julie Norman, who's a lecturer in politics and relations at ucl. Julie, thanks for coming on the show. Can we start with these sanctions declared on the Palestinian Authority and the PLO yesterday. They are the rivals of Hama. So what's the detail on this?
- [14:54]
Julie Norman
Well, good morning, Georgina. Yeah, I mean, this move by the US is really counter to not only what much of the rest of the world is doing and trying to recognize a Palestinian state, shore up these very institutions, especially the Palestinian Authority, but it also goes against the US's own, you know, history and working very closely with the Palestinian Authority, supporting their work in the territory, supporting their coordination with Israel. And so this move is one that I think leaves a lot of people scratching their heads. I think it's a reaction to some of the global shifts we're seeing now in support of Palestine, but there's going to be pressure on the US to roll some of this back because this is just very counter to the U.S. s own aims.
- [15:35]
Georgina Godwin
Quite frankly, it does seem very pointed at France, Britain and Canada's recognition of the two state solution.
- [15:43]
Julie Norman
That's exactly right. So obviously this week we've seen really very quick moves, I would say, in succession after France's announcement that they would recognize a Palestinian state, followed by the UK Followed then by Canada. And I wouldn't be surprised if more states also agreeing to this as well moving into September. This really puts the US in an isolated position and being the only member of the Security Council and really the main major state in the whole UN that is not moving in this direction. And the US and especially the Trump administration is looking for different ways to push back at that.
- [16:21]
Georgina Godwin
What does this mean for further ceasefire and peace negotiations?
- [16:26]
Julie Norman
Well, I would say right now it looks like ceasefire negotiations, there's a chance that they might be getting back on track. Vitcroft is here this week. He met with Netanyahu yesterday. Much of that conversation did center on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. But there also seems to be some talks about trying to bring a different approach to the ceasefire talks as well. Looking more now at what would be a comprehensive agreement rather than the phased model that we've been working with for months, so to speak. The extent to which that actually gets back on track or not, I think is yet to be seen. But it's important to show that this is still, there is still a will here. Hamas has indicated that if the humanitarian condition can be leave, they're willing to re engage the negotiations. So they certainly are not dead. But again, I think any kind of, of next day sort of things that we talk about what's going to happen in the Strip, if there finally is some kind of ceasefire, you're going to need strong Palestinian institutions or at least viable ones like the pa, like the PLO to be in these conversations. And it does not help anyone right now to have the US Sanctioning them and further marginalizing them.
- [17:36]
Georgina Godwin
So, as you say, I mean, the US has finally woken up to the appalling humanitarian crisis in Gaza, if only because Trump saw it on Fox, but looking into this will be on Vitkov's agenda. How is the US Working to alleviate the hunger crisis?
- [17:52]
Julie Norman
Yeah, so Vidkov is expected to travel to Gaza today with the US Ambassador here, Mike Huckabee. They're supposed to visit at least one of the aid sites. Up till now, the US has put most of their aid support into the ghf, the Gaza Humanitarian Fund. That is a body that was set up by Israel with US Support to coordinate aid in Gaza. Since May, it's been an absolute debacle. They went from having 400 aid sites under the UN and international organizations that were neutral, non military, et cetera, to only 4. So 400 to 4. Those are concentrated mostly in the south, requiring people to displace yet again just to try and get that aid. And as most people have probably heard, over 1000 Gazans have been killed trying to seek aid since the system went into effect by gunfire at these sites. So it has not worked in any way, shape or Form, I think the question now is if the US Is going to keep leaning into that model or finally kind of cut their losses and look for some other ways to get some aid into this strip. Everyone has seen these images, they've seen the starvation. And it's at a point where even the US has recognized, I think, that this cannot continue like this.
- [19:08]
Georgina Godwin
So where is Netanyahu in Trump's estimation right now? Because his attitude towards Israel's leaders seems to swing between censure and support.
- [19:18]
Julie Norman
It certainly does, Georgina. And, you know, I think Netanyahu was expecting, you know, full ironclad support from Trump, as it, as it were, you know, rhetorically. And in fact, Trump has been gone back and forth with, with how supportive or critical he is. But I think at the end of the day, what we need to look at is how Trump has based his policies, and his policies have pretty much given Netanyahu a green light to continue the war, to put in place this, this absolutely catastrophic, quote, unquote, aid system. And so when you're actually talking about things on the ground, Trump has let Netanyahu pretty much do what he wants in Gaza. And I think we're all looking to now is see if even Trump has finally hit his limits there, if he's sending Witkoff over to actually, actually try and say something instead of just kind of standing by while Israel does what it wants.
- [20:09]
Georgina Godwin
I mean, what is clear is that Israel is increasingly isolated, as you pointed out, on the world stage. I wonder if it will reach a point where it no longer makes sense for Washington to continue backing it. Or, or is the Israeli lobby in the US Just too important?
