Author: Christine Schier

Reality has hit the French government and elites in the face. French voters, furious at those who have run the country for so many years, sent them a clear message: “Le Pen’s party is the only party we haven’t tried yet; We’ll try it this time!” And to make sure the message was heard, voter turnout was massive compared to […]

On June 27, the European Council formally approved the candidates for the three top jobs in the EU who had been proposed by the “Ursula majority” faction, referring to Ursula von der Leyen. Italy voted against Kaja Kallas, who was approved as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Antonio Costa as President of the Council, and abstained […]

Finally, after five years spent mostly in solitary confinement in Belmarsh Prison near London, which was preceded by seven years holed up in asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in the British capital, Julian Assange was freed on June 26. The next day, he was reunited with his family in Australia, freed at last from a Kafkaesque ordeal. The last five […]

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, again presented a catastrophic overview of the situation in the Gaza Strip, particularly as it affects children. An “entire generation” could be lost due to hunger and poverty, he warned last week in Geneva. Gaza is a “living hell” for 2 million people, with children dying from malnutrition and dehydration, “while food and clean […]

Demands by the International Monetary Fund that Kenya implement an internal looting policy in order to pay off its foreign debt has sparked a massive nationwide anti IMF and anti government movement, primarily led by young people calling themselves Generation X. The protests began after the government of President William Ruto introduced on May 9 the Finance Bill 2024, which […]

On June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented a comprehensive initiative for a new Eurasian security architecture, including a negotiated peace to stop the escalating war in Ukraine, for the world’s consideration. He explicitly mentioned that his proposal was designed to ensure the security of all nations, including those of Europe and NATO. The proposal on Ukraine was rejected out […]

After provoking conniptions in Western capitals with his call for a Eurasian security alliance, open to all European nations, the Russian President again took the West by surprise by traveling to Pyongyang June 18 for a two-day visit, where he announced Russia’s new strategic partnership with North Korea. That includes the commitment to come to each other’s aid in the […]

The June 21 online meeting of the International Peace Coalition (IPC) heard a report from Joachim Bonatz, the Vice President of the East German OKV, an umbrella organization of different social and cultural associations in eastern Germany, on their support for the peace initiative announced on June 14 by Vladimir Putin. The OKV statement, which was overwhelmingly supported by the […]

With legislative elections scheduled for next Sunday, after only two weeks of campaign, France seems headed for severe instability (cf. SAS 24, 25/24). The polls still give a comfortable lead to the Rassemblement national, followed by the popular front of the left, with Emmanuel Macron’s party a distant third. But how the second round of the elections on July 7 […]

On July 16, the new European Parliament will convene its first plenary session, at which time it is supposed to elect its own President and the President of the new European Commission. But the latter choice will not be sovereign, as the candidate for Commission head will have already been decided by the European Council. The European Parliament can only […]