En FN-soldat har dödats och tre skadats allvarligt i norra Mali i samband med att en sprängladdning detonerade på lördagen.

”En död och tre allvarligt skadade efter att ett av våra konvojer körde på en vägbomb vid Tessalit, nära den algeriska gränsen”, meddelar den fredsbevarande styrkan i Mali i ett uttalande.

Sverige har just nu omkring 400 militärer av olika slag på plats i Mali, enligt Försvarsmakten. Dessa verkar inom ramarna för tre skilda uppdrag.

Ett av dem är FN-missionen Minusma där Sverige deltar sedan 2014. För närvarande ingår drygt 230 svenskar i den insatsen. Svenskarna har sitt säte i Gao i östra Mali. Läs artikel

Det militära uttåget ur Afghanistan har klarnat sikten – men alltför sent. Demokrati kan inte införas utifrån med våld. Nu är frågan hur demokratierna bättre kan främja utveckling och medmänsklighet.

Svenska demokratikämpar, inte minst liberaler, har genom åren engagerat sig emot diktaturer och försökt påverka utifrån. Men 2003 gick det galet. Den liberala ledningen, Lars Leijonborg och Jan Björklund, påhejade av Per Ahlmark) stödde USA:s angrepp på Irak. (Medan centerledaren Maud Olofsson var emot kriget och även Göran Persson, efter tvekan.) […]

Lärdomen är tydlig från Irak och Afghanistan. För varje ny soldat skapades det tio nya motståndare, har det sagts. En undersökning har visat att USA sedan 1930-talet har gjort 16 försök att skapa regimförändring utifrån – endast fyra har lyckats (däribland Tyskland och Japan).

Nu behövs ett omtänkande från grunden. Både USA:s president Biden och FN:s generalsekreterare Guterres uttalar sig mot ”statsbyggande” utifrån.

Även FN-beslutet 2005 om Responsability to Protect, rätten för Säkerhetsrådet att gripa in mot en stat som hotar en egen befolkningsgrupp, har i praktiken fallit. Många, även jag, menade att principen var ett humanitärt framsteg. Angreppet på Libyen 2011 och kaoset därefter visade att principen inte fungerade. […]

Men man börinte förhasta sig. Som utrikesminister Ann Linde som snabbt utropade ”inte en spänn till talibanerna!”. Bistånd till utbildning och sjukvård måste fortsätta med vissa kontakter med regimen annars drabbas befolkningen katastrofalt, understryker Svenska Afghanistankommittén och norska Flyktingrådets Jan Egeland.

Men huvuddelen av stödet till folket bör gå till civila organisationer med erfarenhet – som Svenska Afghanistankommittén, Läkare utan gränser, Röda Korset och så vidare. Läs artikel

In 2021, the American Chamber of Commerce and Ernst & Young conducted their sixth annual survey devoted to the prospects for direct investments and bilateral trade between Russia and the USA. The purpose of the survey is to show the actual scale of bilateral investment and trade between the two countries.

The survey focused on direct investment and bilateral trade between Russia and the US. According to its findings, US firms invested more than US$2.2 billion in the Russian economy in 2020 alone, and plan to invest around US$1.8 billion more in 2021. More than half of this money will go to Russia’s energy and natural resources industry, as first reported by Russia Briefing. Läs artikel

The Minister for the Armed forces of the French Republic, and The Minister for Defence of the Kingdom of Sweden, hereinafter referred to as the “the Signatories”

Considering that the defence relationship between the Ministry for the Armed forces of the French Republic and the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Sweden aims at building a pillar of stability in Northern Europe and beyond; […]

The Signatories intend to develop new axes of bilateral cooperation, complement existing efforts and leverage existing structures, in order to:

• Intensify the strategic dialogue on security and defence issues;
• Develop strategic foresight and information sharing;
• Expand co-operation in the field of research and development;
• Expand co-operation in the field of defence capability development;
• Enhance interoperability between the Armed Forces;
• Improve the ability to conduct combined operations and
• Explore the possibility of co-operating in the fields of countering hybrid threats and grey zone activities in coordination with NATO and the EU.

