Argus Geopolitical Intel

Pacific Is, Unite around renewables ambition - IRENA on GEO´ Posted By PR Channel Team - Gibraltar (Remote) www.geopoliticalmatters.com Pacific SIDS committed to strengthening energy transformation through more ambitious nationally determined contributions ahead of COP26 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 28 February 2021 - In a year of critical action on climate mitigation and adaptation, Pacific Island governments have reinforced their commitment to energy transition action and strengthened sustainable energy goals within updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, the United Kingdom in November.  At a meeting of high-level policy and intergovernmental representatives jointly hosted by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Regional Pacific NDC Hub and the UK COP26 Presidency, ministers and government representatives reiterated the need for transformative pledges that significantly reorient the world’s energy transition pathway. Pa...

Belarus Human Rights Deteriorating - UN on GEO´ Posted By PRChannel Team - Gibraltar (Remote) www.geopoliticalmatters.com Google Indexed on 260221 at 09:41 A “systematic crackdown” against dissent in Belarus is continuing, months since the country’s disputed presidential election last year, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet has told the Human Rights Council .  In comments to the Geneva forum on Thursday, the High Commissioner for Human Rights insisted that curbs on demonstrators had got worse since last August’s poll returned President Alexander Lukashenko to office. Those protests had led to “mass arbitrary arrests and detentions” of largely peaceful demonstrators, along with “hundreds of allegations of torture and ill-treatment”, Ms. Bachelet said, before noting that “not one of the hundreds of complaints for acts of torture and ill-treatment” had been investigated. The High Commissioner highlighted concerns about Government proposals which would reportedly “enable harsher punis...

The Future of Nagorny Karabakh - By Thomas De Waal Carnegie Europe on GEO´ Posted By PRChannel Team - Gibraltar (Remote) www.geopoliticalmatters.com The November 2020 ceasefire agreement halted the war over Nagorny Karabakh, but a sustainable peace agreement remains far from reach. By providing economic support and fostering dialogue and reconciliation, international actors can play a role in this long-term project. On November 10, 2020, a Russia-brokered ceasefire agreement halted a forty-four-day-long Armenia-Azerbaijan war over the disputed territory of Nagorny Karabakh, confirming a decisive Azerbaijani military victory. Three months later, the dust has not settled from the latest war. Although it completely altered the balance of power between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the November agreement was far from a true peace treaty and left many issues unresolved. The enormous human suffering it caused, with the loss of at least 6,500 lives, including around 150 civilians, reverberates thro...

Country Report KENYA 2021 on GEO´ Compass™  Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country in Africa with 47 semi-autonomous counties governed by elected governors. At 580,367 square kilometres, Kenya is the world's 48th largest country by total area. With a population of more than 52.2 million people, Kenya is the 27th most populous country. Kenya's capital and largest city is Nairobi while its oldest city and first capital is the coastal city of Mombasa. Kisumu City is the third largest city and a critical inland port at Lake Victoria. Other important urban centres include Nakuru and Eldoret. To receive the full Report direct to your inbox please Click Here to Register Free

Policy Measures to Advance Jordan’s Transition to Renewables- IRENA  on GEO´ Posted By: PRChannel Team - Gibraltar (Remote) www.geopoliticalmatters.com A new report published today by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has identified a series of policy measures that can help advance the energy transition towards renewable energy in Jordan.   The Renewables Readiness Assessment: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – developed in co-operation with Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, suggests opportunities exist to deepen private sector engagement in national efforts to reach a 31 per cent share of renewables in total power by 2030.  “The recommendations of this report comply with the newly issued Energy strategy 2020-2030 and its action plan,” said H.E. Engineer Hala Zawati, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources in Jordan. “We are fully aware that to achieve all these ambitious targets, a strong partnership between the public and private ...

