Guest commentary by Thomas Clowes-Pritchard, writing in a personal capacity Shaun Pinner (picture), a former British soldier, has an extraordinary story to tell. Starting out as a soldier in the Royal Anglian regiment of the British army in which he served with great distinction, Pinner moved to Ukraine in 2018 where he then married before […]
The story of Shaun Pinner as a guide to Western foreign policymaking Read More »
In an interview with Russia media, Belarusian President Alexandr Lukashenko has stated that if another country wanted to join a Russian-Belarusian union, there could be “nuclear weapons for everyone”. Russia and Belarus are formally part of a Union State, a borderless union and alliance between the two former Soviet republics. Under that alliance, Russia has
Kazakhstan rejects offer to join a union with Russia Read More »
Guest commentary by Saman Rizwan Last weekend, when British Asian TV star, Meera Syal accepted her lifetime achievement award at the Bafta’s she used the platform to urge the TV industry to embrace diversity. In 2023, Western industries still lack the representation to promote a truly inclusive society. And this is no more pertinent than
“To regain its moral compass, the Nobel Peace Prize is in urgent need of reform” Read More »
Francesco Sassi, a Research Fellow Energy Geopolitics & Markets at Ricerche Industriali ed Energetiche in Bologna, takes a closer look at the 🇹Greenstream pipeline, connecting Libya to Italy and one of the key route for trans-Mediterranean gas trade, which “has stopped working”. He notes: “During May 2023, the Mellitah gas complex will undergo extensive maintenance.
“A very delicate time for Libyan – Italian energy cooperation” Read More »
The European Parliament has voted to approve the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), as part of a whole range of proposals, including the new CBAM carbon border tariff. The new rules create new trade barriers and bureaucracy for wood imports, and have angered trading partners in South East Asia. 🌳Deforestation Parliament adopts new regulation to fight climate
Commenting on the entry into BRICS of Saudi Arabia, an editorial by Al-Monitor, authored by its foreign affairs correspondent Sabena Siddiqui, argues that concerns about the U.S. dollar’s dominance are not justified. She notes: Oil transactions between China and the Gulf may be settled in Chinese currency, but experts do not foresee an end to
“Concerns about the U.S. dollar’s dominance are not justified” Read More »
In 2013, Malaysia suffered an armed incursion from the Philippines by a group claiming to be the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu, part of the resource-rich Malaysian province of Sabah. Malaysia was able to make an end to it, but as a result, it no longer paid the heirs an annual stipend of $5,300, stemming from a historical obligation
Dr. Samuel Ramani, a researcher in international relations at Oxford University, RUSI associate fellow and author of “Russia in Africa” discusses whether Saudi Arabia is abandoning the West. In particular, he comments how “Saudi Arabia is set to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization”, as this means that “the most immediate consequence is tighter cooperation between
Tighter cooperation emerges between China and Saudi Arabia Read More »
The Financial Times reports that The United Kingdom is “poised” to join the Asia-Pacific trade deal CPTPP, according to people involved in the talks. UK looks to ‘imminently’ join the trans-Pacific trading block https://t.co/hMi8Ivgii5 via @EllenAMilligan pic.twitter.com/GlKxcRJ0cj — Zoe Schneeweiss (@ZSchneeweiss) March 23, 2023 Part of the deal is reportedly that the UK will eliminate
UK poised to join Asia Pacific trade deal Read More »
The EU’s Deforestation Regulation, which passed on Dec. 6 last year, aims to prevent goods selling in the EU from contributing to deforestation and forest degradation after Dec. 31, 2020. Under the new regulation, all companies involved in the trade of palm oil, cattle, soy, coffee, cocoa, timber, rubber and their byproducts must adhere to
Importing timber into the EU remains a challenge for emerging economies Read More »