Läs avsiktsförklaringen

Chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ) Yngve Odlo will this week meet with Lieutenant General Stanislav Maslov, Chief of the FSB Border Directorate, in Kirkenes, Norway. The two Lieutenant Generals will on Wednesday preside over the first protocol meeting between the NJHQ and the FSB Border Service since October 2019.

A press release says the Covid-19 pandemic has made it challenging to conduct physical meetings between the delegations from the Russian Federal Security Services’ (FSB) Border Service of the Western Arctic Areas and the Joint Headquarters.

Norway has, like NATO, suspended its bilateral military cooperation with Russia since 2014. Activities shielded from this suspension include a.o. cooperation about coastguard and border control, areas in which annual protocol meetings still take place.

Cooperation on the Norwegian-Russian border is based on the border demarcation agreement between Norway and Russia dating back to 29 December 1949. In other words, it is thus a historically rooted cooperation characterized by an open and good dialogue between the border control forces and the Norwegian and also Russian border commissioners, the press statement says. Läs artikel

If one thing is clear from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, it is that India will defend herself against external threats and the increased dangers of terrorism that may come from Afghanistan through Pakistan and is perfectly capable of acting in its own interests – both on land (Kashmir or Ladakh) and at sea (the Indian Ocean). His address can be taken as further evidence of the new multipolarity that is rapidly reshaping global politics.

India will not sacrifice its sovereignty to accommodate the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s reported itch for war games against the Taliban from Indian territory.

Despite pressure from neocons and Mackinderites (those who believe that Anglo-American maritime power should promote conflict and division among the major Eurasian land powers), it will be nearly impossible to persuade India to grant NATO “over-the-horizon” rights to strike Afghanistan from Indian territory. India can smell a skunk in the garden and will be cautious. Läs artikel

[…]As many of you may know, my holistic view of Finland’s security sees it as resting on four pillars. They are, first, the national defence and security; second, the Western integration and partnerships; third, the relationship with Russia; and fourth, the international system and comprehensive security. […]

Let me begin with the first pillar, our national defence and security. As I have often said, a credible defence has a twofold function. On the one hand, it raises the threshold against a potential aggressor. On the other, it makes us a more lucrative partner for others, particularly when interoperability is high.

A credible defence builds on adequate military capabilities and resources. Our past and future procurements for the different domains are necessary to make sure that our national capacity stays on top of emerging challenges.

But a credible defence cannot be built on hardware alone. It also stems from the very mindset of the population: a genuine will to defend one’s own country. That will has traditionally been on a remarkably high level in Finland. That does not mean that we could take it for granted in the future. We must actively nurture that will in the coming generations. […]

Finland’s relationship with Russia is longstanding and multifaceted. Over time, this relationship has experienced fluctuations, to put it mildly. But what has persisted for decades, is a shared commitment to seek working relations between neighbours. In the process, maintaining a functioning relationship with Russia – as functioning a relationship as possible at a given point in time – has become an important pillar supporting our own security. Läs talet

Zabihullah Mujahid, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture, on Wednesday said the United States has violated Afghanistan’s airspace by its drones.

“It has recently acted in violation of all international law and the United States’ commitments to the Islamic Emirate in Doha, Qatar, and Afghanistan’s sacred airspace is being occupied by US drones. These violations must be corrected and prevented,” Mujahid tweeted.

Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on all countries, especially the United States, to act in light of mutual commitments and in accordance with the international laws and avoid violating Afghanistan airspace.

Mujahid statement followed remarks by US officials who have said the Untied States does not need to cooperate with the Islamic Emirate on over the horizon counterterrorism efforts. Läs artikel

Grekland köper tre fregatter från Frankrike som en del i ett djupare strategiskt samarbete, meddelar Frankrikes president Emmanuel Macron. Syftet är att bygga ett självständigare Europa.