Showing results for "Shoura Council"

UK’s China policy under growing scrutiny

  • The UK’s China policy swung dramatically during the 14 years of Conservative rule from 2010. While the new Labour administration is seeking to bring more stability to UK-China ties, this will be increasingly challenging given the growing lack of political consensus over Beijing. This dissensu...
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Why is the world, especially China, wooing Africa?

  • China has long been a world leader in efforts to woo African nations. But as Beijing hosted the triennial gathering of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation this week, attended by more than 50 heads of state, there is intensifying global competition to gain a strategic advantage on the continen...
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Tensions in the Middle East fuel growing global ‘polycrisis’

  • Geopolitics was not widely viewed as a key trigger for the turmoil in international financial markets this month. However, several potential political fissures might yet emerge in 2024, including in the Middle East, bringing greater economic disequilibrium in their wake. Take, for example, the...
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Future of the UK, and wider world, is boosted by Scottish National Party’s decline

  • The union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has appeared highly prone to rupture over the past decade or so owing, primarily, to the rise of the Scottish National Party. However, the unexpected resignation last Monday of First Minister Humza Yousaf, the leader of the party, whi...
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European court’s climate ruling prompts political backlash

  • The political battle against climate change has, so far, largely been driven by legislation and regulation by national governments. However, a key European Court of Human Rights ruling this month set a new and potentially important legal precedent in the 46 member states of the Council of Europ...
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Political May-hem looms for embattled UK leader

  • When Rishi Sunak became UK prime minister in 2022, the conventional wisdom was that he would help stabilize a flailing government, even if the ruling Conservatives were turfed out of office at the general election. However, next month could bring about another political meltdown, with a possibl...
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Why NATO’s 75th birthday is a troubled one

  • NATO on Thursday marked the 75th anniversary of the signing of its founding treaty, yet the mood music is far from celebratory. Key leaders within the military alliance are increasingly concerned that the bloc is facing its biggest ever challenges. For example, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tu...
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Brazil’s ambitious G20 agenda is threatened by geopolitics

  • Since the war in Ukraine began, the G20 is widely considered to have been diminished in terms of its effectiveness, as a result of growing global geopolitical divisions. Nonetheless, Brazil, which holds the presidency of the organization this year, has been promoting an expansive, ambitious age...
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Next step on net-zero ambition for Europe

  • Since the Ukraine war began, the EU has reprioritized energy security as it moves away from Russian fuels in its energy mix. However, on Thursday, the bloc made a significant pivot toward climate action, taking a key new step toward meeting its net-zero ambitions. Many of the 27 EU nations are...
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UK election speculation mounts in wake of budget

  • The annual spring budget statement in the UK is always a major national political and economic event. However, Wednesday’s fiscal announcements assumed even higher importance than usual, coming ahead of what may be an imminent general election. There is growing speculation that Prime Minister...
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