Thoughts of Romania’s Foreign Policy on the Background of the European Foreign Policy

Editor
-
0
Thoughts of Romania’s Foreign Policy on the Background of the European Foreign Policy

“Domestic policy can only defeat us; Foreign policy can kill us”. John F. Kennedy

By Corneliu Pivariu.

A brief description of the current geopolitical situation and its prospects

In the last decade the strategic, political, economic, military, enery and technological balances were strongly affected by global challenges, strategic, political, juridical and technological disruptions each one impacting on one or several fields. Human society is in a evolutionary crisis which the main international traditional players are not able yet to manage properly and each one of them seeks to position itself as profitable as possible in anticipation of a new world order in a globalised world. The developments are fast and often momentuous, and as one of the attendee noted – important geopolitical events that occured in the last two months are equaling the ones that took place in the last decade.

Geopolitics should be reformed. The economic maps are no longer overlapping the political ones. The emergence of digitalisation with an extraordinary importance, means an era and a space that the states do not control any longer, will bring hard to foresee developments on the world’s stage. The truth according to which states live in markets and not the markets live in states, although acknowledged, is not fully understood and politics did not identify yet valid solutions for taming the globalised capitalism.

A recent analysis[2] put forward briefly the 2020 and further on global geopolitical challenges  and groups them in four great cathegories: geopolitical/economic (economic showdowns; trade/investment protectionism; great powers downturn); environmental (global warming; natural systems breakdown; water crisis); technological (cyberattacks on infrastructure and financial institutionsins; losing privacy by companies and governments); societal (domestic political polarization; deepening social divide; losing trust in media sources, domination of fakenews).

However, the globalizing world is encountering now a new threat, the outbreak of a pandemic, inflicted by COVID-19, and for which it is not sufficiently well prepared. 

The European Union and its foreign policy

Under the circumstances, the idea that the European Union (EU) is lacking a clear vision about its future is prevailing and visionary leaders with popular appeal are missing. As a German friend said,  Ursula von der Leyen knows how to submit interesting projects yet she is not able enough to implement them. It is the case of The European Gren Deal project[3] which is supposed to be finalized by 2050 and devised to unite all European capabilities for a shared objective and has hindrances since its launching as a result of the costs and social and technological implications it presumes.

On the other hand, the EU has other stringent problems, too such as the new threat of Syrian and North African migrants[4], Russia’s and Turkey’s expansionist policies, the threats represented by techological evolutions and especially the Artificial Intelligence (AI). A Compact  concerning Europe’s future is needed more and more yet there is a reservation of its states with regards to promoting an institutional reform.

There is no document between the EU and China on economic relations but a strategic outlook devised in 2019. There is no dialogue between the EU and the US on China’s issues. Securing the neighbourhoods is a priority and the EU cannot be a global player unless it  becomes involved.

One of the attendees said at the end of his speech that these are but some major examples of important actions the EU should have in mind and added that the Union is “an economic giant, a political dwarf and a military little mouse”. The wording includes indeed upward and downward exaggerations in all three fields.

Not in the least, the position of EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy created in 1999 by the Treaty of Amsterdam and thereafter enhanced through the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009 when the holder became vice-president of the Commission too, is important for achieving the European foreign policy. If Javier Solana (1999 – 2009) was well experienced in foreign policy, same cannot be said of his successors: Catherine Ashton (2009 – 2014 was previously a European Trade Commissioner and a leader of the House of Lords only) and Federica Mogherini (2014 -2019 was before Italy’s Foreign Minister for eight months and member of the Chamber of Deputies for one and a half year only). From 1st December 2019, the position is held by  Spain’s Josep Borell Fontalles whose experience in the field of foreign relations we hope to be useful during his just begun mandate.

Did a question attributed long time ago to the former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger: whom shall I call if I want to talk to Europe (the EU)? has finally found an answer? Probably yes,  formally speaking. Yet it is not clearly enough to whom the US president  should speak.

Romania and its foreign policy after joining the EU and the perspectives 

Defining the national interest and the objectives of the foreign policy should be done by the parliament. We use to that purpose the past experience so that Romania could become an as convincing as possible voice internationally. The government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be the main artisans of the Romanian foreign policy and the president should observe (just like the rest of the state’s institutions) the constitutional duties.

After joining the EU, Romania suffered an identity crisis in its foreign policy. We had “a cheap approach” folded on Germany’s and US’s approaches. Our attitude of  permanently being concerned with getting a better appreciation by the EU’s leadership is a wrong one. I believe that in this regard, Nicolae Titulescu’s position[5]who said: ”A country’s foreign policy is devised by rational assessment of the national standpoint, by defending it  firmly and and in a dignified way internationally and not by signatures provided by the fear of differentiating yourself, signatures that might spell today but which bind you tomorrow.”

It seems that this quote was forgotten alltogether today by the Romanian politicians as the positions they adopted externally and the UE’s actions, too, left the impression that Romania is a Union’s second class member, something that should be changed. The EU;s recommendations concerning Romania expired in 2010 and were not updated while the EU’s leadership and its members seem to be content with that as long as they do not update it.

It is necessary we regain the sovereignty within the EU and an equal position with the other states. In this respect, we should get closer to other states having similar problems with ours.

Romania’s rotating presidency of the European Union Council during January 1st – June 30th 2019, proved its capacity to deliver in very good conditions (according to the UE’s bodies appreciation. We should devise from now on and, at the same time, to implement the resolutions.

Romania should adopt a more active position within the EU, support the strategic partnership with the US, put forward our standpoint concerning the American peace plan in the Middle East, have more initiatives in approaching the main issues and UE’s political decisions including following up its national interest as the other member states do.

Romania could further contribute to the development of the EU’s relations with countries of the Middle East given the former’s experience until 1989 with numerous Arab countries. Unfortunately, during the last 30 years that area has been extremely neglected by the Romanian policy and diplomacy, give aways and compromises have been made without any clear gains we might have obtained[6] so that, if we do not act now we will be forgotten in the Middle East within the next 5-10 years. The generation of the Middle East’s politicians under 40 years old are no longer familiar with Romania.

Under today’s geopolitical circumstances, we have to add substance to the US’s strategic partnership yet, at the same time, we should not stay away from defining our partnership with China, which we have traditional relations which seem to cool and follow the same course as the one with the Middle Easts’s.

The article includes personal opinions and standpoints similar to those with the undersigned positions expressed on this occasions and other mentions in recent analysis and documnts do not reflect in any way the opinion of the Commission on the European  Affairs of the Romanian Senate.

About the author:

Corneliu Pivariu. Photographer: Ionus Paraschiv.
Corneliu Pivariu. Photographer: Ionus Paraschiv.

Corneliu Pivariu Military Intelligence and International Relations Senior Expert

A highly decorated retired two-star general of the Romanian army, during two decades he has led one of the most influential magazines on geopolitics and international relations in Eastern Europe, the bilingual journal Geostrategic Pulse.

[1] This article has been caused following the author’s invitation and attendance of the round table  ”Romania’s Role in Redefining the European Foreign Policy”, organized by the Committee on Foreign Affairs (headed by Gabriela Crețu) of the Romanian Senate on February 25th, 2020. The invitation was extended through dr. Liviu Mureșan, Chairman of EURISC.