- [20:26]
Julie Norman
But, Georgina, I think this has been a question, you know, for, for the last year and for, for longer than just these last several months with how much is the US Kind of willing to sacrifice, so to speak, for their support for Israel. And this comes at a time when the Trump administration has a lot of other interests in the region. They have a lot of close ties with different Arab states, Trump, different economic arrangements, different political arrangements in the Middle East. And moreover, again, just as this war descends into just a level that has, it has not reached in the past, I think there is going to be increasing pressure on the United States from domestic pressure, from voters, even from politicians to rethink some of these policies. We saw a vote yesterday in the Senate, Bernie Sanders, trying to get Democratic support for halting military aid to Israel. Obviously it didn't pass, but it got more than half the caucus, caucus signing on to that. So even in Washington, you're starting to see a slight shift on these, you know, on this question of how much support should we keep giving to Israel, just with a blank check.
- [21:35]
Georgina Godwin
And Julie, I mean, finally, what strategies are left for the, for the US and Israel?
- [21:42]
Julie Norman
Well, I would say right now for the US in terms of policy, it's always been a question of this unfettered military aid to Israel, which has allowed the war to go on as long as it has. I don't see the Trump administration really moving on that significantly in any way, shape or form. Where the Trump administration can, and I think will lean in is on trying to get to the ceasefire, really trying to use what leverage they do have with Netanyahu to really say this needs to wind down and Israel, you're hurting yourself globally if this continues with no kind of endgame in sight. I think that's the message that we're going to hear. But to be quite honest, Netanyahu has been given that message before and has carried on with this war. So we need to see what kind of other levers the US is willing to pull to really put that pressure on.
- [22:30]
Georgina Godwin
Julie Norman, lecturer in politics and international Relations at ucl, speaking to us from Jerusalem. Thank you very much indeed. Now, still to come on the program, the Flight of the Super Wealthy will examine how New Zealand's Golden Visa program is facilitating the relocation of the rich and terrified. This is the Globalist.
- [23:03]
UBS Announcer
Each of us has a craft, a calling that inspires us. Whether it's how a coffee is brewed, a chair is built, or how money is looked after. There's a love for the work, a care that compels you forward. For us at ubs, it's about designing a unique outcome for you. Because whatever your craft may be, ours is built around helping you succeed. UBS banking is our craft.
- [23:41]
Georgina Godwin
This is the Globalist on Monocle Radio. The time here in London is 7:23. And joining me in the studio is Julia Jen, Monocle writer and researcher, to have a look through the day's newspapers. Julia, good morning to you.
- [23:52]
Julia Jen
Good morning.
- [23:53]
Georgina Godwin
We just have to point out that you are in fact the Julia that we know and love.
- [23:57]
Julia Jen
Yes.
- [23:58]
Georgina Godwin
You've just changed your name.
- [24:00]
Julia Jen
I have because I got married. So I've made that terrifying leap and now no one knows why am anymore. So thank you for reintroducing me to Monocle Radio.
- [24:08]
Georgina Godwin
Well, congratulations.
- [24:09]
Julia Jen
Thanks.
- [24:10]
Georgina Godwin
Now you are, as we know, from Ukraine. Let's start with the Ukrainian story. And this is about this law being rolled back by Zelenskyy. There were huge protests at the fact that he was taking away the independence of these two anti corruption agencies. How has the EU responded to this? Because there were worries that this would completely stop the accession process.
- [24:33]
Julia Jen
Yes, absolutely. That was a really, really big worry. So the Europe for now have said that they will not freeze aid and that Ukraine is still, I guess, on track. But there's one thing they're really, really worried about, which is the appointment of the Economics Bureau, Economic Crime Investigation Bureau chief. So that's called BEB in Ukrainian. Beb and another sort of name for the audience to remember. But yes. So this is a really big deal. When the Ukrainian cabinet met yesterday, they not appoint this person. And they had a deadline of yesterday to do this from both the Europeans and the IMF who have said that it's absolutely vital that Ukraine has this Economics Crime Bureau chief in place to work alongside these two anti corruption agencies that we've seen, we saw their agency, their independence taken away and now restored yesterday in a vote. So the situation is still very, very complicated. And it's always interesting, you know, when you get into the kind inner politics of a country, people sort of switch off. But I think what's making this story so riveting for people around the world is how central it is to Ukraine's EU accession, which is so closely tied up with its, you know, defense against Russia and sort of European aspirations.
- [25:57]
Georgina Godwin
And one of the reasons, of course, this touches a nerve is that Ukraine really does have a long history of corruption.
