Realpolitik “ Flash” No. 34
1 – 16 November 2022
EXCLUSIVELY at ARGUMENTUM,
“Grand Master” in diplomacy, DR. JORGJI KOTE, “ dots the i’s and crosses the t’s” on 4 major events in 1000 words.
1.Berlini dismantled “Open Balkans” in the Summit held on 3 November there, in the framework of the Process bearing the same name led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Summarizing our article on the next day, finally, the halfish initiative launched three years ago in Novi Sad became silent in Berlin. Now we shall not hear the old tune, except some fading nostalgic voices, as in Skopje on 14 November in the Joint meeting of the Government of Albania and North Macedonia. Certainly, this was expected to be the case, as we have previously underlined in ARGUMENTUM and in this rubric; because, unlike the Berlin Process that includes the 6 Western Balkan states and 10 other sponsors, EU members, “Open Balkans” is reduced to a trilateral, i.e. not all – inclusive; but even in Tirana, Skopje and in Belgrade, a good, not to say the largest part of the media, the public, politics, opposition and civil society remain firmly against “ Open Balkans” for reasons and causes mentioned much earlier. Actually, it is an offspring of diplomatic amateurism and adventurism, an overplacement and defiance against the Berlin Process and the WB Common Regional Market. With ridiculous and absurd arguments that since Berlin, Brussels, Paris and other major actors have failed, the region would be allegedly escaped by Belgrade, Tirana and Skopje!
But even “ a child knows” that there is no chance for this to come true. Besides, Berlin Process does not need any other additional implementation unit, as Rama claims; it already has the Regional Cooperation Council ( RCC) CEFTA and others; above all, it has enjoyed from the very start the EU and USA full-fledged support; it has a gigandic funding of 29 Billion Euro until 2027. Whereas “Open Baalkans” has nothing to offer indeed except empty words and pledges. Above all, it lacks political reliability, due to dangerous policies pursued by Serbia, the only peace and stability threatening factor in the Balkans. Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the Serbian pro-russian stances were the “last nails on the coffin” of “Open Balkans“ as shown very clearly in Berlin Process Summit on 3 November.
2. Trump ”went for wool but returned shorn“ in the mid-term elections on 8 November in USA. Trump prophecies for the republican “ red wave” failed shamefully. This is why this wise saying fits perfectly to Trump, since those elections were a political springing board for his political destiny in the upcoming presidential elections in 2024. Republicans lost the Senate and they only hope now to win a slim majority in the House. But “ bad luck” does not end here for Trump, the biggest loser of 8 November; he is also held widely accountable for the disaster in these elections; what is even worse, his challenger in presidential elections 2024, Ron De Santis was reconfirmed as Governor of Florida with a landsliding victory.
This has put a big question mark on Trump candidacy success in 2024 which he did not waver to anounce on 15 November. Certainly, 8 November was a good and great day for the Democrats, the USA, Europe and democracy worldwide. President Biden is the biggest winner. The mid-term election result was the best for him and for them in the last 75 years, despite their hard and challenging times.
3. “Njet Towarish” Putin sounded hard in the Summit of the 20 most developed states in Bali, Indonesia on 14-15 November. Although it is not a decision-making body, G 20 is extremely important; it accounts for 2/3 of the world population, 75 per cent of trade and 80 per cent of its GDP. Putin was the great absentée in this Summit, which launched many clear positive and hopeful messages – competition but not confrontation, no more world division, no more Cold War, peace not war! It goes beyond doubt that the greatest success with a planetary public and media echo was the consensus over the Final Declaration; for the first time, “ the special military operation” was labelled as “ war” and this was also admitted by Lavrov, who replaced Putin there.
Likewise, the previous term “many participants” in this Declaration was replaced with the “ the majority of participants condemned the Russian war in Ukraine with its grave effects in all walks of life and in economy…. Besides, with the consensus from India, China and other states, the Declaration expressed its strong opposition to attempts and threats for a nuclear war by Russia, in favour of strengthening the multilateral cooperation. Accordingly, the G 20 Summit enlarged and consolidated the international cohesion replying to Putin’s war rhetorics with a firm “Njet towarish!“ as a great message of his political and diplomatic isolation.
4. World saviours are considered by the international media 30.000 participants in the World Climate Conference COP 27 in Cairo ( 7 – 18 November). COP is the English acronym for “Conference of Parties”. Together with dozens of heads of states and governments from 197 countries, there are also hundreds of environmental ministers, senior officials, experts, civil society, movement for climate, jornalists and many others. COP1 was held in Berlin in 1995. COP 27 participants may become indeed world savours if the several promises made in the previous meetings would be in place. This is why COP 27 is considered the “ implementation Conference”! A major objective is to provide 300 Billion Euro from 100 Billion currently for climate and environment. These amounts will be used to cover the “loss & damage“ costs caused by different natural calamities. Likewise, important measures are scheduled to avoid global warming and the temperature growth by 1,5 cent. However, this target is imperiled by the absence of states with an immense impact on climate, such as China, India, Russia and othes.
Finally, it is not a surprise that despite the major climate and environmental threats in Albania, these issues are not mentioned in the political activity, in the media and public. Politics for narrow instant interests and extreme politicisation have usurped everything in Albania; whereas climate, global warming and environmental protection seem to be tasks for others. Even in the Joint Meeting of the governments of Albania and North Macedonia in Skopje on 14 November, although 21 agrements and memoranda were signed, almost nothing was said about these vital subjects.
© 2022 Argumentum
