Agrégateur de flux

The retired U.S. general and former CIA director on lessons from the war on terrorism and why military action is necessary—but not sufficient.

It is Common Knowledge that Soviet Soldiers Liberated Many Concentration Camps during the Second World War

In past posts on this page, I discussed what decisions are more likely to hurt a plausible victory for Ukraine and their allies by way of their own hands, as opposed to strategic decisions made by Russia during the conflict in Ukraine. Many of these bad decisions subsequently ramped up quite rapidly and in a short period of time, creating a larger cost to support for Ukraine than existed previously. Many of these problems were created by Allies to the war effort that have taken actions that may hurt Ukraine more than the help that was intended. While I will refrain from labelling a specific ally, this is a case study on how to not support your ally, and a notable one at that.

A few short weeks ago, one of Ukraine’s allies took to creating a diplomatic row with India. This was done in a method that is considered an aggressive and unusual diplomatic move between the two countries, seen as allies in their own right. India, as we have discussed in the past, is likely the key to many peace treaties and has value in creating diplomatic solutions between Russia and its allies, and Ukraine and their allies. India, as being a large and significant power in their region, is able to work with and have good relations with all sides in the conflict as neither side is willing to risk good relations with India over India’s own best self interests, even if it gives strength to the other side of the conflict. With Ukraine’s Ally pressuring India, India may alienate Ukrainian Allies in general or be motivated to give added support to Russia, where less critical diplomatic postures address concerns with the one of the world’s most significant democracies.

India’s position in the region has placed it on the opposite side of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, where military support of Armenia and its people has run contrary to NATO allies permitting the Azeri military pushing out the Armenian population out of their historic ethnic region. While NATO and their supporting allies have invested billions a month to defend the civilian populations in Ukraine, there is little mention of the forced expulsion of Armenians from their homes in the region at the other end of the old Soviet sphere of influence. While Russian support for the region waned, American negotiations failed. The end result was another notable shock to a community that has suffered ethnic cleansing too many times over the last century and a half.

Turning back to the row with India, the same ally who is currently losing diplomats in India has been pitting the needs of their own population against support for Ukraine. The effect of underfunding their largest city and economy has turned the city into a place with high crime and limited systemic solutions for crime, poverty, housing and health care. It has come to the point that those who are physically weaker are afraid to use public transport, making them unable to pay for higher food and shelter taxes added on bi-annually by the Government. This Government sent a letter to the city saying they refuse to give them Covid funding that was previously promised, always highlighted by their support for Ukraine. This same Government then boasted that they have given appx.$6-$7 Billion of aid to Ukraine, despite not meeting their NATO minimum obligations and now deciding to cut military funding by nearly $1 Billion to their own soldiers, despite having their own near border with Russia. But this is not the worst of it…

In an act of extreme negligence or horrific intent, it was made evident that this ally of Ukraine has been accepting extremist elements from various groups around the world into their country for generations, nullifying any prosecution of their crimes, in many cases, crimes against humanity. The presenting of a member of the 14th SS Galicia Division in their Parliament was an offense to victims of Genocide worldwide, done during a state visit by Zelinsky himself close to Yom Kippur. This particular Division of the Nazi SS was known to be so severe that German soldiers at the time saw them as brutal and extreme in their own right, eliminating 98% of the Jewish population of the Galicia region. This Ukrainian SS officer was easily known to be part of the German 14th SS Division, and was taken as a hero in his fight against Russia in the Second World War by the Government of this Ally before their mea culpa. While Soviet soldiers of Russian, Ukrainian and other origins were liberating Concentration Camps in Galicia, a man who helped wipe out family after family in the region was praised. To this day, the sitting Government’s Cabinet has taken little personal or direct accountability for inviting such a man, despite their own Deputy Prime Minister being an academic expert on Ukraine herself. While Russians are constantly told that their historic enemies from Nazi Germany are the catalyst for this war in Ukraine, this Ally of Ukraine created the biggest propaganda tool for Putin that could ever have been wished for in 2023. On top of this, Poland is now seeking his extradition for war crimes from the Ally. With the same Ally refusing to sell oil and gas to Europe to displace Russian oil export wealth, it is surprising that such allegiances are deemed as acceptable by Ukraine or any nations seeking to help Ukraine win the war.

No one will voluntarily fight and die for the leader of such an Ally, and ties between Zelinsky and such an Ally will do nothing more but taint the valor of their Armed Forces. If Ukraine wishes to win this war, or at least meet reasonable objectives, they need to cut those who will make economic, political, public relations, and security losses a certainty.