[2] Global Geopolitical Challenges -2020,  Valdai  – https://valdaiclub.com, 04.03.2020

[3] The European Green Deal (Green Deal) aims at transforming the European economy into a neutral one in what concerns the impact on the environment by 2050. This ambitious program provides for investing 1tn euro during the next 10 years. Some experts estimate that the effects of this initiative on a global scale will be rather limited since Europe is not an important polluter globally.

Romania will benefit  from 757 ml euro (non-reimbursable EU grants) for supporting the mono-industrial areas which will be affected by the passage to a non-polluting economy.

Experts in the field estimate that Romania will have to annually allocate around 4bl euro for implementing this project which requires giving up roughly 25% of the country’s energy  capacities and replacing them by green ones.

[4]Turkey’s attempt to send a new migrants wave to Europe met for the time being with Greece’s and Bulgaria’s refusal to open their borders and the High Commissioner Josep Borell declared that the EU’s borders stay closed and the migrants should know that. In its turn, Germany declaread that the 2015 situation will not repeat  itself and the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz blames president Erdogan for using the migrants close to the Greek borders as weapons against the EU.

[5]Nicolae Titulescu, a brilliant Romanian diplomat, Romania’s foreign minister between 1928-1936, president of the League of Nations between 1930-1931.

[6]In 2005, for instance, Romania voluntarily adhered to the Paris Club’s reccomendation and  diminished its then Iraqi outstanding debt  of $2.6 bn by 80% and accepted Baghdad’s payment of the remaining in annual instalments until 2028 with a 5 years grace period.

Romania observed Lybia’s embargo, although during the 1980s the commercial exchanges between the two countries exceeded annually $1bn and gave up exploiting oil bloks  where it had successful oil prospections and annuled even the direct  air links between Bucharest and Tripoli, while European important countries were convening and carring out important contracts with Qaddafi.

World vs. Corona: “China sets example”

Editor
-
0
World vs. Corona: “China sets example”

H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, Ambassador of China, during his intervention at the press briefing about the Corona virus outbreak . Photography by Eric van de Beek.

By Eric van de Beek.

“Measures taken by China have set an example for the global response to epidemic outbreak”, says Chinese ambassador H.E. Dr. Xu Hong. “They fully demonstrate the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.”

On February 26th the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, hosted a briefing-reception in The Hague for diplomats, Dutch officials and the media about the latest news on the Corona virus outbreak, officially known under the name COVID-19. In his opening remarks the ambassador expressed his deep condolences about the 2,718 Chinese patients that had at that time lost their lives and said that he hoped for the quick recovery of the more than 45,604 diagnosed patients under treatment, of which 8,752 with severe symptoms.

“Unprecedented challenges”

The virus outbreak had posed “unprecedented challenges” to China, Hong stated. The COVID-19 virus appeared difficult to diagnose. There have been cases in which people who had been tested negative still appeared to be infected or even got ill after two weeks of quarantine, he explained. Furthermore, the virus appeared to be highly contagious. It can be transmitted through droplets, contact, air, fecal-oral transmission, “reaching the top of the known virus infection level”. Another unprecedented challenge the Chinese authorities had to deal with was the shortage of medical resources. “With the increasing number of patients, the amount of doctors, beds and medical supplies had to be intensified.”

H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, Ambassador of China. Photography by Eric van Der Beek

The outbreak was able to accelerate so fast due to the Chinese New Year Festival, when many Chinese travel to visit family members, Hong declared. The location of the outbreak, the city of Wuhan, furthermore helped the virus to spread rapidly. “Wuhan is precisely the transportation hub of the central part of China.”

“Light of victory”

Although describing the current situation as “still harsh” Hong said he saw “light of victory coming through”. The number of newly confirmed cases was gradually declining, he reported, from more than 3,000 cases per day in early February to 406 on February 25th. Hong also pointed out the fatality rate of the disease of 3.5% was far lower than Ebola, SARS and MERS, “which proves that the disease is largely curable.” Already 38% of all confirmed cases had been cured.

Hong summed up measures China had adopted that had effectively curbed the spread of the virus, among which the detection and  publication of the genetic sequence of COVID-19; the lockdown of Wuhan; the construction of two temporary hospitals; sending over 40,000 medical workers to the province of Hubei; the cancelation of all outbound tourist groups, and a close cooperation with World Health Organisation (WHO).

“Rarely seen in the world”

The measures taken by China to contain the virus and to treat patients   “have set an example for the global response to epidemic outbreak in many aspects”, the ambassador said to believe, thereby referring to Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,who had  praised China for its response to the Corona outbreak as being “rarely seen in the world”. Hong attributed the achievements of China in the fight against Corona to “the socialist system with Chinese characteristics” and to “the fearless sacrifice and unprecedented cohesion of the Chinese people.”

Since the outbreak, more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations have expressed sympathy to China, and nearly 30 countries have provided official assistance to China, Hong noted, among which The Netherlands. “The Dutch government has provided an additional aid fund of one million euros to the WHO and Dutch companies have donated medical supplies worth tens of millions of RMB to China.”

Hong furthermore praised “the necessary and reasonable prevention measures taken by The Netherlands, including following WHO advice by not taking additional restrictive measures on personnel and trade, and timely releasing and updating of guidelines by relevant institutions such as Dutch health authority RIVM.”

Press Briefing by H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, Ambassador of China on February 26, The Hague.

“Short-term economical impact”

In his closing remarks the ambassador described the economical impact of the epidemic as “limited, short-term and manageable” and as “the cost we have to bear in order to protect people’s lives and health.” He stressed the fundamentals of China’s economic growth had not been changed in any way, because of its “solid material and technological foundation” and because of begin the second-largest economy in the world with a gross domestic product  (GDP) of nearly 100 trillion RMB (= 12,3 trillion euro). 

In this respect he also refered to timely measures the Chinese government had taken to overcome the short term impact of the virus, among which increased capital investments, phased tax and fee reductions and strengthening preferential credit support. Hong even said to believe the Chinese economy will emerge stronger from the battle against the virus outbreak: “The epidemic accelerates economic transformation and upgrading. While offline consumption such as exhibitions, tourism and entertainment services are heavily hit by the epidemic, new business formats and models online are growing stronger, including the Internet of Things, online retail and medical services.”

—————–

On February 28th, two days after Chinese ambassador Dr. Xu Hong held his speech in The Hague about the latest news on the Corona virus outbreak, China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported factory activity in China had dropped at the fastest pace on record in February. China’s official Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to a record low of 35.7 in February from 50.0 in January.

For the latest numbers of reported Coroniavirus cases in China and other countries: check Worldometer.

The similarity between nitrogen and the coronavirus

Editor
-
0
The similarity between nitrogen and the coronavirus

By Barend ter Haar.

On 30 December 2019, Dr Li Wenliang[1] warned his medical friends of a dangerous outbreak of coronavirus infections. This warning was shared with others and soon spread over the Chinese internet. Four days later the Chinese government took action. The police told Dr Li that he had “severely disturbed the social order” and forced him to declare that his warning was an illegal rumour.[2]

The Chinese authorities managed to suppress the truth for a few weeks until finally admitting that Dr Li had been right. The drastic measures they then took to contain the virus would have been much more effective if they had not lost precious time trying to suppress the bad news. Dr Li, who had contracted the virus in the hospital where he worked, became a national hero. When his condition became critical, more than 17 million people watched the live stream for his status updates. He died on 7 February 2020. 

