Photo by Elize Bezuidenhout on Unsplash In the last days of August, Sudan’s two rival governments both held cabinet meetings which, in their different symbolisms, reflected very different visions for the future of their benighted country. Those different visions were best captured in the redesigned state coat of arms that hung on the wall behind…
Photo by David Foodphototasty on Unsplash EU parliament President Roberta Metsola opened the September plenary session in Strasbourg with a minute of silence to remember lives lost in various tragedies in the EU and its neighbourhood. Metsola expressed her deep sadness following the derailment of the Elevador da Glória in Lisbon on 3 September. She…
Photo by Vony Razom on Unsplash Statement by President von der Leyen following the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris. “Today I was in Paris, where we just had the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.” “We discussed security guarantees for Ukraine.” “It was a crucial meeting, because we…
Photo by MW on Unsplash Today, the world faces mounting uncertainties and challenges from prolonged conflicts and democratic backsliding to economic coercion and disinformation campaigns. Authoritarian regimes increasingly employ gray-zone tactics that undermine the rules-based international order. In this fragile global environment, peace cannot be taken for granted. Democracies must unite to bolster resilience and…
UN Photo/Loey Felipe When a general tightens his grip, it seems more likely he is afraid of losing it. How else to interpret the three significant power plays General Abdel Fatteh Al-Burhan, commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces has attempted in the last month? In July he ordered all armed groups out of Khartoum, though…
Photo by Sébastien Goldberg on Unsplash The European Commission has announced that it has pushed forward the proposed EU-Mercosur agreement to the Council. The Mercosur deal has, it is said by some MEPs, been split into a political section and a trade section that will have to be adopted by a qualified majority of Member…
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash The European Green Party has called for the European Union to respond urgently to the ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine with more sanctions, and the acceleration of negotiations for Ukraine’s integration into the EU. Vula Tsetsi, Co-chair of the European Green Party, condemned the attacks by Russia that killed…
A summer campaign has been launched to promote the merits of overseas constituencies for UK citizens living abroad. Over the summer, UK MPs will be receiving postcards from all around the world with messages such as: “I love living and working here and may want to retire here, but I still have very close ties…
Photo by Maël BALLAND on Unsplash Last week in Sudan was more about what didn’t happen than did, although the violence continued unabated. A meeting of the Quartet (the United States plus three regional powers, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) seeking a resolution to the conflict, was called off at the last minute. Reasons…
Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash MEPs say it is time to send a clear signal that the European Parliament defends citizens’ rights. That was the message from the Socialists and Democrats on 18 June ahead of the plenary vote on the 2024 Rule of Law report. It comes, they say, at a time when…
