NATO Summit
The 70th anniversary NATO summit was held in London. During the leaders’ meeting, the parties signed a document in which they reaffirmed their commitment to the alliance. Nonetheless, the summit and statements of the leaders of Turkey and France on the eve of the event revealed many internal contradictions and the outdated model of the alliance, the constraints of which are becoming increasingly uncomfortable for most participants.
Representatives at the summit discussed issues of security, financing, Turkey and the Kurds, as well as Russia and China, etc.
More information – https://uwidata.com/6570-nato-summit-turkey-as-a-litmus-test-for-a-collapsing-alliance/
The riots in Iraq
Despite Mahdi’s resignation, protests and clashes have continued in Iraq.
On December 6, unknown gunmen fired on peaceful demonstrators in a Baghdad square. The bloodshed, which lasted several hours, left several dozen people dead. At least 120 people were injured in a Friday attack by unidentified assailants in Bagdad
Sometime later, the Special Representative for Syria visited Iraq. According to the State Department, James Jeffrey’s talks with representatives of local authorities of high rank are planned, as well as a trip to the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
Protest actions and public disorder in Iraq traditionally take place with the participation of the US, at least since the invasion of the country in 2003, which immersed the region in chaos.
The unrest shook the country all month, claimed the lives of at least 400 people and left 12,000 wounded.
Protests in Algeria
The opposition in Algeria regularly takes to the streets and calls for a boycott of the elections. After the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the demonstrations have not stopped: now, the people are dissatisfied with the five candidates, saying that none of them will truly change the current political system. The situation is further complicated by the Berber issue.
More details – https://uwidata.com/6625-algeria-a-popular-revolution-or-western-intervention/
France on strike
In France, a national strike against pension reform proposed by President Emmanuel Macron took place. The Yellow Vests took to the streets again, with ordinary people predominant among the demonstrators: transport workers, teachers, doctors and even police officers.
The president’s plan implies the introduction of a points system, which will take into account every day a person has worked. Future pensions will then be calculated on the basis of the accumulated points.
Under the new system of pension benefits, many professions, such as sailors, lawyers and even opera singers, will be deprived of their pension benefits.