FOCUS on Data Privacy: European Union
The European Parliament, the European Union’s legislative body, recently announced that it is banning TikTok, a video sharing app, from its staffers’ phones, according to Al Jazeera.
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Europe
Western Nations Pledge Tanks to Ukraine
Tanks have played an important part in the Ukrainian conflict and continue to show their dominance on the battlefield. Russia has recently made the move to introduce their supposed cutting-edge T-14 Armata tank onto the battlefield, although intelligence reports have shown that the T-14s have been plagued with problems ever since they were introduced in 2015, reports Newsweek.
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FOCUS on NATO: The Origins and Direction of NATO Cooperation
New threats to European security and the expansion of new world powers have set a different tone for NATO cooperation since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, many of the fears and divisions that led to the creation of NATO in the first place–such as the spread of communism and the ideological differences separating the West from the East–remain.
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FOCUS on NATO: Giving Aid
The U.S. and Germany are not the only NATO members looking to give aid to Ukraine. Newsweek reports that Poland and Finland, which are not a part of NATO but have requested to join the alliance, have both publicly voiced willingness to send tanks to Ukraine.
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How Ukraine’s Possible NATO Accession Will Change Eastern Europe
In the midst of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has formally requested to have his country’s application for NATO membership fast-tracked, reports Politico. After months of consideration by Ukraine and its western allies, it seems that the war-torn country has finally decided where it wants to be in the future.
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Putin Announces Annexation of Eastern Ukrainian Regions
The Russian Federation officially announced the annexation of four eastern Ukrainian regions in a ceremony on September 30. According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporozhye (known as Zaporizhzhya in Ukrainian) were now a permanent and indisputable part of Russia according to Article I of the UN Charter.
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The Futility of Vladimir Putin’s Mobilization
This past week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a mobilization of 300,000 new troops to support the Russian Army in the Russo-Ukrainian War, according to Politico, which published an official translation of Putin’s decree. This mobilization is an attempt to reinvigorate the Russian armies that are currently being pushed back in a massive Ukrainian counteroffensive.
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FOCUS on the Global Energy Crisis: Europe
Germany, along with the greater European Union, has promised to boost its lending to major energy firms as rising energy prices threaten to extend their crushing grip on the industry. According to Reuters, the European Commission has targeted specific paths to reduce electricity consumption along with placing a revenue cap on non-gas fueled plants.
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U.S. Allies Doubt Iran Nuclear Deal Revival is Imminent
With the latest effort to revive the Iranian nuclear deal, U.S. allies have stated that they have “serious doubts” that Iran and the U.S. will strike a deal, reports Reuters. President Biden promised to restore the nuclear agreement during his 2020 presidential campaign, yet negotiations appear to be delayed ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
Read MoreIndia’s Neutral Foreign Policy Threatened by Ukraine Crisis
On February 24, Russia made the conscious decision to invade Ukraine for yet another time since 2014. This active encroachment into non-Russian territory, which was condemned internationally, triggered the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, reports Reuters. Although Europe has been heavily affected by this Russian aggression, the actions taken by those less impacted by the conflict will set the tone for how the international community reacts to similar crises in the future.
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