EU & Europe

Turbulent Start to a New Decade for Central Europe

Viewpoint by Wojciech Przybylski

In 2020, Central Europe will observe plenty of electoral races and will be exposed to a few important economic and security impulses, writes Wojciech Przybylski, Chairman of the Res Publica Foundation and Editor-in-chief of Visegrad Insight where this article was first publisehd.

WARSAW (IDN-INPS) – In February parliamentary elections will be held in Slovakia which will result in fragmentation and instability. The ruling socialist SMER-SD party and its current coalition partners will not be able to form a governing coalition again.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 02 January 2020

The Fate of Indo-British Relations in The Aftermath of BREXIT

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

NEW DELHI (IDN) – Will Uncle Christmas fulfill Nicola Sturgeon’s wish this year? In the aftermath of the British elections that painted England blue, Nicola presented her formal request for a fresh referendum on Scottish independence and has called for the Scottish parliament to be given permanent powers to hold subsequent referendums on independence from the UK.

A man of his words, Boris Johnson as the incumbent prime minister plans to redeem his pledge on BREXIT when Britain shall leave the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020, and the Department for Exiting the European Union will be wound up.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 25 December 2019

79-Nation ACP & the EU Call for Implementing the Paris Accord

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS | MADRID (IDN) – The 79-nation African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and the European Union, which together make up more than half of the signatories to the Paris Agreement on climate change, have called for increased ambition at global level to close the gap between the commitments made so far and what would be necessary to meet the long-term global temperature goal of the Agreement.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; ACP Group of States; 14 December 2019

Photo: The UN membership considered the 2015 Iran deal to be very fair. The Security Council gave it unanimous support. Indeed, the U.S. is now in breach of international law by opting out. Credit: UN Photo.

European Support for the US Has Backed Iran into a Corner

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) – The Europeans have not done well in countering President Donald Trump’s onslaught on Iran. When Trump unilaterally decided that the U.S. should withdraw from the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, which committed Iran to winding down its nuclear research in return for the West, Russia and China (the latter two were also part of the deal) lifting sanctions which were crippling the Iranian economy, the Europeans huffed and puffed and then did little.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 10 December 2019

Photo: Although the German composer J.S. Bach never visited China in his lifetime, his statue now welcomes visitors entering Shanghai from the city's main railway station. CC BY-SA 3.0

Germany Must Help Shape Faltering Multilateral World Order

Viewpoint by Jiang Feng

Prof Dr Jiang Feng chairs the University Council of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) in China. This article first appeared on International Politics and Society Journal, published by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s Brussels office.

SHANGHAI | BRUSSELS (IDN-INPS) – For German government representatives and top politicians visiting China, a quick trip to Shanghai has almost become obligatory. The city’s rapid development provides a wealth of reasons for admiration and astonishment. Germans are often surprised that it’s much more modern than people generally assume and that it offers a very different picture from the one conveyed in the German press.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 07 December 2019

Photo: Germany and UNIDO reinforce partnership through strategic talks. Credit: UNIDO.

Strategic Talks Reinforce UNIDO Partnership with Germany

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN (IDN) – Germany and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have agreed to strengthen their partnership towards the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During high-level strategic talks in Berlin, hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on November 26-27, Germany and UNIDO underlined the importance of each other as partners.

: Jutta Wolf; THE WORLD; EU & Europe; 01 December 2019

79-Nation ACP Promotes SDGs Jointly with the Private Sector

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (IDN) – The African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States is committed to helping achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the 79 countries in its fold. In doing so, it subscribes to the view that to realise the 17 Goals as outlined in Agenda 2030 will require actors across public and private sectors to work together.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; ACP Group of States; 05 November 2019

Photo: John Trumbull's painting, Declaration of Independence, Amexit, depicting the five-man drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence presenting their work to the Congress. The painting can be found on the back of the U.S. $2 bill. The original hangs in the US Capitol rotunda. Source: Wikipedia.

Amexit Failed in 1776 – Brexit Will Fail Today

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Before there was Brexit there was Amexit when the Americans in 1776 decided to revolt against Britain’s King George and unilaterally secede to establish their own independent republic.

In retrospect it was a strangely negative thing to do and one that took a long time to put right. As Voltaire who was living in London around that time observed, Britain was the most liberal of all the big nations – there was more freedom of speech and press and a bigger role for parliament than elsewhere in the world.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 05 November 2019

Photo: Mother in shreds of clothing with child begging on the streets of Calcutta during the Bengal famine of 1943 (left), and a family on the sidewalk in Calcutta during the Bengal famine of 1943 (right). Source: Wikipedia

How Reparations Can Help Eradicate Poverty and Secure SDGs

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

NEW DELHI (IDN) – Dealing with numbers can take a toll and might make one seek fulfillment in other spheres. No wonder the most influential poet of the last Century penned The Waste Land in 1922 when he was dutifully employed with the foreign transactions department of Lloyd’s, an austere English bank in London.

Another case that one can think of is of Peter Bone, an accountant by training and Conservative party Member of Parliament in England from Wellingborough and Rushden who in November 2018 found glee when he made no bones about how and where the Republic of India should spend its resources. The latter reminds one of the famous aphorism Par Updesh Kushal Bahutere.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 02 November 2019

Photo: UNMIK chief Zahir Tanin addressing the Secuirty Council on October 31. Source: unmik.unmissions.org

Kosovo Elections Herald ‘Most Significant Change’ in 12 Years

By Radwan Jakeem

NEW YORK (IDN) – The Security Council has been told that the snap elections held on October 6 in Kosovo had the highest voter turnout since 2010 and represent “the most significant change in the political landscape” there in a dozen years.

These were called during a difficult time of internal political division, disunity in the governing coalition and “most importantly, the public's perception of inability to deliver on promises to the people of Kosovo”.