The Geopolitics of Albania - GEO´_Compass™  Report Compiled by: David Cartwright - Newsteam www.GEOPolitical Matters.com Google Indexed at o7:10 on 161020 ALBANIA: Located on Southeastern Europe’s Balkan Peninsula, is a small country with Adriatic and Ionian coastlines and an interior crossed by the Albanian Alps. The foreign relations of Albania are conducted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana. The current minister is de jure Prime Minister Edi Rama due to president Ilir Meta's rejection of the role to be held by the de facto minister, Gent Cakaj, a result of 'a lack of experience' from the latter. Albania is a sovereign country in Southern Europe, and the Mediterranean that declared its independence on 28 November 1912. Its foreign policy, has maintained a policy of complementarism by trying to have friendly relations with all countries. Since the collapse of Communism in 1990, Albania has extended its responsibilities and position in European and interna...

UK When should Rishi Sunak balance the books? Institute for Government on GEO´ Posted by PRChannel Team - Gibraltar (Remote) www.geopoliticalmatters.com Thursday 25 February 2021, 09:30 - 10:30 This is a live online event. Please do not travel to the Institute. Register for the Event Here   The chancellor told the Conservative Party Conference last year that “this Conservative government will always balance the books”. But the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis has led to record borrowing, an increasing debt and a depressed outlook for the economy – and likely tax revenues – in the medium term. However, as the pandemic continues, so will the government’s role in supporting the economy – and the cost of servicing its debt is currently at record lows. So does the government need to embark on a programme of fiscal consolidation? And if so, when? Whether or not Sunak intends to balance the books in this budget, what balance should he strike between tax and spending measures? In...

Bridge the geopolitical distance with Russia - Observer Research Foundation on GEO´ Posted By PR Channel Team - Gibraltar (Remote) www.geopoliticalmatters.com Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla’s forthcoming visit to Moscow is a good occasion to examine the relevance of Indo-Russian ties in a world of changing geopolitical equations, greatly accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The year 2020 saw several trends that impacted both India and Russia — the sharpening rivalry between United States (US) and China, the India-China border tussle, the continuing decline in ties between the West and Russia, and the change of guard in Washington. No issue affected the Indo-Russian relationship as much as the border tensions between India and China. The Chinese aggression, in April/May 2020, in the border areas of eastern Ladakh, brought India-China relations to an inflexion point, but also demonstrated that Russia is capable of contributing to defusing tensions with China. On the other hand, Russia...

GEOPOLITICS: Book Review - MBS  The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman - Review By Iain Fraser - Geopolitical Journalist www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power - By award-winning Wall Street Journal investigative reporters Justin Scheck and Bradley Hope   I was recently sent a copy of Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power by the publishers to review for GEOPolitical Matters readers, by the publishers, so I took it with me to the Sierra´s this last weekend and found this Geopolitical tell-all was more akin to a Hollywood blockbuster or best-selling spy novel than a Geopolitical Expose and I found it impossible to put down. Longlisted for the Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award Written by award-winning Wall Street Journal investigative reporters Justin Scheck and Bradley Hope (co-author of Billion Dollar Whale) Blood and Oil has all the ingredients of a Hollywo...

COP26 is a big moment for Global Britain - Institute For Government on GEO´ Posted By PRChannel Team - Gibraltar (Remote) www.geopoliticalmatters.com COP26 is a big moment for Global Britain – and the planet. Our special Net Zero conference brought together experts from around the world to discuss what needs to be done to make the November summit in Glasgow a success, and I interviewed business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and former climate change secretary Amber Rudd. Global Britain looks rather closed at the moment, with the UK’s new hotel quarantine system set to come into force. Our new paper explored whether the government’s plans are tough enough - and whether they will achieve the government’s aims. We discuss the new border policy on this week’s Inside Briefing. And the first health reform white paper in a decade has been published. It proposes giving more power over the NHS to ministers – but the case for ministerial command and control looks weak . A bonus episode of our podca...

GEO´ The Arctic Institute - Mitigating Geopolitical Competition Posted by GEO´ PR Channel Team - Gibraltar (Remote) www.geopoliticalmatters.com During the past decade, military security has been reclaiming its relevance in the Arctic. The region is becoming more accessible due to rapidly melting ice, giving rise to intensified maritime traffic and resource exploitation. As a result, the circumpolar states are gaining more national assets that they need to protect in the Arctic, including by the deployment of armed forces in the region. This article first overviews the transformation of the Arctic from a militarized region during the Cold War to a “zone of peace” in the Post-Cold War era. It then assesses how the Arctic has been regaining its geopolitical significance since the second half of the 2000s. In particular, Russia’s new strategic interests in the region and consequent militarization of the Arctic have triggered an intensifying competition with the US, which the latter explici...

