Steve McGookinAUKUS submarine deal leaves France fuming
France on Friday recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia after the announcement of a new trilateral security partnership for the Asia-Pacific region meant the Australian government backed out of a multi-billion dollar submarine deal with France. The French embassy in Washington said the move was at the request of President Macron and reflected the “exceptional seriousness” of the developments.
France also withdrew from a defence summit scheduled for London this coming week and the anger in Paris is a blow to President Biden’s attempts to rebuild trust among US allies after four years of “America First”.
Beyond the commercial considerations, the deal has broad implications for co-operation as a mechanism for challenging China’s growing power and is a possible sign of a “new global order”. Or perhaps not.
It also comes days after startling revelations in the US that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley had moved to reassure his Chinese counterpart that the US government was “stable” amid concerns over former President Trump’s mental state and fears that he could launch a military attack.
Tensions between the US and China remain high, particularly over the future of Taiwan.
See Also:
The UK must not walk away from the people of Hong Kong (2020)
Global hubris (2020)
Projecting power (2019)
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Electionpalooza!
This weekend saw a “rally” in Washington DC in support of the Jan 6th insurrectionists who had attempted to subvert last year’s election in favour of former President Trump. Thankfully there appeared to be more police than protesters and it passed off quietly. But rather than stunts in the nation’s capital, the focus is increasingly on local politics and the effectiveness of the Republican campaign to discredit election integrity.
A pro-Trump effort this week to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom failed spectacularly, and the country is now looking ahead to the Virginia gubernatorial contest, where early voting is under way in what looks to be a tight race.
Meanwhile there were elections this weekend in Russia, with President Vladimir Putin expected to continue his grip on power after cracking down on the opposition coalescing around the imprisoned Alexei Navalny.
Monday sees a federal election in Canada, which may turn out to be trickier for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau than he might have expected.
There was a change of government this week in Norway, with significant implications for the country’s energy policy.
And there will doubtless be much chin-stroking about the bigger meaning of the era-ending election in Germany, set for September 26.
See Also:
As Trump’s legal woes mount, the GOP doubles down
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Climate challenge for Johnson’s ‘Global Britain’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address the United Nations to make a pitch for greater collective action on climate change ahead of the COP26 conference in November, despite admitting that the Glasgow summit has “a six in ten chance” of success.
But it’s not all bad news…
See Also:
Broadcasting as usual as the planet burns: Media coverage of the climate breakdown
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Covid travel rules set to change
Despite warnings from some scientists, the government said it will relax covid-related travel and testing restrictions from early October.
Here in Northern Ireland, the Executive looks set to follow England’s rule changes and will discuss them this coming week. Meanwhile, there is confusion and the threat of legal action over the vaccination of schoolchildren, as young people aged 12-15 become eligible for first doses of the vaccine.
See Also:
Lobbying for lung health in the time of Covid
Escaping the Coronavirus (2020)
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UK faces gas crisis amid warnings of Christmas shortages
The government is considering offering emergency loans to energy companies as the rising price of gas – wholesale prices have increased by 250% since January – has put many suppliers in difficulty.
Consumers were urged “not to panic” as crisis talks began, but domestic politics looks set to be roiled for the foreseeable future by a combination of Covid, Brexit and energy vulnerability playing into further supply shortages in the run-up to Christmas and beyond.
As Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle this week focused on one ridiculous, indefinable slogan – “levelling up” – Michael Gove was handed the task of another: “saving Christmas.”
Protests and political statements against the Brexit protocol continue.
But if you’d landed in a spaceship in Northern Ireland this week, you could be forgiven for thinking that the President of Ireland declining an invitation to an event marking the centenary of the partition of the country and the creation of Northern Ireland was the most important story in the world.
Whatever your view, it wasn’t (this may have been, or this). But like too many other things here, the weight of its symbolism meant it was all we thought we had to have an opinion about.
Finally, two men were charged in connection with the murder two years ago of journalist Lyra McKee.
See Also:
NS Hosts: Ann Watt on policy priorities for Northern Ireland
The protocol: Where are we now and where does NI go from here?
A seismic Assembly election on the horizon
The failure of Stormont hasn’t been inevitable since 1998. It’s been inevitable since 1648. (2018)
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See Also Last Week’s Five Points:
Exasperated Biden prompts backlash with vaccine mandate
Before you go, are you a visitor to Northern Ireland? What is it about us that you find most strange, unusual or inexplicable? Is there something we do here that wouldn’t be tolerated where you live? Let us know for a new series we’re planning, ‘Outsider’s Eye’…
Also published on Medium.
