The last week was busy in diplomacy, economy and on security field too. Greece failed to form a new government, new elections will be held in June, this news shook the euro zone, then the G8 summit started in the US, later the NATO summit in Chicago…
The G8 summit was full of tensions, uncertainties: The European leaders arrived to Camp David with the latest news from Greece: the parties failed to form a government, far right and far left strengthened in the elections both extremist parties refusing the austerity measures proposed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Sarkozy. And new elections will be held in June , until then a caretaker government runs the country. But this was more than enough to cause tremors in the weakened euro zone. Merkel suggested that Greeks may consider a vote on euro, later UK PM David Cameron said that the next Greek elections will be a referendum on the euro too, meanwhile the ECB and the European Council got ready to the worst case scenario: the Greek euro exit. But it’s not only Greece who caused troubles for the current European leaders and for Obama.. : Newly elected French president, Hollande.. He refused Merkel’s fiskalpakt which was signed by Sarkozy. Hollande wants to renegotiate the austerity measures: just like Obama in the US, Hollande wants to stimulate economy instead of cuts and tax ‘reforms’ .. a good idea: Obama achieved some growth in the US, while David Cameron’s cuts caused a double dip recession in the UK.
Syria, Iran and the DPRK were on the table too, just like Afghanistan. The leaders mainly agreed on every issue but Syria is still an unsolved case thanks to China and Russia who still support Assad and also Iran, who while hit by sanctions started to rearm Syria.
Speaking of Iran: The IAEA’s chief allowed to visit the country. Yet another chance to ease tensions because both the US and Israel said military options are on the table because Tehran’s nuclear program which according to Iran is peaceful. Otherwise no one can be certain whether its really peaceful or they are getting ready to create their first nuclear weapon. Russian deputy foreign minister said his country would like to avoid another war in the region. Supportable idea but then I’d like to ask Moscow to stop supporting Iran..
Afghanistan: Obama scheduled the end of Afghan mission in 2014 but he didn’t put Hollande to the equation. The new president of the republic promised in his campaign that he’ll pull out the French troops from Afghanistan till the end of 2012 .. And he keeps his promises. Obama and the NATO rescheduled the whole mission, and now it seems that the Afghan operation will end in mid 2013 but France will pull out in this year. This news first shocked the Alliance since the French is the 5th biggest participant of the Bush era’s war. But later both Rasmussen and other top military leaders said that NATO will reshuffle its troops so the loss of France wont affect the mission at all.
Now you can see how messed up diplomacy nowadays… We needed a socialist French president, an African-American US president, crippling economy, nuclear threat, Syrian massacre a G8 and a NATO summit to continue things what were frozen for months or years.
The whole world started to move in an instant, now I think we need to change. Either holding G8 summits weekly or reorganizing diplomacy and getting serious about it. Because most of these questions are tied to foreign policy of the participants.
But then again, why the most powerful leaders of the globe can’t act simply on a daily base without summits? They don’t care or they need to mess up international relations, economy and security to be able to do something….
Is it only me who finds it disturbing?
