Deepak kumar Blogs

  Let not Brexit put asunder what must be joined together in defending Europe Picture Alliance Britain’s decision to leave the EU in June 2016 shocked the crisis-ridden European Union to the core. It struck at a time when domestic and security policy were already in a state of distinct uncertainty. The official exit negotiations haven’t even kicked off yet, but it’s clear the process will be lengthy and intricate, and the effects of the break-up will be felt differently across the variety of policy fields the Union is dealing with. Take security and defence. After Brexit, the EU will be missing a leading player. It will lose almost a quarter of its entire defence spending, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a nuclear power and, alongside France, the most professional, field-tested and well-equipped military in Europe. Marriage of convenience It was the British and French that paved the way for the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) in 1998. Shaped by the experien...

  Pakistan wants to deport 1.7 million Afghans. Tense relations between Pakistan and the Taliban regime are likely to play a role Reuters Trucks loaded with goods are seen as Afghan nationals head back to Afghanistan, at the Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Artikel auf Deutsch lesen What is currently being discussed in Germany is already a reality in Pakistan.  On 3 October, the interim government under Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar announced that irregular migrants are to voluntarily leave the country . Those who do not comply with the request must expect to be deported as of 1 November. Despite the call having been general, it was clear that it mainly addressed the approximately 1.7 million Afghans who entered the country irregularly. Some 170 000 Afghans had left Pakistan by the time the deadline expired.  On 8 November, the government announced that a total of 250 000 irregular migrants had already left Pakistan.  Those who remain in ...

  Russia needs munitions, North Korea modern military technology. Could closer cooperation be a win–win situation for both? Reuters/KCNA/Pool Artikel auf Deutsch lesen In mid-September, Kim Jong Un travelled to Russia’s Far East. It was the North Korean dictator’s first foreign trip since the Covid-19 pandemic. The main agenda item at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was military cooperation. Putin’s concern was North Korean artillery munitions, which he urgently needs for his war against Ukraine. Artillery shells and other conventional munitions are apparently abundant in the Kim dynasty’s realm. North Korea is particularly keen on Russian technology to develop its ambitious nuclear, missile and satellite programme. But we can only guess whether or when any concrete cooperation might ensue. Putin spoke only of the ‘possibilities’ of military cooperation. Yet, North Korea was one of just five countries that opposed the UN General Assembly’s 2022 resolution condemni...

  As a key chapter of the Yemen war nears its end, risks of disruptions to the peace remain — with potentially dire consequences for the population Reuters/Khaled Abdullah The Houthis held a military parade to mark the anniversary of their takeover in Sana’a, 21 September 2023. Artikel auf Deutsch lesen For the first time since the beginning of a war that claimed the lives of over 220,000 people, a senior Houthi delegation travelled from Yemen to Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh in mid-September. The timing of the visit, just before the anniversary of the capture of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, on 21 September 2014 and the subsequent military escalation between the rebels (also known as Ansar Allah) and a Saudi-led military coalition, marks a diplomatic success for the  de facto  rulers of northern Yemen. This is despite the fact that their only significant concession so far has been the temporary cessation of cross-border attacks using missiles or drones on neighbouring stat...