The Association of Studies, Research and Internationalization in Eurasia and Africa published in partnership with CeSEM – Centro Studi Eurasia Mediterraneo the fourth volume of Geopolitical Report titled “Russia-EU Confrontation/Collaboration and Future Challenges” which aims at analyzing the recent events which have characterised the relations between Moscow and Brussels and evaluating possible future developments and challenges. Russia and the European Union, friends or enemies, partners or competitors. This is the eternal dilemma that has concerned/affected the relations between Brussels and Moscow since the collapse of the Soviet Union. After the Ukrainian Crisis, the situation became worse and nowadays the distance between the two parts seems unbridgeable although the road of contrast finds its root earlier and involves the energy market and the EU Eastern Partnership. In his paper Stefano Vernole aimed at understanding whether the European Union and Russian can ever be political and economic partners. The recent confrontation between Brussels and Moscow due to the Ukrainian Crisis might create favourable conditions for the United States and China which have interests in dividing Europe and Russia and improve their presence on the European and Russian markets and domestic policies. Antimo Altomare focused the attention on the Ukrainian crisis and the European sanctions against the Russian Federation. According to the author, Brussels and Moscow need to dialogue and change this situation of distrust and conflict because the two parts are economically and politically connected. Furthermore, even though the European sanctions are a clear answer of political identity, their effect is hardly visible. Alessandro C. Mauceri highlighted the fact that the European Union and the Russian Federation might be the world’s largest economic and political centre together if they can overcome the current crisis. The author emphasized the significant role played by the energy market in Brussels – Moscow relations: indeed, Russia and the European Union are interdependent in energy import-export and transport. Mattia Baldoni and Marco Limburgo confronted the Russian and European strategy over de facto states such as Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, Kosovo, Lugansk and Donetsk republics. On the one hand, EU statements about territorial integrity and people freedom strive for further, but on long-term, enlargement process, through neighbourhood policies and cooperation. On the other hand, Russia tries to defend leavings of post-Soviet ties, mixing hard and soft power, threatening the stability of already weak European borders, thanks to the management of most of these little cores of instability. Regarding de facto states, Emanuel Pietrobon investigated Moldova case and the geopolitical battle for hegemony over the country. In his research, the author analysed the cases of Transnistria and Gagauzia which directly involve the Russian Federation and Turkey and transform Moldova in a geopolitical battlefront where the West (Brussels and Washington) is confronting Moscow and Ankara. Laura Moreno Rincón studied the European – Russia relations in the framework of strategic communication trying to understand if the Kremlin is really supporting Right Nationalists in Europe. Also, the author tried to point out which are possible Russian proposes and advantages in politics, economy and technology belonging to the Kremlin’s support of Right Nationalists....
Anno: 2019
La peculiare visione del mondo russa è la convinzione congenita che l’Ordine cosmico poggi su fondamenti etici (1) ; agli occhi di quel popolo, i mali più gravi dell’Occidente consistono nel calpestare le norme morali e nel disinteressarsi della giustizia sociale. Ciò spiega la diffidenza dei russi per le norme giuridiche che, al contrario, assumono in Europa una valenza suprema. L’inserimento storico della Russia nel campo cristiano ortodosso ha provocato una rottura non solo religiosa ma anche culturale tra la parte occidentale e quella orientale del Vecchio Continente; la divisione tra Stato e Chiesa ha contribuito infatti, in modo determinante, alla formazione della nazione moderna e dell’ideologia liberale, quest’ultima tutta incentrata sul primato dell’individuo rispetto alla comunità. Inoltre la dominazione mongola ha avuto un effetto per nulla trascurabile sulla formazione politica ed identitaria della Russia, contribuendo a renderla una civiltà originale ed eurasiatica. Dal punto di vista geopolitico, ad oltre un secolo dalla famosa conferenza di Halford John Mackinder alla “Royal Geographical Society”, il punto di vista occidentale sull’Heartland non sembra davvero cambiato: “Questo spazio centrale appartiene alla Russia ed in parte alla Cina. Intorno al “Cuore del Mondo” si dispiega, a semicerchio, la Fascia del Bordo (Rimland) che contiene il Continente europeo, i Paesi del Vicino e Medio Oriente, l’India ecc. La terza parte è quella composta dalle Isole, cioè