by Jan Oberg,* Sweden
(15 November 2024) South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand sent their defence ministers to a NATO meeting on 24 October 2024. While their heads of state and others have attended before, this was the first time these countries’ defence ministers joined.
by Thierry Meyssan,* France
(8 November 2024) The BRICS summit in Kazan marked the end of the domination of the G7 over the world. The Anglo-Saxon rules that organize international relations will be gradually replaced by the commitments made by everyone who will now have to be respected. This revolution brings us back to the attempts of Russia and France, in 1899, to found international law, undermined by the Atlantic conference and the duopoly United States/United Kingdom.
by General (retd.) DI Mag Günther Greindl,* Austria
(1 November 2024) (CH-S) Günther Greindl’s thoughts also affect Switzerland very directly. A new, multi-billion-dollar air defence system is to protect Europe from Russian missiles. But won’t the neutral states of Switzerland and Austria only make themselves a target for attack? And wouldn’t other systems be sufficient and more compatible with neutrality? General Greindl’s warnings for Austria are clear. The parallels with Switzerland cannot be overlooked. The editorial team’s contribution on the topic of “Sky Shield and Switzerland” will follow next week.
by René Zittlau, «Voice from Russia»*
(25 October 2024) (25 October 2024) The summit in Kazan is undoubtedly the political highlight for the BRICS countries in 2024. Hosts of such major political events think very carefully about where they will be held. Choosing the right location allows for the communication of unspoken messages beyond the actual event. The decision in favour of Kazan was well considered from this point of view.
by M. K. Bhadrakumar,* India
(25 October 2024) Reuters reported on Friday quoting three sources in the Persian Gulf that the regional states are lobbying Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iran’s oil sites as “part of their attempts to avoid being caught in the crossfire”. The exclusive Reuters report singled out Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar as also refusing to let Israel fly over their airspace for any attack on Iran.
by Michael von der Schulenburg* and Ruth Firmenich**
(18 October 2024) The EU seems convinced to not only continue, but to increase its effort to escalate the war in Ukraine. No one seems to be able to understand the consequences.