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, later acknowledged “obvious shortcomings in the response to the epidemic” but he did not say what lessons he had learned.[3] One obvious lesson is that a quick response to the crisis was hindered by the desire of the Chinese government to be in full control of the public debate.  

However, behind this problem is a deeper problem that is not typically Chinese, but universal. That problem is that the interests of politicians do not always coincide with the public interest. Politicians want to remain in government. They therefore like to present a rosy picture of their accomplishments and to suppress bad news, even when it would be in the public interest to take the bad news seriously and act upon it. Politicians are in that sense not much different from private companies that seek to continue their lucrative business. The efforts of tobacco companies to suppress the evidence that smoking is fatally dangerous are a well-known example. 

This universal problem can be seen in the Netherlands as well. The Dutch government, for example, suppressed for more than eight years the bad news that its policy on nitrogen pollution was not working.[4]Although experts had pointed out that the government’s policy was untenable, the government continued to mislead the general public with unfounded promises.

The disastrous consequences of nitrogen pollution are not as acutely visible as the outbreak of a virus, and that is why the Dutch government got away with this for so many years. But when the government finally was forced to take action, very drastic measures were needed to repair the damage: around 18,000 infrastructure, construction and agricultural projects are now at risk.

Like the Chinese and other governments, the Dutch government likes to publicize its successes but prefers to ignore bad news. The result is that its credibility is undermined and that valuable time is lost to deal with the causes of the bad news. 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Wenliang

[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51403795

[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/world/asia/china-coronavirus.html

[4] https://www.trouw.nl/verdieping/hoe-het-stikstofgedrocht-groeide-en-ter-wereld-kwam~be56db7b/

“Solidarity Cities”: The Role of Cities in Fostering Democracy

Editor
-
0
“Solidarity Cities”: The Role of Cities in Fostering Democracy

By Sawsan Chebli, State of Berlin Delegate to the -German- Federation Permanent Secretary for Active Citizenship and International Relations.

I wish I could start on a positive note. But I can’t. What we experienced in the past few years in Germany, in Europe and in the world is far too alarming. What we are currently fighting for is nothing less than the very existence of our democracies.

Because wherever we look, we see how fundamental democratic values are being questioned. We see how politicians and civil society actors who fight for human rights, refugees and minorities are being threatened with their lives. We see how scientists, journalists and artists who just want to do their jobs are under repression. And we see how racism is spreading throughout our country. The horrific attack in Hanau that took place on February 19, 2020, where ten people were murdered, is unfortunately no exception.

But many large cities are fighting back. Not alone but collectively.  We are organized in multilateral city networks, maintain bilateral partnerships with each other and have the power to confront nationalism and right-wing populism not only at the individual, but also at the national level.

As Berlin’s Permanent Secretary for International Relations, I am proud to say that Berlin stands for freedom, openness and diversity. So much so that big NGOs such as the Open Society Foundations are moving their European headquarters here from places where they were under pressure from antidemocrats. Berlin actively fosters democracy, not only here, but also internationally.

When national governments curb democratic rights, racists and rightwing extremists walk the streets and dominate the conversation online, they are taking over both physical and societal space. And when this happens, words turn into deeds very soon. To stop this, democratic cities must support each other.

And that’s what we do. Berlin supports Warsaw, Budapest, Prague and Bratislava, the capitals of the Visegrád states. They recently formed the Pact of Free Cities. Where? In Berlin. The pro-European mayors of these cities will now work together even more closely to promote democracy, freedom and the rule of law in their countries. Last month, they asked Berlin to sign a letter to the European Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen, which we did. The four mayors requested that EU funding be paid directly to cities – rather than via national governments – to support the European Green Deal, a project they embrace, in contrast to the national governments of the Visegrád states.

And this is only one example of many. Two years ago, we created the fellowship program “Weltoffenes Berlin” (cosmopolitan Berlin) to offer a safe haven to artists and academics who are being persecuted in their countries because of their political beliefs.

Cities have to stand up for each other. More than ever. Only when we form alliances can we make our voices heard. Cities must understand their crucial role as strongholds of democracy and against right-wing nationalism. Metropolises can send important signals and be antipodes to right-wing movements.

If we do not start full-on fostering of democracy as solidarity cities, I am afraid our democracies and basic democratic rights are at risk. Losing them is a real possibility. Antidemocratic ideologies and extremists are strong, but we are stronger. It is in our hands now.

———————–

Picture by Sharon Back.

Putin’s Truth in the Era of Post-truth

Editor
-
0
Putin’s Truth in the Era of Post-truth

By Theodor Zima, international journalist.

Every day the newsfeed looks increasingly more like a rising tide of provocative articles on the events of World War II, Nazis, concentration camps, the USSR, Putin, Russia’s constitutional reform. You’ll certainly wonder what the latter two have to do with the rest. And the only way to answer that question is with the well-known mantra:

Information wars have become part of our daily life.

The West is currently fighting at least two of such wars—one against the Chinese dragon, and the other, against the Russian bear. Yet, while the information war against the Far East is mainly fought by the United States, the anti-Russian campaign is conducted mostly in the European media space. Besides pursuing tactical purposes, such as hampering another mutually beneficial Russian-German energy project (like Nord Stream 2, which is 93 percent complete), these battles have a more serious strategic agenda. This is what experts call “cognitive warfare”—war of major meanings and frightening images. In this war, history has become a battlefield.

So, Putin went into the battle to defend the history, the truth, the memory and the meanings—a very Russian, old-fashioned approach. Yet he got a new weapon in his arsenal, having declassified the Soviet archive documents. At a recent meeting with the leaders of post-Soviet states, in St. Petersburg, Putin gave an impressive lecture on how World War II began. In fact, he knew what he was talking about, as Russia’s archives feature plenty of Nazi papers seized by the Red Army. Putin presented official telegrams and diplomatic reports dating back to that period, which had been stored by the USSR. They serve as substantial and plentiful evidence showing that it was not the USSR who incited the global fire. Recently, Vladimir Putin also announced that a most extensive archive of historical materials on World War II would be set up and would be openly available to everyone both in Russia and abroad. “It is our duty to defend the truth about the Victory; otherwise, what shall we say to our children if the lies, like a disease, spread all over the world,” he said. “We must set facts against outrageous lies and attempts to distort history. This is our duty as a winning country and our responsibility to the future generations.”

In contrast, here is a recent tweet by the US Embassy in Denmark (https://twitter.com/usembdenmark/status/1221727339358445569), which says plainly that it were American soldiers who liberated prisoners of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp in Poland. Meanwhile, even weak school knowledge would suffice to understand why that couldn’t be true. Nothing but a little mistake, it appears. In fact, that was exactly what the US replied to criticism.

The long-lasting scandal around the famous Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and the subsequent equation of Communism with Nazism as “misanthropic ideologies” are part of the same set of examples. The main idea of this narrative is as follows: “Hitler and Stalin conspired against the free world, and Poland was their first victim.”

Indeed, here we should cite Der Freitag (https://www.freitag.de/autoren/lutz-herden/polen-russland-und-der-streit-ueber-schuld), which has made a very good point that nowadays we have a fatal tendency to begin at the ending when we talk about events of the past. Yet speaking earnestly, it should be enough to remember the secret diplomacy of the summer 1939, the obscure dealings between various alliances and the enormous gap between the declarations and real intentions of the world’s political actors of that time.

