* Russian and Chinese pressure has raised questions about US willingness to defend Ukraine and Taiwan.
* "Strategic ambiguity" still serves a deterrent function, but the value of that deterrent is diminishing.
* As great-power competition intensifies, the US will have to make hard choices about what it will do to defend some partners.
Russia's military buildup against Ukraine and China's aggressive posture toward Taiwan suggest the US is approaching an inflection point when it will need to make hard choices about how far it will go to support beleaguered partners.
Read more at:
The US Faces Hard Choices on Strategic Ambiguity Over Ukraine, Taiwan
Showing posts with label Stalemate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stalemate. Show all posts
1/9/22
9/20/19
Israel: Election: vote count gives Gantz party slim lead, confirms deadloc
Israel vote count gives Gantz party slim lead, confirms deadlock Near-complete official results Friday confirmed a deadlock in Israel's general election this week, giving the party led by Benny Gantz a slim lead over Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, but without an obvious path to form a majority coalition.
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9/17/19
SPAIN: New elections scheduled for November
Spain sets new elections for November as attempts to form a government collapse.
Spain's caretaker prime minister says fresh elections will take place in November as no leader can win enough parliamentary support to be able to form a government.
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2/20/18
Spain: The Troubling Legal And Political Uncertainty Facing Catalonia- by Javier García Oliva Javier García Oliva
What exactly is happening in Catalonia? The territory is one of the
Comunidades Autónomas, a category of Spanish sub-state entities, and
amongst all of them, Catalonia already enjoys a higher degree of
autonomy and powers than most of its peers. But its political nature and
future are being hotly debated. Anybody could be forgiven for
struggling to disentangle the twisted strands of the current Catalan
saga, which shows no signs of reaching a conclusion any time soon. For
those of us in the UK, the problem is exacerbated by a tendency on the
part of the Anglophone ( British and American) media to grossly over-simplify, and therefore
distort, what is in reality an extremely complicated picture.
There has been a trend towards portraying the political conflict as a David and Goliath struggle between the cultural and linguistic minority who make up the Catalan region, and the mighty central state authorities in Madrid. However, as might be anticipated, this easy narrative is one which will not withstand even the lightest of scrutiny. The real position is indeed far more nuanced, and there are multiple shades of grey. At present, neither the group of pro-independence parties in control of the Catalan Parliament, nor the Government headed by Mariano Rajoy, the President of the Spanish executive in Madrid, are covering themselves with much glory, but the ongoing crisis can still teach the wider world lessons about negotiating constitutional reform, and there are some valuable insights which Britain might gain in contemplating both Brexit and the future of Scotland.
In short, neither the pro-independence nor the pro-Spain parties within the Catalan Parliament emerged with a working majority, and interestingly, support for the pro-independence options has declined, albeit slightly, since the previous election. After some turmoil, the pro-independence faction managed to gain effective control, because the left-wing and anti-austerity party Podemos refused to vote with the pro-Spanish grouping and claimed to be neutral towards both sides. Interestingly, Podemos’ official position is in favour of a unified Spain, although with the proviso that a lawful referendum should be arranged for Catalonia. However, as the pro-unity parties had coalesced around Ines Arrimadas, from the centre right party Ciudadanos, Podemos were unhappy with the possible implications for social and economic policy.
In light of this, the desire of pro-independence politicians in Catalonia to dismantle constitutional protections to further their own political ends cannot be praised, or even justified, and those with political power must defer to the courts and the rule of law if a liberal democracy is to function as such. Equally, it is unquestionable that this can only work if legitimate and functional channels are found to discuss and debate constitutional reform, and where necessary, move it forward.
For the complete report click here: The Troubling Legal And Political Uncertainty Facing Catalonia
There has been a trend towards portraying the political conflict as a David and Goliath struggle between the cultural and linguistic minority who make up the Catalan region, and the mighty central state authorities in Madrid. However, as might be anticipated, this easy narrative is one which will not withstand even the lightest of scrutiny. The real position is indeed far more nuanced, and there are multiple shades of grey. At present, neither the group of pro-independence parties in control of the Catalan Parliament, nor the Government headed by Mariano Rajoy, the President of the Spanish executive in Madrid, are covering themselves with much glory, but the ongoing crisis can still teach the wider world lessons about negotiating constitutional reform, and there are some valuable insights which Britain might gain in contemplating both Brexit and the future of Scotland.
In short, neither the pro-independence nor the pro-Spain parties within the Catalan Parliament emerged with a working majority, and interestingly, support for the pro-independence options has declined, albeit slightly, since the previous election. After some turmoil, the pro-independence faction managed to gain effective control, because the left-wing and anti-austerity party Podemos refused to vote with the pro-Spanish grouping and claimed to be neutral towards both sides. Interestingly, Podemos’ official position is in favour of a unified Spain, although with the proviso that a lawful referendum should be arranged for Catalonia. However, as the pro-unity parties had coalesced around Ines Arrimadas, from the centre right party Ciudadanos, Podemos were unhappy with the possible implications for social and economic policy.