dagli altri Continenti.” Partendo da questa visione, la geopolitica atlantica ha mantenuto fermo nel tempo un assioma fondamentale: chi controlla l’Heartland può governare sulle nazioni del Rimland e così condizionare le Isole. Macknder perciò metteva in guardia dalla prospettiva di una rete ferroviaria capace di coprire il continente eurasiatico, minacciando i vantaggi goduti dalle potenze talassocratiche con il trasporto marittimo delle merci. Inutile ricordare quanto il progetto cinese della Nuova Via della Seta terrestre e Marittima, specie se coordinato con quello russo dell’Unione Economica Eurasiatica, ricordi questa premonizione (ovviamente più paventata che auspicata). Il Cordone sanitario costituito allora da una cordata di Paesi alleati della Gran Bretagna e degli Stati Uniti d’America, dal Mar Baltico fino al Mar Adriatico, viene oggi riproposto dalla NATO nelle forme più diverse ed aggressive possibili (il Trimarium, lanciato nel 2016, volto anche ad impedire un riavvicinamento russo-tedesco). Subito dopo la disgregazione dell’Unione Sovietica (nonostante un referendum popolare avesse votato per il suo mantenimento), il Segretario di Stato USA, James Baker, sottolineò come gli Stati Uniti “devono guidare lo sfruttamento delle ricche risorse umane e materiali di questi Paesi per i fini della libertà e non del totalitarismo, cosicché si rafforzino immensamente la sicurezza, la prosperità e la libertà degli Stati Uniti e del mondo”. Nel congratularsi con Boris Eltsin per la soppressione di un colpo di Stato filosovietico, Baker gli raccomandò di “sfasciare” anche la Federazione Russa, così da agevolare la politica predatoria dell’Occidente. Solo pochi anni dopo, uno degli analisti più ascoltati a Washington, Zbigniew Brzezinski, presentò il progetto di smantellamento e riduzione della Russia ad una miriade di staterelli “indipendenti”, facilmente condizionabili e ricattabili (2). Ebbene la Federazione Russa è...
Articolo pubblicato sul sito Young Diplomats Idriss Zackaria is the Director of Young Diplomats Africa, the part of Young Diplomats project. Young Diplomats is the first non- governmental diplomatic association with a mission of shaping, sharpening and inspiring a new generation of enlightened international leaders. Idriss Zackaria is one of them. As Young Diplomats’ Africa Regional Director, he sees himself as a bridge and trust builder. We talked with him about his start at Young Diplomats, leadership, challenges, international relations and other topics… YD: How was your start at Young Diplomats? How did you contribute to the evolution and the success of the association? We simply start our project by writing and publishing articles on our website… then my colleague David Allouche thought that I was the right person to represent YD in Africa and take care of our activities in the continent. Since then; we started to define and set up our team globally. —We really needed to think about what skills we need to deliver our project successfully. Building the team has taken from us 3 years to set things on the ground; because we always tried to avoid over-complicating things. We knew that when we get started on the project initiation phase, things can feel a bit vague and team members can get confused about what the project actually is. Hence, we always try to make sure our team in Africa knows what they are delivering and are invested in it. We always involve the team in the setting of the brief, definition of deliverables and approach to any phases. Young Diplomats has clear different phases from its inception, for example a discovery phase separate from the development, and we treat each phase like a mini-project rather than doing a bigger upfront piece. This strategy has provided key starting points for each phase, rather than trying to make a lot of assumptions at the beginning. About Committee… We lately have appointed a committee to examine and shape our operations around the world. The Committee is a part of the organization that makes operational decisions and guidelines. Members of the Committee are in charge of elaborating and following up the guidelines of our organization. They accompany the different directors of Young Diplomats and manage the website as well as the global and cross-border projects. The appointment and removing of regional and country directors is done by this committee. Team members of the committee are David Allouche, Noam Hakoune and me. YD: How do you see YD Africa under your leadership? Currently, our project in Africa has involved a number of young leaders in dozens of African countries, and we are seeking to connect our disparate projects across the continent and reach more young leaders. Africa’s youth are taking the stage to make their voices heard about the continent. Therefore, I have a global mandate to advocate for the implementation of the African Youth Charter, the Demographic Dividend Roadmap and Agenda 2063. As Young Diplomats’ Africa Regional Director; I see...
