Rem Korteweg Profile picture
Aug 26, 2020 7 tweets 2 min read Read on X
Lots of buzz re Tony Abbott's role as post-Brexit UK trade advisor. (Be sure to read @DavidHenigUK's hot-take)

Aside from his earlier embrace of No Deal (he wrote a piece called "No Deal? No problem!") it's striking this role is given to a non-Brit

/1


theguardian.com/australia-news…
Why is this striking? After all, UK is open-minded Global Britain.

Well, I recall European EU (trade) experts being kept at arms-length from advising HMG after the #Brexit referendum.

For fear they might be double-agents advising the Other Side. Only Brits Allowed!

/2
Of course, European EU experts might have had some useful lessons to share about negotiating with the EU, which could've benefited HMG. But hey, that ship has sailed.

Apparently, an exception is made for Anglosphere Aussies.

/3
And of course, the UK should solicit advise from wherever it comes. So good for them!

But I remember distinctly a conversation with a very senior Australian official, back in 2017. We were discussing how Australia was making its trade policy expertise available to UK...

/4
Guess what that official said...

"We're happy to teach & advise the Brits about trade negotiations. We'll know they're trade policy better than they'll know it themselves. And we'll use it to our advantage in our bilateral talks. We'll negotiate with them early on and win."

/5
And lo' and behold, Australia is among the first bilateral FTA's Liz Truss is negotiating.

Good luck with the agricultural chapter!

/6
The ideology of Brexit is such that those in the Anglosphere are considered the UK's newest BFF's and the EU are the villains.

Unfortunately, trade policy doesn't work that way.

/end

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More from @remkorteweg

May 16
We have a new Dutch 🇳🇱 coalition agreement!
Here are some highlights with an international/ EU dimension:

Defence

- Continued military, political & financial support for #Ukraine
- Legally enshrine 2% defence spending
- Support for NL & European defence industry

/1
Migration

- NL will seek opt-out for (parts of) European asylum/migration policy, and will discuss setting up mini-Schengen’s in times of crisis

- NL will work with EU members to externalise migration policy to 3rd countries

/2
Migration (cont'd)

- NL will seek limits to freedom of movement for new EU members (i.e. same thing that happened in 2004)

- Various measures to dissuade migration, including fewer international students in Bachelors programmes, except technical studies

/3
Read 9 tweets
Apr 20
What does this mess teach us?

1) EU's timing was totally off, at least if it wanted a positive response frm London. Perhaps BXL's timing had more to do w VDL extending a hand to the UK at the end of her term. In any case it had little to do with political realities in London
/1
This suggests either VDL came up with the idea herself, or she was poorly advised by @PedroSerranoEU's team in London (which I don’t believe as they are highly competent)

Is there another option?

/2
@PedroSerranoEU .@anandMenon1 suggests here that the Commission wanted to pre-empt bilateral efforts by individual member-states

Plausible. Tho I haven’t heard many Europeans talk about bilateral deals with the UK on visas and youth mobility (aside from the French)
/3
theguardian.com/politics/2024/…
Read 9 tweets
Aug 25, 2022
This piece by @AllisterHeath is quite something.

Almost like he's applying to be Liz Truss' communications director.

A couple of quotes (because, you know, paywall...)

/1


telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/2…
1. Brexit hasn't been properly "done":

"As a result of the staggering implementation failures of the past six years, we have so far borne the costs of leaving the EU - the majority of which were the result of a choice by vindictive European protectionists...

/2
"...rather than the necessary outcome of leaving - while only enjoying a small fraction of the possible benefits."

Interesting perspective: trade barriers r blamed on 'European protectionists' instead of the logical outcome of leaving an internal market. But OK.

On continue

/3
Read 11 tweets
Aug 22, 2022
I just finished re-reading the #Iliad

Or rather, I read @stephenfry’s highly enjoyable version “Troy”

Here are a couple of points with some relevance to today’s war in #Ukraine

A short 🧵(with some classical art)

/1 Image
Who is to blame for the war, and at what point did it become inevitable?

Was it the Trojan abduction of Helen, the judgement of Paris, the lottery Odysseus organised, Paris’ and Antimachus' undermining of the Greek ultimatum?...

/2 Image
Or was it the challenge Troy presented to Agamemnon’s hegemony as “king of men”....
... or the Greek pursuit of Troy’s spoils?

In the case of Russia vs Ukraine, we also see multiple reasons being debated, some more realistic than others.

(Did someone say 'Mearsheimer'?)

/3
Read 14 tweets
Apr 18, 2022
If the West doesn’t want to get directly involved in Ukraine, it has two options:

-Arm Ukraine
-Use economic tools of coercion (sanctions)

We are doing the first. But the second remains tricky.

Some thoughts on economic sanctions.

A thread. 🧵

/1
If you are serious about using sanctions as a tool, you also accept harming your own economy.

Imposing sanctions ALWAYS means striking a balance between the amount of economic pain you are willing to absorb versus the amount of economic pain you can inflict on the other.

/2
Examples.

Personal sanctions are relatively painless; their impact is also limited.

Prohibiting sales of luxury goods is bad for oligarchs and bad for LVMH, but probably won’t lead to a change in behaviour either.

/3
Read 19 tweets
Mar 2, 2021
We hebben de #Verkiezingen2021 programma's van de 13 grootste partijen doorgelicht op de buitenland standpunten. Dit is het resultaat.

Verwarrend? Valt wel mee: hoe groter en donkerder de bol, hoe meer ambitie op het onderwerp. (Leeg = geen info in het programma).

/1
Op 9 vraagstukken laten de programma's zich goed vergelijken:

1. meer EU?
2. uitbreiding EU?
3. Europese economische onafhankelijkheid?
4. handelsverdragen?
5. arbeidsmigratie?
6. OS-budget?
7. band met VS/ NAVO?
8. Europese defensiesamenwerking?
9. Defensie budget?

/2
Ook hebben we gekeken naar de standpunten op de top-3 internationale ontwikkelingen die de Nederlander zorgen baart:

- migratiedruk aan de Europese grenzen
- China
- klimaat

Die komen hier uit:

clingendael.org/publication/ne…

/3
Read 10 tweets

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