Interdependence

  1. U.N.
Currently, the UN’s Human Rights Council is split on a hot issue regarding China’s internment of over a million Muslim Uighurs into reeducation camps in the Xinjiang province, and whether or not it is ethical. While those voting in the UN in favor of enacting action against these policies believe that they are working to erase a cultural minority, and violate religious freedoms, supporters of China are coming to defend them by arguing that they are valid counter terrorism and de-radicalization methods. While many Western countries are taking a stand against them, there are 37 countries mainly from the Middle East and Africa (in particular being Russia, Algeria, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia) went as far in their support of China to send a letter to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights defending China’s actions, after there had been a request to investigate these human rights violations. There is also concern that the council is being swayed by China’s influence, and that strategic and economic temptations are obstructing justice from being enacted. For one, many countries rely on trade with China for the heft of their economy. China also acts as a balance between East and West powers, and Eastern countries believe that with the rise of China on their side, they’ll finally get a one up on the West after centuries of Western Imperialist powers.
2)EU.
Wow. Brexit. Very original, am I right? Currently the EU and UK are rushing to finish Brexit negotiations by Halloween, and a part of those negotiations is figuring out how to deal with the details of Northern Ireland’s economic independence and where that fits with all of the complications of leaving. The issue has to do with how to approach the beauracrural separation of Ireland and Northern Ireland. There has already been work to make the Irish Backstop, which is a drafting agreement between the EU and UK of preventing a hard border in between Ireland and Northern Ireland in order to allow free trade. This however, is still a work in progress. The UK aims to replace the Backstop with new proposals outlined in a 7 paged document that would keep Northern Ireland in the European single market for goods, but have it leave the customs union by 2021. 
3) NATO
Since 2014, NATO’s attitude towards Russia has resorted back to its hostility in the Cold War days due to Russia’s growing power and its use of that power to undermine and de-stabilize other countries democracies through disinformation and cyber warfare. In the last five years NATO has been making strategic preparations to counter Russia if necessary, such as security reinforcements in eastern Europe, but has yet to act. While all the NATO nations refused to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and a couple counties militarily supplied Ukraine with forces, there hasn’t been any united act NATO has taken against Russia, which has been criticized due to a lack of retaliation to Russia’s hugely aggressive act. NATO’s unity is especially complicated in 2019 with President Trump’ expressing that he believes NATO is obsolete, and suggesting that the alliance is more work than it’s worth for the U.S.  In this time that Russia is reclaiming its position as a superpower, NATO is necessary to secure democracy, and its leaders lack of political unity is a vulnerable weak spot. 
4) Chinese-Russian Alliance
Russia and China have a lot in common. Both of them are reemerging and giant global superpowers in Eurasia, both are giant in size, are led by authoritarian regimes, and have a habit of playing dirty. Recently they have been working together both economically and strategically, and it has some Western nations concerned at how a powerful alliance between these two destructive countries could affect the rest of the world, specifically when it comes to conflicts. As both Russia and China feel more villainized (especially in regards to complicated relations with the U.S.) they lean on each other more. However, many don’t believe that this alliance will last longer due to natural friction in their relationship. Only time can tell how this emerging Sino-Russian team will act.


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