Albert & Geiger: Bernard P. Auxenfans former chairman of Monsanto Europe/Africa and COO of its agriculture business, has joined Alber & Geiger. Guus Houttuin, a retired senior trade adviser for the European External Action Service, is joining Alber & Geiger. Alain Georges Van Hamme has also joined Alber & Geiger after stints dealing with competition and trade law at the European Court of Justice and the European Commission. 

1. The international community will not officially recognize the results  obviously rigged and illegitimate ballots.
2.  Russia’s referendums have the potential to significantly escalate the war.
3. Stage-managed votes will likely lead to even more misery for the millions of Ukrainians currently living under Russian occupation.

Corruption in Russia’s military is endemic and is part of the accepted culture. Russian military corruption can be understood on three levels: individual, cultural, and political.

Author: Olga Khvostunova, Fellow in the Eurasia Program

Plenary meeting: Tuesday, 20 September 2022 - 9:00 a.m.

1. Brazil: His Excellency Jair Messias Bolsonaro, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil

2. Senegal: His Excellency Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal

3. Chile: His Excellency Gabriel Boric Font, President of the Republic of Chile

4. Jordan: His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein: King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

5. Colombia: His Excellency Gustavo Petro Urrego, President of the Republic of Colombia

"We are on the brink of World War III, which the West is compulsively pushing for. And this is no longer a fear or expectation, it is a fact. Russia is at war with the collective West, with NATO and its allies (though not with all of them: Turkey and Greece have their own position and some European countries, primarily but not only France and Italy, do not want to actively participate in a war with Russia). Yet, the threat of a third world war is getting closer and closer.

The Office of the President of Ukraine has published its recommendations for a draft treaty on security guarantees.

The Kyiv Security Compact is a joint document on strategic partnership that unites Ukraine and the guarantor states.

Recommendations

The recommendations provide for a multi-level approach to guarantees. A core group of allies would make commitments to support Ukraine’s armed forces, while a broader group would provide non-military guarantees built around sanctions mechanisms.

The European Commission has adopted a European Media Freedom Act, a novel set of rules to protect media pluralism and independence in the EU. The proposed Regulation includes, among others, safeguards against political interference in editorial decisions and against surveillance. It puts a focus on the independence and stable funding of public service media as well as on the transparency of media ownership and of the allocation of state advertising. It also sets out measures to protect independence of editors and disclose conflicts of interest.

The situation has deteriorated such that Hungary has become an “electoral autocracy”

EU inaction exacerbated the backslide; recovery funds should be withheld until the country complies with EU recommendations and court rulings.

Lack of progress in the Article 7 process would amount to a rule of law breach by the Council

Parliament condemns the “deliberate and systematic efforts of the Hungarian government” to undermine European values and demands results in the Article 7 process.

Authors: Bryan Frederick, Samuel Charap, Scott Boston, Stephen J. Flanagan, Michael J. Mazarr, Jennifer D.P. Moroney, Karl P. Mueller

Source: Rand Corpiation

Pathway 0 Escalation Spiral That Could Have Already Begun.