- [26:02]
Julia Jen
Yes, exactly. And it's one of the things that, you know, Russia has used to smear Ukraine and to say that it deserves to be invaded, it deserves to be taken over, because they can't govern themselves. Of course we know that corruption over in Russia is kind of even more rampant. Unfortunately. It's this kind of hangover, this legacy from the Soviet Union where bribes were basically a completely normal part of life. And so really interesting, you know, in my lifetime, and I was born in 1998, way after the Soviet Union fell, corruption in Ukraine used to be a completely normal thing. We used to drive along the road and it was a totally normal thing to be stopped by the traffic warden and pass him a little note that sort of that low level corruption has really faded away. And now it's about really getting to grips with that high level corruption.
- [26:47]
Georgina Godwin
Let's move on. Now it's a mainstream story, but it's a very niche publication. The Railway Gazette.
- [26:53]
Julia Jen
Exactly.
- [26:55]
Georgina Godwin
But it is a story that we're seeing everywhere. And this is about the Belt and Road Initiative, China's Belt and Road Initiative. In this case, they are saying they will electrify an Iranian corridor.
- [27:05]
Julia Jen
Yes. So this will electrify a corridor between the Turkmenistan border with Iran and all the way to the Turkish border that Iran shares on that side, on the Western side. So what makes this story really interesting is that Iran, obviously, it's a country that's been really, you know, buffeted. The last few months have been very destabilizing for the country. China is sort of almost seemingly betting early for the country to sort of stabilize. Who knows what kind of regime there will be in place in a few months, a few years. It's so uncertain now in Iran. And so what they're doing here is the Iranian regime, for example, is betting here on rail freight traffic because they can't export their main thing, which is oil, that says there's so many sanctions on that. So they're really trying to find a way to monetize on their kind of geopolitical, geographic, strategical location in terms of rail freight. But China itself is really getting in there early. I mean, we've talked about this so many times, the US Withdrawing all over the world here, Iran and China really creating a relationship that is bringing Chinese investment in as it is, so many countries around the world and creating this goodwill, this soft power, and this feeling like the Chinese kind of get things done, which is very unfortunate, you know, for Europeans, for the Americans, where traditionally they've enjoyed that sort of reputation. But China is getting in there.
- [28:32]
Georgina Godwin
Absolutely. Now, he's concreted over the Rose Garden. He's covered the Oval Office in gilt. And now Donald Trump, it appears, is getting rid of the area where the first lady has her office. And why not? Where is the first lady? Has anybody seen Melania? And he's going to add what he calls an exquisite ballroom to the White House at the cost of $2 million.
- [28:56]
Julia Jen
Yes, exactly. Even 200.
- [28:59]
Georgina Godwin
Sorry, 200 million.
- [29:00]
Julia Jen
Even more is enormous amount of money. But apparently it's going to be funded by Donald Trump and other Patriot sort of funders, investors or whatever.
- [29:10]
Georgina Godwin
Donors.
- [29:10]
Julia Jen
Yeah, donors.
- [29:11]
Julie Norman
Thank you.
- [29:11]
Julia Jen
Yes, so. Yes, exactly. So this is going to go on the East Wing. It's going to be an enormous ballroom, seated capacity of 690,000 square foot. So it's really, really big. It was really interesting. You know, we've grown up or we've sort of seen these images from events in the White House, and they take place out in the lawn under a tent, a marquee sort of thing. So I guess he wants to bring people in from the outside where the weather is temperamental, I guess, and really establish this kind of really flashy, flashy sort of space to host people and to really wow people. It's also really interesting seeing his envoys traveling around the world. You know, Steve Witkoff meeting Lukashenko in Belarus, sort of saying, oh, your presidential office looks like Mar a Lago or whatever. So he wants to bring that wow factor into kind of diplomatic meetings. And we've seen that from the Middle east as well, their kind of diplomatic meetings that they've been having there. Lots of gold, lots of kind of ornamentation. And I think he must, you know, that's kind of what he wants. We've seen that also from the White House, sorry, the Oval Office revamp as well. And lots of gold being brought in there.
- [30:20]
Georgina Godwin
And it's about his legacy, too. He wants a bricks and mortar legacy that can't be forgotten long after his policies have disappeared. I mean, people are going to say Trump completely redesigned the White House.
- [30:30]
Julia Jen
Yeah, exactly. It's really striking to see the renders, how much the East Wing is going to change. It's quite substantial.
- [30:35]
Georgina Godwin
Julia, thank you very much indeed. That's Julia Jen there. Monocle writer and researcher. This is the Globalist on Monocle Radio. Now here's what else we're keeping an eye on today. The United States has set new trade tariffs for both Thailand and Cambodia just hours before Today's deadline of August 1st. The White House said the new rate for both countries is 19%. That's down from a threatened 36. US President Donald Trump claimed he would make 90 deals in 90 days after he announced the sweeping global levies in April. But far fewer agreements have been reached.
