Etiket arşivi: China

The Battle for the Global South

August 7, 2023

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the US State Department has probably been experiencing its busiest time ever with its senior diplomats crisscrossing the world from Asia to Africa, South America to the Far East in a campaign not only to isolate Russia but also to contain China. Western countries are mostly united in condemning Moscow, promising to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, saying “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”, and calling for Russia to be held accountable for war crimes but they still have no diplomatic initiative to reveal.

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NATO’s Vilnius Summit

July 13, 2023

On February 19, 2021, at the 2021 Virtual Munich Security Conference, President Biden addressed the global community for the first time. He defined the partnership between Europe and the US as the cornerstone of all that the West hopes to accomplish in the 21st century, just as it did in the 20th century. He said: “I know — I know the past few years have strained and tested our transatlantic relationship, but the United States is determined — determined to reengage with Europe, to consult with you, to earn back our position of trusted leadership.”

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Unrest in Moscow and Greater Uncertainty in Russia-West Relations

July 3, 2023

Last week’s developments in Russia have been described as a “rebellion”, “uprising”, “coup”, and “mutiny”. The exception was China.

Neither President Xi Jinping nor senior officials of the Chinese government said a word about what was happening in Russia. Only the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson published in writing on June 25 her response to a question under the title Wagner Group Incident”. She said, “This is Russia’s internal affair. As Russia’s friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination for the new era, China supports Russia in maintaining national stability and achieving development and prosperity.”  “Response to a question” in writing is the minimum governments say in public diplomacy.

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China-US Competition in the Middle East

June 21, 2023

The title of one of my recent posts was, “A Light Breeze of Change in the Middle East”. Hopefully, it would continue to blow more and more strongly and turn into a “wind of change” after decades and decades of conflict, external intervention, and self-destruction.

A brief look at the past developments:

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The Question of the Endgame in Ukraine

June 18, 2023

In a recent Foreign Affairs article titled “Ukraine’s Winnable War, Why the West Should Help Kyiv Retake All Its Territory” Gideon Rose said:

“A common view of the war sees it as a military deadlock destined to end with a negotiated settlement far short of each side’s original goals. “Later this year, a stalemate is likely to emerge along a new line of contact,” argued the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Richard Haass, and the political scientist Charles Kupchan in April, and at that point the United States should nudge Ukraine into recognizing that “pursuing a full military victory” would be unwise. “An end to the war that leaves Ukraine in full control over all its internationally recognized territory . . . remains a highly unlikely outcome,” asserted the political scientists Samuel Charap and Miranda Priebe in January, and so Washington “could condition future military aid on a Ukrainian commitment to negotiations” involving territorial compromise.” The title of Mr. Charap’s Foreign Affairs article was “An Unwinnable War, Washington Needs an Endgame in Ukraine”.[i]

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Wars and War Crimes

June 5, 2023

It has been a year and a half since Russia invaded Ukraine. Despite the havoc it has caused and the widespread resentment with its global impact, like many other wars, the world is getting used to living with it. Western statements of condemnation are becoming routine like those of the Kremlin drawing less attention than before, and President Zelensky probably has few other foreign parliaments to address. Moreover, missile and drone attacks on cities continue killing civilians including children, and Ukrainian children in occupied zones are reportedly being taken to Russia. But the order of the day remains strategic competition.

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Strategic Competition vs. Ending the War in Ukraine

May 22, 2023

Soon after the Russian onslaught against Ukraine, most observers agreed that the conflict would gradually become a protracted war. In other words, the fighting would lose intensity, and perhaps ceasefires would be declared, only to be followed by allegations of their violation. As NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said, it is absolutely possible that this war will drag on for months and years.

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Europe-China Relations and the Macron Visit

April 10, 2023

On November 4, 2022, Chancellor Scholz paid an eleven-hour visit to Beijing with a group of top German business executives.  He was the first Western leader visit to China since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and the first major political leader to meet Xi Jinping after the Chinese Communist Party Congress.[i] At the end of March 2023, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón visited China. He was followed by President Macron and the President of the European Commission von der Leyen last week.

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President Xi Jinping’s Visit to Russia

March 27, 2023

On June 14, 2021, Mr. Biden arrived in Brussels on his first trip to Europe as President. The Brussels Summit Communiqué issued by the NATO Heads of State and Government on that day broke new ground by mentioning China in a NATO public statement for the first time. It said, “China’s stated ambitions and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and areas relevant to Alliance security.”

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The Global South Plus

March 13, 2023

On February 23, 2023, the UN General Assembly through its Resolution A/ES-11/L.7, once again called for ending the war in Ukraine and demanded Russia’s immediate withdrawal from the country in line with the UN Charter. The voting was very similar to last year’s Resolution ES‑11/4. And the message of the majority was the same: “End the war.”

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