In short, things stood much the same way as they stand today. So, instead of habitually laying the blame on the Soviet Union, Polish politicians could for a change rebuke France and the United Kingdom for having failed, despite their obligations to Poland, to actively interfere in hostilities back in 1939. It would also be appropriate to mention the “non-aggression pact” (Hitler-Pilsudski Pact) between Nazi Germany and Poland, concluded as far back as January 1934. Some historians (for example, the famous Rolf-Dieter Müller) believe it to be aimed at involving Poland in a military alliance, possibly with the view to jointly waging war against the Soviet Union, of which both Moscow and the European capitals were well aware at that time.

Yet what’s done is done, and history cannot be rewritten. However, one can try to falsify its interpretation and make it fit today’s reality. What is more, one can use the distant past as a lens to view the events of today. The tendency to such humanitarian violence has unfortunately become a hallmark of our time.

This is what Austrian Der Standard says (https://apps.derstandard.de/privacywall/story/2000113877992/ukraine-und-polen-vereint-gegen-moskau), drawing the same parallel—it seems that antagonism to the policy pursued by the Kremlin has become a powerful unifying factor. Andrzej Duda proposed to Volodymyr Zelensky that they commemorate Polish and Ukrainian soldiers killed in the 1920s during the fight “against the bolsheviks”, yet he overlooked that back then, 22 thousand Russian prisoners of war died in the Polish Tuchola camp alone. Zelensky, in his turn, urged humanity to join their efforts in countering “destructive ideologies” today as it did 100 years ago. At the same time, in Ukraine, visual rehabilitation of the Third Reich and SS symbols is underway and historical Nazism is glorified (https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/01/watch-live-ukrainian-nationalists-hold-torchlit-parade-in-kyiv). Even the national motto—”Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!”—quite evidently resembles in structure the well-known National Socialist salute.

Unfortunately, juggling ideas in the field of history is an inherent part of the European politics and media environment. In a number of countries, modern politicians build on “history” to shape an artificial collective unconscious, hoping to manipulate potential voters’ decision-making. The “Polish scheme“, as it might be called in that case, works as follows:

  • First, in the article “Politicians from All Parties Say: Putin Is a Liar and Wants to Hurt Us!”, whose title speaks for itself, member of the European Parliament Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, who is also a former Polish prime minister and head of the foreign ministry, says: “There are two issues—the first is whether the so-called historical policy makes sense and the second concerns the current situation related to Russia’s aggressive and deceitful rhetoric(https://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/polityka/politycy-ze-wszytkich-partii-mowia-dla-se-putin-to-klamca-i-chce-nam-szkodzic-aa-yYJv-U9ys-DDGp.html).”
  • Now, there is a matter of money: in an interview with the German newspaper Bild(https://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/politik-ausland/polen-kaczynski-im-interview-warum-wollen-sie-noch-immer-geld-von-uns-67543114.bild.html), Jaroslaw Kaczynski, chairman of Poland’s ruling party, claims that “Germany should send more troops, especially to the Baltic States. Lessons of the past warn us against stationing more German troops in Poland. Germany must take these concerns into account. One thing is clear, however: we need strong operational and combat readiness in Eastern Europe.” He also insists that Russia—like Germany—must pay reparations to Poland, including for destroying the country’s economy, roads, factories, historic buildings and cultural values. Noteworthy is that after World War II, thanks to Stalin’s effort, Poland expanded its territory by one-third, acquiring economically viable Silesia and the Baltic coast from Germany.
  • Then, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki writes that Poland was the first country that fought to defend “free Europe“. He forgets to mention, though, that Poland also participated, together with Hitler, in the partition of Czechoslovakia in 1938 (https://twitter.com/PremierRP_en/status/1211334067083456514/photo/1).
  • Against this backdrop, the Internal Security Agency (ISA) of Poland prepares a report about an expected “interference” by the Kremlin in the presidential election in Poland to be held in spring, surely to “undermine the integrity and effectiveness of NATO and weaken the cohesion of the European Union(https://twitter.com/Disinfo_Digest/status/1203444674415005698).“
  • And incidentally, Putin is on his way to becoming “an aggressive red monarch” (https://polskatimes.pl/rosjanie-coraz-biedniejsi-wiec-putin-na-wojennej-sciezce/ar/c1-14735230) and he must go, living up to an idealistic formula that “everything was the way we want it to be today”…

So… following that logic, Putin must go. He must do so precisely because he keeps dispelling European illusions about history, which must be the way we want to see it today.

It matters not that Russia’s political system has entered a new phase of democratic transformation. Neither does it matter that major historical processes are brought about by preconditions and circumstances, not by shouts or newspaper headlines. All this mosaic nonsense is shaping an information landscape that draws historical myth from the past to the present, generating false analogies.

There are those who still tend to analyze current developments through the magic crystal of perceptions built up by history, to expound on Russia’s recent foreign policy through the lens of Stalin’s mythical “aggression” and “the Soviet empire” or to transform assessments on Russia’s internal processes, such as the initiated constitutional reform, applying notions from Russian 19th century novels. “Russia’s civil service could be likened to a pile of iron filings. Just as shavings align themselves with a magnet, so Russia’s apparatchiks align themselves with the magnet called power, without the need for instructions. They guess what is expected of them. That creates an illusion of remarkable unity—at least, as long as there is only one magnet (https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/wladimir-putin-und-seine-plaene-die-verfassung-bin-ich-a-0a172ef5-d2cb-4156-904b-db15940be83e).” That is neither Dostoevsky nor Gogol—that is Spiegel.

Normally, the human brain is reluctant to take on complex tasks, it rather feeds on content that can calm it down. Such information should be familiar to it and fit perfectly into its inbuilt concepts.

Once calmed down, one can continue to buy natural gas and coal from the wicked Putin at a good price and sell him Polish apples via Belarus, earnestly believing Russia to be a decrepit totalitarian empire, dormant deep beneath the snow, rather than a complex, dynamically evolving state of the 21st century with great scientific capacity, innovative industry and open society. It seems easier this way.

But this will by no means change the reality: Putin is no tsar, but a national leader who initiates work to update the system of power he himself has constructed, while “Stalin’s version of history” is nothing but gloomy fantasies of narrow-minded people still clinging to the obsolete clichés like “dispatched to the Gulag, the Soviet Union’s archipelago of slave labour camps” (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/putin-still-peddles-stalin-s-version-of-history-ls7pwkpmc), and the idea to convene a summit of the permanent members of the UN Security Council is the most intuitive and sensible proposal in the field of international security over the last two decades.

Now, would you like a bit of post-truth? Let’s imagine that, like many of us here hope, Putin simply resigned. Just try to hypothesize how it would affect Europe. Don’t be deluded though: the best scenario is by no means guaranteed. It is only in academic projections of American geostrategists that a weakened and disintegrated Russia is—for some reason—presented as a blessing. And what if local conflicts, like that in Ukraine, spilled over to Crimea, the Caucasus, the Urals; Islamists and terrorists from Central Asia (their natural habitats) moved to the North, prosperous Europe becoming their final destination? The downfall of the political system, inevitably followed by the coming to power of radical forces, would trigger the collapse of economic pillars, lead to energy supply disruption, losses from interrupted trading transactions for the exports (which already suffer the aftermath of sanction policies) of European goods and services to the Russian market, heighten the growth of shadow economy, create new customs barriers and escalate trade wars.