- [31:14]
UBS Announcer
Reached.
- [31:15]
Georgina Godwin
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have held the first meeting of a joint oversight committee on Thursday moving towards implementing a peace deal agreed last month in Washington. And NASA's new temporary administrator, Sean Duffy held a rare face to face meeting with Russia's space agency chief. The pair discussed cooperation on the moon and joint exploration of deep space. This is the Globalist list. Stay tuned. 12:31 in Yangon, 8:31 in Zurich. The military junta in Myanmar has announced it will end the state of emergency it imposed after seizing power four and a half years ago when it ousted the government of the elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The suspension of the state of emergency is reportedly to allow for elections to take place in December, though this has been postponed previous. Well, Dr. Ronan Lee, an Academic and author of Myanmar's Rohingya Identity History and Hate Speech, joins me down the line now. Ronan, good morning to you. Can you walk us through how we got to this point?
- [32:26]
Dr. Ronan Lee
Well, we got to this point because of a coup in 2021. So there was a democratic government of Myanmar led by Aung San SUU Kyi. At that point, the Myanmar military stepped in and took 2021. Minong, the senior general, launched a coup and arrested all of the elected politicians and anyone else who he deemed a threat to his rule and his military's rule. They've been in power for four years. It's been a very unpopular coup. The country's descended into utter chaos. It's a multi sided civil war. The military junta controls really around 20 to 25% of the country. With any sense of reliab, opposition groups control about 40% and the rest is contested. It's an utter mess. There are three and a half million people internally displaced and half the country are living in poverty. But Minong Lang wants to hang on to power and that's what this announcement this week is about.
- [33:28]
Georgina Godwin
So tell us a little bit more about the state of emergency and the elections which have been repeatedly postponed. Is there any chance that there will be democrats?
- [33:37]
Dr. Ronan Lee
Well, they won't be democratic, but they will be. There will at some point be some style of election because that's the military's view, that that's the best way to add a sheen of legitimacy to its long term rule. So what was announced was Minongliang, the coup leader, wearing full military regalia and standing behind a meter high logo of the Myanmar military, a name that the country now has a civilian leadership led by him. So he's now not just the head of the military, but also he is the acting president. And he says he's now governing the country as a civilian ruler rather than a military ruler. And hand in hand with that, he claims to have removed the state of emergency to allow elections to occur. But some hours after that announcement, state media made two very important announcements. One is that the imposition of a new state of emergency in nine of the 14 regions of states of the country and a new law which indicates seven years in jail for any individual engaged in speech or protest designed to, quote, destroy any part of the electoral process. So really it's making very clear to anyone in the country that if you're in a part of Myanmar where the military is in control, you cannot speak out in opposition to the election. You can't protest it. You can't call it illegitimate or you're facing seven years in jail. I mean, it's a very clear indication that the military actually does intend to proceed with some sort of election because they've made it impossible for that election to be anything other than predetermined by the military. But this won't fool anyone in Myanmar.
- [35:25]
Georgina Godwin
Well, just briefly before we go. We know that not all stakeholders want to participate in this election. So is there a credible opposition who is ready to govern in the unlikely event that they're elected?
- [35:36]
Dr. Ronan Lee
Well, they can't be elected because they won't be allowed to participate. I mean, this is the ultimate problem. The Myanmar military dictatorship regards any opposition to its rule as seditious and a jailable offence. They've jailed all the politicians that they can get their hands on. These are the politicians like Aung San Suu Kyi that were elected in 2020. They've jailed any opposition forces. So there's no credible opposition that will be allowed to participate in the election. The opposition have rightly called for a boycott. But I mean, it's ultimately the boycott will be. Will be a moot point because they wouldn't be allowed to participate even if they wanted to. This is. This is a sham. It's designed to add a sheen of legitimacy to ongoing military rule and I don't think anyone in Myanmar will regard this as legitimate.
- [36:28]
Georgina Godwin
Dr. Ronan Lee, thank you very much indeed. This is Monica Ren Radio. It's Friday, which means Monocle's contributing editor Andrew Muller has been hard at work unpacking the last seven days for us. I've traveled every road in this year Land I've been everywhere, man. I've been everywhere, man.
- [37:00]
Andrew Muller
We learned this week that the geography classes being taught in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh are perhaps sub optimal. Are, if you will. Uttar Bollocks. We will endeavour to raise the tone from here on, but it was right there. What are you going to do? We learned of, or at least inferred such derelictions from the the bemusing case of Hashvahad Jain, resident of the town of Ghaziabad, who has had his collar felt by Uttar Pradesh's finest over a scam revolving around Mr. Jain acting as an ambassador for a number of countries which do not, on closer inspection, exist as such.
