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Tuesday, May 31, 2016
IMF Report on Neoliberalism's Failures Is Revolutionary
IMF Report on Neoliberalism's Failures Is Revolutionary
It takes courage to openly state what the International Monetary Fund's researchers are saying. Such a statement would have been inconceivable five years ago.
Nitzan Horowitz May 31, 2016
Only a few minutes’ stroll along Pennsylvania Avenue separates the massive complex of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund from the much smaller White House. Perhaps the size difference symbolizes the relative degree of importance and the center of gravity: the economic headquarters are the real fulcrum of power; the White House is for tourists.
Ever since these two economic institutions were founded at the end of World War II, they’ve affected people’s lives far more than any U.S. president or the prime minister of any country. The IMF and World Bank are not only powerful executive instruments; they’re also ideological bodies. For more than 70 years, they’ve served as the most effective disseminator of a clear political ideology: the rule of capital. This is why what’s just happened can be likened to an earthquake.
Senior economists at the IMF, not usually people suspected of having a shred of sympathy for social ideals, have dropped a bombshell. “Neoliberalism: Oversold?” – a report published in the IMF’s flagship magazine – determines that the neoliberal approach, which has shaped the world for the last two generations, has failed. http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.722368
Hillary Clinton's Memoir Deletions, in Detail
Hillary Clinton's Memoir Deletions, in Detail
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/36237-hillary-clinton-s-memoir-deletions-in-detailWhich Jerusalem? Israel’s Little-Known Master Plans
Which Jerusalem? Israel’s Little-Known Master Plans
https://al-shabaka.org/briefs/jerusalem-israels-little-known-master-plans/?utm_source=Media&utm_campaign=3354e3d0b8-PolicyBrief_Arafeh_5_31_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_95709baeed-3354e3d0b8-285454914
Crunch Time in the EU-Turkey Relationship
Crunch Time in the EU-Turkey Relationship
Posted by: Marc Pierini Tuesday, May 31, 2016 | http://carnegieeurope.eu/
Posted by: Marc Pierini Tuesday, May 31, 2016 | http://carnegieeurope.eu/
The pretense behind the refugee deal may soon be over. How will the EU and Turkey do business with each other? http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/?fa=63690&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTWpRMU5UUXlZMkpsWlRobSIsInQiOiJ3aFlNOFZ0XC83TEpFT3VOTjBKS1ZSMldwXC9GM0hmazUxYWlwWnpMUEI3NlR3OFwvaFIyNkRobEpaNUJQTWpYeDM0TTBcLzdxeWVGcDd5RXN6V3U4N01Ba3FRUFM0ZWFXWmJock15Q0RPOEhzZ2M9In0%3D
How Conservatives and Progressives Will Work Together Next Year
How Conservatives and Progressives Will Work Together Next Year
By Chayenne Polimédio
http://www.newamerica.org/After the election, we are likely to continue to have a divided government. That most likely means more gridlock. So the question is: What will policymaking look like beyond 2017?
Some are quick to point out that given the heightened partisanship and the rise of issue polarization, the new administration will have a tremendously hard time advancing any legislation, and that Americans are likely to see very little getting done as animosity trumps either side’s agenda.
But things may be better than they look. http://www.newamerica.org/weekly/edition-124/how-conservatives-and-progressives-will-work-together-next-year/
America’s Sinkhole Wars
http://lobelog.com/americas-
We have it on highest authority: the recent killing of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan marks “an important milestone.” So the president of the United States has declared, with that claim duly echoed and implicitly endorsed by media commentary — theNew York Times reporting, for example, that Mansour’s death leaves the Taliban leadership “shocked” and “shaken.”
But a question remains: A milestone toward what exactly? http://lobelog.com/americas-sinkhole-wars/#more-34376
America’s Sinkhole Wars
by Andrew J. BacevichWe have it on highest authority: the recent killing of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan marks “an important milestone.” So the president of the United States has declared, with that claim duly echoed and implicitly endorsed by media commentary — theNew York Times reporting, for example, that Mansour’s death leaves the Taliban leadership “shocked” and “shaken.”
