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April 26, 2019
April 25, 2019
USA -Trump's Foreign Policy: It is all about RealPolitiek and the EU better get their act togetherUSA -Trump's Foreign Policy: It is all about RealPolitiek and the EU better get their act together
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| Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck |
Trump has embraced the law of the jungle, which political scientists and historians define as RealPolitik.
The term “RealPolitik” is widely used today as a synonym for “power politics” and understood as the realist approach to foreign policy, a venerable tradition that stretches from Machiavelli and Bismarck to scholar-diplomats of the postwar era such as George Kennan and Henry Kissinger.
RealPolitik
can also be seen as the political approach of self-sufficiency.
Decisions on public policy, when approached from a position of
RealPolitik, are not afforded time for sympathy or compassion. Rather,
RealPolitik is an approach of shrewd pragmatism solely on the basis of
political expedience.
Case
in Point: In the Middle East the US Trump Administration has chosen
three principal partners: Israel - the only nation in the Middle East
with a nuclear arsenal - Saudi-Arabia, the number one oil producer in
the world and Egypt , the country with the largest army in the Middle
East.These countries have developed a very close relation with the US
over the years and importantly to the US, do what they are told to do by
the US.
Realpolitik
has played a huge role in this case, as it allowed Israel’s Prime
Minister, Netanyahu, to successfully outplay the Iranians in most
encounters, as proven by the recent Israeli attacks on Iranian military
bases in Syria. Moreover, it allowed Israel to develop close
relationships with Arab states that were previously aggressive towards
the Israeli cause, a thing that was deemed close to impossible a couple
of decades ago.
In
Europe, the US Trump Administration considers Russia, not the EU, as
the most important power, and developed a "cloaked", but nevertheless
close relationship with them.It is no secret, except it seems to the EU
Commission, that the US Trump Administration would like nothing better
than seeing the EU break apart.
The
EU has been engulfed in a state of political instability that seems to
have no end in sight. Cohesion between member states is at a historical
low, populists are gaining traction at a pace never seen before and a
constant state of fear and paranoia has characterized the European
population ever since the migration wave has hit the continent four
years ago.
At
present it seems that pragmatism and self-interest is what
characterizes Western Europe the most and a fracture has appeared
between the underprivileged East and the heavily industrialized West.
The recent emergence of the populist parties have made this very clear and now the European continent finds itself for the very first time with countries that have elected far-right or Eurosceptic political parties, as seen in the cases of Italy, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Romania and the Czech Republic. Realpolitik dictates that the ideology doesn’t matter anymore, but what happens when the two ideas are applied at the same time?
The recent emergence of the populist parties have made this very clear and now the European continent finds itself for the very first time with countries that have elected far-right or Eurosceptic political parties, as seen in the cases of Italy, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Romania and the Czech Republic. Realpolitik dictates that the ideology doesn’t matter anymore, but what happens when the two ideas are applied at the same time?
If
Britain does not come to its senses about Brexit and holds a second
referendum to stay in the EU, it is very well possible Britain could
become one of the poorest nations in Europe within a period of ten
years, specially if Scotland votes to become an independent nation and
joins the EU.
In
the Far East it is quite obvious that the US Trump Administration
considers China not only as the major power in the Region, but certainly
a long term dangerous rival.
Issues around technology transfer have been key during trade talks between the world's two largest economies in recent months.
"Every country now correctly recognizes that their prosperity, their wealth, their economic security, their military security is going to be linked to keeping a technological edge," says Stephen Olson, research fellow at global trade advisory body Hinrich Foundation.
But many also say their dispute goes well beyond trade - it represents a power-struggle between two very different world views.
Unfortunately, deal or no trade deal, that rivalry is only expected to broaden and become more difficult to resolve.
"We have entered into a new normal in which US-China geopolitical competition has intensified and become more explicit," says Michael Hirson, Asia director at consultancy firm Eurasia Group.
Realpolitik is now at play also between China and the US, at the highest level possible/
This isn’t the Cold War whatsoever, this is a completely different world. One based on economic factors, international political bullying and a shock factor never seen before.
Welcome to Earth, which side are you on?
