#internationalrelations — Public Fediverse posts

The People Did Vote for Mass Immigration – Through Parliament by Lawson Akhigbe

https://lawakhigbe.com/2026/08/19/the-people-did-vote-for-mass-immigration-through-parliament-by-lawson-akhigbe/

Can a New ‘European Confederation’ Reconnect the UK with the EU?

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://balkaninsight.com/2026/08/19/can-a-new-european-confederation-reconnect-the-uk-with-the-eu/bi/

"I'm going to unilaterally punish you for breaking rules that do not and have never existed and you better not retaliate or there will be big trouble" is, technically speaking, some form of international relations.

It is the stupidest, most counter-productive, hypocritical, internally inconsistent, and laughable form, but still. We don't expect much different from the #stupidest political regime in the history of North America.

I think I speak for much of Canada when I say, with all my heart, sincerely and truly, "Fuck you, Hoekstra" and "Fuck you, Trump".

Mr. Carney, it's time to grow a backbone to put behind those elbows you love talking about but don't actually seem to be capable of using.

#USPol #Trump #MangoMussolini #DumbestStudentIEverTaught #Hoekstra #PeteHoekstra #PersonaNonGrata #Canada #InternationalRelations #diplomacy #swear #curse #Canada #Carney #MarkCarney #PrimeMinister #ElbowsUp

Threatening Friends and Courting Enemies in Trump’s ‘Upside-Down World’

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/us/politics/trumps-upside-down-world.html

🚨 Breaking News: The US decides to play a game of "Who's Got the Bigger Sanction" with the #ICC. Because nothing screams "diplomatic finesse" like targeting international law figures. 🎯👔
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnvnl0elz47o #BreakingNews #InternationalRelations #Sanctions #Diplomacy #PoliticalDrama #HackerNews #ngated

"Growing transatlantic trust deficit" sounds like it just happened. Yet, I distinctly remember the two bulls in the China shop, Donald and Elon, stumped on everything and anything.
#digitalsovereignty #trust #internationalrelations
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/sovereignty-without-borders-decoding-the-transatlantic-digital-relationship-at-a-time-of-change/

Report AZ: Turkic states to create unified digital database of archaeological heritage. “Participants agreed to establish a unified digital database of archaeological heritage. The new program will include joint expeditions and excavations, including at sites along the Great Silk Road and early Turkic monuments. An Electronic Atlas of Archaeological Sites of the Turkic States will also be […]

NepYork: U.S. Imposes New Import Restrictions on Nepal’s Archaeological and Religious Artifacts. “The United States has imposed new import restrictions on a broad range of archaeological and ethnological materials from Nepal, a move intended to curb trafficking and pillaging of the country’s cultural heritage, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in a final rule published […]

Last night I re-watched John Badham's 1983 techno-thriller War Games. The last time I saw the film was decades ago.

Set in the depths of the Cold War the underlining message of the film is the futility of trying to win a nuclear armed conflict.

Which brings me to today and the state of today's international relations. Politicians today are actively considering waging and trying to win wars using nuclear weapons. It appears we have forgotten the lessons that military doctrines such as 'mutually assured destruction' taught us in the days of the Cold War. We have also forgotten that in any nuclear conflagration there are no winners, only losers and those losers will be millions of human beings.

#GeoPolitics #InternationalRelations #Politics #War #Military #Film #Cinema #Movies

🇬🇷 📖

The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East

"This bold reappraisal of Greece as a Near Eastern nation uncovers its Byzantine and Ottoman past as a key to survival in today’s chaotic, shrinking world."

🔗 https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/the-new-byzantines/

#Reading #Nonfiction #Book #Books #Bookstodon #Booksky #Greece #Geopolitics #Politics #InternationalRelations

U.S. and Iran Blow Through Deadline to Agree to a Broad Deal to End War

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/17/world/middleeast/iran-mou-deadline.html

The Sky Becomes a Minefield: How Drone Swarms Are Ending the Age of Air Superiority by Gandalv

https://lawakhigbe.com/2026/08/16/the-sky-becomes-a-minefield-how-drone-swarms-are-ending-the-age-of-air-superiority/

Solidarity Rally with the People of Iran
- bssproj
https://socialistproject.ca/leftstreamed-video/solidarity-rally-with-people-of-iran/
#InternationalRelations #WarPeace #Iran

The Iranian YouTube Show Posing Questions Few Dare Ask

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/world/middleeast/iran-youtube-show.html

The US strategy of structured ambiguity is risky if it signals weakness.

