Dr Kush Kanodia’s Post

Labour’s Israel-Gaza Stance: Potential Impact on UK Foreign Relations In the aftermath of significant allegations of antisemitism within The Labour Party , Keir Starmer has sought to distance the party from the antisimetic rhetoric under Jeremy Corbyn. Following Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza, Labour’s position on the issue cost them the Rochdale by-election and is expected to cause some electoral damage on Thursday. This article looks at the specifics of Labour’s policy on Gaza and also explores what a Labour government’s foreign policy agenda is likely to look like in the region, should they form the next UK Government. For more insight, click 👇 https://lnkd.in/gfmtsYiZ #GE2024 #generalelection #UKPolitics #PoliticsUK #UKGovernment #ForeignPolicy #IsraelGaza #IsraelHamasWar #LabourParty #InternationalDiplomacy #Gaza #Israel

'For there is an unspoken contract between the Australian government and those who have come to make their home in Australia and contribute to its future: they have a right to be free of the coercion, politics and prejudices of authoritarian governments they’ve left behind; and our government has a duty to safeguard the social cohesion we strive for in Australia.' My latest article for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Strategist, reflecting on the threat posed by foreign interference to Australia's diaspora communities and to social cohesion - and the part being played by agencies like ASIO in countering that threat, is now up. https://lnkd.in/eMTDJjJU

Von der Leyen’s message was clear: the #EU’s support for #Ukraine is non-negotiable, and #Hungary’s hesitation to contribute is a problem. Tensions rise as Hungary ignores EU deadline on Russian, Belarusian entry rules. #Orban’s government has long been criticised for its close ties with #Moscow, with #Hungary often seen as the EU’s most Russia-friendly member. This has led to tensions over #Hungary’s reluctance to join broader EU efforts to support #Ukraine. Since the war began in 2022, #Hungary has resisted sending weapons to Kyiv and has delayed decisions on financial aid. Von der Leyen did not hold back in criticising Orban’s stance, particularly his push for an early peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. She took aim at those "who blame this war not on the invader but on the invaded, not on Putin's lust for power, but on Ukraine's thirst for freedom." #Orban’s speech to the European Parliament was part of #Hungary’s presentation of priorities for its six-month presidency of the EU Council, a role it assumed in July 2024. However, his approach to foreign policy – particularly his uncoordinated trips to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing earlier this year – has caused friction with Brussels. These visits were meant to promote peace talks but were widely seen as undermining EU unity. One critic, Manfred Weber of the European People's Party, dismissed Orban’s peace efforts, calling them a "big propaganda show for the autocrats". Hungary assumes EU presidency amid controversies and corruption concerns. 'Democratic backsliding'. Orban also faced significant criticism over Hungary’s democratic record. Since returning to power in 2010, Orban has steadily consolidated control, #restricting media #freedom and tightening his grip on the #judiciary. These moves have sparked multiple clashes with EU institutions, which have #frozen billions of euros in #funding for #Hungary over concerns about the rule of law. #Orban’s speech acknowledged the "most serious period" in the EU’s history, pointing to conflicts on its borders and a "migration crisis" that he said threatened the Schengen zone’s open borders. He warned that the system could "fall apart" without significant reforms. However, his remarks did little to calm his critics. Green Party co-leader Terry Reintke was blunt in her assessment: "You are not welcome here. This is the house of #European #democracy." #Orban’s government has drawn particular #criticism over its handling of #migration. Von der Leyen singled out #Hungary’s early release of convicted people-traffickers, accusing Orban of "throwing problems over your neighbour’s fence". She also condemned #Hungary’s visa scheme for #Russian nationals, calling it "a back door for foreign interference". https://lnkd.in/dxeGFbNT

The government will soon be facing its first major foreign policy challenge. In taking a decision to oppose the roll over (extension) of the UNHRC Resolution 51/1 of October 2022, the government is going to stick to the policies of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government rather than to innovate. In it, the UNHRC decided, among other matters, to extend and reinforce the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to collect and preserve evidence of gross human rights violations. This time around, however, the situation can be different and the Sri Lankan government may still respond differently. For the first time since the UNHRC resolutions on Sri Lanka made their appearance starting in 2009, Sri Lanka has a government in which none of its members can be accused of having participated in the excesses committed during the course of the war. Instead of continuing on the confrontational path taken by the two previous governments, an option for the new government would be to take the position, if not now then at subsequent sessions of the UNHRC which meets three times each year, that it needs time to study the provisions in the resolution, ascertain the present state of implementation and what it can implement in the next year. As in the case of the IMF agreement, where it has struck a pragmatic note the Dissanayake government can take the position that it will propose amendments to the resolution at the next or subsequent sessions of the UNHRC. The ideal would be a resolution both Sri Lanka and the UNHRC can agree to. There is significant goodwill towards Sri Lanka within the UN system which has been heightened by the peaceful transition of power that has taken place in the aftermath of the presidential election. https://lnkd.in/eEUNQK_q