April 24, 2019
United Nations: one million species at risk of extinction due to human actions UN report says
One million species at risk of extinction due to human actions, UN
report says Up to one million species face extinction due to human
influence, according to a draft UN report obtained by AFP that
painstakingly catalogues how humanity has undermined the natural
resources upon which its very survival depends.
Read more at:
April 23, 2019
April 22, 2019
USA - democracy - danger signals: Armed militias raising their head in America
FBI arrests leader of armed militia stopping migrants at U.S.-Mexico border, as Mexico cries alarm.
Read more at:
April 20, 2019
The European Union: Benefits of being a member state of the EU: Ten EU policies that have changed Europeans' day-to-day lives
Eurosceptics frequently lambast the EU by portraying it as a
bureaucratic monolith that pays little attention to the concerns of
ordinary citizens, as it interferes needlessly in petty affairs.
However, the decisions taken in Brussels and the laws passed by the
European Parliament in Strasbourg have concrete effects on Europeans’
day-to-day lives.
Here is an overview of ten such EU policies put in place over the past five years making a key difference to the lives of every citizen of its member states. :
Getting rid of plastic bags
In France, single-use plastic shopping bags have been banned since July 2016, whether they are free or paid for. Instead, bags must either be made of paper or reusable and thicker than 50 micrometres. Since the start of 2017, this ban has been extended to “fruit and vegetable bags”. Thus, only biodegradable or paper bags can now be used.
These French laws are a direct product of a 2015 EU directive that imposed new rules to limit the consumption of plastic bags and reduce the amount of packaging on goods. MEPs aim to reduce the average number of lightweight plastic bags used, from 90 per person over the course of the year in 2019 to 40 per person by 2025.
The right to be forgotten
As well as acting on environmental concerns, Brussels is also focused on the protection of personal data. In a 2014 decision, the European Court of Justice ruled that EU data protection law applies to search engines. This means that people can get companies to take down any links that violate their privacy, according to the conditions set out in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. So far Google has reviewed 91,000 removal requests, for a total of 328,000 links.
Banning roaming charges
MEPs have taken legal steps to prohibit mobile phone companies from forcing customers to pay extra when they travel from European country to another. This applies to all mobile and landline phone calls, SMS messages and the use of data services abroad.
Cheap flights and compensation for overbooking
By imposing competition laws to stop airlines from restricting fares and schedules, the EU has allowed new companies to spring up and disrupt the industry, with their “low cost” and “no frills” flights undercutting established players and forcing them to reduce prices.
Food safety
The well-known “E numbers” – preservatives, dyes, antioxidants and flavourings listed as part of food products – are subject to strict standards and tightly regulated by the EU. Before being placed on the market, any additive is rigorously scrutinised by the European Food Safety Authority to ensure that it does not present a health hazard.
In addition, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed has been set up to take any food that constitutes a health risk off the market as quickly as possible. It responds to thousands of alerts every year to deal with immediate risks, often detected in meat and fish.
Sport broadcast free of charge
EU legislation ensures that sport matches considered to be of major importance for society must be broadcast on free TV channels.
Putting more snow on ski slopes
Seeing as it’s quite a prerequisite for skiing, it’s rather a shame that snow is not always abundant on Europe’s ski slopes. The EU’s Horizon 2020 programme is funding research on snow production that includes a new snow gun that uses 15 percent less energy to produce 8 percent more snow and is also less noisy. Brussels is also supporting a project to create a weather forecasting system for the ski industry to predict the amount of snow from a week to several months in advance.
Free wifi in public areas
There are few things more frustrating than being out and about and finding it impossible to connect to the Internet. However, the EU’s WIFI4EU programme provides support to local authorities to help them provide free wifi to people passing through open-air spaces, public buildings, libraries or hospitals.
Protecting online shoppers’ rights
The EU ensures that products can be ordered without customs duties and additional taxes from other European countries and allows customers to return any product they have purchased within 14 days, without justification.
New EU rules should also come into effect over the coming years – for example, prohibiting online vendors from automatically redirecting customers to another site (on which prices are often higher), and the reduction of sometimes hefty delivery costs.
Funding films
Half of all European films were partly financed by the European Union Media Program. In 2014, seven of the 18 films competing for awards at the Cannes Film Festival benefited from this scheme, including “Two Days, One Night” by the Dardennes brothers and Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Winter Sleep”, winner of the 2014 Palme d’Or.
