The European People’s Party (EPP) suspended Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party over alleged violations of EU rule-of-law principles on Wednesday (20 March).

Fidesz will be suspended with immediate effect and until further notice following the  vote of EPP members (190 in favour, 3 against. Fidesz will no longer have any rights as a party member. Fidesz will no longer have the right to vote in any party meetings and will no longer have the right to propose candidates for posts.

Declaration by the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini (18/03/2019)

Source: Standard Chartered Bank

Projected GDP in 2030

Source : Transparency International

1. Russia is the 12th-largest economy, with a GDP in excess of $1.5 trillion, larger than many developed economies such as Australia (N° 13), Spain (N° 14) and the Netherlands (N° 18).
2. Russia is the world's largest oil producer, with output of 10.6 million barrels per day, larger than both Saudi Arabia (10.5 million barrels) and the United States (9 million barrels).
3. Russia has the largest landmass of any country in the world and a population of 144 million people, the ninth largest of any country.

Source: Carnegie Europe

The European Union’s (EU’s) foreign policy remains weak and underdeveloped.  The overall international position of the EU has weakened in the ten years since the treaty’s signing. With its emphasis on soft power, preference for legal situations, and enthusiasm for multilateral diplomacy, the EU has had trouble adjusting to a multipolar world increasingly ruled by power politics.

There are only three countries in the world that are rightly regarded as primary powers- the U.S., Russia and China. These three are the only superpowers. All others are secondary powers (Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom) or tertiary powers (India, Iran, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates).

Geopolitics

United States versus Europe

Russia’s external influence is substantial and extends through most facets of society, including culture, religion, media and information, business, and politics. Russia uses hybrid methods of influence, including white, grey, and black influence operations around the world. Russia’s narrative is not limited to one mode of transmission—Russia uses most if not all aspects of civil society and public life to craft influence campaigns aimed at winning hearts and minds across Europe and elsewhere.

Russia has consistently described itself as a great power. At a minimum, this vision includes Russia’s desire to participate in deciding global issues and to have a sphere of influence in its region. In addition to consistently referring to Russia as a great power, Russian officials have advocated a “multipolar” vision of the world, apparently indicating that they think Russia is and should remain one of several major powers.

The Soft Power 30 is an annual ranking compiled by London-based strategy firm Portland Communications. The company evaluates the influence each country exerts over others through means other than military power. The rankings use both objective information from business and IT fields, as well as subjective criteria such as public opinion polls.

Ranking