Månad: december 2023

This is a detailed reconstruction of the Ukrainian-Russian peace negotiations in March 2022 and the associated mediation attempts by the then Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, supported by President Erdogan and former German Chancellor Schröder. It was drawn up by retired General H. Kujat and Professor Emeritus H. Funke, two of the initiators of the recently presented peace plan for Ukraine. And it is also in connection with their peace plan that this reconstruction is so extremely important. It reminds us that we cannot afford to delay ceasefire and peace negotiations again. The human and military situation in Ukraine deteriorates dramatically, with the added danger that it could lead to a further escalation of the war. We need a diplomatic solution to this cruel war for Europe and the Ukraine – and we need it now!

From the detailed reconstruction of the March peace efforts 6 conclusions emerge:

1. Just one month after the start of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators had come very close to an agreement for a ceasefire and to an outline for a comprehensive peace solution to the conflict.

2) In contrast to today, President Zelensky and his government had made great efforts to negotiate peace with Russia and bring the war to a quick end.

3) Contrary to Western interpretations, Ukraine and Russia agreed at the time that the planned NATO expansion was the reason for the war. They therefore focused their peace negotiations on Ukraine’s neutrality and its renunciation of NATO membership. In return, Ukraine would have retained its territorial integrity except for Crimea. Läs artikel

Briefing top diplomats, the UN chief said the world must not look away from the suffering of civilians in Gaza, calling for ”a true humanitarian ceasefire” that leads to a lasting two-State solution.

The meeting has now ended in New York, but the frantic diplomacy continues to try and end the devastation in Gaza caused by Israel’s offensive to destroy Hamas, return the remaining hostages held by Palestinian militants, and provide a secure future for both Israel and Palestine. Here are the highlights from Wednesday’s meeting:

• “We need a true humanitarian ceasefire,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, describing a catastrophe on the ground in Gaza and underlining the need to release all hostages
• Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, had “a message that resonates today as we mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People: There must be a new and different approach, or we are doomed to return to the path of managing a conflict that clearly cannot be managed”. Läs pressmeddelandet

Andrew Bacevich, historian and co-founder of the Quincy Institute

I met Kissinger just once, at a small gathering in New York back in the 1990s. When the event adjourned, he walked over to where I was sitting and spoke to me. ”Did you serve in the military?” ”Yes,” I said. ”In Vietnam?” ”Yes.” His tone filled with sadness, he said: ”We really wanted to win that one.”

I did not reply but as he walked away, I thought: What an accomplished liar.

George Beebe, Director of Grand Strategy, Quincy Institute

Henry Kissinger’s impact on American foreign policy, although controversial, was on balance overwhelmingly positive. As he entered office in 1968, America was overextended abroad and beset by domestic political conflict. An increasingly powerful Soviet Union threatened to achieve superiority over America’s nuclear and conventional arsenals. The United States needed to extract itself from Vietnam and focus on domestic healing, yet any retreat into isolationism would allow Moscow a free hand to intimidate Western Europe and spread communism through the post-colonial world.

Kissinger’s answer to this problem, conceived in partnership with President Nixon, was a masterwork of diplomatic realism. Seeing an opportunity to exploit tensions between Moscow and Beijing, he orchestrated a surprise opening to Maoist China that reshaped the international order, counterbalancing Soviet power and complicating the Kremlin’s strategic challenge. In parallel, the United States pursued détente with Moscow, producing a landmark set of trade, arms control, human rights, and confidence-building arrangements that helped to constrain the arms race and make the Cold War more manageable and predictable. Läs artikel

EUs forsvarsutgifter steg til hele 240 milliarder euro i fjor, mer enn seks prosentpoeng mer enn året før, viser tall fra unionens forsvarsbyrå EDA.

Det er særlig Russlands krig mot Ukraina som har ført til at forsvarsutgiftene har skutt i været. I tillegg har mange av EUs 27 medlemsland økt sine forsvarsbudsjetter kraftig for å tilfredsstille Natos toprosentmål.

Blant disse er Sverige, som har økt sitt forsvarsbudsjett med hele 30 prosent. Seks andre land har økt sine budsjetter med mer enn 10 prosent. Läs artikel