2015/07/24 LEAP/E2020 Press Review on the Global Systemic Crisis. Libertad, Igualdad, Pluralidad.

The Great Systemic Transformation of the West As the GEAB has said for a long time, the global system which is collapsing in front of our noses was 500 years old. It was born out of the Renaissance’s major discoveries which gave Europe a 500 year advantage, then to the Russian and American reincarnation, to the detriment of the existing major civilizations such as China and Iran. This Western-centric world no longer exists today and it’s the West itself that triggered this transition: by inventing colonization then decolonization, then postcolonial guilt, then cooperation, then the regional integration process, then globalization, then the Internet,… somehow the West has created/wished for this multi-polarization which, therefore, has no reason to be so scary for some. It’s time to face the consequences of our policies and our speeches and agreed to share the planet. And that is what is happening. With Obama currently providing the best proof that, after appearing instrumental in escalating Euro-Russian tensions last year, he has turned into a real peacemaker in the Middle East this year with this 180° strategic shift as regards Iran... LEAP (Excerpt GEAB 95)   The Good, The Bad and the Ugly About the Iran Deal The deal with Iran has been generally characterized as either good or bad, and many pronounced it as historic with far-reaching regional and even global implications. I completely disagree with the characterizations of the deal as entirely good or bad, and certainly it is not historic as of yet... The Huffington Post   MPs warn government fairness of EU referendum in jeopardy The British government has cast a shadow over the fairness of a planned referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union by trying to relax rules designed to ensure pre-vote official impartiality, a committee of MPs said... Reuters   'Netanyahu cheered up by US missile offer': how the Onion scooped Haaretz ‘US Soothes Upset Netanyahu With Shipment of Ballistic Missiles’ sounds like a headline from the Onion. And it is – except that this time it’s true. International media organisations have regularly been caught out by the satirical news site, fooled into thinking that Kim Jong-un really was voted the world’s sexiest man, or that Americans would prefer a beer with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than Barack Obama... The Guardian   Israel threatens EU-funded NGOs Israel’s deputy foreign minister has told EU countries to stop funding left-wing NGOs which, she says, “blacken” Israel’s name. Tzipi Hotovely issued the warning in a series of meetings with senior EU diplomats in Israel in recent days, according to Israeli media... EUObserver   Navy starts exercise in S. China Sea The Chinese navy announced 10 days of military training in the waters near eastern Hainan Island in the South China Sea starting on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions in the region. During the training, "no vessel is allowed to enter the designated maritime areas", according to China's Maritime Safety Administration, which released the drill plan on Monday... China Daily   Greek PM Tsipras rallies Syriza backing before bailout vote Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras tried to rally his Syriza party on Tuesday before a vote in parliament on the second package of measures demanded by international creditors to open talks on a new bailout deal... Reuters   Toshiba boss quits over £780m accounting scandal Toshiba’s boss has quit the Japanese conglomerate over a 152bn yen (£780m) accounting scandal that the government said threatened to undermine investors’ confidence in the country. Hisao Tanaka, the company’s president and chief executive, will be replaced by Toshiba’s chairman, Masashi Muromachi, until a new chief executive is found... The Guardian   Ukraine agrees to 30-kilometer buffer zone Ukrainan President Petro Poroshenko has announced plans to introduce a 30-kilometer demilitarized zone in Luhansk. The president has also instated a well-known volunteer as Kyiv's governor of the war-torn region. Deutsche Welle   China says Japan defence review misleading, Japan releases photos China reserves the right to a "necessary reaction" after Japan issued a defence review that called on Beijing to stop building oil and gas exploration platforms close to disputed waters in the East China Sea, the Defence Ministry has said... Reuters   Pékin investit toujours plus à l’étranger Entre la Chine et le reste du monde, les mouvements de capitaux ne vont pas tarder à s’inverser. Au cours de la première moitié de l’année 2015, cette tendance est apparue clairement : les investissements directs étrangers reçus par la seconde économie mondiale n’ont affiché qu’une croissance de 8 %, quand les flux en sens inverse bondissaient, eux, de 29 %... Les Echos   Italian coffee maker Lavazza buys Carte Noire 'for €800m' Italian coffee firm Lavazza has offered to buy French brand Carte Noire from Douwe Egberts, the firm has said. It did not disclose how much it was paying but sources said the deal was worth around €800m (£550m). France would become Lavazza’s second biggest market, and the deal would almost treble the Italian company’s turnover in the country. The agreement is subject to approval from the European Commission and French authorities... BBC News   Une étude allemande pointe les bénéfices économiques de la migration La République fédérale devrait repenser son aide au développement et sa politique d'asile, estime une nouvelle étude de l'université d'Osnabrück, appelant les responsables politiques à voir la migration comme une opportunité plutôt que comme une menace... Euractiv   The pros and cons of the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact As the 12 countries negotiating a major Trans-Pacific trade pact address the last sticking points, economist Gary Hufbauer spoke to DW about the risks and advantages of the deal which might be sealed as early as August... Deutsche Welle   US, Cuba Re-Set Ties, Focus on Unsettled Issues As onlookers chanted “Viva Cuba, Viva Fidel,” the Cuban flag was hoisted outside of the country’s newly established embassy in Washington on Monday. The gesture marked a symbolic end to more than five decades of hostility and mistrust between the two countries. The U.S. also opened its embassy in Cuba on Monday, but there was no ceremony. That will take place when Secretary of State John Kerry visits Havana on August 14... VOA News

This special Press Review reviews articles from the French and Engligh-speaking international online media relating to the unfolding global crisis. It is delivered freely on a weekly basis to 60,000 recipients worldwide. Subscription / Contact: centre@europe2020.org