In Geopolitics Today - Thursday, March 24th
EU Recognises Need for Action amid US-China Rivalry, China’s Foreign Minister Visits Afghanistan, International PR Firms Behind Ukraine’s Information Dominance
EU Recognises Need for Action amid US-China Rivalry
According to the Internationale Politik Quarterly, — a German-based think-tank with a “Berlin view on foreign affairs,”— European norms are trending toward viewing Sino-US relations as the defining factor affecting disruptions in the internal and global markets in the years ahead. This view is common in European think-tanks today, many of which promote the idea that the EU already recognizes the reality that some form of ideological rivalry exists between China and the United States, and that this rivalry compels the EU to consolidate and centralize.
In this increasingly hostile international environment, EU member states are in a position to choose how to approach this geopolitical reality. Yet economic considerations continue to dominate the agenda for much of Europe. Some EU member states have talked of rising to the challenge by advocating for others within the EU to lean into the bloc's economic strengths. As trade barriers go up due to COVID restrictions, sanctions regimes, wars, the costs associated with conducting trade rise. And with economic considerations at the centre of European politics, European governments have been particularly easy to sway by Beijing, especially with a Washington distracted by two overt wars in the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as a largely covert Global War on Terror.
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China’s Foreign Minister Visits Afghanistan
The Chinese foreign minister has met with the Taliban in a meeting involving high level officials. The meeting is the first such occasion between Afghanistan and a major power since the US-led NATO coalition withdrew their troops, evacuated their forces and ended overt military operations throughout Afghanistan. Since then, the collapse of the previous government and the freezing of Afghanistan’s state assets have plunged the country into financial and humanitarian crises.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the most direct such visit by a high-level Chinese official since the Taliban took power last year. Beijing has overtly sought to maintain ties with the new government in the Islamic Emirate since US-led foreign forces have withdrawn, and perhaps even earlier, when it became clear that Afghanistan’s army had collapsed. However, like other countries, China has not yet formally recognised the Taliban government. Nevertheless, China will not find it difficult to deal with the Taliban, as they are likely to welcome any and all investments from China given the state of their country. For Beijing, a stable and cooperative Kabul would pave the way for a profitable and strategically sound expansion of its Belt and Road Initiative into Afghanistan and elsewhere in Central Asia.
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International PR Firms Behind Ukraine’s Information Dominance
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine commenced last month, the Ukrainian military has effectively captured the imaginations of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Key to the success of the country’s propaganda effort can be explained by a large number of public relations firms working directly with Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Geopolitical conflict is intricately tied to public perceptions because information can be a critical variable in determining public support for policies among populations in any state.
To bolster public perceptions of the Ukrainian military and diminish that of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine and elsewhere, Kiev has actively employed a sophisticated propaganda network with the help of dozens of public relations firms. Ukraine’s influence in the information space reportedly includes language guides, key messages, and hundreds of propaganda posters to be used by agents. For Ukraine’s war effort, public support at home as well as abroad in Europe and the United States is critical as the survival of the current government heavily relies on a constant steam of weapons and other supplies. Without this support, Ukraine would find it difficult to resist the more considerable intelligence and informational resources of the Russian state on its own.
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