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

I like the attitude of the international community towards Israel’s attempts to build settlements in the West Bank. In particular, Israel announced the legalization of nine unauthorized outposts and approved the planning and construction of nearly 10,000 new settlement units in existing settlements, in violation of the 1967 Convention. The US and several European states disagreed with Israel’s actions and deemed them illegal under international law. Israel considers this to be a response to the illegal building of Palestinian settlements. However, in any case, this is a violation of an international treaty and it is positive that the international community is opposing it.

I like the statement by the Chairman of the Independent National Election Commission of Nigeria Mahmood Yakubu, that the country is ready for elections, which are set to begin on the 25th of February. He stated that the Commission has secured all the necessary means to travel to the whole country, thanks to collaboration with the worker unions for drivers and seamen; he also confirmed that the military will protect the election process, as well as the journalists and foreign observers covering it. Incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari will not be running due to term limits, leaving this election to four brand new candidates. These elections can change the current balance of power in Africa.

I dislike the fact that Russian Duma approved the withdrawal of Russia from the New START Treaty. New START, a nuclear arms reduction treaty, was signed by the leaders of Russia and the USA in 2010. However, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, supported the withdrawal of the Russian Federation; according to his statement, this is due to the West aiming to destroy Russia. On the other hand, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Ryabkov, said that their withdrawal from the New START Treaty does not entail a nuclear war.

I dislike that North Korea fired a ballistic missile without warning, which traveled over northern Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean. This is a highly provocative and reckless act that marks a significant escalation in its weapons testing program; a program that aims to develop North Korea’s nuclear capabilities at the highest possible speed and push for overall weapons advancement. The last time North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan was in 2017. This marks yet another missile launch by North Korea, as well as the most ballistic missiles fired in a single year since Kim Jong Un took power in 2012.