Photo : SkyNews
23 September 2021, Thursday
IN FOCUS
By Vaishnavi Iyer
Boris Johnson asks France to “get a grip” over the AUKUS submarine row
After being blindsided by the AUKUS allies; France reacted furiously, indulging in escalating diplomatic rows. Boris Johnson commented: “prenez un grip and donnez-moi un break” asking the French counterpart to get a grip and give him a break. The confrontational remark came with the announcement of France holding a call with the United States to facilitate the return of the French ambassador to the US. France had recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia, but not Great Britain. When asked as to why France did not recall its ambassador from Britain, French Jean-Yves Le Drian commented that they are familiar with Britain’s “permanent opportunism” and referred to the country as the “fifth wheel on the carriage”. The comment made by Johnson this could be around the French claims of the misstep in ignoring France over the AUKUS deal to affect talks regarding Northern Ireland. France sought solidarity from the EU over the deal, comparing it to that of the consequences of Brexit. Johnson on the other hand insisted that the deal is a great step forward in social security and isn’t exclusive per se. He further elaborated that the deal was only about three like-minded allies coming together to share technological efforts, and that it had nothing adversarial towards China.
Macron and Biden hold reconciliation talks
President Macron expected “concrete measures” on the US' part to restore France’s trust and communication amidst the AUKUS diplomatic row. Over the past week, France has reacted aggressively against the AUKUS members. The call between President Biden and President Macron took place on 22 September 2021. It was reported to be “friendly”, with France facilitating the return of its French ambassador to the US. Before France recalled its ambassador, it had initially cancelled a gala which was to commemorate 240 years of the relation between America and France. There was also a direct comment by Jean-Yves Le Drian aimed at the Biden presidency, saying it mirrored the previous Trump presidency. He went on to call the decision of the US a “stab in the back” calling President Biden’s decision unpredictable, brutal and unilateral. However, after the 30-minute call on 22 September, the leaders vouched to launch consultations for building confidence and meet in Europe at the end of October. President Biden resonated with the idea of a strong European defence plan to compliment the NATO alliance. There was a small difference between the noting of consultations in the French language and the English language. While the English report noted that the allies would have “benefited” from open talks; the French version wrote the allies could have “avoided this situation” which is an acknowledgement of the French anger. While no dates were set for the October meet, Biden would be in Glasgow and Rome for the COP26 and G20 summits respectively. Moreover, the French foreign minister finally warmed up to Antony Blinken at the UN summit on 23 September. France will send a detailed cancellation invoice to Australia for the failed contract. It was mentioned that the call was concluded with good messages, with France establishing that the reaction did not stem from the commercial loss of the deal but rather the breakdown of confidence with its counterparts. While France spoke with the US, there seemed to be no indication of French reconciliation with Australia or the UK, especially after Boris Johnson asked France to “get a grip”. Thus, the international community is yet to see when Macron ends the face-off with the AUKUS allies.
