Solriche

Intro - Current s tate of play It’s very difficult to get an accurate picture of what’s going on on the ground. In any conflict the first couple of weeks there’s disinformation, competing narratives, have to take what both sides say with a big pinch of salt. Have to wait until clear pattern emerge and what both sides agree on. One objective Russia has achieved is to take NATO membership off the table for good. What is agreed on is the territory Russia has taken. They are beginning to carve up Ukraine. Map of occupied Ukraine as of 21st March 2022 It’s not looking good for Ukraine, they appear to have lost control of the skies and a lot of the transport infrastructure. They don’t seem to be able to move their troops around freely. There’s also reports of shops running low on food and shortages of medicines in hospitals. In two or three weeks we could be looking at the unfolding of a humanitarian crisis. We should make it clear – Totally condemn invasion...

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Lifting China from a regional to a global power China's 'The Belt and Road' plan is an economic initiative that if successful, will change the world's geopolitical centre of gravity and lift China from a regional to a global power. The $4 trillion project will aim to connect land areas and sea routes into an economic block that will cover about; "65 percent of the world's population, about one-third of the world's GDP, and about a quarter of all the goods and services the world moves." [1] What is The Belt and Road? Belt and Road.  Source : Xinhua Finance Agency, 2015. The Belt and Road seeks to emulate and extend the ancient Silk Routes which established the region, and China in particular, as one of the world's most important regions up to a few centuries ago. As a report by China's State Council puts it: "The Belt and Road Initiative aims to promote the connectivity of Asian, European and African continents and their ...

The Road to February World War One was to temporarily cut across the growing insurrectionary mood in Russia but it was in turn to sow the seeds of revolution… The first world war would have been greeted with some relief by the ruling elite. The opposition parties were gaining strength on the back of a growing wave of discontent. Workers had recovered from the repression that followed the 1905 insurrection. The numbers participating in political strikes had risen from 8000 in 1911 to 500,000 in 1913 and had doubled in the first half of 1914. [1] This movement was halted with the declaration of war in August 1914. Almost in a flash the psychology of the nation changed. There were “…….processions in the streets carrying the Tsar’s portrait……….Those first days of war! How full we were of enthusiasm, of the conviction that we were fighting in a just and holy cause…….” . [2] This general feeling of confident euphoria was not to last long. Initially the Russian army had mixed fort...

Right-wing populism, a socialist answer The neoliberal consensus of the mainstream political parties that had its roots in the 1980s doctrines of Thatcherism and Reaganomics ended in failure with the financial crash of 2007-2008. Polarisation took the place of this consensus leading to a surge of right-wing populist parties and the rise of left-wing movements. Its impact on the tradition parties of the left and right was to force them to adapt or die. This sign posts to a coming period of volatility, ever greater polarisation and upheaval. Traditional left parties, wedded to the establishment consensus, have suffered a string of electoral defeats. These failures have influenced a turn to socialist ideas as an answer to right-wing populism and the problems faced by ordinary people. Fall out of the 2007-2008 financial crash CNN headlines: 2007-2008 Financial Crash The 2007-2008 crash, dubbed the 'Great Recession', was the worse financial shock since the Great Depress...