EU & Europe

Photo: From left to Right- Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. and Jainendra Karn

India-UK Free Trade Agreement: Band-Aid or a Band of Democracies

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

Manish Uprety 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) — Post Magna Carta and the Treaty of Westphalia, international relations between nations are like the sacred marriage vows of Henry VIII or Elizabeth Taylor; and no one knows what the future might unfold. Indo-British relations can also be seen explored in the same light.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 26 January 2022

Image source: Map of Ukraine conflict region. Courtesy of Adobe Stock. Source: RUSI

The West Needs to Understand Why Ukraine Is So Important to Russia

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — “George, you have to understand that Ukraine is not even a country. Part of its territory is in Eastern Europe and the greater part was given to us.” These were the ominous words of President Vladimir Putin of Russia to President George W. Bush in Bucharest, Romania, at a NATO summit in April 2008. (This is the beginning paragraph of Fiona Hills’s article on January 24 in New York Times.)

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 25 January 2022

Photo: The Higher Court in Koblenz. Source: Kanzlei Goldenstein.

Historic Verdict in Germany's Prosecution of a Syrian for Crimes Against Humanity

By Jamshed Baruah

GENEVA (IDN) — The German city of Koblenz on the banks of the river Rhine has made history. The Higher Regional Court there has convicted a former senior Syrian intelligence officer, for crimes against humanity.

The man, known as was charged with complicity in the torture of thousands of people between 2011 and 2012 in the Al-Khatib Branch of Syrian General Intelligence in the capital, Damascus. 

: Jamshed Baruah; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 13 January 2022

Photo: Bethlehem skyline from Church of the Nativity CC BY-SA 3.0

Israel and the Biggest Single Misthink in Western History

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

BETHLEHEM (IDN) — Perhaps the biggest single misthink in Western history is best understood by standing in the town square of Bethlehem, allowing one’s gaze to pass over the roof top of the Church that covers the stable where Jesus was supposedly born, and let one’s eye drift into the blue sky beyond and thinking:

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 11 January 2022

Photo: Embassy of Switzerland in Sri Lanka © FDFA

Weaponizing Human Rights—Swiss on The Frontlines

By Sugeeswara Senadhira

COLOMBO (IDN) — Many Sri Lankans seeking visas to Switzerland end up filling forms listing out all their personnel information including details about Police records, if any. A vast majority of Sinhalese end up with a curt denial of visas despite their clean records.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 31 December 2021

Image: The Sahel Region is of immense interest to Russia. Wikimedia Commons.

Collective Sanctions Isolating Mali in the Sahel Sahara as Russia Rides the Wave of Anticolonialism

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW I BAMAKO (IDN) — The Republic of Mali, a landlocked West African state with an impoverished population, faces increasing isolation from the international community over the political power grab. Even as the African Union (AU), the continental organization, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional bloc, both suspended the membership of the Republic of Mali following military coups in August 2020 and May 2021, the ruling military officials are still holding onto political power by delaying the proposed elections earlier next year.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Russia; 25 December 2021

Photo: Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister. Photocosmos1/Shutterstock

An Important TPNW Signal from Germany—But Nothing More

Viewpoint by Herbert Wulf

This article was issued by Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission.

BONN (IDN) — The new German coalition government will not rock the foundations of German foreign and security policy. It wants to remain a reliable partner in the EU and NATO. But it sends an important signal for disarmament and arms control efforts. The 177-page coalition agreement contains the following passage on the TPNW: "In light of the results of the NPT Review Conference and in close consultation with our allies, we will constructively accompany the intention of the treaty as observers (not as members) at the Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons."

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 22 December 2021

EU Countries Might Be Failing To Protect Whistleblowers

By Marie Terracol and Ida Nowers

BERLIN (IDN | Transparency International) — Whistleblowing is one of the most effective ways to detect and prevent harm. Still, only 47 per cent of European citizens feel they can safely report corruption, with 45 per cent fearing reprisals for speaking up. Far too often, those who witness malpractice are not empowered to say something, and when they do, face personal, professional or legal attacks, harming their mental and even physical well-being. Robust legislation is key to protect individuals who blow the whistle and ensure that the wrongdoing they report is addressed.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 18 December 2021

Photo: Keeping the peace ... French police in Noumea for the third and final independence referendum yesterday. Image: Caledonia TV screenshot APR

New Caledonia Vote to Stay with France Is a Hollow Victory

It Will Only Ratchet Up Tensions

Viewpoint by David Robie

The writer Dr David Robie is editor of Asia Pacific Report, founding editor of Pacific Journalism Review and former director of the Pacific Media Centre.

AUCKLAND (IDN) — “Loyalist” New Caledonians handed France the decisive victory in the third and final referendum on independence it wanted in Sunday’s vote.

But it was a hollow victory, with pro-independence Kanaks delivering Paris a massive rebuke for its three-decade decolonisation strategy.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 15 December 2021

Photo: Internally displaced persons from northern Mozambique seek protection from the violent clashes between the military and armed groups in the port city of Pemba (December 11, 2020). © Estacio Valoi

Billion Dollar Gas Project Threatens Mozambique

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — An investment of $1.15 billion in a gas project in northern Mozambique is being challenged by Friends of the Earth which foresees a major increase in greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10 per cent by 2022.

That’s the equivalent of the combined annual emissions of all 27 EU member countries, according to FoE.