1 Europe car sales continue recovery (BBC) European
Union new car registrations showed continued signs of recovery in July and
August, industry figures show. Sales of new cars were 5.6% higher in July
compared to the same month last year, and 2.1% up in August, the Association of
European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA) said. France was the only market to
contract in July, with sales falling 4.3%.
But in August, even Germany, the EU's leading market,
saw sales fall 0.4% compared to the same month last year. Overall, sales grew
6% in the first eight months of the year, said ACEA, "continuing the
upward trend that began 12 months ago". This equates to 8,336,159 new car
registrations over the period.
VW group, comprising Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and
Skoda, led the leader board, accounting for 25.4% of total sales between
January to August. In second place, the PSA Group, comprising Peugeot and
Citroen, achieved an 11.1% market share over the same period, with sales rising
3.9%.
European car manufacturers were hard hit during the
global financial crises as consumer spending all but evaporated. However in the
last year the industry has begun to recover. But in the UK, where car sales
have been comparatively strong and the economy has been outperforming its
continental neighbours, sales grew by 6.6% in July and 9.4% in August.
2 Lessons from Scotland (Dawn) On Friday, it emerged
that Scotland’s just over 300-year-old political union with England will
survive, with more than 55 per cent of Scottish voters casting their ballots
against independence. The ‘yes’ camp, led by the ruling Scottish National
Party, promised voters a more just welfare state free from Westminster’s
influence, while the British establishment pulled out all the stops to convince
Scots to vote ‘no’, saying that Scotland and the UK were ‘better together’.
We must appreciate the democratic manner in which
the matter was decided. The issue was resolved through the vote; unfortunately,
in countless other instances around the world we have seen attempts at
separation either succeed or be put down by force after much bloodshed and
acrimony.
However, while the Scots will stay with the UK,
other independence-seeking regions the world over have been emboldened by the
exercise. For example, Spain’s autonomous Catalonia region may opt for a
similar referendum, but unlike the UK, the central government in Madrid has
vowed to oppose such a move.
Scotland’s case is an interesting one. In most
instances separatist feelings are fuelled when a region suffers from poverty
and discrimination and the denial of rights, or receives step-motherly
treatment from the centre. Though Edinburgh’s relationship with London was not
quite perfect, Scotland did not suffer from the usual causes that encourage
separatism. There are lessons in the referendum for the rest of the world.
Firstly, even the most divisive of questions can be dealt with in a non-violent
fashion provided democratic methods are used. Secondly, even prosperous and
relatively peaceful regions will desire separation if they feel their voices
are not being heard.
3 Making Isis fall on its own sword (Chelsea E
Manning in The Guardian) The Islamic State (Isis) is without question a very
brutal extremist group with origins in the insurgency of the US occupation of
Iraq. It has rapidly ascended to global attention by taking control of swaths
of territory in western and northern Iraq, including Mosul and other major
cities.
Based on my experience as an all-source analyst in
Iraq during the organization’s relative infancy, Isis cannot be defeated by
bombs and bullets – even as the fight is taken to Syria, even if it is
conducted by non-Western forces with air support.
I believe that Isis is fueled precisely by the
operational and tactical successes of European and American military force that
would be – and have been – used to defeat them. I believe that Isis
strategically feeds off the mistakes and vulnerabilities of the very democratic
western states they decry. The Islamic State’s center of gravity is, in many
ways, the US, the UK and those aligned with them in the region.
Attacking Isis directly, by air strikes or special
operations forces, is a very tempting option available to policymakers, with
immediate (but not always good) results. Unfortunately, when the west fights
fire with fire, we feed into a cycle of outrage, recruitment, organizing and
even more fighting that goes back decades. This is exactly what happened in
Iraq during the height of a civil war in 2006 and 2007, and it can only be
expected to occur again.
As a strategy to disrupt the growth of Isis, I
suggest focusing on four arenas: Counter the narrative in online Isis
recruitment videos. Set clear, temporary borders in the region, publicly. Establish
an international moratorium on the payment of ransom for hostages, and work in
the region to prevent Isis from stealing and taxing historical artifacts and
valuable treasures as sources of income.
Let Isis succeed in setting up a failed “state” – in
a contained area and over a long enough period of time to prove itself
unpopular and unable to govern. This might begin to discredit the leadership
and ideology of Isis for good. But the world just needs to be disciplined
enough to let the Isis fire die out on its own, intervening carefully and
avoiding the cyclic trap of “mission creep”. Isis is wielding a sharp, heavy
and very deadly double-edged sword. Now just wait for them to fall on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment