Former US President George Bush dies

George HW Bush, the 41st president of the United States, died on Friday. President Bush had been in and out of the hospital for several years, being treated for a form of Parkinson’s disease. His passing comes eight months after the death of his wife, former First Lady Barbara Bush, who died in April. President Bush was in office from 1989 to 1993, and presided over the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union. He was a decorated Navy pilot in the Second World War, his plane having been shot down in the Pacific in 1944. He lost an election for a second term to President Bill Clinton, amid an economic downturn in the United States.

December 5 has been designated as a national day of mourning, and President Trump has said that he will attend the funeral in Washington. President Trump praised the former President’s “essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family and country.” Prime Minister Theresa May also offered her condolences, saying, “Today Britain remembers a great statesman and a true friend of our country. We send our deepest condolences to the American people and to the family he leaves behind.” Irish President Higgins said Mr Bush “will be remembered for his long life of public service to the people of the United States and as a President who led his country at a period of significant change at national and global level.”

 

Prime Minister Theresa May visits Belfast

Prime Minister Theresa May was in Northern Ireland on Tuesday as part of her UK-wide tour to gain support for her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. She stopped at Queen’s University where she met with business leaders and students (you may recognise Northern Slant’s own Matt O’Neill in the photo below).

Theresa May meets students at Queen’s University Belfast

Prime Minister May also met with all the main Northern Ireland political parties, including those who voted Remain, at Stormont. May has said that her Withdrawal Agreement is the “only deal in town” and the “least worst option.” The DUP has pledged to vote against the deal, which they fear will create regulatory differences between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. DUP leader Arlene Foster said ahead of Theresa May’s arrival in Northern Ireland that the Prime Minister had “given up” on getting a better Brexit deal. In Parliament, the DUP questioned why the PM had not published the full legal advice on the Brexit Deal. Prime Minister May asked the DUP to “think about the national interest.”

 

World leaders go to Buenos Aires for G20 summit

World leaders arrived in Argentina this week for a meeting of the G20. Coverage of the meeting between leaders of the world’s most developed countries usually centres around who will speak to whom (and what will they say!?!?) in the fallout of recent international drama. (Yours truly always likens it to watching people interact in the high school cafeteria the week after prom.) Right off the bat, US President Donald Trump cancelled a meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin over Russia’s actions in Ukraine (Russia has seized three Ukrainian vessels and 24 sailors near Crimea). Facing increased scrutiny over his Russia ties back home, Trump said, “We don’t like what happened. Nobody does.” Putin’s spokesman said Moscow regretted the decision, and that Putin “will have a couple of extra hours in the programme for useful meetings on the sidelines of the summit.” A Russian official later said that the two presidents briefly met.

Trump did speak to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia (known by his initials MBS), even after continued international outcry over the MBS’s involvement in the murder of journalist Khashoggi. Saudi media called the exchange a “friendly meeting,” although President Trump later said “there had been no discussion.” Prime Minister Theresa May also spoke to MBS. A spokesman for No 10 said she had “stressed the importance of ensuring that those responsible for the appalling murder of Jamal Khashoggi are held to account.” Awkwardly, French President Emmanuel Macron’s conversation with MBS was inadvertently recorded, and the Saudi prince can be heard telling Macron “not to worry.” (About what, we wonder?!)

Continuing with awkward exchanges, President Trump on Saturday had dinner with Chinese premier Xi Jinping, over increasing tensions about the US-China trade war. The two and a half hour dinner reportedly “went very well.” President Trump said he had agreed not to boost tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods in the New Year. In exchange, Beijing agreed to buy “very substantial” amounts of agricultural, industrial and energy products.

 

Russia continues to violate international law in Ukraine, ratcheting up tensions in the Sea of Azov

Moscow decided to ratchet up tensions with Kiev this week, seizing several Ukrainian vessels and sailors in the Sea of Azov. According to a 2003 agreement, Russia and Ukraine have dual control of the Sea of Azov—most notably, the narrow Kerch Strait which Ukraine relies on to connect its shipping industry to the Black Sea. (Perhaps taking advice from Boris Johnson, after Russia illegally seized Crimea in 2014, Putin built a bridge across the Kerch Strait to connect Crimea to Russia—in blatant violation of international law and making navigating Ukrainian vessels through the narrow strait even more difficult.) Since May, Russia has increasingly annoyed Ukrainian vessels in the Sea of Azov, detaining over 150 Ukrainian commercial ships which has economically impacted the Ukrainian shipping industry. Last Sunday, in a marked escalation, Russia blocked the strait and opened fire on several ships—boarding and detaining Ukrainian sailors and ships. Currently, 24 Ukrainian soldiers are still detained in Moscow.

In response, Ukraine’s president Petro Poroshenko declared martial law in several Ukrainian provinces and imposed a travel ban on Russian men between the ages of 16 to 60 in order to prevent “Russia from forming private armies on its soil.” During the conflict in Eastern Ukraine in 2014, many Russian soldiers were found fighting amongst Ukrainian militias, prompting accusations of a ‘light’ invasion by Russia. Russia had previously soldiers found in Ukraine had simply been on vacation or had gotten ‘lost’, prompting Canada in NATO to tweet this helpful map.

 

The EU prepares to sanction Italy 

On Thursday, EU finance ministers gave the green light for the European Commission to prepare disciplinary action against Italy. The Commission argued that Italy is not complying with EU fiscal regulations. The EU has a cap on member nations’ debt, which cannot exceed 60% of a nation’s gross domestic product. Italy’s debt is currently more than 130% of its GDP (more than double the EU ceiling), and its proposed 2010 budget is not forecasted to reduce debt. If Rome does not comply with the EU regulations, Italy could face a fine of up to €9 billion. Italian Economy Minister Giovanni Tria said, “We need to take into account the fears of our European partners, the degree of uncertainty in the markets and in particular in the financial markets . . . Above all we must take into account of the uncertain economic context in which we are moving and the high level of the spread which weighs on this context.” If Italy makes changes to its draft budget in the coming days, the disciplinary procedure can still be stopped.

Also published on Medium.