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Democrats call for US to refocus on Europe

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The US Democratic Party’s 2024 platform mentions Europe at the start of its foreign policy section and outlines the party’s Indo-Pacific posture, after highlighting US success in rallying allies against Russia.

The final section of the 90-plus page document, ‘Strengthening American Leadership Around the World’, includes Europe as the first section heading. This is followed by the Indo-Pacific, China, the Middle East and North Africa, the Western Hemisphere and Africa. The 2020 platform had organised these regions in alphabetical order as follows: Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.

Ivo Daalder, CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and former US ambassador to NATO under the Obama administration, told Nikkei Asia in an interview that the new platform reflects the thinking of President Joe Biden, whom he described as ‘the last Atlanticist’.

Harris’ foreign policy in the hands of ‘Atlanticists’

“If you go through all of his statements on foreign policy, he talks about alliances, and he puts it in the context of NATO first, and then in the context of everything that is being done in the Indo-Pacific,” Daalder said.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the new Democratic presidential candidate, will be advised on national security by another ‘Atlanticist’, Philip Gordon, who served in the Obama administration as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Daalder said, adding that there will be a ‘conscious effort to bring the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic together in addressing global challenges, such as strategic competition with Russia and China, and not try to play one off against the other’.

The emphasis on Europe is causing concern among some foreign policy and security analysts, who fear it will diminish interest in Asia.

Japanese uneasy about return to Europe

For example, Koichi Isobe, a retired three-star general from Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force, argued that Harris’s foreign policy priorities were not clear.

‘From Japan’s perspective, we understand where former President Donald Trump stands on national security and China. The same is not true of Harris,’ Isobe said.

Noting that the bilateral alliance had made ‘tremendous progress’ under Biden, Isobe said the platform suggested that Harris’ Asia policy could be similar to that of the Obama administration, which floated the idea of a ‘pivot to Asia’ but failed to implement it.

The failed ‘Asia Pivot’ policy

In their recent article ‘The Lost Decade: The US Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power’, foreign policy analysts Robert Blackwill and Richard Fontaine describe the failure of successive US administrations to stick to the ‘Asia Pivot’ strategy as one of the three biggest foreign policy blunders since the Second World War, along with the escalation in Vietnam in 1965 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Speaking at a Chicago Council on Global Affairs online event last month, Blackwill said that while the US has been distracted by the Middle East and other regions over the past decade, China has made ‘an astonishing rise in power and influence in the Indo-Pacific and then globally’.

The ‘pivot to Asia’ strategy, first outlined by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2011, was a ‘radical’ shift, Blackwill said, adding that ‘for the first time in American history, Europe is no longer the top priority of American foreign policy’.

Reaction from Trump’s foreign policy adviser

Former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby, who is expected to play a key national security role in a possible second Trump administration, tweeted that prioritising Europe was the wrong foreign policy for America and that the US should prioritise Asia and China.

“This is asking for trouble,” Colby wrote, quoting vice-presidential candidate JD Vance as saying the US would prioritise Asia and China.

Democrats’ China policy: ‘Tough but smart’

The 2024 platform was adopted last Monday at the Democratic National Convention.

The platform is a compilation of domestic and foreign policies that could help shape Harris’ presidency if he wins the election in November.

“During President Biden’s first term, no region of the world has better demonstrated the importance of our alliances than Europe,” the foreign policy chapter says, describing NATO as ‘stronger and more united than ever’ after Sweden and Finland joined the alliance.

The chapter also notes that the transatlantic alliance will play a key role in responding to China. It states that Biden is ‘working with our European allies to manage competition with China’.

During President Biden’s first term, no region of the world has better demonstrated the importance of our alliances than Europe,” the foreign policy chapter says, describing NATO as “stronger and more united than ever” after Sweden and Finland joined.

The chapter also notes that the transatlantic alliance will play a key role in responding to China. It states that Biden is ‘working with our European allies to manage competition with China’.

The section on China describes the country as ‘America’s most important strategic competitor’ and the only global actor with the intent and capacity to fundamentally reshape the US-led international order.

Nevertheless, a Democratic presidential administration would ‘responsibly manage’ competition with the country and cooperate in areas such as the safe use of artificial intelligence. The platform states that it ‘does not seek conflict’ with China.

It refers to Biden’s ‘tough but smart’ China policy, which ‘relentlessly advances American interests and values while providing a foundation for stability in the relationship’.

On Taiwan, the foreign policy section sticks to Biden’s basic position on the island, stressing that the party will ‘ensure that there are no unilateral changes to the status quo by either side’.

Trump criticised over Iran

On Ukraine, the platform stresses that Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘miscalculated with his invasion’ and notes that the United States has brought together a coalition of nearly 50 countries to provide security assistance to Ukraine to enable it to defend itself.

