Viet Nam Human Rights
Lifting hope of peace, cooperation and development
10/2/17
 2016 saw a multitude of dramatic changes in the situation of the world, challenging forecasts by policymakers and the public with increases in instability, violence, conflict, terrorism, the spread of extremist nationalism and the risk of confrontation between the major world powers. As we enter 2017, international highlights are expected to contribute to preserving world peace, stability, cooperation and development. |
Europe has experienced a year of great challenges and a series of terrorist attacks. Just over a month after the massacre in Paris, France, more innocents suffered in a bombing in Turkey. Three months later, more were killed in terrorist bombings in Brussels, Belgium, the site of the headquarters of the European Union (EU).
Terrorism in Germany, the country that has welcomed nearly a million migrants, has made Europe increasingly aggressive in the fight to prevent the flow of migrants. The connection between the series of bloody attacks and migrant influxes has led to decisions that have divided and changed the face of European politics.
Terrorist forces, especially the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), have sought to increase their strength and influence. The IS’s arms have extended to Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, with bloody attacks that raise serious concerns about the risk posed by this terrorist organisation as it sets up new operating areas in the region.
The multi-polar world order has become clearer, coupled with a sudden shift in profound disagreement and a lack of compromise between concerned parties in their efforts to find a peaceful solution for North Africa and the Middle East. As the repercussions of the Arab Spring have not ended, contradictions have emerged amidst efforts to solve the issues in the eastern Ukraine, making the risk of a Russia-US confrontation more worrying.
In Asia, geopolitical tensions have increased despite high-level talks and calls for détente by the international community. The controversy regarding sovereignty in the East China Sea and the East Sea of Vietnam has heated public opinion.
The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean relations have not been fully resolved, though the two have strengthened steps to calm the situation and reached a number of agreements aimed at “defusing a war.” In the last weeks of the year, the world witnessed a serious political crisis in the Republic of Korea that saw President Park Geun-hye suspended from the presidency.
In 2016, the world saw a series of “political shocks.” The information leakage scandal entitled “Panama Papers” was considered a “political bomb,” revealing secrets hidden in 11.5 million records stored by Panama’s Mossack Fonseca related to activities of tax evasion and money laundering by hundreds of thousands of companies, exposing the existence of a “global underground economy” over the last 40 years.
The UK’s vote on whether to “stay with” or “divorce” the EU (Brexit) and its decision to stand separately on the regional chessboard shocked the international community, while immediately negatively impacting the economy, political situation and military in the UK, the EU and the world.
Regarding military affairs, the UK’s staying in NATO without staying in the EU has aroused internal divisions about the choice of this bloc on concentrating forces to resolve tensions on the other side of the Mediterranean, or encroaching into the Eurasian geopolitical power play by the US.
Politically, Brexit can be considered a failure of the “power in unity” dream of the EU, posing new challenges to the alliance’s efforts to “progress eastwards” and the rise of Euroscepticism.
Economically, in the short term, Brexit caused an immediate response from the world economy, with trillions of US dollars evaporating on the stock market, while creating a “shock” to free trade agreements with the argument that international commitments undermine national interests and sovereignty.
On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the US presidential election brought victory to the Republican candidate Donald Trump, the President-elect considered the largest “unknown” in US history. This event, together with Brexit, sent the world into a precarious situation, with bilateral, multilateral and economic or defence relations needing to be reconsidered.
Populism has been pushed to its highest level in recent years, accompanied by anti-globalisation phenomena that directly threaten free trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
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All comments [ 10 ]
Many unpredictable events are over; positive signals for peace, cooperation and development are still evident in many places, kindling hope for the world as it enters the new year 2017.
The situation in the region and around the world in 2017 is forecast to continue in complicated and unpredictable developments.
The stinging problems in the past year continue to be a challenge to humanity.
Terrorism remains the greatest danger threatening the world’s security.
The world economy has many opportunities for positive growth, especially in Southeast Asia. There are favourable conditions for attracting investment in developing countries, including Vietnam.
Despite reactions against globalisation, free trade, migration and global connectivity, scientific and technological advances will take the world forward.
2017 is still unknown, but the trend of peace, cooperation and development will be the driving force to bring the whole of humanity towards a better, more prosperous world.
Despite a year that was not very prosperous, the world economy partly avoided continuous shocks from international political issues.
It can be seen that only a short time after Brexit or the US presidential election, the global market was able to regain its positive recovery momentum.
We all hope in a better year 2017!
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