September 19, 2010
The EU Summit has come and gone, but was hijacked over the Roma dispute. This meant that little time was spent on discussing strategies towards third countries, including China. There was an inconclusive discussion at the recent informal foreign ministers’ meeting. We do know how the EU High Representative for Foreign & Security Policy/Commission Vice… » read more
Posted by Stanley Crossick
September 16, 2010
• Many fewer Poles than other EU respondents approve of Obama’s handling of international policies. • Given the choice between accepting a nuclear Iran and taking military action, 64% of Americans and 43% of Europeans favour military action. • Fewer than 20% of EU and US citizens believe that China plays a positive role internationally.… » read more
Posted by Stanley Crossick
September 14, 2010
What is the SCO? The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has, to the surprise of many, emerged as a force to be reckoned with in Central Asia. The ‘Shanghai Five’, founded in 1996, became the SCO in 2001. Its members are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan are Observers. Belarus… » read more
Posted by Stanley Crossick
September 11, 2010
The Commission President delivered to the European Parliament on 7 September his first State of the Union Message. This comprised a catalogue of current problems without offering concrete remedies. Implementation is the problem. President Barroso has a great opportunity in his second term to make a mark. But he should focus on a small number… » read more
Posted by Stanley Crossick
September 10, 2010
The World Commerce Review of September 2010 contained the following article: US-China relations: storm clouds gathering Stanley Crossick President Hu Jintao’s long-planned visit to the United States is not likely to take place soon, as Beijing has postponed the preparatory talks as tensions mount between the two countries. Their relationship has global reach and influences… » read more
Posted by Stanley Crossick
September 7, 2010
We live in a new austerity world and a much more critical look must be taken of all public expenditure. It is important that the European Parliament has regular contact with third country parliaments. However, these contacts should be effective and cost-effective. 15 MEPs, representing the parliament’s political groups and a number of Member States,… » read more
Posted by Stanley Crossick
September 3, 2010
A worrying and increasingly bitter debate continues in the United States on whether a mosque should be allowed at Ground Zero. But how widely is it understood that: • The building is two blocks away from Ground Zero and cannot be seen from there • The building is not a mosque as we know it,… » read more
Posted by Stanley Crossick
August 23, 2010
Academic papers and books on democracy continue to proliferate. Mainstream western opinion supports views such as: • Rapid economic development quickens democratisation. • The liberal democratic path is the only sustainable route to modernity. • Non-democratic regimes are necessarily ridden with corruption and cronyism. Two questions which require far more attention than they receive are:… » read more
Posted by Stanley Crossick
August 21, 2010
I have blogged before both on negotation and Iran. A fascinating book by John W Limbert (‘Negotiating with Iran’, 2009) brings the two aspects together. The author spent 33 years in the US Foreign Service, is a fluent Farsi speaker and has taught at the University of Shiraz. He was a captive at the siege… » read more
Posted by Stanley Crossick
|
, Iran, negotiation |
August 11, 2010
Problems relating to the South China Sea have been bubbling below the surface for a long time. However, the public entry of the United States into the arena has brought these problems to the surface. The South China Sea is now being spoken about in China as a “core interest” of its sovereignty: hitherto the… » read more
Posted by Stanley Crossick
Rated 6th most influential EU blog by Waggener Edstrom. European of British nationality, for nearly 30 years Bruxellois. Deep believer in the principle of 'mutuality' and Monnet's axiom "Thought cannot be divorced from action", equivalent to Wang Yangming
