Davos

• Based on a remarkable depth of research, it is written in an elegant style which makes for a delightfully easy read.
• It is rendered the more impressive by the author’s deep conversance with the debates over the relationships between mining capital, Afrikaner nationalism and apartheid.
• Cardo’s reckoning is that Oppenheimer transcended his country’s parochial political arena to become a significant figure on the world stage.

The man behind the money

• Yet Oppenheimer emerges from this study not as a “malevolent monster” (p.1) but as a personally likeable individual, intensely loyal to his friends.
• One who was highly cultured and sophisticated, with a deep love of art, literature, old books and antiques for their own sake, rather than for opulent display.
• His devotion to his Anglican faith was deep and real, underlying his perhaps too-convenient conviction that wealth and power could be combined with “doing good”.
• His father, Ernest, was the founder of the Oppenheimer empire, but Harry would become its consolidator (p.18).

The conservative liberal

• He served as the party’s financial spokesman and was touted as a future leader.
• Later, when liberals formed the Progressive Party, he lent them his firm support.
• Cardo characterises Oppenheimer’s liberalism as “pragmatic”, opposing the idea of a universal franchise.
• Regarding himself heir to British colonialist and businessman Cecil Rhodes, he deplored the threat to civilisation represented by “primitive tribesmen”.

The influential magnate

• He exercised all the soft power at his disposal, through Anglo and his personal contacts with politicians locally and internationally.
• His advice to prime minister and president PW Botha to inaugurate multiracial negotiations was ignored.
• But when Botha’s notorious “Rubicon” speech in August 1985 prompted a massive outflow of capital, he urged US companies to resist the disinvestment drive.
• All these efforts were capped by Gavin Relly, who had succeeded Oppenheimer as chairman of Anglo, meeting with the ANC in exile.
• Oppenheimer and Anglo now reached out to leading figures in the ANC to reshape their ideas on the economy.
• This book does not offer a radical re-interpretation of either the Oppenheimers or the Anglo-American empire.

• From the late 1960s, Kissinger played a momentous role in shaping US foreign policy and navigating the complex dynamics of the cold war era.
• His contributions to international relations have had a lasting impact, earning him recognition as a visionary strategist and diplomat.
• Few would disagree that Kissinger’s influence on US foreign policy has been immense, importantly as a thinker and academic.
• Regardless, Kissinger never wavered in his conviction that his diplomacy should put US interests first while appreciating the complexity of the international scene.

Foreign policy

• From his days in government, and then through his continuing influence as a renowned scholar, Kissinger’s strategic thinking and diplomatic approach have shaped US foreign policy in significant ways.
• The biggest contribution Kissinger made to US foreign policy was his advocacy for “realpolitik”.
• He believed that the US should base its foreign policy decisions on a clear and systematic assessment of power dynamics and the pursuit of geopolitical stability.

J'accuse: Kissinger’s critics

• Among his most vocal and persistent critics was the late British writer and journalist Christopher Hitchens.
• Hitchens’ book “The Trial of Henry Kissinger” presented a series of arguments about alleged war crimes committed by his American “nemesis”.
• Hitchens accused Kissinger of disregarding international law and violating the sovereignty of many nations.
• Despite all the criticism, Kissinger endured and remains a respected international relations scholars and advisor to this day.

• The forum was held at the Yili Modern Intelligent Health Valley, which is widely known as the "Dairy Silicon Valley".
• Together with its global partners, Yili unveiled the WISH2030 Declaration for a Sustainable Future, calling for the entire industry to work together to create value and build a better future.
• At the forum, Pan Gang, Chairman and President of Yili Group, underscored Yili's longstanding commitment to always adhere to the principles of altruism and ensure positive long-term development.
• For every 2,000 empty Satine milk cartons that are successfully recycled, a home can be created for grassland and wetland animals.

• The Gender Report is part of a national survey that yielded seven annual reports (Gender, Latino, Black, Asian, Indigenous, Silicon Valley, Generations) being released throughout 2023.
• The purpose of the study is to give inclusion champions the hard data needed for budgeting processes around diversity and inclusion.
• Each annual report has different data sets, regressions, and action-based metrics for executive leadership.
• The research was conducted by pollsters Prisca, Momentive , and AAPI Data, organized by Dr. Karthick Ramakrishnan and Dr. Pelin Kesebir.