Europe

"I actually think [this diplomatic spat] is a storm in a tea cup. It’s going to blow over very quickly. President Trump - we know - has a thin skin but we know he also moves on in a matter of hours. Often the people he has squabbled with become his best friends. Don’t forget Kim Jong-un called him a ‘Dotard’ and now they are in love. [From 30:00] "

BBC PM - 09/07/2019

Kicking the Can Down the Road: The Law Commission’s Report on UK Anti-Money Laundering Law

Helena Wood

The Law Commission’s report provides useful analysis of the problem but lacks a bold blueprint for reform of the UK’s suspicious activity reporting regime.

"“The problem with the French approach is not so much omitting religion. What is more problematic is the enforced secularism,” says Raffaello Pantucci, director of International Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute, a think tank on defense and security issues based in London. “Most people radicalize for a variety of personal reasons, with religion or extremist ideas providing a useful frame for them to articulate their unhappiness through. For some, religion is a solace which helps. To instead push a line which aggressively pushes religion to one side can have a counterproductive effect,” Pantucci adds. "

France combats extremism with secularism — and a hotline

Taking Stock and Looking Ahead: The European Union’s Approach to Conflict Management in the Eastern Partnership

Stefan Wolff

The EU recently marked the 10th anniversary of its Eastern Partnership, a cooperation framework directed at Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, countries critical to European security but not facing the immediate and sometimes not even distant prospect of EU membership.

"Russia and China have often competing, but occasionally overlapping political, economic and security interests in countries across the world. These interests can converge in places, such as the Arctic, or diverge, as in their growing competition on the arms market, and as they compete for global recognition as powerful political players. Central Asia is often overlooked as a theatre in which Russian and Chinese interests come together, and where the five republics are caught between the influences of these two large powers. "

The battle for hearts and minds in Central Asia: Russia vs. China

Shangri-La Dialogue: Europe Navigating Asia Amidst a US–China Standoff

Veerle Nouwens

This year’s Annual Shangri-La Dialogue set the stage for confrontation between China and the US. The now former US Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan launched Washington’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, while China upped its participation by being represented at ministerial level for the first time since 2011. The message of both protagonists was clear – neither the US nor China is backing...