May-2012-International

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

France elects new leader
On May 7, 2012, France handed the Presidency to leftist Francois Hollande, a champion of government stimulus programs who says the State should protect the down-trodden. His victory could deal a death blow to the drive for austerity that has been the hallmark of Europe in recent years.

Hollande narrowly defeated the hard-driving, attention-getting Nicolas Sarkozy, an America-friendly leader who led France through its worst economic troubles since World War II, but whose policies and personality proved too bitter for many voters to swallow.

Mild and affable, the President-elect inherits a country deep in debt and divided over how to integrate immigrants while preserving its national identity. Hollande has portrayed himself as a vehicle for change across Europe.

Leftists are overjoyed to have one of their own in power for the first time since Socialist Francois Mitterrand was President from 1981 to 1995.

Putin takes-over as President of Russia
On April 7, 2012, Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russian President for a record third term and vowed to protect rights and freedoms, even as demonstrations marked his second coming to the Kremlin that was marred by allegations of vote rigging.

Putin has held a tight grip over the Russian polity for the past 12 years, first as the President and then as the Prime Minister, and a chorus of voices against his authoritarian rule has risen over the past few months.

Soon after his inauguration, Putin proposed his predecessor Dmitry Medvedev’s name for the Prime Minister, in line with a job swap agreement between the two.

Putin, a former KGB officer, won a third term as President in controversial elections in March which were marked by allegations of vote rigging in favour of his United Russia party.If he completes his six-year term, Putin will be the longest serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin.

Political turn-around in Greece and France enhances financial fears
There are fears of revival of the messy debt crisis in the euro-zone after April 6, 2012 election results in France and Greece point to uncertainty ahead. The Greek voters have thrown out mainstream parties and voted for fringe parties, including Neo Nazis, who don’t favour the austerity programmes that have crippled the Greek economy. This heightens the risk that the bailout programme for Greece could be suspended, which in turn would test the euro-zone’s ability to stick together.

In France, the socialist candidate Francoise Hollande has defeated Nicholas Sarkozy, sending the country lurching to the left.Hollande, a novice on the international stage, has never held a ministerial post nor met Gemran Chancellor Merkel, and will be in the hot seat from day one. He must cobble together a new government rapidly and prove that France, which alongside Germany has led Europe’s response to the crisis, is capable of taking the quick decisions needed to keep the 13-year old currency zone together.

Analysts point out that the outcome in Greece doesn’t bode well for European leaders’ ability to pull together. Although the vote is fairly splintered, a majority of voters backed parties that oppose the austerity measures. And since these austerity measures are critical to keep the bailout programme going, which is the lifeline on which the Greek economy is showing any signs of life, it heightens the risk of a disorderly unwinding of the Euro-zone economy.

USA signs Strategic Partnership Agreement with Afghanistan
On May 1, 2012, making his way into Afghanistan unannounced, US President Barack Obama signed a landmark Strategic Partnership Agreement, strengthening post-war ties with Kabul after 2014, when American combat forces return home.

The ten-page long-term agreement pledges US support for Afghanistan for a decade after 2014, when NATO forces are planning to conclude their combat role.

According to a White House fact sheet, the Strategic Partnership Agreement is not only a signal of US’ long-term commitment to Afghanistan, but it enshrines their commitments to one another and a common vision for their relationship and Afghanistan’s future.The SPA is a legally binding executive agreement, undertaken between two sovereign nations.

US commitments to support Afghanistan’s social and economic development, security, institutions and regional cooperation are matched by Afghan commitments to strengthen accountability, transparency, oversight, and to protect the human rights of all Afghans.

In addition to recognising the progress that has been made together over the past 10 years, the agreement includes mutual commitments in the areas of protecting and promoting shared democratic values, advancing long-term security, reinforcing regional security and cooperation, social and economic development and strengthening Afghan institutions and governance.

Under the agreement, the US will also designate Afghanistan a “major non-NATO Ally”, to provide a long-term framework for security and defence cooperation.