The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative would considerably slow down, which would bury all hopes for accelerating Europe’s economic growth using this channel. Migration from Russia, which is currently limited mainly to non-system politicians and businessmen with murky success stories (many of these persons being both at once very often), would become a mass phenomenon, greatly exceeding the number of Poles, Lithuanians and Ukrainians who have moved closer to the Atlantic. Europe will be swept by a new wave of crime, poverty and totally different values that are very far from the dream of a beautiful and unified Europe. How about this post-truth scenario?

Thus, the fight for history is a struggle for a dignified and dynamic future where no short-sighted ideological considerations can draw dividing lines, no matter how paradoxical this might seem.

COVID 19 by the Embassy of China

Editor
-
0
COVID 19 by the Embassy of China

By Tereza Neuwirthová.

On February 26th, the Ambassador of China H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, in collaboration with Diplomat Magazine, organised a briefing reception about the Corona Virus (COVID 19) at Crowne Plaza The Hague. The main purpose of the briefing was to inform diplomats posted in The Hague, Dutch Representatives, the media, as well as the general public about the situation in China in light of the recent developments connected to the spread of this disease.

At the beginning of the briefing, upon the proposal of Dr. Mayelinne De Lara, the publisher of Diplomat Magazine, all guests present at the briefing expressed their condolences to the victims of COVID 19 by holding a minute of silence together. 

Thereafter, a video demonstrating the steps China has taken at combatting the virus, as well as the international responses and reportages from the affected provinces, was shown. The video displayed the immense efforts and forces that have been employed so far, and simultaneously underlined the significance of concerted global action in order to withstand the pressured posed by the COVID 19 on the lives of millions.

H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, Ambassador of China during the briefing.

To initiate his speech, H.E. Ambassador Xu Hong remarked: 

“At this moment, my compatriots are devoting themselves fighting against the outbreak day and night. People throughout China and the world follow the changes of statistics closely and look forward to the inflection point of the epidemic. At the same time, we have also witnessed the courage and strength of China confronted by such a crisis, as well as the unity and cooperation of the international community facing such a communal challenge. That is where our confidence is sourced to defeat this epidemic.”

 “On the one hand, the number of newly confirmed cases is gradually declining, from more than 3,000 cases per day in early February to 406 yesterday. And more than 98% of the newly diagnosed cases is restricted in Hubei Province. Other mainland provinces have seen even a greater declining, from the peak of 890 in early February to 5 yesterday, with zero increase in 26 of them.”

The ambassador Dr. Xu Hong explained that despite the efforts taken, China faces challenges in combatting the COVID 19, as this virus is not only highly contagious and difficult to diagnose, but also due to its  unfortunate outbreak at the time of the Chinese New Year, which presents the highest annual personal flow. Moreover, with the spread of the virus, the pressures on medical resources such as supplies and staff have been intensified.

H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, Ambassador of China. Photography by Naldo Peverelli for Diplomat Magazine.

Dealing with all of the challenges, China’s president Xi Jinping personally directed the adoption of a series of unprecedented measures for prevention, control, and treatment, which effectively curbed the spread of the epidemic.

“31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country activated the first-level response to public health emergencies. Large number of officials and volunteers working at the primary level, regardless of their own safety, entered communities, villages and towns to implement prevention and control measures, and to ensure the daily supplies of people.”

Addressing the necessity of international cooperation and mobilisation of forces to contain the present level, but more importantly to prevent form the further spread of COVID 19, H.E. Ambassador Xu Hong stated that:

“China keeps close contact and coordination with the health authorities and embassies of many countries including the Netherlands, to speed up vaccine and drug development, share information, verify suspected and confirmed cases, and respond to foreign concerns in a timely manner.”

Similarly, the Chinese Ambassador pointed out that close cooperation with the WHO experts, who have been invited to the most impacted Chinese provinces of Wuhan and Hubei, is currently being undertaken. In addition to investigations and in-depth professional exchanges, high-scale measures are enabled through China’s “technology-powered and science-driven” approach. 

On the topic of China-The Netherlands relations, the Ambassador reiterated his gratitude for the signs of empathy that he received form the Royal family, the Prime Minister, as well as Dutch officials. What is more, China appreciates the timely updates and releases by institutions like RIVM, which “reflect the spirit of shared destiny of the international community.”

Lastly, the economic consequences of the outbreak of COVID 19 were examined, whereby the Ambassador articulated his full confidence that the impact will be “limited, short-term, and manageable.”

Ambassador Hong during the press briefing a bout Corona virus.

“The Chinese government has stepped up macroeconomic policy adjustments and rolled out a series of policy measures, including increasing capital investment, phased tax and fee reduction, and strengthening preferential credit support.”

To stress China’s economic resilience, H.E. Mr. Xu Hong remarked that it is vital to take a long-term view; 

“When looking at China’s economic development, we should insist on a comprehensive, dialectical, and long-term perspective. Laying emphasis on both epidemic containment and economic operation, the Chinese government will successfully settle the short-term impact of the epidemic, release the huge potential and strong momentum of China’s development, and work hard to complete this year’s economic and social development goals.”

Following the ambassador’s briefing, Mr. Jochum Haakma, the President of the Netherlands China Business Council informed the guests about the most vital figures and predictions with regard to the development of business and finances in light of COVID 19 outbreak. 

Firstly, having pointed out that The Netherlands is China’s second most important trade and investment partner in the EU, Mr. Haakma expressed the high impact the virus could potentially have on the Dutch companies. Referring to the predictions, the possible gaps in the supply chain, especially in resource-intensive goods production, are likely to incur losses to a number of Dutch companies. On the other hand, FDI and capital-intensive goods that form a substantial volume of the Dutch-Chinese trade, will remain stable. 

Corona virus’s briefing by the Ambassador of China.

Lastly, the President of the Netherlands China Business Council concluded by affirming the confidence in China’s ability to secure growth and swiftly overcome the crisis posed by the COVID 19 virus. Likewise, Mr. Haakma expressed the belief that the Dutch investment in China will likely bloom in the future. 

The Ambassador then took questions from the audience and journalists.

To close the briefing, H.E. Mr. Xu Hong once again thanked the guests for their presence, and concluded that: “We will continue to firmly hold our belief in victory, and work closely with the international community to win the battle against this epidemic.”

The Corona Virus – Press Briefing On COVID-19

Editor
-
0
The Corona Virus – Press Briefing On COVID-19

In the picture H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, Ambassador of China. Photography by Naldo Peverelli.

By Roy Lie Atjam.

The Hague, 26 February 2020, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in the Netherlands, H.E. Dr. Xu Hong held a press briefing on the Coronavirus outbreak at Crowne Plaza Hotel. This was done in collaboration with Diplomat Magazine, a magazine serving the Diplomatic community in the BENELUX. Many of Ambassador Xu Hong’s colleagues, dignitaries, media personalities and others attended the press conference.