Or is it a masterclass in deterrence? If Beijing challenges the status quo through small steps, the US must respond proportionally.

Dr. Eyck Freymann breaks down the Taiwan Straits dilemma in our latest episode. 🇹🇼🇺🇸

Is it working?

Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/shorts/OtTOx8AomtQ #AnalysePodcast #InternationalRelations #SecurityStrategy #EconomicNerd

Board of Peace: One Fascist Dog-and-Pony Show After Another.

Article republished by Jerry Alatalo | August 14, 2026

[Editor’s note: Here is my very brief comment at MiddleEastMonitor.com:

The title for a Hollywood film depicting the so-called “Board of Peace”, produced along the lines of recent (excellent and deserving) winner of the Oscar for Best Picture “One Battle After Another”:

“One Fascist Dog-and-Pony Show After Another”…

MEMO reader ken_lov wrote:

The so-called “Board of Peace” is of a piece with Trump’s “20 point Gaza peace plan”, his “memorandum of understanding” with Iran, his “summit” with Putin in Alaska, his plans to “denuclearise” the Korean peninsula and countless other farcical projects he’s dabbled in, like a child playing grown-ups. It’s an enduring mystery that so many government officials in other countries keep taking him seriously, when surely they should know better by now.

Over time, the term Dog and Pony Show has evolved to describe any event that is seen as overly elaborate or insincere, often in a business or political setting. This term encapsulates the idea of superficiality in presentations, where the focus is on style rather than meaningful content.]

*

The Board of Peace: The same old prejudice and injustice of the US administration

August 13, 2026 at 4:29 pm

by Ahmed Asmar

World leaders and founding members of the Board of Peace gather for the inaugural meeting at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, United States, on February 19, 2026. [The White House’s X Account – Anadolu Agency]

The recent statement by Nikolay Mladenov, the High Representative of the so-called “Board of Peace,” should not go unquestioned or unnoticed. In an interview with an Israeli news outlet, Mladenov declared that destroying Gaza’s tunnels, which form part of the Palestinian resistance’s military infrastructure, could take up to ten years. Brazenly, and without a hint of irony, he handed the Israeli occupation army a green-light to remain in Gaza for an entire decade. If this is not entrenchment of the occupation, if this is not active complicity with the Israeli vision of indefinite military control over Gaza, then what is it?

This statement, covered in the neutral language of “technical assessment,” is nothing less than a political endorsement of Israel’s expansionist agenda. It signals to the world—and more importantly, to the Palestinian people—that the Board of Peace under the US administration control is not a neutral entity. It is, in reality, a continuation of the infamous legacy of US administrations that have long shielded Israel from accountability while imposing their own terms on the Palestinians. The Board of Peace is not here to deliver justice; it is here to manage the occupation, to lend it an air of legitimacy, and to ensure that Israeli parameters and arrangements are adopted as the baseline for any future “settlement.”

The Board of Peace: A one-sided arbiter

The Board of Peace is not an arbiter; it is a pressure cooker aimed solely at the Palestinians. Since the ceasefire agreement was signed, Israel has killed over 1,200 Palestinians in Gaza. Not a single word of condemnation has been directed at Israel by such Board. Not a single resolution has been passed to hold it accountable. The Board of Peace, eager to maintain its “balanced” image, has instead focused its efforts on extracting concessions from the Palestinians who are enduring an Israeli genocide, demanding that they accept Israeli conditions, while understanding deceivious Israeli security concerns.

Consider the recent episode when Hamas agreed to a roadmap proposed by the Board of Peace for implementing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. Israel rejected it outright. And what was the Board’s response? A careful, diplomatic recognition of Israel’s “security concerns.” Statements following Israel’s rejection were framed entirely within the scope of the Israeli position, including the 10-year period for the Israeli army to remain in Gaza. No pressure. No consequences. No demand for compliance. Once again, the Board demonstrated that its role is not to uphold international law or impose a fair settlement between two warring parties, but to accommodate Israeli intransigence.

Is this a Board of Peace? Or is it an entity that continues the long and shameful path of US prejudice and injustice? The answer is clear. This Board is not a solution; it becomes part of the problem and a vehicle for legitimizing Israeli demands while dismissing Palestinian rights affirmed by international law and UN resolutions.