- [37:44]
Julie Norman
I can't wait to try this guy.
- [37:46]
Andrew Muller
Tell me more. Knew you'd be curious. We learned that Mr. Jain had been trading and as the ambassador for Westarctica, Seborga, Ladonia and Paulovia, in the service of which deception he had awarded himself various fake titles, mocked up photos of himself meeting assorted foreign potentates, and though he may not have forged any real diplomatic ties, had forged diplomatic license plates for his cars and official seals to stamp on documents. All of which had enabled him to scam over the eager and under diligent investors and job seekers while helping himself to the high life.
- [38:24]
Georgina Godwin
Over the past decade, Jain reportedly traveled to Dubai 53 times and visited over 30 other countries, including the UK, UAE, Mauritius, France, Cameroon, Switzerland, Poland, Sri Lanka.
- [38:37]
Julie Norman
And Belgium as well.
- [38:39]
Andrew Muller
And Belgium as well. We learned when we looked into it a bit further, because we're good like that, that Mr. Gian had maybe not entirely invented his ostensible homelands. Westarctica exists inasmuch as it is the project of an American tarot card publisher who claims to be the Grand Duke of a chunk of Antarctica. And why not? Seborga is a small village in Italy near the border with France, which the occasional local dingbat claims is an independent kingdom or whatever, has its own flag and coat of arms and so forth. Lodonia is a community of intolerable whimsicalists in Sweden. And while our admittedly desultory research failed to disinter much information about Paulovia, we very strongly suspect the involvement of someone called Paul. We will at this time be requiring a sound effect of a champagne cork popping as the There is some champagne satire coming up. Wait for it.
- [39:44]
Mark Adelman
Sorry.
- [39:46]
Andrew Muller
So here goes. While Westarctica, Seborga, Lidonia and Paulovia are not real countries, we still wouldn't be surprised if US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on them. Come on, let's have it. This is a brilliantly judged callback to that thing Trump actually did do earlier this year when he imposed tariffs on those islands with nobody living on them but penguins. Remember?
- [40:13]
Mark Adelman
I get it now, right?
- [40:14]
Georgina Godwin
Oh, carry on.
- [40:16]
Andrew Muller
Speaking of whom.
- [40:17]
Mark Adelman
Oh, no.
- [40:23]
Andrew Muller
We learned that he had brought peace to all humankind. So there was that.
- [40:28]
Donald Trump
Stop. Six wars in the last I. I'm averaging about a war a month. Yeah, but the last three were very, very close together.
- [40:37]
Andrew Muller
But we learned that there was one war he intended to wage unto the death. As in between rounds of cheating at golf in Scotland, a well earned break from cheating at golf in America, he resumed his lifelong tilt against windmills.
- [40:51]
Donald Trump
Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries. I really mean it. It's so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds.
- [41:06]
Andrew Muller
While we, for one, whimsical news monologue derive no joy from such avian fatalities as may be occasioned by windmills. We would mildly point out that any bird with the entire damned sky to choose from which still manages to get clouted by one of those slowly turning blades isn't trying all that hard. Can I get some further? General muttered again, agreement.
- [41:31]
Donald Trump
We will not allow a windmill to be built in the United States. They're killing us. They're killing the beauty of our scenery, our valleys, our beautiful planes. And I'm not talking about airplanes. I'm talking about beautiful planes, beautiful areas in the United States.
- [41:48]
Andrew Muller
So we learned that whatever other criticisms may legitimately be leveled at the President, he is absolutely, absolutely rock solid on the difference between planes, as in things with wings, and planes, as in flattish rural topography, if arguably less sure footed in the realm of reassuring explanations for the ending of one's friendship with an infamous child sex trafficker.
- [42:10]
Donald Trump
I have a great spa, one of the best spas in the world at Mar A Lava. And people were taken out of the spa hired by him. In other words, gone stuck.
- [42:19]
Andrew Muller
Still, we continue to learn that at any rate, the whole thing, the whole thing that is, on which Trump and his outriders campaigned vociferously for years is just not really that big a whoop anymore.
- [42:32]
Donald Trump
It's getting to be very old news.
- [42:34]
Andrew Muller
And at any further rate was entirely cooked up by the other mob.
- [42:39]
Donald Trump
The whole thing is a scam. It's a scam set up by the Democrats and they love talking about it.
- [42:44]
Andrew Muller
Who are, of course, the real criminals. And we learned further of their depravity from Republican Congressman Jim comer of Kentucky's 1st district, whose Wikipedia page includes the subheadings personal finances and abuse allegations. We learned that Comer had come to blow the lid off the hideous conspiracy among flunkies of former President Joe Biden to conceal the infirmities of their boss from the voters, the ones that answer questions.
