Why the battle between Athens and Brussels matters to all of you

Athens is a war zone. (AFP Photo / Louisa Gouliamaki)

There is a lot being written about the current negotiations between the Syriza government in Greece and the EU/IMF. The distance of most journalists from the Greek reality and atmosphere and the sheer volume of competing information, makes for a lot of white noise. I want to filter much of it out and boil the issues down to some very basic points. This is by no means a definitive list, but it is one which I think captures a number of “big ticket items” which I have not seen made clearly and explicitly.

Διελκυστίνδα στην ΠΓΔΜ

Διαδηλωτής υψώνει πανό που αναγράφει την λέξη «παραιτήσου» σε διαδήλωση κατά της κυβέρνησης στα Σκόπια, στις 17 Μαΐου του 2015. MARKO DJURICA / REUTERS

Η ΠΓΔΜ (πρώην Γιουγκοσλαβική Δημοκρατία της Μακεδονίας) έχει εμπλακεί σε μια βαθιά πολιτική κρίση. Από τον Φεβρουάριο του τρέχοντος έτους, πάνω από 500 καταγραμμένες ηχογραφήσεις φερόμενων ως συνομιλιών διαφόρων αξιωματούχων, συμπεριλαμβανομένου του σημερινού πρωθυπουργού, Νικόλα Γκρούεφσκι, και μερικών από τα μέλη του υπουργικού συμβουλίου του, έχουν κυκλοφορήσει σε 36 συνέχειες από τον Ζόραν Ζάεφ, ηγέτη του κύριου κόμματος της αντιπολίτευσης, ο οποίος ισχυρίζεται ότι καταγράφηκαν από κάποιον πληροφοριοδότη από το εσωτερικό της μυστικής αστυνομίας της ΠΓΔΜ. Οι ηχογραφήσεις του περιλαμβάνουν περισσότερες από μισό εκατομμύριο συνομιλίες [1] οι οποίες έλαβαν χώρα μεταξύ 2007 και 2013. Αν αποδειχθεί ότι είναι αυθεντικές, αυτές οι «βόμβες» πληροφοριών, όπως τις αποκαλεί ο Ζάεφ, απεικονίζουν μια συγκλονιστική κατάχρηση εξουσίας από το κυβερνών κόμμα στην ΠΓΔΜ.

Did Germany Send RPGs to Saudi Arabia in Order to Win the World Cup?

The genius behind much of the corruption that has enabled the criminal racket known as FIFA to become so extraordinarily powerful in global sports lies in the often obscure nature of the bribes paid to its executives. Favors are traded, deals are made, but rarely are they sufficiently explicit to be labeled as outright corruption. Now, a new report in the German press adds a potentially sordid new dimension to that horse-trading: Germany allegedly provided RPGs to Saudi Arabia in order to secure its support for the country’s 2006 World Cup bid.

Power generation alone won’t deliver energy to Africa’s poor

 At the United Nations last week, the Secretary-General convened governments and civil society organisations to identify how to achieve Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) by 2030. SE4ALL head Kandeh Yumkella rallied participants around the slogan ‘turning commitments into kilowatt hours for real people.’

The slogan was as stirring as the need is great. Energy poverty – lack of household access to a base level of electricity and quality of cooking – remains remarkably widespread. In sub-Saharan Africa alone 620 million people, or over two-thirds of the population, lack access to electricity; 730 million people, or 80% of the population, lack access to modern cooking services.

Five ways to win a referendum, and five potential pitfalls

David Cameron's new Conservative government is committed to a referendum on EU membership in 2016 or 2017. Many commentators assume that he will negotiate a package of EU reforms, cajole much of his party to back the result, and then cruise to victory in the referendum. And so he might. But there’s many a slip twixt cup and lip. How can Cameron maximise his chances of winning? And what are the chief obstacles that lie in his path?



 Here are five pieces of advice for Cameron. First, he should not over-bid. Many Conservatives will urge him to ask for the moon. But if he tries to make fundamental changes to the EU, he will fail. Britain’s partners have no appetite for a new treaty, which would need ratification in 28 member-states, in some of them by referendum. Most capitals, including Berlin, fear that the lengthy process of changing the treaties would be like opening Pandora's box. There is no chance of a new treaty being ratified before the end of 2017. The best that Cameron can hope for is an agreement on minor treaty changes, to be ratified at some point in the future.

Ρεαλισμός, ελληνική κρίση και μεταρρυθμίσεις

Η κρίση κρατικού χρέους συνεχίζει να ρίχνει σκιές στην δειλή οικονομική ανάκαμψη της Ευρώπης. Το ζήτημα έχει ανακτήσει περίοπτη θέση μετά από τη νίκη του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ στις πρόωρες εκλογές του Ιανουαρίου 2015. Η τρέχουσα ελληνική κυβέρνηση τάσσεται υπέρ μιας ριζοσπαστικής επαναδιαπραγμάτευσης του προγράμματος βοήθειας, συμπεριλαμβανομένων πιο ευέλικτων όρων αποπληρωμής και το τέλος της δημοσιονομικής λιτότητας. Ένα σχετικό, ζωτικής σημασίας ζήτημα είναι αυτό των διαρθρωτικών μεταρρυθμίσεων για να αποκατασταθεί η βιώσιμη ανάπτυξη. Η τελική διέξοδος από την κρίση απαιτεί από την Ελλάδα να βελτιώσει την αποτελεσματικότητα του κράτους (δηλαδή, την είσπραξη φόρων) και την αποτελεσματικότητα της αγοράς εργασίας. Ωστόσο, η πολιτική διαδικασία έχει μέχρι στιγμής αποτύχει να φέρει μεγάλες μεταρρυθμίσεις. Είναι η κρίση χρέους μια ώθηση ή ένα εμπόδιο στις μεταρρυθμίσεις;

More OPEC Oil Coming When Iranian Sanctions Removed

If the West and Iran can sign a comprehensive agreement that leads to the removal of sanctions on Iran, how will OPEC respond to the prospect of a flood of new Iranian oil?

The oil majors are all highly interested in jumping into Iran. In Vienna for the OPEC summit this week, executives from Royal Dutch Shell, BP, and Total all expressed interest in the oil and gas reserves in Iran.

The Two Words that Explain China’s Assertive Naval Strategy

The just-completed Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore dwelt largely on China’s maritime ambitions, zeroing in on its construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea. In his keynote address, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter vowed to “continue to protect freedom of navigation and overflight principles that have ensured security and prosperity in this region for decades.” There should be no mistake, continued Carter, that “the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, as U.S. forces do all over the world.” The United States, its allies, and its partners will exercise “the rights of all nations” to their fullest, he said. That the U.S. secretary of defense traveled to the far side of the world to speak so bluntly shows how seriously Washington takes the China challenge.

Know your enemy: How to break the EU’s gridlock on security measures

Terrorism and organised crime are serious threats to Europe. The EU is better placed than the member-states to deal with the transnational aspects of these threats. But disagreements between the Council and the Parliament result in gridlock over security measures. One reason is that sensitive information cannot be shared with MEPs, leaving them in the dark about both the threats and the means to deal with them. If the EU wants to tackle the threat of terrorism effectively, MEPs should be given adequate access to confidential information.

How Islamic State Victories Shape the Syrian Civil War

Forecast

• The Islamic State will prioritize the defense of its core supply lines, used to provide equipment and much-needed recruits.
• The Islamic State will continue to demonstrate considerable flexibility in its offensive operations. 
• The Syrian government and rebel forces will have to increasingly devote their attention and resources to fighting the Islamic State, rather than prioritizing battles with each other.