READ: The Gaza peace Trump announced, and the rejection Netanyahu delivered

A dangerous precedent: Bypassing the UN system

The Board of Peace cannot—and should not—replace the United Nations system. Yet that is precisely what the current US Trump administration is attempting to do. By creating this parallel entity, the US seeks to bypass the international-law-based system that has, for decades, been the bedrock of global governance. The Board is not subject to Security Council vetoes, not bound by the Geneva Conventions, and not accountable to the General Assembly. It answers only to its founders—and their interests.

This is a dangerous precedent, not just for the Palestinians, but for the entire world. It sets the stage for imposing solutions that address one party’s position while ignoring or subduing the other. It signals to every oppressive regime that international law can be circumvented, that the UN can be sidelined or be replaced. If the Board of Peace succeeds in imposing its vision on the Palestinians, what is to stop it from doing the same elsewhere? What is to stop other powers from creating their own “boards” to override the UN system in their spheres of influence?

Even if the Palestinian negotiators were forced to deal with such entity under the crushing weight of the Israeli genocide, this doesn’t mean that the world countries should endorse it or accept it as a de facto imposed entity. For the world community, doing so would amount to entrenching a unipolar system that the entire world wants to dismantle and get rid of its injustices and unfairness in favor of an equitable, multilateral global order.

The Board is not a peace initiative; it is an imperial project. Its goal is not to resolve the Palestinian cause, but to manage it in a way that serves Israeli expansionist ambitions while preserving US regional interests. It is a tool of control, dressed in the language of peace.

A one-man party with no foundation

The Board of Peace is, in reality, a one-man party. Its existence depends entirely on the will of a single imperial leader—one who doesn’t believe in international-law-based world order and seeks to dictate his vision of resolution without understanding the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. It has no strong foundations. It is not rooted in international law, in consensus, or in justice. It is a temporary creation, a tool of convenience for an administration that wants to claim credit for “peace” without paying the price.

If the current administration were to leave office, the Board would likely collapse. It has no institutional memory, no democratic mandate, and no legitimacy beyond the whims of its founders. And yet, while it exists, it continues to cause immense harm. It perpetuates the occupation, delays justice, and deepens the suffering of the Palestinian people.

The world community must recognize the Board for what it is: a tool in the hand of the Trump administration to implement its vision. It must not be allowed to replace the United Nations. It must not be allowed to impose its vision on the Palestinians.

Conclusion

The Board of Peace is yet another sad and dangerous chapter in the long history of US prejudice in dealing with the Palestinian cause. It has proven, time and again, that it is not committed to justice, but to the perpetuation of occupation. It is a body that pressures only the Palestinians, understands only Israel, and bypasses the only system that can deliver justice – the UN.

Even if the Palestinian negotiators were forced to deal with it under the pressure of the Israeli genocide, the world community must not accept it. The world community must remain steadfast in upholding the international-based-order and the UN system that preserves the minimum level of justice for the Palestinians, and must stand in front the US imperialist project that only seeks to perpetuate the world under its hegemony.

Ahmed Asmar

Ahmed Asmar is a journalist and a PhD candidate in International Relations at the Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Turkey.

(Source/credit: MiddleEastMonitor.com)

Reuters: Taiwan says it was targeted last month in AI-driven hacking campaign. “Taiwan has in recent years complained about what it sees as China’s ‘hybrid warfare’ — from daily military drills near the island to disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks — as Beijing ramps up military and political pressure on the democratically governed island to force Taipei to accept its claims of […]

How King Leopold II Of Belgium Killed 10 Million Africans In The Congo – Harrowing Details

https://lawakhigbe.com/2026/08/13/how-king-leopold-ii-of-belgium-killed-10-million-africans-in-the-congo-harrowing-details/

The Law Is a Blunt Instrument by Lawson Akhigbe

https://lawakhigbe.com/2026/08/12/the-law-is-a-blunt-instrument-by-lawson-akhigbe/

Irish War of Independence vs Irish Civil War: What’s the Difference? By Fearghal Fitzgibbon

https://lawakhigbe.com/2026/08/11/irish-war-of-independence-vs-irish-civil-war-whats-the-difference-by-fearghal-fitzgibbon/

National Exclusionism: A Global Problem and the Spanish Case
- bssproj
https://socialistproject.ca/2026/08/national-exclusionism/
#InternationalRelations #Theory #Spain