- [43:11]
Inzamam Rashid
It's almost like a cult, you know.
- [43:13]
Georgina Godwin
They want to say, yes, Joe Biden was in excellent mental condition. They never saw any decline.
- [43:19]
Andrew Muller
Almost like a cult, you say, of people pretending not to notice their hero's obvious unraveling. Do please continue, Congressman. This is fascinating.
- [43:29]
Georgina Godwin
They put makeup on him, you know.
- [43:31]
Mark Adelman
They did a lot of stuff to.
- [43:32]
Georgina Godwin
Conceal his true decline.
- [43:34]
Andrew Muller
We learned that we can all be grateful that the long nightmare of makeup being used to conceal the President's decline from America, he Over for Monocle Radio, I'm Andrew Muller.
- [43:50]
Georgina Godwin
Andrew Muller, thank you. This is the globalist on Monocle Radio.
- [43:58]
UBS Announcer
IQ EQ and AI, three components key to the craft of innovation at ubs. Because to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving age, you need a partner with decades of experience, endless passion for the work, and a finger on the pulse of leading technologies. Bridging human expertise with artificial intelligence, all to elevate you. UBS banking is our craft.
- [44:35]
Georgina Godwin
It's time now for news from the United Arab Emirates, and Inzamam Rashid, Monocle's contributor and journalist for Al Arabiya, joins us now from Dubai. Hey, Insi, good morning to you.
- [44:47]
Inzamam Rashid
Good morning, Georgina.
- [44:48]
Georgina Godwin
Let's start looking at the UAE and Jordan and their aid drops. Tell us more about this.
- [44:55]
Inzamam Rashid
Yeah, so look, I think as the starvation crisis deepens across Palestine, the UAE is really ramping up its aid drops into Gaza. They've been dropping supplies over the last week alongside the Jordanian military, and it's believed the UAE has delivered more than 4,000 tons of aid in the last four days alone. And from my conversations that I've had with the UAE government, that will continue throughout this weekend as well. But what they're saying to me is that they're very adamant it's not enough. The airdrops only really deliver a fraction of the what the trucks can supply. And many of the parcels will also land in quite inaccessible areas that the Palestinians have been told to evacuate. Some even fall into the sea, which forces people to kind of swim out to retrieve what would be like drenched bags of flour. And so, you know, we've seen this ramp up from the UAE and from Jordan, but as they have said, it's simply not enough. Yes, there are trucks that have been allowed in now that blockade has been lifted, but it's where those trucks are going to. And what we're being told as well on the ground is that those trucks can't get to some of the aid agency points, the UN points. They're kind of just being attacked essentially by people so desperate for food and water on the ground that they're not even being able to get to the destination that they need to get to.
- [46:26]
Georgina Godwin
What can you tell us about Israel evacuating its diplomatic staff from the us?
- [46:32]
Inzamam Rashid
Yeah, there seems to be a bit of a shift in Israel kind of EU, EU, UAE relations over the last 48 hours or so, Georgina. And I can't exactly pinpoint why that is. Perhaps it's to do with the huge amount of support that the UAE is giving to Gaza in its aid supply. But Israel has intensified its warning against trying to travel to the UAE and has started evacuating the embassy in Abu Dhabi. Now, the Israeli National Security Council have put this down to the potential of terrorist attacks against Israelis and Jewish targets in the uae, particularly around Jewish holidays. They ultimately believe that there's an increased motivation for revenge following the situation in Gaza and the recent war with a Iran as well. Now, it's not clear if all the staff will leave the embassy or whether a few will remain. If they do, they'll be under very, very strict security guidelines by the Israelis. But I can't see any increased risk towards the Israeli embassy here in the uae. It's just something that would not happen in this country. And I don't think the UAE authorities will be all that concerned either. They will take their concerns seriously, of course, course. But I don't really think there is any imminent attack to the Israeli embassy here in the uae.
- [48:01]
Georgina Godwin
Now, anybody on social media in your part of the world will have seen this video which has now gone viral. It's of a fairground ride collapsing.
- [48:11]
Inzamam Rashid
Yeah, this is a pretty grim clip actually. And I watched one video of it that someone had shared and now it's been picked up by news organizations right across the Gulf and beyond as well. It's a horrifying amusement park accident in Saudi Arabia where a massive pendulum 360 style ride has literally snapped in half whilst spinning midair at a Park near Tafe. And it's believed 23 people were injured, three pretty seriously. There are reports that suggest there are more than that. And like you said, the footage has gone viral and it's terrifying. The park's been shut down down. There's a full investigation underway. But I think it does perhaps raise some serious questions about ride safety and oversight and kind of regional entertainment venues. And particularly for a country like Saudi Arabia trying to boost its tourism and family entertainment under their Vision 2030, I think moments like this can be pretty damaging and safety has to be front and center.