The EU also has the Creative Europe 2014-2020 programme to support culture across the continent. With a budget of €1.5 billion, this fund will support cinema, TV, music, literature, heritage and the performing arts in 38 countries and will fund 250,000 people in the culture industry.
Ten EU policies that have changed Europeans' day-to-day lives
Here is an overview of ten such EU policies put in place over the past five years making a key difference to the lives of every citizen of its member states. :
Getting rid of plastic bags
In France, single-use plastic shopping bags have been banned since July 2016, whether they are free or paid for. Instead, bags must either be made of paper or reusable and thicker than 50 micrometres. Since the start of 2017, this ban has been extended to “fruit and vegetable bags”. Thus, only biodegradable or paper bags can now be used.
These French laws are a direct product of a 2015 EU directive that imposed new rules to limit the consumption of plastic bags and reduce the amount of packaging on goods. MEPs aim to reduce the average number of lightweight plastic bags used, from 90 per person over the course of the year in 2019 to 40 per person by 2025.
The right to be forgotten
As well as acting on environmental concerns, Brussels is also focused on the protection of personal data. In a 2014 decision, the European Court of Justice ruled that EU data protection law applies to search engines. This means that people can get companies to take down any links that violate their privacy, according to the conditions set out in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. So far Google has reviewed 91,000 removal requests, for a total of 328,000 links.
Banning roaming charges
MEPs have taken legal steps to prohibit mobile phone companies from forcing customers to pay extra when they travel from European country to another. This applies to all mobile and landline phone calls, SMS messages and the use of data services abroad.
Cheap flights and compensation for overbooking
By imposing competition laws to stop airlines from restricting fares and schedules, the EU has allowed new companies to spring up and disrupt the industry, with their “low cost” and “no frills” flights undercutting established players and forcing them to reduce prices.
Food safety
The well-known “E numbers” – preservatives, dyes, antioxidants and flavourings listed as part of food products – are subject to strict standards and tightly regulated by the EU. Before being placed on the market, any additive is rigorously scrutinised by the European Food Safety Authority to ensure that it does not present a health hazard.
In addition, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed has been set up to take any food that constitutes a health risk off the market as quickly as possible. It responds to thousands of alerts every year to deal with immediate risks, often detected in meat and fish.
Sport broadcast free of charge
EU legislation ensures that sport matches considered to be of major importance for society must be broadcast on free TV channels.
Putting more snow on ski slopes
Seeing as it’s quite a prerequisite for skiing, it’s rather a shame that snow is not always abundant on Europe’s ski slopes. The EU’s Horizon 2020 programme is funding research on snow production that includes a new snow gun that uses 15 percent less energy to produce 8 percent more snow and is also less noisy. Brussels is also supporting a project to create a weather forecasting system for the ski industry to predict the amount of snow from a week to several months in advance.
Free wifi in public areas
There are few things more frustrating than being out and about and finding it impossible to connect to the Internet. However, the EU’s WIFI4EU programme provides support to local authorities to help them provide free wifi to people passing through open-air spaces, public buildings, libraries or hospitals.
Protecting online shoppers’ rights
The EU ensures that products can be ordered without customs duties and additional taxes from other European countries and allows customers to return any product they have purchased within 14 days, without justification.
New EU rules should also come into effect over the coming years – for example, prohibiting online vendors from automatically redirecting customers to another site (on which prices are often higher), and the reduction of sometimes hefty delivery costs.
Funding films
Half of all European films were partly financed by the European Union Media Program. In 2014, seven of the 18 films competing for awards at the Cannes Film Festival benefited from this scheme, including “Two Days, One Night” by the Dardennes brothers and Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Winter Sleep”, winner of the 2014 Palme d’Or.
The EU also has the Creative Europe 2014-2020 programme to support culture across the continent. With a budget of €1.5 billion, this fund will support cinema, TV, music, literature, heritage and the performing arts in 38 countries and will fund 250,000 people in the culture industry.
Ten EU policies that have changed Europeans' day-to-day lives
April 18, 2019
The Netherlands: UBO Register in the Netherlands
To combat Money Laundering as ordered by a EU Directive the Dutch government is writing laws to do so, which should be in force by 2020 .
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