Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Post

NEW: This article explores the challenges facing two of the most prominent historical analogies today, countering the widespread use of the “Thucydides Trap” and “Cold War 2.0” analogies in US-China foreign policy discourse. https://lnkd.in/gGVvAjvJ

Learn more about the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law's new project in #Georgia 🇬🇪  entitled ‘Empowering Voices for Inclusive Peace and Security‘ on our website: https://lnkd.in/eWg8f-wZ In #collaboration with our local partner, the Civil Council on Defense and Security, we started this new project funded by the Auswärtiges Amt (Federal Foreign Office) Germany as part of the programme ‘Expanding Cooperation with Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership Countries and Russia’. #RuleOfLaw #FeministForeignPolicy #Batumi #Kutaisi 🔵 Read more ⬇

Happy July 4th to all!! What is the Fourth of July? The Fourth of July celebrates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The Declaration announced the political separation of the 13 North American colonies from Great Britain. Fourth of July celebrates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The Declaration announced the political separation of the 13 North American colonies from Great Britain. #july4th, #Independence

A must-read piece for those implementing Australian aid funded programmes and those working in the development space in the Pacific. I read with much intrigue and totally concur with the two authors' (Dame Meg Taylor and Soli Middlebay) analysis of the Australian aid support to the Pacific and how it's delivery has lost its effectiveness and efficiency over the years owing to three key factors highlighted in this piece (extract below) Findings (by Taylor & Middlebay) We see three clear shifts in Australian aid over the last decade: (1) aid has become more politicized, deployed to support Australian interests; (2) aid has been increasingly privatized as much of the aid has been spent through four large Australian and international corporations—with local Pacific companies marginalized; and (3) aid has been increasingly contested by the peoples of the Pacific. Such changes have encouraged donors to tighten their grip on power. They have encouraged intermediaries to act as their agents, performing high levels of “interpretive labour.” They compete for donor custom and favour. Recipients of aid have been left with few options: they can comply with donors, thanking them for their generosity. They may resent the way they have been stripped of agency, perhaps looking to China for a different relationship. Aid of this character is not development. Rather, it is an unchecked donor-driven system, beset by excessive power and control to benefit the system and its agents. Such aid may result in some success, but it systematically fails to empower Pacific agency

This analysis by Sultan Zahidov examines the main aspects of French and German foreign policy after the Cold War, focusing on the concepts of "Grandeur" and "Zeitenwende" as guiding principles of French and German foreign policy, respectively. ⬇ https://lnkd.in/eXrSpM-j

Today we fulfilled our legislative commitment with the proclamation of the Path to Treaty Act 2023 and the appointment of the five members of the Truth Telling and Healing Inquiry and the 10 members of the First Nations Treaty Institute Council. The Inquiry will be led by Joshua Creamer whose decade long experience as a Barrister working on human rights class actions, will play a critical role in building a shared understanding of our state’s history. The 10 eminent members of the First Nations Treaty Institute Council bring extensive experience, connections and insight to guide and lead truth-telling and healing in Queensland. The Path to Treaty will advance our Governments commitment to Closing the Gap with the progression towards enduring agreements between First Nations peoples and the government. https://lnkd.in/gehxhdCD #closingthegap

Briefing on the history of federalism in the European Parliament by Wolfram Kaiser traces the organisation and networking of European federalists and their impact on European integration from outside and inside the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Parliament (as it called itself from 1962 onwards) of today's European Union. It demonstrates how federalists and their constitutional ideas embedded in draft constitutions, which were never ratified, nevertheless strongly impacted Treaty reform and the EU's constitutionalisation in the long run. Briefing available here: https://lnkd.in/efuWi9iN #federalism

The 78th session of the #UN General Assembly has begun, with Dennis Francis of #TrinidadandTobago🇹🇹 sworn in as UNGA President. "High-level week" will take place between 19-25 September with state leaders & foreign ministers convening for speeches and engagements in New York. For more on the practical utility of the United Nations, check out this explainer from Parley Policy⬇️

More on what informed the United States' decision to select The Gambia for the Millennium Challenge Cooperation (MCC) Compact, watch this interview with Jason Small, Managing Director of MCC for Africa who visited The Gambia in January this year.

FEDERALIST PAPERS 1787   GREAT BRITAIN GAVE UP THE WESTERN TERRITORY IN THE PEACE TREATY. TO SETTLE THE DISPUTES OVER IT, CONGRESS HAD THE STATES GIVE IT TO THE UNITED STATES. IF THE CONFEDERACY BROKE UP, STATES THAT HAD GIVEN UP THE PROPERTY WOULD PROBABLY WANT IT BACK. THE OTHER STATES WOULD INSIST ON A PART, ARGUING THAT THE TERRITORY WAS ACQUIRED BY JOINT EFFORT OF THE CONFEDERACY.      Please share