World News: A Francophile's View of the U.S. Midterms
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Thursday, 12 November 2026 13:26
- Written by Olivier Longhi
The defeat of the Republicans in the U.S. mid-term elections has not only upset domestic politics it has also influenced geopolitical relations, which until recently had been oriented towards managing multiple conflicts and are now potentially envisioning settlement.
Is it so incongruous, even naïve, to think that the world is on the road to appeasement? All precautions taken, and as objectively as possible, the idea is not as far-fetched as it seems, despite many other elements that suggest the opposite. But in recent days, since the defeat of the Republican Party in the mid-term elections in the United States, the vice of violence, both political and physical, has tended to loosen.
World News: The Danaids and the Equation
In Israel, regardless of the North American elections, even if these have played a role because the announced defeat of the Republicans has certainly guided, unconsciously or consciously, the choice of Israeli voters exhausted by the warlike and revanchist policy of Benjamin Netanyahu sent back to the opposition, the country seems to be heading towards a peace, albeit fragile, with Hamas and the desire to get the Jewish nation out of the social and political impasse in which it has been locked for decades.
World News: The Barrel and the Broker
World News: France Debt Soars to 119% of GDP
Hostile Congress
Iran, which has been under attack by the United States and Israel since February, although still ferociously led by the mullahs, also seems ready for a more constructive form of dialogue with the United States (because even under the carpet bombs suffered by Tehran, Iran and the United States continued to exchange).
Donald Trump, cornered by a now hostile Congress and determined to settle the Middle East issue in its entirety, not only announced the end of military aid to Israel at the end of the year but also that the military conflict with Iran was over, all evidence that suggests that the coming months will be more peaceful, without absolute certainty.
Finally, the Ukrainian conflict is marked by the resumption of dialogue between Russians and Ukrainians with the United States as mediators. Far from a settlement that would satisfy all parties, the resumption of negotiations is also a good omen. It remains to be seen why in Israel, Iran and Russia, a wave that we will cautiously describe as good feelings has spread across the beach of global diplomacy. The answer is to be found in Washington.
Donald Trump's defeat in the mid-term elections has shaken up diplomatic relations. How?
World News: France Confronts A Divisive Presidential Election Season
Great Satan
In Israel, an American president who is warmongering and unconditional support for the Jewish state, now limited in his action, is weakening a nation that draws much of its strength from its relationship with the United States.
And, in fact, Benjamin Netanyahu's warmongering was no longer adapted to the new political situation clearly opposed to the conflict with Iran. The latter, who was very satisfied with the presence of Donald Trump in the White House, if only to set himself up as a bulwark against the great Satan, a people still crushed by the Revolutionary Guards, is now forced to be more conciliatory in the face of a Congress more concerned about the fate of the Iranians than about the Strait of Hormuz, even if the latter remains a priority.
Finally, Vladimir Putin, who had found in Donald Trump, an ally of circumstance, ready to revive him on the international scene by injecting Russian production into the world diesel market, must in turn deal with a US Congress less inclined to compromise or to a pro-Russian policy than that defended by Donald Trump when the same Russia is suffering increasing losses in its oil revenues following Ukrainian drone attacks on its oil facilities.
In the end, why not hope for an appeasement, or even a settlement of tensions soon. Everything contributes to this, but in diplomacy, false pretenses are more often rules than illusions.
World News: Putin’s Bloodthirsty Obsession
Bio: Olivier Longhi has extensive experience in European history. A seasoned journalist with fifteen years of experience, he is currently a professor of history and geography in the Toulouse region of France. He has held a variety of publishing positions, including Head of Agency and Chief of Publishing. A journalist and recognized blogger, editor, and editorial project manager, he has trained and managed editorial teams, worked as a journalist for various local radio stations, was a press and publishing consultant, and was a communications consultant.
