“I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, Mother, what was war?” ― Eve Merriam
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
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| CHINA |
North Korea and China
Kim Jong Un really did make that rumored trip to China. And the
North Korean leader reportedly talked about getting
rid of his country's nukes with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Chinese state media reported
Kim said he's committed to denuclearization -- with conditions; North
Korean state media reported Xi accepted an invitation to visit Kim in
Pyongyang. Experts think Kim made the trip to Beijing because
he'll need support from North Korea's closest ally before possible meetings with
the Presidents of South Korea and the US. [Good Morning from CNN, March 28, 2018]
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| EUROPE |
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| AUSTRIA |
The former Austrian Minister of Finance
is walking on the paths of Gerhard Schröder and is advising the Gazprom project
Nord Stream 2.
https://twitter.com/handelsblatt/status/978713678877995008?utm_source=POLITICO.EU&utm_campaign=ea85b89641-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_10959edeb5-ea85b89641-189694413
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| GERMANY |
Merkel talks about
using the €500-billion or so in the existing European Stability
Mechanism’s cash box as an ultimate backstop not only for failing states
but also bankrupt banks. Macron (and Lagarde, for that matter) talk about
new money to be redistributed in case of an economic downturn. The former is
insurance, the latter will inevitably be used.
Is that acceptable for
Germany? Probably not in its current form, which would require
governments to cough up an (additional) 0.35 percent of GDP annually — €11
billion in Berlin’s case — but it’s an opening pitch. Also … Lagarde is a
household name among those contemplating who could be a possible European
People’s Party Spitzenkandidat for the 2019 EU election.
Lagarde is regularly mentioned by those who believe it would be wise for Merkel
to sell Macron on a French European Commission president who she herself could
live with (in exchange for transferring Bundesbank President Jens Weidman to
the European Central Bank). [POLITICO Brussels
Playbook, March 27, 2018]
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| BULGARIA |
It’s been a while since EU representatives met with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in
person, and today’s face-to-face in Bulgaria doesn’t seem particularly promising.
Bulgaria’s Boyko Borissov brings the phenotypical resilience
towards a foreign strongman to the table, Council President Donald Tusk carries
the strong words of 28 EU leaders, and Commission President Jean-Claude
Juncker packs the most personal experience in dealing with Erdoğan. The trio is
off to Varna this afternoon, on the generally friendly Bulgarian shores of the
nonetheless flighty Black Sea; it took the Argonauts some effort to cross.
They’ve also got an additional €3B for refugees in Turkey in their back
pockets, plus pre-accession money that was redirected as much as legally
possible, but not halted, in the wake of Erdoğan’s post-attempted-coup
backlash. And another carrot, of sorts — the EU has never actually taken visa
liberalization for Turks traveling to the union completely off the table.
The EU wants something in return, as per the conclusions of last
week’s EU summit. In a best-case scenario, the Varna meeting would result in
the release from jail of two Greek policemen, who were arrested by Turkish forces after crossing the border, as
well as Ankara quelling its appetite for potential gas fields off Cyprus. Turkey on
Friday protested against an alleged EU bias in favor of Cyprus at the expense
of Turkey (the former an EU member, the latter obviously not), but seems
to have some interest in the meeting, with no word of a Turkish no-show so
far. Make no mistake: Keeping the 2016 refugee deal with Ankara is still
very much on the EU’s list of interests. [POLITICO
Brussels Playbook. March 26, 2018]
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| BELGIUM |
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| BARBADOS |
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| THE BAHAMAS |
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| BRAZIL |
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| ARGENTINA |
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| AUSTRALIA |
NOTE: The news sources here vary. Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here. This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased. Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value. Thank you
NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as a "community service" announcement. These again are shared for their varying perspectives.
Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post. Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse. They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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