US ‘Terrorism’ Game Not Over by Baghdadi’s Death: Italian Author TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Italian author and geopolitical analyst highlighted the US attempts over the past decades to destabilize the Middle East by supporting terror groups and said Washington’s game of terrorism will not end by the killing of Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Of course, the game of ‘terrorism’ is still to be played out because the destabilization of the Middle East carried out over the last 30 years by the US administrations is profound,” Stefano Vernole, the head of External Relations at the Eurasia Mediterranean Study Center, told Tasnim in an interview. Vernole, a graduate in contemporary history and analysis of conflicts, ideologies, and politics in the contemporary world, has worked in the field of bibliographic cataloging and in the field of public administration. He is the head of external relations at the Eurasia Mediterranean Study Center and Deputy Director of “Eurasia”, a journal of geopolitical studies. He is the author of Ex-Yugoslavia: Dirty Game in the Balkans, National Fragmentation and Geopolitical Risk of Kosovo (2013), The Serbian Question and the Kosovo Crisis (2008), as well as co-author of The struggle for Kosovo (2007), Tibet Crossroads between Past and Future (2014), Discovering Tibet (2015), and Lo Xizang (Tibet) and the New Silk Road (2016). The following is the full text of the interview: Tasnim: US President Donald Trump recently declared that Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was dead after a US military raid in northwest Syria over the weekend. In reaction, the spokesman for Iran’s administration, Ali Rabiei, shrugged off the US president’s announcement and said Washington’s policies are the main reason for the emergence of Daesh, adding that the death of Baghdadi does not mean that Takfiri terrorism or “Daeshism” has ended. Do you think the killing of the Daesh leader would play a major role in the fight against terrorism in the region or bring an end to the phenomenon given its root causes? Vernole: The eventual killing of al-Baghdadi (Russia has raised some doubts about the real killing)certainly represents a symbolic blow in the fight against terrorism, but it certainly does not represent the end. US military action conducted in the Idlib area – an area under siege by Assad’s troops and Russian aviation – represents a concession to Putin’s pride in Trump. Let us not forget that the US president with his decision to withdraw a good part of the troops from Syria attracted criticism from the US establishment and needed a “coup de theater” to justify it. Of course, the game of “terrorism” is still to be played out because the destabilization of the Middle East carried out over the last 30 years by the US administrations is profound. Just think of what is happening in these hours in Lebanon and Iraq with the resignation of the two prime ministers. In particular, the Sunni component in the latter country had sought in Daesh a form of...
Sabato 30 novembre, alle ore 16.00 presso la Sala Comunale, vi Pietro Pascali 5 a Brescia, si terrà la conferenza dal tema La Via della Seta. Capire le strategie commerciali della Cina Moderna, evento organizzato dall’associazione Albor, L’altra Narrazione.
The sanctions against Iran. What difficulties have caused to foreign trade? The previous and current USA sanctions against Iran have created problems in the relationship between this country and the West, but they have also created problems for third countries. One of the difficulties created by them is that the European companies discovered to have relations with Iran are then sanctioned by the USA, preventing them from overseas trading. It must be kept in mind that the commercial interchange of many european countries like Italy, France, Germany … is still decidedly larger with the United States than Iran, so once they find themselves making a choice they are forced to safeguard the American market. Another notable difficulty for those who may try to trade with Iran by Dubai, Turkey … it is the blocking of the swift system, which is under the control of the United States, so it becomes impossible to make a bank transfer to and from Iran. The Nuclear Agreement. What commercial opportunities did create for Italy? 2)The Agreement reached on the Iranian nuclear issue had allowed Italy to recover at least a part of the trade that it had before the adoption of the sanctions. In 2016 Rome and Teheran had reached agreements for a possible budget of 20 billion euros, now with the new sanctions desired by Trump we risk to lose all. Italy is the main European partner of Iran, in 2017 it was in first place for overall exchanges, more than 5 billion euros. In 2018 Italian exports to Iran amounted to 1.7 billion euros, better than Rome only Germany with almost 4 bilion euros. The bulk of Italian sales in Iran concerns the industrial sector, machinery, chemical and pharmaceutical products; while Italy imports mainly oil from Iran, the total value of imports in 2018 has reached almost 3.4 billion euros. Italy has a market share of 3.8% in Iran today, which could double up to 7.3% if it could only express its potential, bu there are many difficulties. The exit of United States with Trump from the Nuclear Agreement, what solutions are being adopted to try to resolve the impasse? 3)To resolve this impasse, Europe and Italy had studied various devices, whose validity still remains in doubt. The Italian Government had in recent months thought of creating a bank able to exchanges with Iran, which on State protection would have had to guarantee credit to our companies but the project is probably burred for different vision of the majority parties. After the recent visit of Mike Pompeo in Italy, who complained about to go-ahead granted to the Iranian Airline Mahan Air, suspected of financing the Guardians of the Revolution, things will hardly improve. The European Union has prepared the Special Purpose Vehicle, a legal mechanism that would allow our companies to bypass USA sanctions. The idea is complex because it involves a sort of exchange that does not constitute a real financial or monetary exchange, technically difficult, as well as the...
