American politics, especially the quadrennial presidential election, is closely followed by people world over, and with good reason. America is the world’s most dominant economy, and there are literally hundreds of millions who, given a chance, wish to immigrate to America or have relatives & friends living there. No doubt, American government policies do have global implications.

Democrats’ luck

It is interesting, even for a casual observer, to look back three decades, to see how American two-party political system has been evolving. It seems that Republican presidents have been dealt poorer hands than Democrat presidents. Republican George H.W. Bush was successful in driving Saddam Hussain out of Kuwait in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf War. At that time, even though American economy was humming along a respectable clip of 3.5% annual GDP growth, Democrats and the media convinced Americans that the economy was struggling, thereby helping Clinton defeat Bush. In 2001, only a few months after President George W. Bush took office, America was attacked on 9/11/2001, that led to long wars with Iraq and Afghanistan and partly causing the great depression of 2008. During Trump’s 2017 – 2019 leadership, economy was growing solidly, but then COVID-19 hit in 2020 and Trump lost his reelection bid in 2020. Democrats and the media were successful in using the pandemic in a couple ways to defeat Trump, who has maintained that the election was “stolen” from him, alleging that many states took advantage of lockdown to conduct election without proper controls.

On the other hand, look at Democrat Presidents. Bill Clinton benefited from the 1994-to-2000 dot-com boom. In 2009, Obama became president when the 2008 depression had run its course, and it had nowhere to go but up. It looks like Biden is going to benefit from economy’s revival as vaccine availability controls the pandemic.

Current State of American politics

Cynicism towards entrenched politicians and government has been growing and that’s what fuelled Trump’s surprise win in 2016. Trump, an outsider, promised to push conservative agenda of smaller government, self-reliance and draining the “swamp” in Washington. Of course, it upset the “establishment” comprising of traditional politicians and liberal media. So, Trump had a bulls-eye painted on his back and the establishment tried to get rid of him from day one. It appears that an Unholy Trinity – Democrats, liberal media and high-tech companies -has been consolidating for the past four years, and the Republican party will suffer in future elections.

Biden presidency

Biden, the oldest president in recent history, ran mostly a virtual campaign, but was propelled to victory as the media and Democrats vilified Trump. Biden has pledged to unify the country after the tumultuous years of the Trump presidency, and Democrats are vowing to use their control of the House, the Senate and the White House, for the first time in more than a decade, to enact a “bold” agenda. The disappointed supporters of President Trump fear that Biden’s bold agenda means undoing Trump initiatives AND imposing more liberal / progressive policy initiatives. And Biden has done just that! On his very first day in office, he issued several executive orders and directives to re-join Paris Climate Accord, World Health Organization and undo Trump’s immigration initiatives, to mention a few. The Congress is proceeding with its unprecedented plan to impeach Trump, with two goals. One, to ensure that Trump can never run for a public office again, and second, to send a message to future “Trumps” that outsiders are not welcome in the traditional political club.

With the unholy trinity dominating American politics, the country appears to be headed away from capitalism and towards socialism. Although, the country is crushing under a whopping national debt of $30 trillion and growing, nobody seems to be overly concerned about it as America’s creditworthiness, due to huge economy, is good and government’s power to levy and collect higher tax.

Many observers do not expect Biden to complete his full-term in office, due to his advanced age, thus propelling Kamala Harris to presidency and America to more socialism. Stay tuned!

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Dr Suttipong Angthong, Secretary-General of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), was a distinguished speaker at the World Elastomer Technology and Engineering Forum (WETEF) in Shanghai from 13 to 16 September 2026. Co-organised with RubberTech China, the event attracted over 100,000 professional visitors, industry leaders, scholars and executives from dozens of countries.

His participation delivered strategic benefits for ANRPC and its members by raising natural rubber's profile amid global discussions dominated by synthetic elastomers and advanced materials. Aligning with WETEF's eco-friendly manufacturing focus, he promoted climate-positive practices, traceability and environmentally sound processing methods.

The forum also created direct dialogue channels with major consuming markets and international technical institutions, strengthening trade synergies. It provided valuable insights into breakthrough elastomer science, helping member nations adapt to shifting international market demands.

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Kuraray Co., Ltd. has contributed JPY 9,896,480, roughly USD 64,000, to four international nonprofit organisations. The funds were generated through employee participation in ‘100 Challenge’, a global initiative tied to the company’s centennial observances.

The World Food Programme received JPY 2,804,003, while UNICEF was granted JPY 2,474,120. WaterAid obtained JPY 2,405,394 and WWF was allocated JPY 2,212,963. Each organisation’s share corresponded directly to points accumulated by Kuraray Group staff.

The Group marked its 100th anniversary in June 2026, adopting ‘Possible starts here’ and a related brand story as the guiding concept for its centennial activities. While honouring those who built its first century, Kuraray is pursuing diverse efforts intended to shape the next 100 years, with employees worldwide at the centre. The company seeks to connect staff across departments, countries and languages, fostering unity and connection.

A dedicated app called ‘100 Challenge’, inspired by younger employees, formed one such effort. Participants completed 100 in-app tasks, earning points that supported social contribution activities. The app provided a shared experience regardless of location or role, with individual efforts contributing to both a commemorative mosaic artwork and charitable donations. By combining small individual challenges, the initiative illustrated how personal actions can generate meaningful collective impact, reflecting long-held Kuraray Group values.