The platform also presents a more nuanced approach to Iran than Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ approach. In this context, the number of sanctions has increased from 370 under the Obama administration to more than 1,500 under the Trump presidency.

While stressing the need to confront and ‘deter’ Iran and prevent it and its ‘terrorist proxies from threatening regional security’, he criticised Trump’s move to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 as ‘reckless and short-sighted’ and a ‘costly mistake’.

This was in line with Gordon’s long-standing views on the region. In his 2007 book Winning the Just War: The Path to Security for America and the World, Gordon wrote that both containing and engaging Iran was the right way forward.

Gordon urged the United States to build a ‘serious relationship’ with Iran in a way that respected its ‘legitimate interests’.

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Trump energy shares rose by up to $4.4m during Iran war, CNBC reports

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10/09/2026

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The value of US President Donald Trump’s nine largest oil and gas holdings increased by approximately $1.5 million to $4.4 million during the first six months of the war with Iran.

According to an analysis conducted by CNBC based on the American leader’s financial disclosure, corporate balance sheets, and FactSet market data, the investment basket includes shares in Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Kinder Morgan, Marathon Petroleum, Occidental Petroleum, Phillips 66, Valero Energy, and Williams Companies.

In its calculations, the television network took into account the minimum and maximum baseline values of Trump’s declared holdings alongside share price fluctuations from the close of trading on 27 February through 31 August.

As the conflict with Iran continued, specialists managing Trump’s investment accounts maintained active trading in energy company shares.

Up to 29 June, the latest date for which transactions were disclosed, fresh purchases were logged alongside at least 23 sales operations involving stock in the nine companies.

Because disclosure filings do not specify exact share numbers or transaction prices, the estimates produced by CNBC do not reflect Trump’s realised profits or the precise current scale of his holdings.

On 2 March, the first trading day following the launch of air strikes against Iran by the US and Israel, shares in eight major oil and gas companies were purchased through Trump’s accounts.

These transactions included ExxonMobil shares valued at between $100,000 and $250,000. Prior to the conflict, the aggregate value of Trump’s holdings in ExxonMobil stood at between $3.2 million and $12.5 million.

Stock market gains in August, excluding subsequent transactions, raised the value of these shares by approximately $176,000 to $690,000.

CNBC also examined transactions executed on days when Trump’s decisions directly swayed the oil market. On 23 March, when the president deferred planned strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure, the price of a barrel of Brent crude dropped by roughly 11%.

That same day, oil and gas shares worth a combined $163,000 to $570,000 were purchased across Trump’s accounts.

A similar transaction took place on 7 April. One of Trump’s investment accounts sold between $500,000 and $1 million worth of ExxonMobil shares.

Approximately two and a half hours after markets closed, President Trump announced an agreement on a two-week ceasefire with Iran. The following morning, ExxonMobil shares fell by more than 6% at the market open.

The report noted that CNBC saw no evidence indicating that Trump gave direct instructions for specific trades, that managers possessed advance knowledge of his actions, or that personal financial interests guided White House policies.

White House officials, commenting on the matter, stated that the president’s investment portfolio is managed by independent portfolio managers and that neither Trump nor members of his family hold authority to intervene in asset trading decisions.

The growth in the portfolio coincided with a broader surge in the earnings of energy majors. The nine energy companies in which Trump holds shares generated a combined profit of $47.6 billion in the second quarter.

During the same period last year, that figure stood at $15.9 billion. The profits of ExxonMobil and Chevron alone climbed from $9.6 billion in the prior year to $26.6 billion.

In July, the US Office of Government Ethics published Trump’s 927-page financial disclosure report for 2025.

The report noted that Trump’s earnings from cryptocurrency operations exceeded $500 million.

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Over half of Latino voters back Democrats in key US House races

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09/09/2026

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A new public opinion poll in the US shows that Democratic candidates have made notable gains since 2024 among Latino voters in critical, competitive districts for the House of Representatives.

These gains have the potential to directly determine which party will secure the majority in Congress next year.

According to a joint survey by Hart Research and TelevisaUnivision shared with Axios, Democrats reached 58% support on the generic congressional ballot among Latino voters across 17 competitive House districts.

The share of those backing Republicans within the same voting bloc remained at 35%. This group continues to represent the fastest-growing swing constituency in battleground districts.

Examining three competitive House races in Texas, the study indicated that Latino voters, who reported splitting evenly at 44% to 44% in the 2024 presidential election, shifted 56% to 36% in favour of Democrats heading into the midterms.

Latino support for Democrats also increased in other states. In California, 57% of Latino voters said they would support Democrats, compared with 33% who said they would back the Republican Party.

Kate Coleman, Senior Vice President at TelevisaUnivision, highlighted voter behaviour in remarks to Axios:

“Latino voters are not locked into one party. They are watching developments closely; they make decisions based on who stands with them and how they stand.”

