Defence and security

The future of U.S.-Europe relations

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“The Debate” with Jim Walsh, MIT and Jan Oberg, TFF Lund, Sweden – May 30, 2017 Last night “The Debate” on PressTV was devoted to the future of European-US relations in the wake of the NATO Summit, President Trump’s words and omissions and the – historic – words, in particular, of Chancellor Angela Merkel immediately after. Undoubtedly, we are at a turning point in these relations in general and for the NATO alliance in particular. To discuss these issues – past, present and future perspectives – were Jim Walsh, senior research associate at MIT’s Security Studies Program, Massachusetts, and Jan Oberg, director of TFF, Lund. Thanks to PressTV’s excellently structured program and interviewer we touched upon a series of aspects and dimensions around which we found both agreements and slight disagreements – all in a sober tone fit for public education and personal reflection. We hope this debate will stimulate your own thoughts about the future of war, security and peace. We’d be grateful for your sharing it to media people, students and other academics as well as to decision-makers in the field that you may know. See it here – The Debate

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Development - world order

The Western moral decay

The World Humanitarian Summit held in Istanbul, May 23-24, 2016 failed to achieve its fund-raising goals. No one from the richest countries – except Angela Merkel – or of the UN Security Council attended – writes eminent observer Baher Kamal for InterPress Service, IPS. The richest and most powerful, the most militarized and the most greedy on earth of course […]

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EU

EU agrees on sanctions on Russia – but what about peace?

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EU agrees Russia sanctions to stay until Ukraine peace terms met (Reuters). Exactly as expected. If the EU can make a conflict-resolution mistake, rest assured that it will! Minsk is not a peace agreement – but at Reuters they don’t know the difference between a ceasefire and a peace agreement. The looming catastrophe is exactly that there is no follow-up to Minsk II, no process for conflict-resolution, the future structure of Ukraine, nothing on UN peacekeeping, reconciliation, confidence-building and peace. These sanction are the only known follow-up and only signaling: We don’t trust you damn Russians! NATO knows only military saber-rattling, EU only sanctions – nobody knows peace. What a Europe! What a danger to all of us having to live with the long-term consequences of such peace illiteracy! I’ve written a longer piece on what I believe would be a much safer policy – with absolutely no indications of an interest from the local or international media.

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International affairs

NATO strengthens forces in Eastern Europe

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NATO strengthens forces in eastern Europe against Russia risk – Reuters This is indeed worrying and will cause a tough Russian response at some point. However, it is a little less militaristic than I had feared (or the more worrying steps are not made public). NATO talks war preparation while Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande are on diplomatic mission to Kiev and Moscow with a ceasefire or peace plan. This shows that there is no coordination. No timing. Increasing rift inside NATO. And a tremendous lack of vision – both back in history and forward into the future. At a moment when so much is at stake, Western leaders again appear intellectually and politically confused. All because the EU and the U.S. started this crisis with Russia in Ukraine and now don’t know how to back down. How utterly tragic when you think of the fabulous stable, cooperative and prosperous Europe we could have created together after 1989.

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