But a question remains: A milestone toward what exactly? http://lobelog.com/americas-sinkhole-wars/#more-34376
Israeli Firm Claims It Can Tell If You’re a Terrorist By Looking At Your Face
https://www.mintpressnews.com/
Argument for this being right? “Our personality is determined by our DNA and reflected in our face."
This is deeply deeply disturbing on so many levels. Not just for the obvious reasons (a Pandora’s Box legally, academically — particularly in the social sciences, morally, etc.) , but also because Homeland Security has been convinced enough to buy the equipment. With an 80% success rate, i.e., 20% are identified as terrorists or pedophiles incorrectly, but consequently their lives and careers ruined.
Eugenics. It’s back in a digital form. By the Israelis no less.
Israeli Firm Claims It Can Tell If You’re a Terrorist By Looking At Your Face
The bold claims are made by Israeli start-up Faception.
Milestones (Or What Passes for Them in Washington) A Multi-Trillion-Dollar Bridge to Nowhere in the Greater Middle East
Milestones (Or What Passes for Them in Washington)
A Multi-Trillion-Dollar Bridge to Nowhere in the Greater Middle East
By Andrew J. Bacevich
We have it on highest authority: the recent killing of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan marks “an important milestone.” So the president of the United States has declared, with that claim duly echoed and implicitly endorsed by media commentary -- the New York Times reporting, for example, that Mansour’s death leaves the Taliban leadership “shocked” and “shaken.”
But a question remains: A milestone toward what exactly?
Click here to read more of this dispatch.
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176147/tomgram%3A_andrew_bacevich%2C_america's_sinkhole_wars/#more
Trade's Perfect Storm By William Reinsch
http://www.stimson.org/
Trade's Perfect Storm
By William Reinsch
May 31, 2016
One thing that has become obvious in the presidential campaign is that trade is front and center as an issue. For those of us who have spent our professional careers working on the subject, this ought to be good news. Finally "our" issue is getting the attention it deserves. Unfortunately, this is a classic case of "be careful what you wish for." We are not having a high-minded debate about trade policy. Rather, we are down there in the gutter debating whether U.S. negotiators are stupid or just incompetent and whether trade agreements are really nothing more than a race to the bottom.
How did it come to this? It turns out we are experiencing the perfect storm of trade debates. First, on the Democratic side, this is nothing new. Trade has been a divisive issue among Democrats for some years. In 2008, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton spent weeks in the industrial heartland beating each other over the head on who was the bigger trade skeptic, egged on by organized labor. Once the nomination fight was over, the issue faded. The Republican nominee John McCain did not make a big issue of it, and Obama — having established his position — did not have to. This year has featured a replay between Clinton and Sanders, but unlike 2008, it is not likely to disappear after the conventions. http://www.stimson.org/content/trades-perfect-storm-0
Trade's Perfect Storm
By William Reinsch
May 31, 2016
One thing that has become obvious in the presidential campaign is that trade is front and center as an issue. For those of us who have spent our professional careers working on the subject, this ought to be good news. Finally "our" issue is getting the attention it deserves. Unfortunately, this is a classic case of "be careful what you wish for." We are not having a high-minded debate about trade policy. Rather, we are down there in the gutter debating whether U.S. negotiators are stupid or just incompetent and whether trade agreements are really nothing more than a race to the bottom.