Mr. Jochum Haakma, President of the Netherlands China Business Council also addressed the audience. Mr. Haakma stressed that with the slow shipments of merchandise from China and with just a two weeks supply for businesses as Cool Blue, Blokker and many others, these entities will no doubt begin to experience the negative effects very soon. Dr. Xu Hong is confident that the current efforts of the People’s Republic of China along with the support of the international community, the fight against COVID-19 will be a success. 

The briefing was followed by a Q&A session and a networking reception.H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, delivered the following remarks:

I’m standing here with a heavy heart because of the Covid-19 outbreak in China. As you may know, the epidemic has emerged since the beginning of 2020, spoiling the happy atmosphere of the Chinese Spring Festival. At this moment, my compatriots are devoting themselves fighting against the outbreak day and night.

According to the statistics this morning, 2,718 patients have lost their lives unfortunately, including several medical staff members at the front line. Let us express our deep condolences. There are still more than 45,604 diagnosed patients under treatment, of which 8,752 with severe symptoms. Let us cross our fingers for their quick recoveries.

The situation is still harsh. People throughout China and the world follow the changes of statistics closely and look forward to the inflection point of the epidemic. At the same time, we have also witnessed the courage and strength of China confronted by such a crisis, as well as the unity and cooperation of the international community facing such a communal challenge. That is where our confidence is sourced to defeat this epidemic.

Mr. Jochum Haakma, President of Netherlands China Business Council.

Please allow me to make some brief introductions.

I. Results achieved

On the one hand, the number of newly confirmed cases is gradually declining, from more than 3,000 cases per day in early February to 406 yesterday. And more than 98% of the newly diagnosed cases is restricted in Hubei Province. Other mainland provinces have seeneven a greater declining, from the peak of 890 in early February to 5 yesterday, with zero increase in 26 of them. 

On the other hand, number of cured cases is increasing rapidly. This number is now 29,745, consisting 38% of all confirmed cases. The fatality rate remains 3.5% (and only 0.78% outside Hubei), far lower then Ebola, SARS and MERS, which proves that the disease is largely curable. 

We believe, with the strengthening of containment and treatment, the situation will be better and better. We are seeing light of victory coming through.

II. Efforts made by China

The novel coronavirus pneumonia is a major public health emergency happened in China with the fastest spreading speed, the widest range of infections, and the most difficult containment since the founding of PRC. It has posed unprecedented challenges to us: First, difficult to diagnose. The virus is previously unknown, there have been cases of infected cases tested nucleic acid negative, carriers with no symptom, and even sudden illness after 2 weeks’ quarantine. Second, the virus is highly contagious.

To our present knowledge, the virus can be transmitted through droplets, contact, air, fecal-oral transmission, reaching the top of the known virus infection level. Third, the outbreak is difficult to contain. The outbreak occurred during the Chinese New Year Festival, the peak of yearly personal flow. Moreover, Wuhan is precisely the transportation hub of the central part of China. Fourth, shortage of medical resources. With the increasing number of patients, the shortage of doctors, beds and medical supplies intensified.

The Chinese government gives top priority to safeguarding people’s lives and health. President Xi Jinping personally directed and deployed the fight, and put forward the general requirements of steadfast confidence, working together, scientific prevention and treatment, and precise policies. With all-out efforts, China has adopted a series of unprecedented measures for prevention, control, and treatment, which has effectively curbed the spread of the epidemic.

The first measure is to race against the disease and improve the diagnosis and treatment methods as soon as possible. The genetic sequence was first time detected and published to the public. The test reagents were quickly developed. The diagnosis and treatment solutions have been updated six times in one month. Three specific drugs have been put into clinical experiments and the use of recovered patients’ plasma to treat critically ill patients has been promoted. In terms of vaccine development, five technical approaches are moving forward simultaneously, and clinical trials application will be submitted in late April.

H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, Ambassador of China.

The second is to mobilize nationwide in epidemic prevention and control work. “Lockdown” measures were adopted in Wuhan, a city with a population of over tens of millions. 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country activated the first-level response to public health emergencies. Large number of officials and volunteers working at the primary level, regardless of their own safety, entered communities, villages and towns to implement prevention and control measures, and to ensure the daily supplies of people. We canceled all outbound tourist groups, required every Chinese citizen leaving the country to fill out and sign on health declaration forms, and conducted temperature monitoring at all departure ports across the country to strictly prevent virus transmitting to foreign countries.

The third is to defend Hubei and Wuhan. Focus on increasing treatment and cure, and reducing infection and death toll. To this end, 2 temporary hospitals and 11 modular cabin hospitals were quickly built in Wuhan, with 400 isolation points and a total of more than 60,000 beds. Strict isolation measures have been adopted timely in the core epidemic area of Hubei. Four lines of defense have been formed: residents’ home-based prevention, community-based comprehensive investigation and centralized quarantine of suspected patients, modular cabin hospitals for minor cases, and designated hospitals for critically ill patients. More than 40,000 medical workers and 58,000 tons of medical and living supplies have been sent to Hubei from military and provinces all over the country.

The Fourth is to conduct international cooperation in an open, transparent and responsible manner. We informed the World Health Organization as soon as possible and shared the genetic sequence of the new coronavirus. We have invited WHO experts to visit Wuhan and other places and to have on-the spot investigation and in-depth professional exchanges. We keep close contact and coordination with the health authorities and embassies of many countries including the Netherlands, to speed up vaccine and drug development, share information, verify suspected and confirmed cases, and respond to foreign concerns in a timely manner.

These measures and remarkable achievement fully reflect the sense of responsibility of the Chinese government, fully demonstrate the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and fully show the fearless sacrifice and unprecedented cohesion of the Chinese people. According to statistics from relevant prediction models, the measures taken by China have reduced the occurrence of infections by at least 80%, which has earned valuable time for the combat in China and around the world. On this, WHO Director-General Tedros also repeatedly emphasized that “China’s speed, scale and efficiency of response is rarely seen in the world”. The decisive and extraordinary measures taken by China set an example for the global response to epidemic outbreak in many aspects. After visiting China, the WHO team of experts warned a worldwide risk of virus spreading, applauded China’s approach as “technology-powered and science-driven” and hope all countries follow China to move fast in saving lives. 

III. Cooperation between China and the Netherlands

Since the outbreak, more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations have expressed sympathy to China, and nearly 30 countries have provided official assistance to China, which fully reflects the spirit of shared destiny of the international community. Here in the Netherlands, we also deeply feel the care for the outbreak in China and the support for the Chinese people from Dutch people. Recently, His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the Foreign Minister all expressed their sympathies and supports to the Chinese leaders. The Dutch government provided an additional aid fund of 1 million euros to the WHO. Dutch companies donated badly needed medical supplies worth tens of millions of RMB to China.

Our embassy receives a lot of letters of sympathy and cheering videos sent by local people from all walks of life every day. The Dutch government and people also condemn the individual cases of discrimination against Chinese in relation to the outbreak. China is deeply grateful for your support. China also praises the necessary and reasonable prevention measures taken by the Netherlands, including following WHO advice by not taking additional restrictive measures on personnel and trade, and timely releasing and updating of guidelines by relevant institutions such as the RIVM. The Chinese Embassy will continue to maintain close communication and coordination with the Dutch government.

IV. How to view the impact of the epidemic on the economy

With business activities deferred and obstruction of transportation, there has been some impact on the Chinese economy. This is inevitable and also the cost we have to bear in order to protect people’s lives and health. Yet in general, the impact is limited, short-term and manageable.