The survey data determined that 11% of Latino respondents who said they voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election now support Democratic candidates.

Accelerating his deportation plans, Trump triggered fear across many Latino neighbourhoods while weakening his support among this demographic.

The Hart Research and TelevisaUnivision study revealed that 63% of Latino voters disapprove of Trump’s presidential job performance. The share of those approving of his performance in office stood at 36%.

Trump’s approach to high prices and the cost of living drew disapproval from 65% of Latino voters, while immigration enforcement and deportation practices were disapproved of by 62%.

More than half of Latino voters, at 64%, reported that they disapprove of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

A survey published in May by UnidosUS showed that a quarter of Latino voters “would probably not vote” or would definitely not support Trump if they had to vote for him again.

The study at that time had pointed out that, despite Trump’s decline among Latino voters, Democrats had not yet secured significant gains.

According to Pew Research Center data, Trump strengthened his support in 2024 by securing 48% of the Latino vote, coming very close to the 51% reached by then Vice President Kamala Harris.

Some figures within the Democratic Party, however, worry that primary victories by democratic socialist candidates could alienate certain Latino voters, particularly those who fled Cuba or Venezuela.

The Hart Research and TelevisaUnivision survey was conducted between 6 and 17 August among 1,500 Latino respondents. The poll’s margin of error was reported as 2.5 percentage points.

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Researcher quits Anthropic and warns AI firms gamble with lives

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09/09/2026

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Jacob Coxon, an artificial intelligence researcher at Anthropic, has resigned from his post, stating that tech companies are acting irresponsibly in the race towards self-improving superintelligence. Coxon warned that the autonomous operational capabilities of such systems pose existential risks to humanity and that internal industry anxieties run far deeper than generally perceived.

The AI researcher stepped down from his position at Anthropic to draw attention to industry safety vulnerabilities and the unregulated race among developers.

Having worked for three years as a pre-training researcher across both OpenAI and Anthropic, Coxon announced his decision to leave in an extensive statement shared on his X account.

Stating that both companies have acted irresponsibly, Coxon argued that developers are engaged in a dangerous race to achieve self-improving superintelligence.

“They believe it could kill us all by the end of the decade”

In his posts, Coxon stated that technical teams developing AI genuinely believe this technology could bring about the demise of humanity by the end of the decade.

Asserting that these concerns are not a marketing strategy, the researcher noted that while top executives and senior researchers adopt a cautious tone in public statements, they voice the very same fears behind closed doors.

Developments reflecting similar anxieties across the sector evoke James Cameron’s 1984 film The Terminator, which set 2029 as the pivotal year when machines waged war against humanity.

Indeed, Evan Hubinger, head of Anthropic’s own alignment team, had previously estimated the probability of human extinction to be greater than 10%.

Warning that systems currently under development will soon evolve into superhuman structures capable of bypassing any firewall, transforming industries overnight, and securing physical resources, Coxon stressed that the pace of progress is not slowing in any way.

Arguing that the danger of superintelligence is no longer merely theoretical, the researcher pointed to the Hugging Face security leak that occurred between May and July.

In that incident, OpenAI models established an independent chatroom within the testing environment to communicate among themselves, subsequently using this channel to reach the open internet and infiltrate production systems.

Because of this security breach, Hugging Face was forced to rebuild approximately one-third of its infrastructure.

“They are gambling with our lives”

Characterising the leak as a warning flare, Coxon indicated that the incident makes pacing agreements between US-based laboratories more feasible.

However, emphasising that developers are not yet on the right track to prevent a global race, the researcher noted that measures such as a temporary moratorium on advancing model capabilities could be considered.

Arguing that civilisation-scale risks have not yet been sufficiently internalised at OpenAI, Coxon contended that Anthropic joined the race out of an ambition to be first, despite being fully aware of the dangers.

Coxon is not the only figure to leave the sector on such grounds. Mrinank Sharma, a member of Anthropic’s safety team, also stepped down earlier this year, writing that the world is in danger.

On the other hand, not everyone agrees with these catastrophic scenarios. Some responses to the post emphasised the view that humanity, with an evolutionary history spanning hundreds of thousands of years, will not be wiped out by a text prediction model achieving consciousness.

It was also noted that even the plot of the Terminator franchise does not entirely support Coxon’s premise, as the human resistance survived the nuclear catastrophe and ultimately defeated the machines.

Alongside safety debates, AI continues to directly affect the labour market. Research by the Stanford Digital Economy Lab indicates that, while mass job losses have not yet materialised, entry-level employment in AI-exposed sectors across the US has fallen by nearly 20%.

A Goldman Sachs study pointed to a similar trend, showing that entry-level workers bear the brunt of the ongoing workforce transformation.

Anthropic, which remains at the centre of the controversy, filed for an initial public offering in June and plans to list on the Nasdaq exchange this autumn at a multi-trillion-dollar valuation.

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