- [49:14]
Georgina Godwin
I mean, that is indeed a terrible story. But I think this last story is far more appalling.
- [49:20]
Inzamam Rashid
Well, I think if you're a man who has perhaps forgotten an anniversary or a birthday, I think this is quite helpful, to be honest. Yeah, this is a very Dubai story. I think you can now buy fresh flowers from a robotic vending machine and that is a real thing. They're now live in City Walk and Dubai Festival, City Mall and you can just basically walk, walk up, tap a screen, pick a bouquet and your fresh flowers come out of the shoot. And I think it is very, it's perfect for those, you know, oh no, I forgot the birthday or anniversary moments, which us men are usually akin to. The machines are from a company called Flowered and they're a big E commerce kind of flower brand in the region. And this is the first of the kind in the Middle east. And it's part of a broader move that we're kind of seeing in the uae, this blending of online services with offline automation. We've seen it with obviously coffee and we've seen it with skin care here. Even pizzas you can get from a vending machine. Flowers is the latest trend and I think the big question is what's next?
- [50:28]
Georgina Godwin
Can I just give you, and indeed anybody listening some advice? Just don't do it. It's the equivalent of petrol station flowers and honestly, most women would just not rather not have anything at all. The fact that you've gone and done this horribly convenient thing that shows zero thought about the person you're giving the flowers to is just appalling and we'd rather you turned up empty handed. Indeed.
- [50:53]
Inzamam Rashid
Take the advice.
- [50:54]
Georgina Godwin
Yeah, no flowers from you. Thank you very much indeed. That's Inzaman Rashid, Monocle's contributor and a journalist for Al Arabiya. This is the Globalist on Monocle Radio. As the world appears to teeter on the brink, more and more people are seeking to relocate. But where to go? Many high net worth individuals are considering New Zealand as a safe haven from global apocalypse. And the country encourages this by issuing golden visas, allowing foreign nationals to settle in return for a certain level of investment. Well, joining me now is Stuart Nash, who's former New Zealand Minister for Tourism and Economic Development and founder of relocation consultancy Nash Kelly Global. Stuart, thanks for coming on the show. You were one of the architects of the Golden Visa program in New Zealand. Why was it created and how does it work?
- [51:54]
Stuart Nash
Well, first and foremost, Regina, thank you very much for having me. And to all your listeners, welcome to New Zealand. It is really a safe haven at the bottom of the world. So we created this because we value foreign direct investment. In fact, it's vital for an economy our size. But it's not just about the money. People who do invest in New Zealand bring their connections, their network networks, their experiences, their competencies. And if I'm honest with you, Junior, I have never met one of these people that I don't think is a fantastic person. And often they're more passionate about New Zealand than New Zealanders. How it works is there are two schemes. You've got to invest either 5 million kiwi, which is about 3 million US, in what's called a growth scheme and in that you can only invest in equities or managed funds. And then there's the balance scheme and you've got to invest 10 million kiwi, you're going about 6 million US. And that is you can put that in government bonds, you can put it in listed equities as well as other sort of active funds. And the reason it is called the Golden Visa, that's its colloquial name, but its working title is Active Investor Plus. The reason it's called active is because we like people investing into our economy.
- [53:02]
Georgina Godwin
And so, I mean, clearly it's very successful. Are we seeing more countries attempting to replicate this? Could it be rolled out?
- [53:10]
Stuart Nash
Yeah, there are a lot of countries, you know, we're not seeing the flood that they get. For example, in Portugal, I think there's a wait list of 70,000. In Greece, like 80,000. But in New Zealand, if you go through a registered immigration adviser and we organise all this, it takes our immigration, New Zealand, about between one week and three weeks to approve the visa. The other thing also is once you've got New Zealand permanent residency, you have it for life. And so, you know, people are looking for a safe haven. But by far the vast majority of ultra high net worth individuals who do seek a second residency or citizenship are looking for a tax haven. But we're seeing more and more who are after a sort of safe haven. And New Zealand sells itself, right? I mean, you know, you've got Putin going crazy in Europe, you've got saber rappling in the South China Sea, you've got, you know, American politics is becoming more divisive than it, than it ever has. The Middle east is obviously a tinderbox and you've got New Zealand at the bottom of the world with, you know, the only thing we, we really worry about is are the All Blacks going to beat the Brits in the next test match they play?
- [54:14]
Georgina Godwin
Where do the applicants generally come from?
