Chandrachur Singh
“The opposition - a consortium of nearly two dozen parties - has not been able to rally people around economic distress despite raising it as a prominent election issue. The problem with the opposition is that it is a coming together of parties with divergent views whose only agenda seems to be to dislodge Modi. To the people, that doesn't seem to be a good enough agenda. The fact that the opposition has not projected a face against Modi is also an issue. Rahul Gandhi is slowly emerging as that leader, but in terms of perception, he is still far behind Modi.”
21 hours ago
Neelanjan Sircar
“A large part of what the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] does is thinking about how to centralise all political attribution on Modi. Its campaign promises are pitched as Modi's guarantees. This is the strategy of a party where the leader is a cult figure and the party is the vehicle for the leader. Whether it's economic distress or even issues like violence in Manipur, Modi is not directly sullied. People may blame other leaders of the BJP. In regional elections, as a consequence, BJP might be voted out. But it is not anger against Modi.”
21 hours ago
Benjamin Netanyahu
“The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its objectives is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there - with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory.”
21 hours ago
Nour Odeh
“For a while, there was a lot of cautious optimism up until this morning, and then the prime minister announced he will order an invasion of Rafah with or without a deal - in essence trampling all of these ceasefire talks. This is what the families of the captives had feared. This is what the negotiators feared. Netanyahu's comments came after he held meetings with the most right-wing members of his coalition government, including Itamar Ben-Gvir. It's interesting, every time Blinken comes to the region - catching the tailwind of some optimism - something like this happens, and he ends up going home with nothing to show for all this political momentum.”
21 hours ago
Randall Kuhn
“Put simply, the situation in Gaza is it's completely intolerable at this point. We're on the border of famine and for us as a university, we have to reckon with the fact that every university in Gaza has been destroyed. As a professor, I find it repugnant to sit by while Palestinian professors are being killed, while academic buildings are being bombed relentlessly.”
21 hours ago
Chandrachur Singh
“The opposition - a consortium of nearly two dozen parties - has not been able to rally people around economic distress despite raising it as a prominent election issue. The problem with the opposition is that it is a coming together of parties with divergent views whose only agenda seems to be to dislodge Modi. To the people, that doesn't seem to be a good enough agenda. The fact that the opposition has not projected a face against Modi is also an issue. Rahul Gandhi is slowly emerging as that leader, but in terms of perception, he is still far behind Modi.”
21 hours ago
Neelanjan Sircar
“A large part of what the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] does is thinking about how to centralise all political attribution on Modi. Its campaign promises are pitched as Modi's guarantees. This is the strategy of a party where the leader is a cult figure and the party is the vehicle for the leader. Whether it's economic distress or even issues like violence in Manipur, Modi is not directly sullied. People may blame other leaders of the BJP. In regional elections, as a consequence, BJP might be voted out. But it is not anger against Modi.”
21 hours ago
Benjamin Netanyahu
“The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its objectives is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there - with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory.”
21 hours ago
Nour Odeh
“For a while, there was a lot of cautious optimism up until this morning, and then the prime minister announced he will order an invasion of Rafah with or without a deal - in essence trampling all of these ceasefire talks. This is what the families of the captives had feared. This is what the negotiators feared. Netanyahu's comments came after he held meetings with the most right-wing members of his coalition government, including Itamar Ben-Gvir. It's interesting, every time Blinken comes to the region - catching the tailwind of some optimism - something like this happens, and he ends up going home with nothing to show for all this political momentum.”
21 hours ago
Randall Kuhn
“Put simply, the situation in Gaza is it's completely intolerable at this point. We're on the border of famine and for us as a university, we have to reckon with the fact that every university in Gaza has been destroyed. As a professor, I find it repugnant to sit by while Palestinian professors are being killed, while academic buildings are being bombed relentlessly.”
21 hours ago
“There is a risk our Europe could die. We are not equipped to face the risks. Russia must not be allowed to win in Ukraine. Europeans should give preference to buying European military equipment. We must produce more, we must produce faster, and we must produce as Europeans.”
“There is no consensus at this stage ... to send troops on the ground. Nothing should be excluded. We will do everything that we must so that Russia does not win. Many people who say 'Never, never' today were the same people who said 'never tanks, never planes, never long-range missiles' two years ago. Let us have the humility to note that we have often been six to twelve months late. This was the objective of this evening's discussion: everything is possible if it is useful to achieve our objective.”
“I think our policy is the right one. It's based on the courage of President Bazoum, and on the commitments of our ambassador on the ground who is remaining despite all the pressure, despite all the declarations made by the illegitimate authorities.”
“In recent days, France has sent Ukraine more arms, rocket launchers, Crotale (air defence batteries), equipment beyond what we had already done. We are also working with the armed forces minister [Sebastien Lecornu] to be able to deliver useful arms and ammunition again in the first quarter [of 2023] so that the Ukrainians would be able to defend themselves against bombardments.”
“I told him [Putin ] that he made a historic and fundamental error for his people, for himself and for history. I think he has isolated himself. Isolating oneself is one thing, but being able to get out of it is a difficult path.”
“Russia has chosen to continue its war in Ukraine. Tonight, as Europeans, united and in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, we are taking new decisive sanctions.”
“What happened in Bucha demands a new round of sanctions and very clear measures. The scenes are unbearable. International justice must work. Those who were behind these crimes must respond.”
“I obtained that there will be no degradation nor escalation. My aim was to freeze the game, to prevent an escalation and open up new perspectives. This objective for me is fulfilled.”
“We won't get unilateral gestures, but it is indispensable to prevent a degradation of the situation before building confidence gestures and mechanisms. The geopolitical objective of Russia today is clearly not Ukraine, but to clarify the rules of cohabitation with NATO and the EU. The security and sovereignty of Ukraine or any other European state cannot be a subject for compromise, while it is also legitimate for Russia to pose the question of its own security.”
“Caledonians have chosen to remain French. They decided that freely. We can't ignore that the electorate remained deeply divided over the years … A period of transition is now starting.”
“That region is going through new tensions today. History is coming back. Sometimes tragedy is coming back. Today we have a special responsibility towards the Western Balkans. EU should pursue a policy of re-engagement, but also investment in order to favor the economic integration of the region; develop human exchange, raise the issue of minorities present in the region, but also fight against influence and manipulation who want to destabilise Europe through the Balkans. I believe that this political and economic work towards the Western Balkans is a real sovereignty agenda for our Europe because we cannot build a peaceful Europe in the next 50 years if we leave the Western Balkans in the current situation. That means clarifying its European perspective, reinvesting to the region and its unity and to have a common ambition for the decades to come.”
“We are thinking of an organisation between several European countries … a common location for several Europeans, which would allow our ambassadors to be present. This is a different demarche than a political recognition or political dialogue with the Taliban … we will have a representation as soon as we can open.”