Month: June 2023

Any evaluation of the strategic situation that is not based on the confrontation between Global NATO leaders and Russia, a nuclear power, with the threat of nuclear Armageddon in the equation, misses the point. The armed mutiny staged by Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin June 23-24 must be seen in this context, even if many aspects of it are not […]

Dmitry Trenin, a research professor at the Higher School of Economics and a lead research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, as well as a member of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), has weighed into the recent international debate surrounding the use of nuclear weapons, sparked by Sergei Karaganov in an article titled “A Difficult […]

The campaign of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., for Democratic presidential candidate has the potential to profoundly reshape the political landscape of the United States. That was evident in his first major foreign policy speech, delivered to an overflow crowd at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, on June 20, in which he demolished the narratives of the infamous “powers […]

French President Macron convened June 22-23 in Paris 40 heads of state and government, leaders of major international organizations and financial institutions, as well as various CEOs and private investors, for a summit on launching a “new global financing pact”. The official objectives of the Summit were to reform the international financial system, to forge a “more balanced financial partnership […]

Brazilian President Lula da Silva upset more than one Western participant in his speech at the Paris June 22-23 Summit for a New Global Financing Pact (cf. previous item). The following excerpts suffice to give the flavor of it. “…I came here to speak about how, along with the climate issue, we have to raise the issue of global inequality. […]

After weeks of steady decline, popular support for all three parties in the government coalition combined is down to a dismal 38%. But what is even more remarkable is the rise of the opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is up to 19% in the latest “Deutschlandtrend” poll carried out for German television by the Dimap agency. That puts […]

On June 20, German authorities proudly announced that installed solar power at the end of March had increased by 21% compared to March 2022. Nominal power went from 58,500 to 70,180 MW. But nominal power, of course, is not the actual power produced. The latter depends on whether and for how long the sun shines. The fact of the matter […]

A railway tunnel project under the Gibraltar Strait, that would connect Africa with Europe for the first time, has just received new funding. According to Railtech.com, Spain’s government gazette confirmed on June 16 that Madrid has approved the sum of €2.3 million for a design study, which is to be transferred to the Spanish Society for Fixed Communication Studies through […]

While public opinion in Europe and the United States is lectured on the need to wage war against Russia (and China), and to accept a slash in living standards in order to defend “democracy” and “save the planet”, a new paradigm of cooperation and growth is taking hold in the rest of the world. It was aptly addressed by the […]

The 10th Arab-China Business Conference, held June 11-12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, signified the shift of Saudi Arabia and many other countries of the region towards business and economic growth with China. Over 30 trade deals were signed during the two days, worth some $10 billion, but that is just the beginning, according to the organizers. The closing keynote speech […]