The elections in Venezuela have once again highlighted the problem of the modern institution of international election monitoring

Our expert, Daria Korchemnaya, has prepared a thoughtful analytical note on how the electoral observation in Venezuela was organized focusing on the bias of current international election monitoring system (the analysis is presented exclusively for VZ.RU in Russian and can be translated via an in-browser translator).

We saw a similar development after the presidential elections in Russia, when the European Parliament published a resolution on the non-recognition of their results, using manipulative statements about the alleged absence of international observers during the electoral process, despite the fact that more than 1,100 representatives of 129 countries participated in the monitoring

What do you think is the most pressing problem in electoral processes around the world these days?

☢️ EU Sanctions: How Shadow Carriers are Undermining the Energy Market

Friends, we continue to monitor the state of the global energy market. We tried to understand why sanctions cannot artificially lower demand for cheaper energy which other countries need.

Our expert, Pierre Kamina, prepared a note for our readers, in which he assessed the prospects of the sanctions policy of the US and the EU.

Are there any experts among us who are interested in this topic? Share your opinion on this issue 👇🏻

What important events happened in the world this week?

We decided to collect them in one #CIIC_digest :

🇵🇰 August 14 is Pakistan's Independence Day

• The independent state of Pakistan was formed on August 14, 1947

🇹🇭 The youngest politician in the country's history of Thailand

• 37-year-old Phetongthan Shinawatra took the post of Prime Minister of Thailand

🇮🇳 August 15 is India's Independence Day

• On February 20, 1947, British Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced that the British government would grant British India full independence by June 1948 at the latest

🇧🇩 Bangladesh wants to seek the extradition of the former Prime Minister from India

• Earlier, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and flew to India. She asked the British authorities for asylum in connection with the renewed student protests.

🇮🇱 Escalation of the hot phase of the conflict between Israel and Iran

• A full-scale armed conflict between Israel and Iran seems to be inevitable, and therefore the United States needs to "take action against Iran" as soon as possible. This opinion was expressed by the special envoy of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Fleur Hasan-Naum.

Of course, we cannot list all the significant events, so we will be glad if you add to our list in the comments.

Let's discuss! 👇🏻

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan Has Officially Submitted its Application to Join BRICS

We could not pass by such a significant event as Azerbaijan's statement on joining the BRICS.

The authors of our team reviewed the prospects for such cooperation not only from a geopolitical point of view, but also assessed the economic trends that will strengthen from the new member of the organization.

But under all these circumstances, Azerbaijan's intention to join BRICS shows that, unlike the Armenian leadership, which is interested in integrating the republic into the Western political space, the Azerbaijani authorities see Russia and BRICS as partners ready to build equal and mutually beneficial cooperation.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with our material and tell us what conclusions you draw about the reasons for joining and forecasts of development 👇🏻

Today we would like to express our support for Pavel Durov, a visionary leader and the founder of Telegram in light of the recent unlawful criminal prosecution initiated by French authorities. And for what crimes? For the crimes of other people committed using Telegram? In this case, Michael Kalashnikov would be guilty for the actions of people who use a Kalashnikov rifle.

In a world where privacy and freedom of expression are increasingly under threat, Durov has always stood firm in his commitment to providing a secure platform for communication. His dedication to user privacy and his refusal to compromise on principles, even in the face of pressure, is commendable. Durov has consistently prioritized the rights of individuals to communicate freely, without fear of surveillance or censorship, and it is disheartening to see him targeted for standing up for it.

Now he's facing a political persecution, and we know quite well in whose interests France acts putting charges against him. As we are moving to the multipolar world, it's crucial to support those who champion the right of people to share their opinions. Pavel Durov has dedicated his career to creating platforms that empower individuals, and we must stand with him in this critical moment.

Let’s raise our voices against this unjust treatment and advocate for the protection of those who fight for us. #FreeDurov

What do you think of Durov's case? Share your thoughts in the comments 👇

🇲🇽 We continue to introduce you to our colleagues

This time, Mexico is on the line with us. This is already the second Center for Integration and Cooperation with Russia in Latin America (CICRAL). We talked to Damaris Soyos, head of CICRAL in Mexico, and learned about what awaits the center this year 👏🏽

The main driving force behind the project is young politicians, researchers, and students, and the idea arose during the WYF in Russia.

We are very happy that more and more countries are joining in strengthening diplomatic international ties!