- [54:19]
Stuart Nash
At this point, over 58% are actually coming from the United States and in the balance are made up predominantly from, from Asia and some from Europe. Quite a number from Germany, surprisingly. And what we found is a lot of Germans actually backpacked through New Zealand in their early days. They go home, they become very wealthy and they love coming back here. So the strata, there's quite a strong German cons contingent, but the majority at this point are actually coming from the United States of America.
- [54:47]
Georgina Godwin
I mean, for the preppers, it's all very well building a bunker in a remote place, but I Wonder if the ultra wealthy have thought about staffing and how these private compounds will be run. I mean, ultimately, in a doomsday scenario, you're only as safe as your most disgruntled employee. So do the golden visa holders need to be also taught to, I don't know, run their own sewage plants, grow their own food so as not to rely on start at all?
- [55:14]
Stuart Nash
Well, back to your last segment, Georgina. I think they're counting on AI to do all this and the one thing that we say is AI cannot connect you into the networks that you need to, to feel welcomed and valued. But you know, it is, you know, there is a bunker up in one of our world class golf, golf resorts built by a guy called Rick Kane, who's a, an exceptionally wealthy but a very generous American. But, but, you know, if you have a bunker on a golf course and you know, you got to hunker down for five years and you come out, I suspect the golf course isn't going to look as good as it did the day you went in. But to be honest, it's not so much these doomsday preppers who are coming over here, it's really those who are looking for an alternative. And you know, we're a first world country. Our police don't carry guns, there's never been a gun shooting here. We haven't got a gun culture. We're seen as safe. You know, you can be playing golf in the morning, you can be skiing in the, in the afternoon and eating out at a world class winery in the evening. And you know, one of the things that Nash Kelly does is when we do all this golden visa prep for people who want to come over here, we make sure that they do feel welcomed and they do feel valued and they settle if they want to settle or they're networked into the people that are going to make their life very easy and minimize the risk of things not going well.
- [56:26]
Georgina Godwin
Yeah, I mean, it is a fantastic place. You've got a brilliant literary festival in Auckland too, I have to say. But you don't like cats much, do you?
- [56:34]
Stuart Nash
There was one exceptionally wealthy Kiwi guy who actually didn't like cats. Well, you know, we've got a, we've got a lot of native birds here and before us humans turned up, most of them were flightless and because there was no predators and of course cat, cats love eating birds. And so, you know, we don't allow cats or stoats or weasels in our native parks. But, but there are a lot of cats over Here. And if you're, if you're super wealthy and you love a cat, that's not going to preclude you for coming in.
- [56:59]
Georgina Godwin
You can give a, get a golden cat visa for them.
- [57:03]
Stuart Nash
In fact, if you, if you get your aip, if you get your golden visa, I think your cat probably get, can get an exemption if you want to bring them.
- [57:10]
Georgina Godwin
Stuart, finally, I wonder if you're seeing any fashion trend Trends amongst these 1 percenters. I mean, for instance, are tinfoil hats popular?
- [57:21]
Stuart Nash
Hey, look. Who told you we were doing that? That is top secret, Georgina. We're not collecting that information no matter what anyone says, okay? I don't think you've got to be worried about the government collecting that sort of information. And what we do tell our people at Nash Kelly Global, if you want to, if you want to go off grid and keep away from AI, then you're going to be as safe as houses. But let me tell you a story. I had some good mates who went to Stanford University, University, and they were broken up into groups and the groups had to come up with a tagline for New Zealand. And a group that contained only Americans came up with a tagline that I wanted to use as Nash Kelly Global's tagline. But I was overruled by my shareholders and it really was New Zealand, the place you want to be when the world turns to shit. Excuse me for those with sensitive ears, but a lot of people do see this as a paradise of the. The bottom of the, you know, paradise at the bottom of the world where, where life is easy, Georgina, there's no doubt about that. So if you want to come over here, jump online and we can help you make it happen.
- [58:18]
Georgina Godwin
Absolutely. Stuart, thank you very much indeed. I'm sorely tempted by that, but right now I've got to rush off and stock up on tinned goods, I think. Stuart, thank you very much indeed. Stuart Nash is the former New Zealand Minister for Tourism and Economic Development and the founder of the relocation consultancy Nash Kelly Global. That's all for today's program. If you want to know more about New Zealand, there's a fantastic novel called Burnham Wood. It's by Eleanor Catton, who won the Booker Prize for her previous novel. And it's all about a really rich person who moves there and is trying to set up a community. Many thanks to our producers here, Tom Webb and Hassan Anderson, our researcher Henry King, and our studio manager, Flynn Simons, with editing assistance from Mariella Bevan. After the headlines. There's more music on the way. The briefing is live at midday and the Globalist return returns at the same time on Monday. I'll be with you tomorrow and Sunday. For the Weekend Edition, I'm Georgina Godwin. Thank you for listening.