Every Monday, the Research Trainees of the CERESE assess the news of the previous week. You can read their opinions below:

I like…

…the interview by the President of the Russian Federation. Vladimir Putin gave the interview, which was broadcast in the US, to the American conservative presenter and journalist Tucker Carlson. Putin promised not to invade Poland and Latvia and ruled out the idea of ordering his army to invade those countries, in which Moscow “has no interests”. Another important point of his interview was that he considers it possible to agree on the release of the American journalist of the Wall Street Journal Evan Gerskovich, who remains imprisoned in Russia for almost a year. This development is particularly positive in the already geopolitically turbulent international scene, showing the first steps of compromise between the West and the Russian Federation of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

…the signing of a cooperation agreement between Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands, which approves the free movement of troops among the three contracting states. Specifically, this agreement led to the creation of a military version of the Schengen Zone, originally established by NATO member states to defend Ukraine against the Russian invasion. The agreement is noteworthy as the participating countries are members of the European Union. As a result, it may potentially catalyze the future strengthening of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy. Simultaneously, the freedom of movement of armed forces transforms the geopolitical landscape, forming an axis that connects the two ends of Europe.

I dislike…

…the news that the Central Election Commission of Russia rejected the candidacy of Boris Nadiezdin. In particular, the CEC refused to register him as a candidate because it found problems with the signatures that he and his allies had gathered to support him for the March election process. Nadiezdin opposes Russia’s war in Ukraine and has announced that he will appeal to Russia’s Supreme Court. In modern societies, the acceptance or otherwise of a candidate’s political position should be judged by popular will and always during the electoral process.

…the decision by the Central Bank of Iraq. More specifically, it is a revocation of the license to operate the branch of the largest Iranian bank, Bank Melli, on 8 February 2024, citing international sanctions as well as the limited activities of the latter. Given the close relationship between Baghdad and Washington, the correlation can be made with the US imposing sanctions on the said bank in 2018, alleging that it was used by the Revolutionary Guards to distribute funds to Iraqi Shiite groups. This move is part of a broader effort by Iraqi authorities to crack down on the smuggling of dollars into Iran through the Iraqi banking system.