Displaying items by tag: Politics

Northern Ireland’s cold war is smouldering. Everything is political - your name, where you live, the pub you use, your accent, the football team you support, or the passport you hold. Politics are rigid and archaic, deeply rooted in the past, yet continuing to dominate the present; running deep, rooted in divisions prevalent long before the signing of the peace agreement. Brexit and a political vacuum have added a dynamic across the region that is far from peaceful. Although Northern Ireland is no longer be at war, peace cannot be defined by the reduction of armed conflict. Much more is needed for peace to take hold fully. For years, in communities across the land, people have used a gentle, intricate negotiation of difference on a daily basis, using language, humour, silence - or whatever is needed to navigate challenging situations. See

Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron sounded semi-enthusiastic last week when Boris Johnson spoke about getting an agreement, even if they were sceptical that there is a different deal to be agreed. This week, they are resisting commenting on the UK suspension of Parliament. It would be difficult for them to get involved. One senior EU official said they do not want to give the impression there is a nicer withdrawal agreement in a drawer somewhere to be pulled out if the UK government's opponents could be vanquished. A French MEP, a close ally of Macron, said, ‘We could see Brexit coming without agreement. Now it’s a Brexit without debate that looms.’ In Brussels, EU officials have vowed not to allow Mr Johnson's latest manoeuvre to cause the bloc to be blamed for a no-deal Brexit. See also

Recently there have been four attacks on weapons storage facilities belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) militia. Some factions of the PMU are believed to be Iran proxies, which might explain why there have been accusations of possible US and Israeli involvement. The latest attack took place even though prime minister Mahdi had closed Iraqi airspace to all unauthorised flights of drones, spy planes, jets and helicopters; including the US-led coalition. With Israel being suspected of organising these attacks, some claim that the United States and Russia have allowed them to do so. Iraq’s president said his country does not want to become a battleground for other countries at the expense of its people. ‘Iraq's interest comes first, and the nation will not allow others to turn it into a land for competition.’

On 31 August four million Indians could become stateless. In Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan fifty years ago, millions of Bengali Muslims fled to Hindu Assam, giving it the second largest Muslim population of any Indian state after Kashmir. Last year, the Assam government published a national registry of citizens, listing everyone who is legally resident. Four million Muslim people who have lived there for decades were not on the list. Unless they can prove a pre-1971 claim to residence, they will be deemed illegal. Bangladesh will not accept the deportation of millions of people who have lived in India since the 70s. Many of these people were born inside India after 1971. Should they be ‘returned’ to a country they have never known? The Assam authorities are building detention camps which could constitute a horrific human rights violation.

Ending the illegal timber trade in Africa should be the first order of business at the G7 summit (see the article in Europe section). There is no wildlife sustainability when timber traffickers and their powerful backers get away with their crimes. Gambia, Madagascar and Senegal all have new governments, who must take steps against impunity for illegal timber trading. Before any new trade proposals can move forward, these countries must start holding perpetrators of past crimes to account. In the Gambia, US$325 million worth of illegal timber went through its ports from 2010 to 2016. Its former president took advantage of poverty and instability at the border to gain control of the illegal rosewood trade from neighbouring Senegal.

Boris Johnson describes himself as a ‘passionate Zionist’ and recently said that wild horses wouldn’t keep him away from visiting Israel as Britain’s prime minister. His own Jewish ancestry reflects a legacy that he is immensely proud of. His great-grandfather was the Moscow-born son of a schmutter merchant (clothes trader). From refusing to boycott Israeli goods as Mayor of London through to his role as foreign secretary in the Balfour Declaration celebrations, Boris is a friend of Israel. But with new challenges ahead and Britain’s longstanding foreign policy not always in its favour, the Jewish state needs not only friends but courageous advocates, prepared to stand with Israel in a world that is increasingly volatile towards it. The Iran deal, the protection of Jews in Britain, Palestinian terrorism, and strengthening bilateral ties with Israel are all matters of importance in Mr Johnson’s inherited in-tray.

In the last hours of Theresa May's administration, the Government appointed Imam Qari Asim as an adviser on Islamophobia. Earlier this year he indicated that he would support laws banning speech that Muslims find offensive. He argued that although Muslims should obey the law of the land most of the time, he would like the law to accommodate Islamic ideas. For example, he would like to see polygamy legalised, and inheritance to favour male heirs in line with sharia principles. He also supports Islamic finance with its radical view that interest should be banned, and has backed Pakistani radical cleric Khadim Rizvi who supported the death penalty for Aasia Bibi. Although the government has ruled out adopting the Islamophobia definition, many believe his appointment raises even more concerns for free speech.

President Putin’s heavy-handed politics ahead of September elections have caused street protests for weeks. Russians are airing an array of grievances over economic stagnation and the Kremlin’s geopolitical isolation. Putin has turned Russia into a powerhouse to be reckoned with for foreign policy makers, but living standards have fallen five years in a row. The 50,000 protesters who converged a mile from the Kremlin recently proved that a movement that started with protests over candidates being refused to register for municipal elections has turned into a platform for a wide swathe of political concerns - local and national. Average Russians are experiencing poverty, consumer borrowing has increased almost 50%, and food chains have introduced consumer loans for shoppers, allowing families to put food on the table. Putin’s popularity is low, and social media have shown images of police beating generally peaceful protesters and detaining 2,000+ demonstrators. See

Jammu and Kashmir (JK) is in militarised Kashmir, an Indian region dividing India and Pakistan. On 5 August Indian authorities revoked JK’s special status that had allowed them to make their own laws, and anticipating resistance they imposed an unprecedented clampdown - shutting down the internet, media and mobile phones, barring movement and jailing Kashmiri leaders. They argued that JK’s ‘special status’ hindered integration by their Muslim majority population with the rest of Hindu India. The disputed region has had two wars fought over it by India, Pakistan and China. Narendra Modi reached out to people of JK, in the five languages spoken there, trying to instil peace on the troubled streets of a new Kashmir; which has been stripped of its constitution, flag, and hereditary rights. A historical powder keg has been ignited. The US asked Pakistan to refrain from ‘retaliatory aggression’ as airspace corridors were closed and bilateral trade suspended. China’s foreign ministry voiced ‘serious concern’ over India’s contentious move over an area claimed by both countries. See

Boris Johnson is leading a ‘Brexit’ cabinet, so called because key roles were given to leading Brexiteers. Our reputation in the world will change as new faces represent the UK, possibly with new policies. Let us pray into these changes. May God's hand and mercy direct Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary; may he see the work centred on the persecuted church through to completion. May Priti Patel, the home secretary, use her innovativeness to address terrorism, drugs, and knife crime, keeping our streets safe. May Chancellor Sajid Javid keep our economy safe during and after Brexit. Apart from high-profile ministers, Boris will also rely on key advisers behind the scenes, such as his senior adviser Dominic Cummings; may God use his outspokenness to establish reforms aligned to Kingdom purposes. For a ‘who’s who’ of the new cabinet, click the ‘More’ button.