⚡ How do the criticisms of the US's Gaza policy and the resignation process affect the dynamics in international relations? Discover current developments and political analysis in this article.…

I support a strong foreign policy toward Canada. India-Canada relations should not be the prisoner of any one party. #IndiaCanadaTussle Canada 2030 Agenda

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and The Rt Hon Lord 11 April 2024: Russia should release Kara-Murza immediately on humanitarian grounds: Foreign Secretary on the anniversary of Vladimir Kara-Murza's arrest . Foreign Secretary David Cameron marks 2 years since the arrest of Vladimir Kara-Murza for opposing Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said: Two years on from Vladimir Kara-Murza’s arrest on fabricated charges, I urge the Russian authorities to release him immediately on humanitarian grounds. A committed human rights activist striving for a democratic Russia, and an outspoken critic of the war in Ukraine, Mr Kara-Murza was considered a threat by the Kremlin. Putin locked him up in a bid to silence him.  We must call out Russia’s callous disregard for his declining health. The victim of two separate poisoning attempts prior to his imprisonment, Mr Kara-Murza is now being subjected to degrading and inhumane conditions in prison, clearly designed to further damage his physical and mental well-being. He has been refused the urgent medical treatment he so desperately needs.  Through diplomatic interventions at the highest levels, financial sanctions targeted at those behind his poisoning and imprisonment, and by raising his case on the international stage, we are sending a clear message that the UK will not stand for this abhorrent treatment of one of our citizens.  Russia’s depraved treatment of political prisoners must end.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs  (Office of the Spokesperson) *** Press Release No. 42/2024 Pakistan Makes a Strong Case at the International Court of Justice for Ending Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian territories   Pakistan presented its oral statement before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague today in context of the ongoing hearing on the “Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.” Pakistan’s inter-ministerial delegation to the hearing was headed by the Federal Minister for Law & Justice, Mr. Ahmed Irfan Aslam. Delivering the oral statement on behalf of Pakistan, the Federal Minister for Law & Justice said that Israeli occupation continued to severely impede the exercise of the right to self-determination by the Palestinians. Through its illegal settlement policy, Israel is trying to create “irreversible facts on the ground;” perpetuate its illegal occupation; and deny access to the Holy places in Jerusalem. Israeli policies and practices amount to systematic racial discrimination and apartheid against the Palestinians. The ICJ would fail to discharge its judicial functions if it did not stop Israel from profiting “from its own continued grave wrongs.” The oral hearing comes at a time when the Palestinians are facing a brutal onslaught from the Israeli occupation forces. In this backdrop, the Government and the people of Pakistan continue to express their unwavering solidarity with their Palestinian brothers and sisters at all international forums, including at the ICJ. Pakistan has been calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, provision of sufficient, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian assistance to the besieged people of Gaza, and the need for a just, comprehensive and durable solution through the establishment of a secure, viable, contiguous and sovereign State of Palestine on the basis of the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. Islamabad 23 February 2024 mofa.gov.pk

My latest report for the Institute of Economic Affairs - London is cited in The Sun, The Mail, The Express and The Times today. The report, 'Robin Hood in Reverse', found UK aid has gone to regions of upper-middle-income countries with GDP per capita figures equal to or in excess of those reported in large parts of the UK over the last five years. One of the recipients, Ordos in China, has a GDP per capita of £27,500 – more than 69 UK regions. Projects funded in these relatively well-to-do regions include AI-driven anti-congestion measures for Kuala Lumpur, an all-female traditional Chinese opera in Shanghai and a rural crafts exhibition in Shenzhen. In Mexico City, British taxpayers funded a temporary cycle lane and financial technology education. The paper argues people in left-behind Britain should not be taxed to fund handouts for tiger economies' most opulent regions. Instead, UK foreign aid should be targeted on stamping out infectious diseases and ending hunger in the world's most destitute communities. Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/eyXvCjkg Read The Sun's write up here: https://lnkd.in/eU5_XCPr The Daily Mail's write up here: https://lnkd.in/exUeA9p2 #development #aid #policy #thinktank