EU & Europe

Photo (From Left to Right): Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. and Jainendra Karn

The Challenges for Indo-French Relationship in a Multi-Polar and Fragmented World

Viewpoint by Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. and Jainendra Karn

Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. is an ex-diplomat & ALCAP’s Special Adviser for Asia & Africa and Jainendra Karn is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News.

NEW DELHI (IDN) — The current global food crisis brought back memories of the days gone by as a diplomat over a decade or so back which underlined the notion that the quest and security of basic needs is an essential part of international relations and geopolitics.

: Opinion Editor; THE WORLD; South Asia; 13 July 2022

Photo: File photo dated 01 July 1997 shows a Chinese soldier (2nd L) holding the national flag prior to its raising as the British military march at right during the handover ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, marking the end of 156 years of British colonial rule over the territory. Credit: Paul Lakatos/AFP.

Hong Kong: China Never Expected the British to Capitulate So Easily

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The British emissary to Hong Kong who seriously misread the situation got recalled to London by fast clipper and reposted as consul-general to Texas.

Charles Elliot became unstuck because, as Queen Victoria put it, "all we wanted might have been obtained if it had not been for the unaccountably strange conduct of Charles Elliot. He tried to obtain the lowest terms from the Chinese."

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 12 July 2022

Image Source: European Commission. Credit: Deutsche Welle, a German public, state-owned international broadcaster.

The War in Ukraine Triggers a New Order in the Western Balkans

By Aurora Weiss

VIENNA (IDN) —Ukraine and Moldova have moved closer to membership of the European Union (EU) much faster than the six countries of the Western Balkans. There has been general agreement that requirements for EU accession candidature are not easy to meet, but Ukraine and Moldova seem to have got that status overnight.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; EU & Europe; 06 July 2022

Photo: Anthony Albanese being sworn in as prime minister by Governor-General David Hurley, Governor-General of Australia. CC BY 3.0

Australian PM Slated for Secret Ukraine Visit Amid Floods Back Home

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — Australia's new Labour Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has been criticised on Twitter and some media for secretly making a trip to Ukraine to meet Volodymyr Zelensky and pledge $100 million of military aid. At the same time, thousands of families across Australia were being evacuated from rising flood waters, with emergency services seemingly underfunded. Some families have evacuated their homes for the second or third time this year.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 06 July 2022

It's High Time for Turkey's Accession to the EU

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Once again in the European Union, thanks to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the discussion about admitting new members is coming to the boil and, once again Turkey, promised membership of the Union over 30 years ago, is not on the list.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 05 July 2022

Image: Two bronzes are being returned today: Commemorative head of a king; King with four attendants © Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in Berlin; Claudia Obrocki, Martin Franken

Germany Will Return Two Historic Bronzes to Nigeria

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN (IDN) — Germany has taken a historic step toward addressing colonial injustice. It has agreed to return valuable bronzes to Nigeria. More than 1100 fascinating bronzes pillaged from the former Kingdom of Benin (today's Nigeria) are stored for some 125 years in the stockrooms and collections of 20 German museums. These are not only magnificent artefacts. They are some of Africa’s greatest treasures.

: Jutta Wolf; SUSTAINABILITY; Quality Education; 04 July 2022

Photo: A cargo crane and grain dryer in Odessa port, Ukraine. Credit: Shutterstock/Unkas

War in Ukraine Raises Global Shipping Costs, Stifles Trade

Jaya Ramachandran with UNCTAD Report

GENEVA (IDN) — UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says the war in Ukraine is stifling trade and logistics of the country and the Black Sea region, increasing global vessel demand and the cost of shipping around the world.

In a report entitled “Maritime trade disrupted: The war in Ukraine and its effects on maritime trade logistics” published on June 28, UNCTAD says Ukraine’s trading partners now have to turn to other countries for the commodities they import.

: Jaya Ramachandran; UN INSIDER; 28 June 2022

Photo: Dr Martin Luther King speaking against war in Vietnam, St. Paul Campus, University of Minnesota by Minnesota Historical Society. CC BY 2.0 via Flickr.

Weaponizing Non-Violence: A Change of Tactics Required in Ukraine

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Non-violence can get you a long way, often further than violence. Look at Mahatma Gandhi whose movement compelled the British to withdraw from India years before they planned to. His famous long march to the sea to gather salt—the British insisted they run the salt industry and charged a lot for this necessary product—was the turning point. The British-led troops beat the protestors, which was reported all over the world and led to an outpouring of support for Gandhi in Britain.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 28 June 2022

Photo: YouTube Screenshot of Zelensky with Troops. Source. France 24

There’s No Need for War with Russia

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Conflicts have a history of spinning out of control. Trotsky, the one-time close comrade of Lenin, reportedly said, “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you”. The overwhelming majority of Ukrainians were not interested in war until President Volodymyr Zelensky took his counterproductive stance on NATO membership and President Vladimir Putin subsequently launched his invasion and united most of Ukraine’s people against him.

: Jonathan Power; THE WORLD; Russia; 21 June 2022

Photo: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hold a news conference following the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, June 15, 2022. Credit: Chad J. McNeeley, DOD

More Than 50 Nations Pledge to Help Build Ukraine's Defense

By Jim Garamone

This article was issued by the U.S. Department of Defence and is being republished courtesy of them.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) — Representatives from more than 50 nations pledged to get more military capabilities into the hands of Ukrainian forces battling Russian invaders, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said on June 15 in Brussels.

Austin chaired the third meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. The group is looking to get Ukraine what it needs to fight the battle developing in the Donbas region of the country.