NATO Summit 2012
Leaders from around the world gathered in Chicago on May 20-21, 2012, for the NATO  summit, hosted by President Barack Obama.  This was the first time ever that a NATO summit was held in the United States outside of the nation's capital, Washington.

As NATO countries and those providing transit facilities to supplies for coalition forces in Afghanistan charted the post-2014 course in Chicago, they acknowledged that lasting peace in the strife-torn country would not be possible without the positive engagement of Pakistan.
The summit declaration at the Chicago Conference said: “The countries in the region, particularly Pakistan, have important roles in ensuring enduring peace, stability and security in Afghanistan and in facilitating the completion of the transition process.”

The summit declaration itself reflected the continuing deadlock between NATO and Pakistan over the reopening of the Ground Lines of Communication (GLOC/NATO supply lines).

The failure to arrive at an agreement on the conditions for the transit facility—particularly the cost of moving the shipment from Karachi to Afghanistan through Pakistan—spawned reports in the American media that U.S. President Barack Obama had refused to meet his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari for a bilateral engagement at Chicago.

The NATO countries also reiterated their resolve to remain engaged with Afghanistan after 2014 when the country enters what Mr. Karzai described as the transformational decade. Stating that NATO would continue to provide strong and long-term political and practical support through “our Enduring Partnership with Afghanistan”, the declaration articulates member countries’ willingness to work toward establishing “at the request” of Afghanistan a new “post-2014 mission of a different nature” to train, advise and assist the Afghan National Security Forces, including the Afghan Special Operations Forces.

G-8 Summit
The G-8 Summit was held on May 18-19, 2012, at Camp David, USA. This is the first G8 summit which the Russian head of state Vladimir Putin did not attend. Dmitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister of Russia attended instead.

The summit was intended as a venue for resolving differences among its members. As a practical matter, the summit was also conceived as an opportunity for its members to give each other mutual encouragement.
Traditionally, the host country of the G8 summit sets the agenda for negotiations, which take place primarily amongst multi-national civil servants known informally as “sherpas”.

The agenda for the 38th G-8 summit included some issues which remain unresolved from previous summits. For example, leaders at the G8 Summit in L’Aquila supported post-2012 plans for accelerating emissions reductions in aviation. Other issues were the effort to tackle a global hunger crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis, particularly following the fall of talks to form a Greek government following an election.

In its declaration the G-8 agreed “that all of our governments need to take actions to boost confidence and nurture recovery including reforms to raise productivity, growth and demand within a sustainable, credible and non-inflationary macroeconomic framework. We commit to fiscal responsibility and, in this context, we support sound and sustainable fiscal consolidation policies that take into account countries' evolving economic conditions and underpin confidence and economic recovery.”

The G-8 leaders also stated in the declaration that they agreed on the importance of a strong and cohesive euro-zone for global stability and recovery, and affirmed their interest in Greece remaining in the euro-zone while respecting its commitments. However, disagreement over economic growth favoured by France’s President François Hollande and fiscal responsibility favoured by Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel also reflected in the G-8 summit declaration where the G-8 members stated, “The global economic recovery shows signs of promise, but significant headwinds persist. Against this background, we commit to take all necessary steps to strengthen and reinvigorate our economies and combat financial stresses, recognizing that the right measures are not the same for each of us.”

The G-8 leaders also discussed the nuclear program of Iran, North Korea's nuclear ambitions and the violent internal conflict in Syria. They agreed that Iran must prove that its nuclear programme is peaceful and that North Korea will be further isolated if it “continues down the path of provocation”. There was consensus among the G-8 that the Kofi Annan peace plan for Syria must be fully implemented.

The G8 also discussed the political transition in Burma. In this context President Obama said: “On a brighter note, we had the opportunity to discuss Burma, and all of us are hopeful that the political process and transition and transformation that is beginning to take place there takes root.”

The G-8 States also committed themselves to a New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition with African leaders and the private sector whose target it is to lift 50 million people from poverty within 10 years.