In recent months relations between Russia and the European Union reached their lowest point since the end of the USSR. This fact, as clear as it is problematic, formed the departure point for the workshop titled “European-Russian Dialogue. From Damage Limitation to Renewed Engagement” held on October 13 in Rome in the context of events being held during the Italian semester of presidency of the European Union.
Argentina has defaulted again, thirteen years after its last and catastrophic financial collapse (2001). At the time, its economy shrank by 11% in one year (2002) and inflation rose above 40%; now, however, things look quite different and the Argentine government, much more optimistic. What has happened? At least three factors can be singled out.
Cina e Taiwan si incontrano e il momento ha il sapore della storia. I ministri per le relazioni tra Repubblica Popolare Cinese e Repubblica di Cina (Taiwan) sono i primi rappresentanti dei due governi a incontrarsi ufficialmente. Per almeno quarant’anni, i partiti che dominano i due paesi, Partito comunista cinese e Guomindang (Partito nazionalista), si sono infatti affrontati con aggressività in campo internazionale per contendersi la legittimità politica di rappresentare il popolo cinese.
Where is China under its (relatively) new president Xi Jinping heading to politically and economically? That question is as open as ever and those analysts and observers who over the last two years sought to make predictions on Beijing’s preparedness to adopt economic and political reforms, have come to realize that China’s political and economic policymaking processes remain too opaque and non-transparent to make predictions which go beyond guess-work.
Abstract
Xi Jinping's first year in power has been all about signalling the challenges to the party's grip on power and indicating how these challenges might be met. Despite a change in emphasis, these challenges have long been established and identifying them is not the same thing as solving them.
Shaun Breslin, is Director of the Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation at The University of Warwick, where he runs a large EU funded project on the EU in a multipolar world.
Can the United States rely on cyber-deterrence – the threat to retaliate in kind if attacked in cyberspace in very damaging ways? The difficulties in attribution were thought decisive until DoD leaders argued that attribution was actually good. Perhaps the attribution of those who repeatedly penetrate systems, haul away copious information, and fear no consequences (e.g., Chinese hackers) is good (it never gets tested). But attribution for cyberwarriors who need only penetrate once, need not haul away large amounts of information, and may well bear consequences is a different thing entirely. The paper also moots how deterrence measures may be applied to stop Chinese hacking when their activity (espionage) is sanctioned by international norms and carried out by other countries (albeit for different reasons), and where the harm done is hard to quantify.
Beijing would vote for Angela Merkel in Germany’s upcoming general elections.