In light of this, the desire of pro-independence politicians in Catalonia to dismantle constitutional protections to further their own political ends cannot be praised, or even justified, and those with political power must defer to the courts and the rule of law if a liberal democracy is to function as such. Equally, it is unquestionable that this can only work if legitimate and functional channels are found to discuss and debate constitutional reform, and where necessary, move it forward.
For the complete report click here: The Troubling Legal And Political Uncertainty Facing Catalonia
12/3/17
EU-Africa agree on repatriating migrants, but not on the bill – by Cécile Barbière
African and European countries have adopted a special joint declaration on Libya and said they want to repatriate migrants stranded in Libya to their countries of origin. But the question of who should pay for it has been carefully avoided.
This is perhaps the only concrete action taken at the EU-Africa Summit, which ended on Thursday (30 November) in Abidjan. Some 3,800 African migrants stranded in Libya in inhumane conditions will be repatriated urgently to their country of origin.
These migrants detained in Tripoli recently received a visit from the African Union commissionner for social affairs, Amira El Fadil, who was able to witness firsthand the catastrophic conditions in detention centres.
These thousands of people will be returned by flights made available by the Moroccan and European authorities. “But this is only one detention camp, while the Libyan government has counted 42, and there may be more,” said the President of the Commission of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
The number of African migrants stranded in Libya is estimated at between 400,000 and 700,000, according to the Mahamat.
The announcement concluded a summit focused on the plight of migrants stranded in Libya, while the announced agenda was dedicated to youth, investment, good governance, migration and security.
EU-Africa agree on repatriating migrants, but not on the bill – EURACTIV.com
This is perhaps the only concrete action taken at the EU-Africa Summit, which ended on Thursday (30 November) in Abidjan. Some 3,800 African migrants stranded in Libya in inhumane conditions will be repatriated urgently to their country of origin.
These migrants detained in Tripoli recently received a visit from the African Union commissionner for social affairs, Amira El Fadil, who was able to witness firsthand the catastrophic conditions in detention centres.
These thousands of people will be returned by flights made available by the Moroccan and European authorities. “But this is only one detention camp, while the Libyan government has counted 42, and there may be more,” said the President of the Commission of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
The number of African migrants stranded in Libya is estimated at between 400,000 and 700,000, according to the Mahamat.
The announcement concluded a summit focused on the plight of migrants stranded in Libya, while the announced agenda was dedicated to youth, investment, good governance, migration and security.
EU-Africa agree on repatriating migrants, but not on the bill – EURACTIV.com
8/22/16
Middle East: Syria ‘US, Russia reaching end of Syria talks’
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that he would “likely” meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to talk about Syria, noting they might reach the end of the ongoing discussions on the war-torn country.
Kerry made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya on Monday more than one month after he and Lavrov met in Moscow and discussed steps to restore peace in Syria.
"We are indeed engaged currently in ongoing conversations that have been going on now for several weeks and it is my hope that we are reaching the end of those discussions one way or the other," Kerry told reporters.
"In the next days, our teams will meet, this week, and depending on where those discussions go, it is very possible, even likely, that Foreign Minister Lavrov and I would meet," he said.
Read more: PressTV-‘US, Russia reaching end of Syria talks’
Kerry made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya on Monday more than one month after he and Lavrov met in Moscow and discussed steps to restore peace in Syria.
"We are indeed engaged currently in ongoing conversations that have been going on now for several weeks and it is my hope that we are reaching the end of those discussions one way or the other," Kerry told reporters.
"In the next days, our teams will meet, this week, and depending on where those discussions go, it is very possible, even likely, that Foreign Minister Lavrov and I would meet," he said.
Read more: PressTV-‘US, Russia reaching end of Syria talks’
10/5/13
USA Shutdown: GOP Establishment Grapples With A Tea Party That Won't Budge - by Don Gonyea
The old line in Washington is that the "establishment" controls everything. But the fights that have resulted in the government shutdown have turned that cliche upside down.
This time, it's the Tea Party and its allies in Congress calling the shots. The "establishment" — on Capitol Hill and in the business community — has so far been on the outs.
You can hear the frustration in the voice of 11-term Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., as he runs a gantlet of reporters at the Capitol. "I'm just more concerned about there not being a clean CR," he says amid the hubbub.
The "clean CR" he's referring to would be a continuing resolution to fund the government that isn't attached to defunding or delaying the Affordable Care Act.
That's a basic establishment kind of approach — and it might actually win a majority of both parties in the House if it were to actually come up for a vote.
Read more:P GOP Establishment Grapples With A Tea Party That Won't Budge : It's All Politics : NPR
This time, it's the Tea Party and its allies in Congress calling the shots. The "establishment" — on Capitol Hill and in the business community — has so far been on the outs.
You can hear the frustration in the voice of 11-term Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., as he runs a gantlet of reporters at the Capitol. "I'm just more concerned about there not being a clean CR," he says amid the hubbub.
The "clean CR" he's referring to would be a continuing resolution to fund the government that isn't attached to defunding or delaying the Affordable Care Act.
That's a basic establishment kind of approach — and it might actually win a majority of both parties in the House if it were to actually come up for a vote.
Read more:P GOP Establishment Grapples With A Tea Party That Won't Budge : It's All Politics : NPR
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