On 23 October 2023, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence will hold a hearing on "The situation in Syria 12 years after the revolution: Standstill, Dynamics, EU response, and Future Prospects?". It will provide a reflection on the political, social and economic consequences of the ongoing conflict, which has shaped the country's development in the twelve years since the Revolution.
Members will discuss with experts the geopolitics of the region under the changed circumstances, in which international and regional actors including Iran, Russia, Türkiye and the United States, but also local groups, are operating. The hearing will contribute to the upcoming Recommendation on the situation in Syria that the Foreign Affairs Committee is preparing and which will provide recommendations for concrete political and diplomatic fine-tuning of the EU's Syria policy.
This hearing will take place during the European Parliament Gender Equality week and will be an opportunity to highlight the impact of conflict on women and the importance of women's contribution to conflict resolution and sustainable peace, in line with the UN resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

Questions are mounting on how a Tunisian ordered to leave Belgium after having his asylum request rejected was able to stay, before killing two Swedes in the streets of Brussels on Monday night.

As violence flares, Washington has shown it has influence, while Brussels’s policies have shown weakness.

The European Parliament has agreed its position on next year's budget, adding €6.3bn to tackle the challenges ahead. This will further complicate the trilogues with member states who have proposed cuts to the EU Commission's draft.

The leaders of Belgium and Sweden and the European Union's chief executive promised on Wednesday (18 October) to tighten border security and step up repatriations after a failed asylum seeker from Tunisia shot dead two Swedish football fans in Brussels.

Members of the AFET Committee will meet on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 October in Antall 2Q2, Brussels

Debates:

• Global Gateway: Strategic governance and implementation
• Debrief on the AFET Ad-hoc delegation to Belfast and London, the United Kingdom
• Debrief from the 12th EU-China Strategic Dialogue
• Deepening EU integration in view of future enlargement (jointly with AFCO)
• Exchange of views with José Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain

Draft reports:

• Role of preventive diplomacy in tackling frozen conflicts around the world...
• EU-Russia political relations
• EU-India relations

Votes:

• Implementation report on the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (jointly with INTA)
• Strengthening the right to participate
• Strategic Compass and EU space-based defence capabilities
• Measures to detect, prepare for and respond to cybersecurity threats

Hearing: The situation in Syria 12 years after the revolution

Meetings are webstreamed with the exception of items held "in camera".
AFET-SEDE-DROI meetings 2023
Meeting documents
Webstreaming
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

Comments by a Spanish cabinet minister this week have sparked tensions between Israel and Madrid, prompting a harsh exchange and complicating the two countries' diplomatic relationship.

Greek, German and British media reporting on a migrant shipwreck thought to have killed hundreds in the Mediterranean has won an EU award named for a murdered Maltese journalist, officials said.

Pascal Boniface · L’effet papillon des conflits mondiaux. Avec le Général Dominique Trinquand | Entretiens géopo

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

When war goes online, disinformation spreads like wildfire and hate like an infectious disease. As a reporter covering war and conflict, recently, nearly on a daily basis, one is used to a deluge of images and videos depicting horrific scenes...

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

La chercheuse franco-iranienne Fariba Adelkhah est rentrée en France mardi après quatre ans de captivité en Iran, a annoncé mercredi son comité de soutien. Anthropologue réputée, directrice de recherche au Centre de recherches internationales de Sciences Po à Paris, Fariba Adelkhah avait été arrêtée en juin 2019 avec un autre chercheur français, son compagnon Roland Marchal, qui a lui été libéré en 2020.

With a proposal for a negotiating text for a pandemic treaty finally on the table, the work towards a global accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response is slowly progressing.

Les Géopolitiques de Nantes des 29 et 30 septembre 2023 avaient placé le conflit israélo-palestinien au centre des débats, quelques jours avant que les attaques terroristes du Hamas soient commises sur le territoire israélien le 7 octobre dernier.

Thomas Vescovi, historien et chercheur indépendant, spécialiste de la société israélienne et de ses interactions avec la population palestinienne, avait répondu à nos questions : quelle place occupe la non-résolution du conflit israélo-palestinien dans la crise démocratique israélienne ? Le serpent de mer d’une solution à deux États est-elle encore réaliste ? Quelles conditions permettraient une résolution du conflit de manière pérenne ? Ses réponses mettent en perspective la situation tragique d’aujourd’hui.

Les Géopolitiques de Nantes sont organisés par l’IRIS et le Lieu Unique, avec le soutien de Nantes métropole.

Vidéo tournée le 30/09/2023

Latest polling data from France on Tuesday (17 October) puts the nationalist Rassemblement National (RN), with MEP candidate Jordan Bardella in the lead, while President Emmanuel Macron's centrist and pro-European Renaissance party, lags behind as the European elections draw closer.

Nous sommes en 2032 et Paris est frappée par une vague de chaleur avec des températures dépassant les 50 °C pendant dix jours consécutifs. Tel est le scénario d'un exercice de simulation de crise qui s'est déroulé dans la capitale française mi-octobre et qui visait à préparer la ville aux températures extrêmes qui, selon les experts, deviendront de plus en plus fréquentes à mesure que le climat se réchauffe.