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

I like…

…the United Kingdom’s Foreign Minister, David Cameron, visit to the Middle East. Cameron visited Israel, the West Bank, Qatar, and Turkiye. Among others, he met with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramallah on January 26. On 27 January, he went to the Emirate of Qatar. Close relations between Britain and Qatar led to their first joint package of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. This includes 17 tons of tents and other humanitarian materials. The British Foreign Secretary stated that “the scale of suffering in Gaza is unimaginable”, stressing that things must be done faster.

…the upcoming elections in Pakistan. The citizens of Pakistan will go to the polls on 8 February to elect their representatives to the National Assembly, and consequently the new cabinet. Three major candidates are running for prime minister. The upcoming elections are crucial for Pakistan, where an economic crisis is unfolding and the security situation is worsening. The Pakistani rupee has dropped significantly to a low record, and inflation is heightened as food, fuel, and medicine costs are rising. The elections may bring some stability back to Pakistan.

I dislike…

…the opposition’s stance in India. On 29 January, two leading opposition figures withdrew from the Congress-led coalition running against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thus increasing his chances of a third reelection. Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee withdrew from the coalition due to disagreements on leadership and the allocation of seats. Additionally, disagreements between the Congress and local parties further weakened the alliance. Despite his popularity, Modi has displayed autocratic tendencies, which could lead to a destabilization of the world’s largest democracy.  

…the UN High Commissioner’s statement about Myanmar. More specifically, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated that human rights in Myanmar are in “free fall” under the military junta. Three years after Myanmar’s military overthrew the democratically elected government, the UN’s top human rights official has called on the international community to intensify its efforts to “hold the military responsible” for numerous crimes and abuses against civilians in the country. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, reliable sources in Myanmar have confirmed that more than 554 people have been killed since October when a coalition of three ethnic armed groups launched attacks against the army. In total, 1600 civilians were reportedly killed by the army last year.