First reason, the fundamentals sustaining sound economic growth have not been changed. China has accumulated a solid material and technological foundation since the reform and opening up. China has an economy volume of nearly 100 trillion yuan. Such a large volume will not be shaken by the short-term impact of the epidemic. The World Bank and the IMF have both made statements expressing confidence of strong resilience of China’s economy. Some experts estimate that the epidemic will only reduce China’s annual GDP growth rate by 0.1 to 0.2 percent. IMF President Georgieva said that if the epidemic can be controlled in a short time, China’s economy is expected to rebound soon.

Second reason, we have sufficient policies to offset the short-term impact of the epidemic. In response to the short-term difficulties that delayed resumption of work and production may cause to the enterprises, the Chinese government has stepped up macroeconomic policy adjustments and rolled out a series of policy measures, including: increasing capital investment, phased tax and fee reduction, and strengthening preferential credit support. The Ministry of Finance has provided interest discounts on loans to key enterprises to keep their actual financing cost below 1.6%.

Local governments of all levels have also taken timely measures to ensure the supply of materials, resume production and operation, support small and medium-sized enterprises, and guarantee employment and people’s livelihood. In order to stabilize employment, some local governments return 50% of the unemployment insurance premiums enterprises paid in the previous year if they do not lay off employees. The combination of these policies will greatly relieve the pressures of the enterprises, increase market confidence, and stabilize investment expectations.

Ambassador Hong during the press briefing a bout Corona virus.

Third, impact of the epidemic accelerates economic transformation and upgrading. Currently, while offline consumption, especially transportation, exhibitions, tourism, hotels, restaurants, film and entertainment services are heavily hit by the epidemic, new business formats and models online are growing stronger, including the Internet of Things, online retail and medical service, etc.

Many challenges exist, but there are more solutions to deal with them. By constantly addressing weak links and seizing opportunities throughout storms, the Chinese economy will emerge stronger from the epidemic.

Last Sunday, China held a conference to coordinate the containment of the outbreak and the economic and social development, with 8 measures proposed.

  • First, targeted resumption of work and production in different regions with different grades.
  • Second, strengthening the adjustment of macroeconomic policies, including phased and targeted tax and fee reduction policies, to help small and medium-sized enterprises overcome difficulties. To launch flexible and appropriate monetary and financial support in a proper time.
  • Third, to comprehensively strengthen employment stabilization measures.
  • Fourth, to resolutely complete the task of fighting poverty.
  • Fifth, to promote the resumption of work and production of the enterprises.
  • Six, to guarantee agricultural production in spring.
  • Seventh, to take concrete measures to safeguard basic livelihood.
  • Eighth, to stabilize bases of foreign investment and trade. To give priority to guaranteeing the restore of production supply of leading companies and key links to stabilize the global supply chain. To ensure the smooth operation of the foreign trade industrial chain and supply chain and the landing of major foreign investment projects, to expand the opening up of financial and other service industries, to continue to optimize the business environment, in order to increase confidence in long-term foreign investment and operations.

It is important to take a long-term view. When looking at China’s economic development, we should insist on a comprehensive, dialectical, and long-term perspective. Laying emphasis on both epidemic containment and economic operation, the Chinese government will successfully settle the short-term impact of the epidemic, release the huge potential and strong momentum of China’s development, and work hard to complete this year’s economic and social development goals. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the current situation is still severe and complicated, South Korea, Iran, and Italy also face coronavirus outbreaks. We will continue to firmly hold our belief in victory, and work closely with the international community to win the battle against this epidemic.”

Ambassador Hong also thanked Diplomat Magazine, for organizing the briefing; Mr. Deputy Director Arjen van den Berg from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Deputy Director Bruins from Ministry of Health, as well as Mr. President Jochum Haakma of Netherlands China Business Council, for their support. The event was held at Crowne Plaza Promenade hotel in The Hague.

For updated information, please visit the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in The Hague: http://nl.china-embassy.org/eng/

A Future filled with empty Choices

Editor
-
0
A Future filled with empty Choices

Or Tomorrow (n)ever AI-ies

By Prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic.

Throughout most of human evolution both progress and its horizontal transmission was an extremely slow, occasional and tedious process. Well into the classic period of Alexander the Macedonian and his glorious Library of Alexandria, the speed of our knowledge transfers – however moderate, analogue and conservative – still always outpaced our snail-like cycles of our developmental breakthroughs. 

When our sporadic breakthroughs finally became faster than their infrequent transmissions, that marked a point of our departure. Simply put, our civilizations started to significantly differentiate from each other in their respective techno-agrarian, politico-military, ethno-religious or ideological, and economic setups. Soon, after, the Grand Discoveries (Europe’s shift to west) were the event transforming wars and famine from the low-impact and local one, into the bigger and cross-continental. 

Faster cycles of technological breakthroughs, patents and discoveries rather than their own transfers, occurred primarily within the Old continent. That occurrence, with all its reorganizational effects, radically reconfigured societies. It ultimately marked a birth of several mighty European empires, their (liberal) schools (and consequent imperial weaponization of knowledge) – hence an overall, lasting triumph of Western civilization.  

Act

For the past few centuries, we’ve lived fear but dreamt hope – all for the sake of modern times. From WWI to www. Is this modernity of internet age, with all the suddenly reviled breakthroughs and their instant transmission, now harboring us in a bay of fairness, harmony and overall reconciliation? Was and will our history ever be on holiday? Thus, has our world ever been more than an idea? Shall we stop short at the Kantian word – a moral definition of imagined future, or continue to the Hobbesian realities and look up for an objective, geopolitical definition of our common tomorrow?

The Agrarian age inevitably brought up the question of economic redistribution. Industrial age culminated on the question of political participation. Today, AI (Quantum physics, Nanorobotics and Bioinformatics) brings a new, yet underreported challenge: Human (physical and mental) powers might – far and wide, and rather soon – become obsolete. If or when so, the question of human irrelevance is next to be asked.

Why is AI like no technology ever before? Why re-visiting and re-thing spirituality matters … 

If one believes that the above is yet another philosophical melodrama, an anemically played alarmism, mind this:

Mankind will soon have to redefine what it considers to be life itself. 

Less than a month ago (January 2020), the successful trials have been completed. The border between organic and inorganic, intrinsic and artificial is downed forever. AI has it now all-in: quantum physics (along with quantum computing), nanotechnology, bioinformatics, and organic tissue tailoring. Synthesis of all that is usually referred to as xenobots (sorts of living robots) – biodegradable symbiotic nanorobots that exclusively rely on evolutionary (self-navigable) algorithms. The essential building element to biotronics is hence here, among us. 

React

Although life remains to be lived forward (with no backward looking), human retrospection is the biggest reservoir of insights. Of what makes us human. 

Thus, what does the history of technology in relation to human development tell us so far?

Elaborating on a well-known argument of ‘defensive modernization’ of Fukuyama, it is evident that throughout the entire human history a technological drive was aimed to satisfy the security and control objective. It was rarely (if at all) driven by a desire to gain knowledge outside of convention, in order to ease human existence, and to bolster human emancipation and liberation of societies at large. Therefore, unless operationalized by the system, both the intellectualism (human autonomy, mastery and purpose), and technological breakthroughs were traditionally felt and perceived as a threat. As a problem, not a solution.  

