Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, Al Jazeera
The conflicts in the Great Lakes region cannot be fully resolved until Rwanda addresses its internal political problems.
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Katy Balls, Spectator
There's a mutinous mood in Westminster this Christmas. In quiet corridors on the parliamentary estate the question is being asked: has Boris outlived his usefulness? Ministers are laying low. Tory WhatsApp groups are hushed. MPs are dodging calls from the whips, claiming to be sick or working from home. In conversations with Tory MPs, it isn't long before the topic of Johnson's long-term future comes up.
Christophe Jaffrelot & Jasmine Zérinini, Inst. Montaigne
European companies are skeptical about the Indian market, not only because of access problems due to protectionist measures, but also due to bureaucracy, corruption, lack of infrastructure and weak consumption. It remains to be seen whether this last trend is only related to Covid-19, or whether it has acquired a more structural dimension. The Indian government should carefully consider this aspect when conducting trade and investment... Читать дальше...
Jan Bielicki, Lowy Interpreter
Should the world expect four more years of Angela Merkel, "only with less hair", as the leading broadsheet, Süeddeutsche Zeitung, ungenerously predicted of Germany's shiny domed new chancellor, Olaf Scholz?
Ankit Panda, 19FortyFive
As a parting gesture from Moon toward North Korea, the end of war declaration could largely prove to be harmless. But Seoul and Washington will inevitably find themselves back at the negotiating table with Pyongyang in the coming years.
Jeff M. Smith, RealClearWorld
On Dec. 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin, joined by his foreign and defense ministers, arrived in India for a summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India and Russia have a defense relationship stretching back to the Cold War, and leader-level summits are a common affair. Yet, the timing of the meeting was unfortunate, coming just as the U.S. and several European capitals are sounding the alarm bell over Russian preparation...
Stratfor Worldview
Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan is playing 2020s politics with a 2000s playbook — and though it's not clear Turkish voters are ready to truly turn the page on nearly 20 years of his Justice and Development Party (AKP)'s rule in upcoming elections, what is clear is that Erdogan's usual bag of tricks - from economic and religious populism at home to nationalist saber-rattling abroad - are no longer providing the electoral dividends they used to. Yet Erdogan seems... Читать дальше...
Ann Ninan, Indian Express
???? Amidst the excitement of mock drills and the thrill of witnessing an air raid, it was a shock to realise that the enemy looked just like us
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Katharine Quinn-Judge, FA
In the days leading up to and following last week's video summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, there has been intense speculation that Moscow is on the verge of a new military incursion into Ukraine. The United States has estimated that Russia has already deployed close to 70,000 soldiers—media reports have claimed significantly higher numbers—to several locations along Ukraine's eastern border and in Crimea. Apparently, the... Читать дальше...
Karl-Heinz Göttert, Worldcrunch
Both the Nazis and East German Communist Party tried to use Christmas for their own ends, and distance it from its Christian meaning. Writer and historian Karl-Heinz Göttert looks at the attempts to hijack Christmas throughout German history, and why it matters today.
Abe Silberstein, War on the Rocks
When I was an undergraduate studying international relations in New York City, I took the opportunity one evening to see Henry Kissinger speak. While filing into the venue, several well-dressed individuals with "Welcome Committee" lapels handed out what appeared to be programs. It was only when I got to my seat that I realized the pamphlet was actually an unsparing indictment of Kissinger's career from advocates for East Timor. Declassified documents indicate... Читать дальше...
Sarah White, 1945
On December 10, Finland became the 14th country to acquire Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II fighter. While not a member of NATO, Finland is a member of the European Union and a liberal democracy—in short, the kind of country with whom the U.S....
Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, The Diplomat
Contradictions in the India-Russia relationship, rooted in China and the Quad, will be difficult to overcome in the long term.
Eilish Hart, FPRI
As the war in Ukraine heads into its eighth year, many fear that Moscow may be preparing a large-scale military escalation. Over the past few weeks, American, European, and NATO allies, as well as Ukrainian officials, have warned that Russia has massed significant military forces and equipment near its border with Ukraine.
Sam Roggeveen, War on the Rocks
I do not think it's hyperbole to say that AUKUS — the tripartite defense technology agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States which promises to deliver at least eight nuclear-powered submarines to the Royal Australian Navy — was one of the best-kept secrets in Australian political history. In the days and weeks after the Sep. 16 announcement, I asked some of Australia's most experienced journalists and foreign policy experts whether they had seen AUKUS coming. Читать дальше...
James Bloodworth, New States.
A decade on from Hitchens' death, digital life discourages the free thinking and nonconformity that made him so compelling.
Hal Brands, Bloomberg
The U.S. has become accustomed to fighting "over there." The next enemy may bring the conflict over here.
