☰
HomeLiving Beyond BordersGZERO WorldSignalIn 60 SecondsPuppet RegimeGZERO World PodcastContact UsAbout UsCareersPrivacy PolicyTerms

NICK CLEGG: THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL BRIT?

October 23, 2018
Kevin Allison

Former UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is moving to Silicon Valley to become Facebook’s new head of global policy and communications. With Facebook and its boss, Mark Zuckerberg, under fire over online privacy, fake news and state-backed misinformation, criticized in a UN report on genocide in Myanmar, and stung by a recent series of data breaches that could leave it open to big fines in Europe, appointing Clegg, a charismatic former politician with experience at the highest levels of global power is a no-brainer for the social network.

But here's a question for you: which position – UK deputy prime minister or Facebook head of global policy and communication – has more power?

  • As the former No. 2 to David Cameron, Clegg had a front row seat in the administration of the world’s fifth-biggest economy, one of five countries in the world with a nuclear deterrent.

  • As consiglieri to Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, Clegg will have the opportunity to shape the future of a virtual empire of more than 2 billion people. In today’s politically fragmented world, where national governments are struggling to find their footing, and digital power increasingly ranks alongside economic heft and military might as a source of strategic influence.

What do you think?

More from GZERO Media

What Russia and Iran have lost in Syria

A satellite image shows a Russian, Gorshkov-class frigate offshore in Tartus, Syria December 10, 2024.
Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS

The fall of the Assad regime erases a decades-long ally of both Moscow and Tehran -- but one of those two countries has lost way more than the other.

South Korean prosecutors weigh arresting president, police retreat after standoff

A protester wears a South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol mask while holding a representation of prison bars, during a rally calling for the impeachment of the South Korean President, who declared martial law, which was reversed hours later, in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, December 11, 2024.
REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The lead prosecutor in South Korea’s criminal investigation into last week’s brief declaration of martial law said Wednesday he would arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol if warranted.

Pro-EU Romanians form a unity coalition ahead of election rerun

Romanian independent far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu gives a statement outside his voting station after the annulation of the presidential elections, in Mogosoaia, Romania, on Dec. 8, 2024.

REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki

Romanians are still absorbing the shock of a first-round election result that saw a previously unknown ultranationalist, pro-Russian candidate finish in first place in the race for president and a collection of new parties with pro-Russian platforms capture about one-third of the vote.

Viewpoint: Germany seeks new political leadership to address economic crisis

Following the end of the "traffic light" coalition, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz has submitted a request to the president of the Bundestag for a vote of confidence in the Bundestag.

Michael Kappeler/dpa via Reuters Connect

Faced with a political impasse preventing action on acute economic and geopolitical challenges, the German parliament will hold a vote of confidence in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government on Dec. 16. We asked Eurasia Group expert Jan Techau to explain what set off this chain of events and where it is likely to lead ahead of February's snap elections.

Can Syria rebuild to welcome returning refugees?

- YouTube

youtu.be

With all of the millions of Syrian refugees that you find in Europe, what's got to be the consequences for them of the fall of the Assad regime? What's the nature of the big agreement that is now being concluded with the European Union and the Mercosur countries of South America? Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden and co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, shares his perspective on European politics from San Francisco, United States.

Live on Jan. 6: the Top Risks of 2025

What will be the #1 concern for the year ahead? Join us January 6 at 12 pm ET for a livestream with Ian Bremmer and global experts to discuss the Top Risks of 2025 report from Eurasia Group. The much-anticipated annual forecast of the biggest geopolitical risks to watch in 2025 will be released that morning. Evan Solomon, GZERO Media's publisher, will moderate the conversation with Ian Bremmer and Cliff Kupchan of Eurasia Group, along with special guests.
Watch live at https://www.gzeromedia.com/toprisks

About UsCareers PressContact Us Privacy PolicyTerms of Use
© 2020 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.