ATLANTIC COUNCIL - The Geopolitics of emerging tech during the pandemic Posted By PRChannel Team - Gibraltar (Remote) www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com A live GeoTech Hour with panellists sharing insights on lessons learned, ongoing challenges, and requisite next steps to be taken when considering the intersection of geopolitics, modern technologies, and COVID-19 pandemic. DIARY NOTE - Wednesday, 10th February 2021 at 12:00 PM REGISTER HERE As the global community continues to grapple with COVID-19 (coronavirus), the Atlantic Council is open for business. Our business, meetings, and events, however, are occurring virtually. For more information, please read a statement from our President and CEO. Corporations and governments alike continue to struggle with technology policy, especially under the strain of a global pandemic which struck at a moment when the Internet is mature enough to alleviate many of COVID’s harms while also facing novel geopolitical challenges to its design and use. These...

GEO´ INSIGHTS SPECIAL REPORT: The Geopolitics of the Arctic By Iain Fraser - Geopolitical Journalist www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com The Arctic is one of the Earth's most unique environments. It is seasonally snow and ice covered and the indigenous peoples inhabiting it, such as the Sami and the Inuit peoples, adapt to its extreme cold and compose about a third of the Arctic's population. They coexist with the Arctic's unique ecosystems, which are some of the world's most vulnerable to climate change. The Arctic is also home to what is estimated to be nearly a quarter of the world's oil, gas and mineral deposits. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) assesses that the resources within the Arctic Circle account for 22% of undiscovered but recoverable resources in the world. To receive the full Report direct to your inbox please Click Here About Iain Fraser  Geopolitical Journalist & Risk Analyst based in Málaga City, Spain. Currently interim CIO at Argus News Gr...

IOG Delivering Net Zero - Conference Posted by PRChannel Team Gibraltar (Remote) www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com The Institute for Government is hosting an international one-day virtual conference looking at the route to net zero ahead of COP26, the United Nations climate change summit that the UK will host in Glasgow in November. With many countries having adopted targets, the conference will explore the challenges they will face in delivering them identified in the Institute's recent report on net zero. Register for the conference or individual sessions Session 1: 09:00 – 10:00 From Paris to Glasgow: how can the UK make COP26 a success?  Opening keynote speech by Rt Hon Amber Rudd The former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and Home Secretary, who represented the UK at the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference, will be in discussion with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government.  Session 2: 10:45 – 11:45 How can governments get the public on board?...

GEO´ ECFR - The Geopolitics of the European Green Deal  Posted by PRChannel Team - Gibraltar GX11 1AA www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com The European Green Deal will not only profoundly transform the economy but will also have deep geopolitical repercussions.    It will affect geopolitics through its impact on the EU energy balance and global markets; on oil and gas-producing countries in the EU neighbourhood; on European energy security; and on global trade patterns, notably via the carbon border adjustment mechanism.    The EU should prepare to help manage the geopolitical aspects of the European Green Deal.    Relationships with important neighbourhood countries such as Russia and Algeria, and with global players including the United States, China and Saudi Arabia, are central to this effort. In 2019, the European Commission introduced the European Green Deal, an ambitious policy package intended to make the European Union’s economy environmentally sustain...

GEO´ IRENA & IHA forge hydropower partnership Posted BY: PR Channel Team - Gibraltar (Remote) www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com IRENA and IHA forge partnership to advance sustainable hydropower The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Hydropower Association (IHA) collaborate to tackle climate change In recognition of their shared objectives to increase the uptake of renewable energy, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Hydropower Association (IHA) have today signed a formal partnership agreement.  Hydropower is the world’s largest source of renewable energy, contributing over half of global renewable energy installed capacity, and directly employing around two million people.  The agreement sets out IRENA’s and IHA’s joint ambition to accelerate the development, financing and deployment of sustainable hydropower. This will involve future policy and market initiatives aimed at better rewarding hydropower for the c...