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TyreSafe has entered a new partnership with Staffordshire Police, reinforcing a joint commitment to improve road safety and reduce fatalities and serious injuries across the county. The collaboration aims to highlight the critical role tyres play in protecting road users by encouraging simple, regular checks of pressure, tread depth and overall condition.

The value of this preventative approach was recently demonstrated during a multi-agency enforcement operation at the DVSA Vehicle Inspection Site in Doxey. Held on 25 August, Operation Doxey involved Staffordshire Police, West Mercia Police, DVSA, Datatag, the Forensic Collision Investigation Unit and TyreSafe. Inspectors directed 30 vehicles into the site, covering leisure vehicles, towing vehicles, light commercial vehicles and goods vehicles.

Seven tyre and wheel-related defects, mechanical risks and pressure discrepancies were identified. These included a tyre cut through to the cord, which received an immediate prohibition notice, a tyre running roughly 30 percent below recommended pressure, an overweight light commercial vehicle with a nail embedded in a tyre and all four tyres underinflated, a significant rear axle pressure imbalance, a missing wheel nut and an 11-year-old tyre. Leisure vehicle owners generally showed good tread awareness, though pressure maintenance remained an issue, while commercial vehicles presented several preventable defects.

Staffordshire has one of UK’s statistically safest road networks, yet serious collisions remain a concern, particularly on single carriageways. Rural bends, changing speed limits and limited visibility add risk, while motorcyclists and vulnerable road users are disproportionately affected. Common factors include failing to look properly, misjudging speed or path and driving too fast or carelessly. TyreSafe now works with over 260 organisations, and this partnership encourages Staffordshire motorists to make tyre checks routine.

Stuart Lovatt, Chairman, TyreSafe, said, “We are delighted to welcome Staffordshire Police as a TyreSafe partner. While Staffordshire has a strong road safety record, every serious collision has potentially devastating consequences for those involved, their families and their communities. The recent Operation Doxey enforcement activity demonstrates exactly why preventative vehicle maintenance matters. Across just 30 vehicles, inspectors identified a number of serious tyre and wheel defects, including a tyre cut to the cord, significantly incorrect tyre pressures, an embedded nail, a missing wheel nut and a tyre that was 11 years old.

“These findings are a powerful reminder that problems are not always obvious from behind the wheel. Simple checks before a journey can help identify issues before they become a danger on the road. Different roads present different challenges, particularly rural and single carriageway roads where the consequences of losing control or being unable to stop safely can be especially severe. Road safety requires a collective effort, and partnerships such as this are incredibly important. By combining the reach and expertise of Staffordshire Police with TyreSafe’s specialist knowledge and campaigns, we can help more road users understand the simple but crucial role their tyres play in keeping themselves and others safe.”

Police Sergeant Adam Van de Sande, Staffordshire Road Crime – Proactive & Harm Reduction Team, said, “Keeping people safe on Staffordshire’s roads requires everyone to play their part. We are committed to working with partners to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our road network. Operation Doxey demonstrated the value of partnership working, with officers, vehicle examiners and road safety specialists able to identify a range of defects and safety issues before those vehicles continued their journeys.

“Vehicle safety is an important part of that responsibility, and tyres are fundamental to a vehicle’s ability to stop, steer and maintain grip. We are pleased to be working with TyreSafe to raise awareness and encourage motorists to make regular tyre checks part of their routine vehicle maintenance. Our message to road users is simple: don’t wait for something to go wrong. Take a few minutes to check your vehicle and make sure it is ready for the road.”

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The AZuR Network has been honoured with the German Award for Sustainability Projects 2026 in the C2C/Recycling category for its ‘Retreading: Climate Protection on Wheels’ project. The recognition highlights the network's efforts to expand tyre retreading across Germany and Europe, thereby extending the useful life of tyres. Retreading works by reusing a suitable used tyre casing and applying a fresh tread, keeping a substantial share of the original tyre in circulation.

A life cycle assessment commissioned by AZuR and carried out by the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT compared retreaded tyres with equivalent new ones. Under the conditions examined, producing a retreaded truck tyre generated roughly 135 kilogrammes less greenhouse gas emissions, a reduction exceeding 60 percent. The process also reuses considerable portions of the existing tyre casing, reinforcing its environmental advantages.

The jury underscored the project's scalability and its relevance to the industry. Official documentation further noted the political integration of the topic as a key strength, with the EU taxonomy confirmation in 2025 representing a tangible milestone. The award places AZuR among well-known companies and innovative projects, including a climate protection cooker initiative in Cameroon, a capsule-free coffee system and a mental health awareness campaign.

Knauf secured first place in the same category with its circular gypsum supply chain, while Schmitz Cargobull led the Mobility and Logistics Solutions category. Other first-place winners included DEKRA, Hansgrohe, Pfleiderer Germany and SBRS. Presented by DISQ with ntv and DUP UNTERNEHMER under Brigitte Zypries' patronage, the 2026 edition saw 433 nominations, with 46 organisations recognised across 19 categories on 17 September in Berlin.

Christina Guth, Network Coordinator, AZuR, said, “This award belongs to our entire network. Retreading only works when many stakeholders collaborate along the value chain – from certified end-of-life tyre recyclers, tyre manufacturers and retreaders to retailers and fleet operators, all the way to academia. The award highlights the potential of using high-quality tyres for longer and keeping their casings in circulation.”

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