-
Referendums and the Law: in both Catalonia and Kurdistan separatist local governments have been issued with adverse legal judgements attempting to stymie votes for separation. Both the Spanish and Iraqi governments have been walking the tightrope of stopping the vote while not enflaming secessionist support. The Iraqi vote is much more perilous as other states have a vested interest.
-
Trade Talk: the US trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, continued to talk tough about China, IP transfers and the inability of WTO rules to cover current practices. Justin Trudeau promised a seamless trade deal with post-Brexit Britain, based on the EU-Canada (Ceta) deal. CSIS quoted the US Trade Representative as saying that a UK deal post Brexit is probably only a year or two off.
-
Iran: Rex Tillerson, US Secretary of State, linked Iranian support for Assad’s Syria regime to the nuclear deal, by suggesting it went against the spirit of the agreement. The discussions in Washington continue as to whether Trump should keep for deal in place for another quarter or not. Europeans want the deal maintained. Iran’s leadership cracked down on the Revolutionary Guards’ businesses.
Recent Comments