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articolo originale: Young Diplomats Turkey is now in a tough position to choose between America’s F-35 advanced jets and Russia’s S-400 missile defence system as Washington has given a deadline to cancel its orders with Russia and purchase the US Patriot air defence system instead. Turkey has already made a deal with Russia and has sent some of its officials to Russia to be trained on the S-400. Though Turkey is a member of NATO and a part of the US F-35 warplane programme, it’s not ready to reconsider the deal that has already made with Russia as part of Russia-Turkey alliance. What is S-400 Triumf It is an upgraded version of the S-300 family, an anti-aircraft weapon system developed in the late 1970s. It has been used in the Russian Armed Forces since 2007. The current S-400 is the latest version of this family and it has also been described by The Economist as “one of the best air-defence system currently made.” Why the US opposes S-400 Russia has been working on radar and missiles targetting the low observable aircraft. The primary concern of Kremlin is to tackle US air power. S-400 is one of the most sophisticated surface-to-air missile systems in the world with the range of 400Km. It has the ability to shoot up to 80 targets simultaneously ranging from low-flying drones to aircraft or long-range missiles. The reason behind the worries of the US officials is that the S-400 radar could access sensitive US military technologies in service and also it would gather technical details of their F-35. Other countries with S-400 deal with Russia China and India have already placed their orders and now Turkey joins the list. China also faces US sanctions for buying S-400 and other arms from Russia. In October last year, India signed a 5 billion dollar deal to buy five S-400 regimental units amidst US concerns over this deal. Neither India nor Turkey has come to the US sanction list yet. Iran has also shown its interest to purchase S-400 from Russia but Russia has rejected the deal as there is already increasing tensions between Iran and the USA after President Trump called off the nuclear deal with Iran and Russia didn’t want a further escalation of tension in the region. Here’s another article explaining the capabilities of such Russian air defense system: https://www.young-diplomats.com/s-300-missiles-in-syria-bad-news-for-israel/
A Pietrasanta (Lu), dal 18 al 20 ottobre si terrà Libropolis, festival dell’editoria e del giornalismo. Di seguito il programma della manifestazione. www.libropolis.org programma Libropolis è un festival dedicato alla valorizzazione di quegli editori che praticano questo mestiere con un riguardo artigianale, con la cura e l’attenzione di chi nel libro non vede soltanto un bene di consumo, ma soprattutto un bene immateriale. Sono quei piccoli e medi editori che si sforzano di arricchire il panorama editoriale italiano, che si impegnano nella ricerca di nuovi autori o nella riscoperta di classici dimenticati, che propongono e reinventano generi e lingue, ciascuno con una propria offerta culturale dentro la filiera del libro. Ma non solo. Libropolis vuole essere uno spazio libero di riflessione, un territorio franco, oggi mancante, in cui dibattere sulle forme possibili di riorganizzazione del presente, fornendo nuove sintesi di pensiero. E ciò, mediante l’approfondimento di quelle tematiche che spaziano dallo studio delle dinamiche internazionali e geopolitiche, alla politica italiana e all’economia, giungendo a questioni specificamente culturali, allo scopo di contribuire a sviluppare un pensiero critico e riflessivo necessario per cogliere le tante sfumature e la poliedricità del mondo moderno, senza semplicismi né preconcetti.