IN BRIEF
By Joeana Cera Matthews
SPAIN
Canary Islands: Lava endangering banana plantations
On 23 September, lava and smoke shot out of the La Palma volcano threatening the island’s banana plantations. Banana as a crop provides livelihood to the region’s farmers while being a crucial economic-builder. Several farms have already been affected, impacting the annual banana productions negatively. La Palma produces a quarter of the Canary Islands’ famous bananas. The citizens have been warned to maintain cleanliness in order to avoid the ingestion of the toxic ash looming in the sky. The devastation of homes has also increased concerns. In light of this, the Islands’ regional government has promised two housing developments purchases to provide for the homeless. Meanwhile, emergency shelters are being provided by Spanish banks. (Nacho Doce and Marco Trujillo, “Lava, smoke and ash cover La Palma as volcano threatens banana crop”, Reuters, 23 September 2021)
UKRAINE
Ukraine: Law on restricting oligarchs gains a clear majority in parliament
On 23 September, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law curbing the political and economic influence of oligarchs in the country. The law, which passed a first reading in July, passed its second reading with a clear majority. It will now be sent to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for approval. The legislation would require top officials to declare dealings with individuals categorized as ‘oligarchs’. These ‘oligarchs’ are also restricted from involvement in political financing and privatization of public assets. Zelenskyy expects these rules would protect Ukraine from corrupt yet powerful business figures. Critics, however, claim this to be a move by the President to concentrate power. The decision came a day after Zelenskyy’s top aide survived an assassination attempt; government officials said that this could have been a response to the reform. (“Ukraine approves law to limit influence of oligarchs”, Deutsche Welle, 23 September 2021)
POLAND
Swietokrzyskie province repeals ‘LGBT ideology free zone’ resolution
On 22 September, following an extraordinary provincial assembly session, the province of Swietokrzyskie in southern Poland, overturned its stature as an ‘LGBT ideology free zone’. 25 councillors voted in favour and three abstained from voting while none voted against the cancellation of the title. The declaration, accepted in 2019, was revoked after the EU denied pandemic-recovery funds to the province. The previous legislation has been replaced with a new resolution that guarantees families the right to raise their children according to personal beliefs while providing equality and fair treatment for all. The repeal follows a similar vote in Krakow on 20 September. Poland’s LGBTQ rights activists expressed their gratitude for the decision. (“Polish province overturns ‘LGBT ideology free zone’”, Deutsche Welle, 23 September 2021)
GENDER AND MIGRATION
Hungary: Budapest Demographic Summit sees conservatives condemn migration, LGBTQ while supporting ‘family values’
On 23 September, conservatives from all over the world met in Hungary to address and defend the ‘notion of family’ at the Budapest Demographic Summit. Participants of the summit included Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, former US Vice President Mike Pence and French far-right commentator Eric Zemmour. The two-day conference witnessed speakers condemning migration and the LGBTQ community while asking Christian couples to enlarge their families by having more children. Appreciating Orban prior to the conference, Zemmour said that Orban “defends the identity of his country and therefore that of Europe.” Separately, on 23 September, Orban with prime ministers of Poland, Czech Republic and Slovenia, endorsed a joint declaration advocating immigration to not be the solution for the EU's falling birth rate. (“Hungary: Leaders slam migration, LGBTQ at ‘family values’ summit”, Deutsche Welle, 23 September 2021)
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
In a blow to Apple, EU to impose universal smartphone charger
On 23 September, the EU proposed switching to a standard USB-C cable, allowing a universal charger for smartphones across the bloc. The proposal, if implemented, would terribly affect the tech giant Apple as well as the global smartphone market. The decision comes after the present situation of three main charger options was considered to be “inconvenient” by Brussels. The EU’s internal market commissioner Thierry Breton said that the imposition of a standard charger would bring an end to the sale of non-interchangeable and unnecessary chargers. The failure of the industry to come up with an alternative, has been claimed to be behind the legislative action. ( “EU proposes universal charging plug for all smartphones”, Deutsche Welle, 23 September 2021)
INTERNATIONAL
Black Sea: Russian navy practises while Ukraine-US joint military drills underway
On 23 September, the Russian navy practised target firing using its Bastion coastal missile defence system in the Black Sea. The Bastion system is an advanced mobile anti-ship and surface-to-surface defence system. According to Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, the system is capable of hitting sea targets and land targets at a distance of 219 miles and 281 miles, respectively. The target testing came amidst the US-Ukraine joint military exercise taking place in the region. Ukraine’s joint exercises with US and other NATO troops will continue till 1 October. (“Russian Navy practises striking Black Sea targets as Ukraine, US hold drills”, Reuters, 23 September 2021)
Helsinki: Russian and the US’ military chiefs discuss for six hours
On 22 September, the top military officials from Russia and the US met in Helsinki in their first physical meeting since 2019. They held six hours of discussions - supposedly about the adjustments regarding the US pull-out from Afghanistan and the subsequent Taliban takeover. Details of the talks, like the agenda, were not disclosed and minimal statements were provided. However, the US military statement said that the talks were aimed at “risk reduction and operational deconfliction.” (“US, Russian military chiefs meet in Helsinki for six hours”, Reuters, 23 September 2021)