MULTILATERAL: Ukraine’s NATO Membership & more – 8th Oct 2024

Saluton from BA! This is the Rorshok Multilateral Update from the 8th of October twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the world's major multilateral institutions.

Let’s kick off this edition with the renewed NATO controversy over Ukraine’s potential membership. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico vowed to oppose Ukraine’s entry into NATO on Saturday the 5th, as he has advocated for better relations with Russia and sees Ukraine’s NATO membership as an impediment. His position contrasts sharply with the view of Mark Rutte, NATO's new secretary general, who just two days prior said that Ukraine is now closer than ever to becoming a member and will stay on this course. Since NATO’s treaty requires unanimous consent for new members, Fico’s opposition could prevent Ukraine from joining the alliance until his current term ends in twenty twenty-seven.

On Friday the 4th, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban cautioned that the European Union could face an economic cold war with China and declared his intention to vote against the EU's proposal to raise tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports. While the tariffs are expected to pass, Orbán emphasized that Hungary would oppose them, warning that Europe’s shift toward economic protectionism could harm the EU’s economy. Orban has often opposed the actions of much of the EU, and has frequently been accused of having authoritarian tendencies that weaken the bloc.

On the same day, at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of Georgia’s Parliament met with the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to discuss the Georgian parliamentary election later this month. While the Georgian official underscored the government's dedication to ensuring transparent elections and appealed to international actors to oversee and impartially evaluate the electoral process, there are already fears that the incumbent party will cause election irregularities to win.

The meeting took place on Friday the 4th, about three weeks before the elections. While the OSCE has the power to monitor elections, it remains to be seen whether its efforts will bring legitimacy to these elections. Now, Georgia sees competing influence between democracies in Europe and the United States, and Russia.

In other news, on Thursday the 3rd, The United Nations Security Council reaffirmed its solid support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, following Israel's foreign minister's announcement that he would not be allowed to enter the country. In a statement, the council asserted that any refusal to interact with the UN Security Councill or the organization itself is not helpful, especially amid the rising tensions in the Middle East. The news come just days before the anniversary of the October 7th attacks on Israel in twenty twenty-three. The United Nations as a whole has been a forum for all nations to voice their interests and concerns related to Israel’s conflict with Hamas, particularly associated with the well-being of civilians in Gaza. As United Nations member states view their interests and the conflict differently, there is not a common consensus on what a practical solution would entail.

Speaking of attacks in the Middle East, The World Health Organization's head reported on Thursday the 3rd that almost thirty medical professionals were killed in Lebanon in twenty-four hours due to Israeli airstrikes and military engagement against Hezbollah. He said that many healthcare workers are not showing up for duty and are evacuating their workplaces due to the ongoing bombardments. He called for improved protections for medical personnel, highlighting that the current situation severely disrupts the ability to deliver trauma care and sustain health services.

On Friday the 4th, The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for six men accused of being involved with a notorious Libyan militia, held responsible for many murders and other atrocities. Prosecutor Karim Khan revealed that three of the men were either top leaders or prominent members of the Al Kaniyat militia, while the other three were Libyan security officials. Arrest warrants for four of the suspects were issued in April twenty twenty-three, followed by the final two in July, but they have remained sealed until now.

For our second story about Libya, according to a report released on Thursday the 3rd, supply disruptions in the country caused the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, to reduce oil production to its lowest point this year. The OPEC produced twenty-six million barrels per day last month, marking a decrease of nearly 400,000 compared to August's figures. Libya was the main contributor to the decline amid political tensions over the control of the central bank, which also helped drive up oil prices. Still, Libya’s production is expected to recover soon.

Sri Lanka’s finance ministry said on Friday the 4th that the country’s plan to reduce its $12.5 billion US dollar debt got strong support from the International Monetary Fund and other nations. In May twenty twenty-two, Sri Lanka failed to pay back its foreign loans for the first time, as it was hit by a major financial crisis at the time. Sri Lankan officials recently made a deal with its lenders to reorganize its debt.

In the Americas, a delegation of Counselors from the Inter-American Development Bank's Board of Executive Directors made an official visit to Belize from Monday the 30th of September to Friday the 4th of October. During these site visits, the delegation evaluated the progress of the initiatives by interacting with key stakeholders involved in daily operations to better understand the challenges and successes of the projects. The bank’s current projects in Belize include efforts to ensure financial stability, private sector productivity, and human welfare generally.

Next up, according to the International Organization on Migration, after a violent gang attack in central Haiti on Thursday the 3rd resulted in at least seventy casualties, nearly over six thousand people have been forced to flee their homes. The organization reported that the vast majority of those who fled are being hosted by family members in other parts of the country. On Friday the 4th, the European Union condemned the bloodshed. In response, the Haitian government deployed a special police unit from Port-au-Prince to Pont-Sondé and sent medical supplies to aid the region’s only hospital, which has been overwhelmed by the medical catastrophe.

The World Economic Forum has unveiled a new and innovative Playbook of Solutions to accelerate the flow of capital into clean energy projects in the Global South. The list presents 100 scalable strategies related to policy, financing, and risk management from forty-seven countries, all aimed at unlocking sustainable clean energy funding in developing regions. According to the World Economic Forum, its mission is to facilitate cooperation between the private and public sectors. Its solutions to global issues are sometimes used by both private and public sectors.

For our final story this week, on Friday the 4th, Ermira Fida, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, stated that scientific research is essential for informing climate action to protect people from the negative effects of climate change She highlighted recent severe weather incidents, such as Hurricane Helen in the United States, which have drawn global attention and illustrated the intensifying consequences of climate change, affecting millions. She urged legislators to transform scientific insights into concrete actions that can help victims of climate change.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

Do you know that besides the Rorshok Multilateral Update, we also do others? Our latest ones are the Arctic Update, about the area north of the Arctic Circle, and the Ocean Update, about the 70% of the world covered in salt water. The other ones are all country updates, we have a selection of countries from Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe. Check roroshok.com/updates for the full list, the link is in the show notes.

See you next week!