Ok. But what has brought us (under) AI today? 

It was our acceptance. Of course, manufactured.

All cyber-social networks and related search engines are far away from what they are portrayed to be: a decentralized but unified intelligence, attracted by gravity of quality rather than navigated by force of a specific locality. (These networks were not introduced to promote and emancipate other cultures and other narratives but to maintain and further strengthen supremacy of the dominant one.)

In no way do they correspond with a neuroplasticity of physics of our consciousness. They only offer temporary relaxation to our anxieties – in which the fear from free time is the largest. It is so, since a true free time coupled with silence is our gate to creativity and self-reflection. In fact, the cyber-tools of these data-sponges primarily serve the predictability, efficiency, calculability and control purpose, and only then they serve everything else – as to be e.g. user-friendly and en mass service attractive. 

To observe the new corrosive dynamics of social phenomenology between manipulative fetishization (probability) and self-trivialization (possibility), the cyber-social platforms – these dustbins of human empathy in the muddy suburbs of consciousness – are particularly interesting. 

This is how the human presence-eliminating technologies have been introduced to and accepted by us.  

Packed

How did we reflect – in our past – on any new social dynamics created by the deployment of new technologies?  

Aegean theater of Ancient Greece was a place of astonishing revelations and intellectual excellence – a remarkable density and proximity, not surpassed up to our age. All we know about science, philosophy, sports, arts, culture and entertainment, stars and earth has been postulated, explored and examined then and there.

Simply, it was a time and place of triumph of human consciousness, pure reasoning and sparkling thought. However, neither Euclid, Anaximander, Heraclites, Hippocrates (both of Chios, and of Cos), Socrates, Archimedes, Ptolemy, Democritus, Plato, Pythagoras, Diogenes, Aristotle, Empedocles, Conon, Eratosthenes nor any of dozens of other brilliant ancient Greek minds did ever refer by a word, by a single sentence to something which was their everyday life, something they saw literally on every corner along their entire lives. It was an immoral, unjust, notoriously brutal and oppressive slavery system that powered the Antique state.

(Slaves have not been even attributed as humans, but rather as the ‘phonic tools/tools able to speak’.) This myopia, this absence of critical reference on the obvious and omnipresent is a historic message – highly disturbing, self-telling and quite a warning for the present day.  

So, finally,  why is AI like no technology ever before?

Ask Google! I am busy messaging right now …

—————–

About the author:

Prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic, is author of 6 books on geopolitics, energy and technology.

EVFTA AND EVIPA: New Highway for EU-Viet Nam Trade and Investment Relations

Editor
-
0
EVFTA AND EVIPA: New Highway for EU-Viet Nam Trade and Investment Relations

By H.E. Ngo Thi Hoa, Ambassador of Viet Nam to the Netherlands.

On 12/2/2020, at the Plenary Session in Strasbourg, France, the European Parliament (EP) ratified with a majority the Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) between the European Union (EU) and Viet Nam. These are the most ambitious deals ever between the EU and a developing country, which not only eliminate over 
99% of customs duties on goods, but also also open up Vietnamese services markets to EU companies and strengthen protection of EU investments in the country. 

The ratification of EVFTA and EVIPA is an important milestone in the
30th anniversary of the establishment of Viet Nam-EU diplomatic relations, bringing the EU-Viet Nam partnership to a new level. EVFTA and EVIPA have marked an important transformation in Viet Nam-EUcomprehensive partnership and cooperation while affirming the two sides’ mutual benefits and commitment to facilitating international economic connectivity, free trade and equal and transparent investment. 

EVFTA and EVIPA create benefits for both sides

As an agreement with a deep and comprehensive level of commitment covering economic, trade, investment and sustainable development issues, EVFTA and EVIPA will open up great opportunities for both sides, maximizing the potential and complementarity, thereby contributing to deepening and creating long-term benefits between the two sides.

The EVFTA will unlock a market with huge potential for EU firms. Viet Nam is a fast-growing economy of more than 100 million consumers with a growing middle class and a young and dynamic workforce. Its market offers numerous opportunities for the EU’s agricultural, industrial and services exports. Viet Nam market also serves as a gateway for deeper access to ASEAN and regional markets. The European Commission has projected the EU’s GDP to increase by USD 29.5 billion and its exports to Viet Nam by 29 percent by 2035.

For Viet Nam, the agreement is opening a great opportunity for Viet Nam ese businesses to access to a potential market with 508 million people and a gross domestic product (GDP) of roughly US$18 trillion. (accounting for 22% of global GDP). A research by the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Viet Nam shows that Viet Nam ’s export turnover to the EU will increase by about 20% in 2020, 42.7% in 2025 and 44.37% in 2030, compared to the non-EVFTA scenario. 

Golden oppoturnities for EU businesses

Viet Nam is a fast-growing and competitive economy whose bilateral trade with the EU has increased fivefold over the past 10 years. At the regional level, Viet Nam is now the EU’s second largest trade partner in ASEAN, accounting for 20.7% merchandise goods.The growing trade between the EU and Viet Nam also helps to solidify ASEAN’s position as the EU’s third-largest trading partner in the worlds.

2019 marks a new phase of Viet Nam ’s international economic integration as Viet Nam participate in new-generation FTAs, particularly the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and EVFTA. The newly approved EVFTA and EVIPA will bolster Viet Nam ’s importance as a trading hub between Southeast Asia and Europe. 


With the ratified EVFTA and EVIPA, many European businesses will benefit, especially those doing in the field of machinery and appliances, automobile, pharmaceuticals, chemical, wine and spirits, IT, sevices operators… Given many challenges and uncertainties due to protectionism, trade tensions, and the looming effects of Brexit, it is now the golden oppoturnity for EU companies to accelerate and expand their business activities in Viet Nam.

Raise funds for Women’s Empowerment in India

Editor
-
0
Raise funds for Women’s Empowerment in India

Women in Odisha posing this year’s International Women’s Day theme #EachforEqual.

To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March, IRC has launched crowdfunding campaign ‘She Makes Change’ and will run the City-Pier-City Run in The Hague to raise funds for women’s capacity training in one of the poorest Indian states, Odisha.

“Access to water and sanitation improves health, education and employment, reduces gender-based violence, and empowers women. And yet, over 97 million people in India do not have access to clean water, and more than 40% of the population does not have basic access to sanitation or hygiene services.”

Team IRC runs the CPC in 2017.

IRC, the international non-profit water, sanitation and hygiene organisation based in The Hague, is raising €2,500 to facilitate women’s leadership training in its partner district Odisha, India. These trainings strengthen local women with the skills, knowledge and confidence to stand up and be heard, and to demand basic rights for themselves, by themselves.

Investing in women has a positive ripple effect which benefits households, communities and entire nations. Support IRC’s campaign because safe water and sanitation for all is only possible with the full and meaningful participation of women in decision making – and these workshops provide women with the skills, knowledge and confidence to do so.

Support Team IRC’s runners and the Odisha project, and donate because She Makes Change. 100% of donations will go to these workshops.

———————

To donate or find out more, please visit: bit.ly/shemakeschangecampaign

Follow IRC’s campaign updates on Facebook and Twitter @IRCWASH 

1...350351352...898Page 351 of 898