Al-Sisi: Cairo to host Gaza reconstruction conference in November    PM Madbouly chairs meeting on public-private partnerships in tourism    Egypt launches project to upgrade export environment, streamline port procedures    Gulf investors turn to Egypt's real estate market as strategic gateway for growth    At Aswan Forum, Egypt's FM urges reform of UN Security Council, finance bodies    Tensions rise in Gaza as Israel violates ceasefire agreement    Egypt, WHO sign cooperation strategy to strengthen health system through 2028    EHA, Arab Hospitals Federation discuss cooperation on AI, sustainable healthcare    Egypt's FM joins Sahel region roundtable at Aswan Forum    Egypt successfully hosts Egyptian Amateur Open golf championship with 19-nation turnout    Africa can lead global recovery, Egypt's Sisi tells Aswan Forum    From Impression to Analysis: What International Performance Indicators Reveal about Egypt    Egyptian pound edges up slightly against dollar in Sunday midday trading    Supply Minister: No change in subsidised bread price amid diesel hike    Health ministers adopt 'Cairo Call to Action' to tackle breast cancer across Eastern Mediterranean    Egypt, India hold first strategic dialogue to deepen ties    Egypt: Guardian of Heritage, Waiting for the World's Conscience    Egypt, Qatar sign MoU to boost cooperation in healthcare, food safety    Egypt, UK, Palestine explore financing options for Gaza reconstruction ahead of Cairo conference    Egypt will never relinquish historical Nile water rights, PM says    Al Ismaelia launches award-winning 'TamaraHaus' in Downtown Cairo revival    Al-Sisi, Burhan discuss efforts to end Sudan war, address Nile Dam dispute in Cairo talks    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile actions, calls for global water cooperation    Egypt unearths one of largest New Kingdom Fortresses in North Sinai    Egypt unearths New Kingdom military fortress on Horus's Way in Sinai    Egypt Writes Calm Anew: How Cairo Engineered the Ceasefire in Gaza    Egypt's acting environment minister heads to Abu Dhabi for IUCN Global Nature Summit    Egyptian Open Amateur Golf Championship 2025 to see record participation    Cairo's Al-Fustat Hills Park nears completion as Middle East's largest green hub – PM    El-Sisi boosts teachers' pay, pushes for AI, digital learning overhaul in Egypt's schools    Syria releases preliminary results of first post-Assad parliament vote    Karnak's hidden origins: Study reveals Egypt's great temple rose from ancient Nile island    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Egypt aims to reclaim global golf standing with new major tournaments: Omar Hisham    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







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Inside Washington: Acts and Scenes
Published in Al-Ahram Weekly on 28 - 09 - 2017


The War of the Words... to be continued?
More words were added recently to the insults being traded between Washington and Pyongyang. US President Donald Trump called the North Korean President Kim Jong Un a “madman” last Friday, September 22, a day after Kim named him a “mentally deranged US dotard.”
On Saturday, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho in his remarks to the United Nations General Assembly called Trump “a mentally deranged person full of megalomania and complacency” who is trying to turn the United Nations into a “gangsters' nest.” Ri said Trump himself was on a “suicide mission” after the US president had said Kim was on such a mission. Ri also mentioned that Americans call Trump the “Commander in Grief,” “Lyin' King” and “President Evil.”
That same day few hours later Trump tweeted: “Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!” In an effort to minimise the impact of the president's insults, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Sunday said on ABC News: “The president doesn't want to be in a nuclear war and we will do everything we can to make sure that doesn't occur,” adding “on the other hand, the president will protect the American people and our allies.”
Trump's threats to ‘destroy' North Korea and to reconsider the Iran deal are the main issues now in the talk of Washington. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that two-thirds of Americans oppose launching a preemptive military strike against North Korea, with a majority trusting the US military, but not President Trump, to handle the escalating nuclear crisis responsibly. As for dealing with Iran and the nuclear deal Trump also tweeted last Saturday: “Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!” It is expected that Trump might use the October 15 deadline for certifying to Congress whether Iran is in compliance with the nuclear deal to announce a new policy towards Iran.
Facing the Facebook
Following the news of Washington politics in the last two weeks, one can assume that Facebook is in trouble. Its apparent involvement in facilitating Russian propaganda during the 2016 presidential campaign and passive participation in spreading hate messages led many politicians and pundits to come out and to say frankly that Facebook may have created something so big and so complicated that the company now cannot handle it properly or efficiently. ‘It is out of its control,' some have described it. Facebook is living its “Frankenstein moment,” others have dubbed it. Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, announced last Thursday, September 21, that the company would give congressional committees and investigators more than 3,000 Russia-linked ads and would begin disclosing the names of Facebook business accounts that place political ads on its site. More steps are expected to be taken in the coming days --not just by Facebook but by other social media outlets too.
An editorial by The New York Times recently shed a spotlight on the bigger picture, saying, “Companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google have become a huge force in the political system and in society broadly. While their executives have eagerly embraced their status as disrupters and innovators, they have been reluctant to acknowledge that their creations have been used to do harm.” The editorial continued: “Technology executives have been loath to accept much or any responsibility for the power they and their businesses wield.” In the coming days and weeks we will see how these discussions will proceed. How will tech companies take the responsibility of not allowing harm to reach the public? And how will Congress deal with all these vital issues and attempt to create a regulatory system which can handle the cyber chaos, while at the same time protecting Facebook users' privacy -- their right to know and to express themselves without being exploited, cheated or mislead by others -- in the name of “freedom of expression” or “free flow of information”?


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