How did it come to this? It turns out we are experiencing the perfect storm of trade debates. First, on the Democratic side, this is nothing new. Trade has been a divisive issue among Democrats for some years. In 2008, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton spent weeks in the industrial heartland beating each other over the head on who was the bigger trade skeptic, egged on by organized labor. Once the nomination fight was over, the issue faded. The Republican nominee John McCain did not make a big issue of it, and Obama — having established his position — did not have to. This year has featured a replay between Clinton and Sanders, but unlike 2008, it is not likely to disappear after the conventions. http://www.stimson.org/content/trades-perfect-storm-0
Refinancing is Dead: A Generation of Hard Times Will Continue Until Secular Real Wages Improve
Refinancing is Dead: A Generation of Hard Times Will Continue Until Secular Real Wages Improve
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2016/05/refinancing-is-dead-a-generation-of-hard-times-will-continue-until-secular-real-wages-improve.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NakedCapitalism+%28naked+capitalism%29Monday, May 30, 2016
Chairman Chaffetz Opener - Criminal Aliens Released by the Department of Homeland Security
Chairman Chaffetz Opener - Criminal Aliens Released by the Department of Homeland Security
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QOwAJ2ez6U&app=desktop
A prayer for Memorial Day
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A prayer for Memorial Day
On Memorial Day, we remember those who died
in service to our country and pray for peace in our world. As members of the Unbound community, we serve as harbingers of peace — reaching out across deep divides to people from different places, races, religions and economic backgrounds. We reach out seeking equality, justice, opportunity and harmony in our human family. We long for the day when, as Isaiah prophesied, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares" and "One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again." (Isaiah 2:4) |
What happens when the military chaplain is shaken by war
What happens when the military chaplain is shaken by war
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/what-happens-when-the-military-chaplain-is-shaken-by-war/2016/05/29/4dd27dc8-237f-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972_story.html?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_heads-draw6
Managing Risks in the Russia-United States Conflict
http://carnegie.ru/commentary/
The new standoff is, unlike the Cold War, distinctly asymmetrical. This time around, the scales are clearly tipped in favor of the United States. That has caused Russia to overcompensate by raising the stakes, taking bigger risks, and making sudden moves that wrong-foot its adversary.
Yet this asymmetry, coupled with a sense of moral superiority, also leads the United States to underestimate Russia and view it as a state in progressive decline, interpret the Kremlin’s actions as a bluff, and keep ratcheting up the pressure. An encounter between a Russian and a U.S. airplane or between an airplane and a military ship in the Baltic or Black Sea region could result in the confrontation escalating to a new and much more dangerous level.http://carnegie.ru/commentary/?fa=63685&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWVRJNFlXVmtaamxrWmpVMSIsInQiOiJKNlIzK3dTTzRIb1hyY2xlcmx5VDJhdlFGUFJPeG5MME5JRWFVUGNkVzl2M2h0WDc1SldXZjJZWGJLTkpnb2pXSjJZd0hHZjJKWjFVdEhGcnZrZ3ZqaW0zSmJqUWpLcXpwb3RzdTRlbEVVVT0ifQ%3D%3D
Managing Risks in the Russia-United States Conflict
Unlike in the Cold War, the current Russia-United States confrontation is asymmetrical, which carries different dangers. Cooperation will remain limited and Barack Obama’s successor will most likely take a harsher stance on Russia. The good news about the two-year-old confrontation between Russia and the United States is that over the past year it has stabilized and become the “new normal.” The bad news is that this clash looks set to last, and is developing into a military-political conflict in Eastern Europe and a new arms race.The new standoff is, unlike the Cold War, distinctly asymmetrical. This time around, the scales are clearly tipped in favor of the United States. That has caused Russia to overcompensate by raising the stakes, taking bigger risks, and making sudden moves that wrong-foot its adversary.
Yet this asymmetry, coupled with a sense of moral superiority, also leads the United States to underestimate Russia and view it as a state in progressive decline, interpret the Kremlin’s actions as a bluff, and keep ratcheting up the pressure. An encounter between a Russian and a U.S. airplane or between an airplane and a military ship in the Baltic or Black Sea region could result in the confrontation escalating to a new and much more dangerous level.http://carnegie.ru/commentary/?fa=63685&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWVRJNFlXVmtaamxrWmpVMSIsInQiOiJKNlIzK3dTTzRIb1hyY2xlcmx5VDJhdlFGUFJPeG5MME5JRWFVUGNkVzl2M2h0WDc1SldXZjJZWGJLTkpnb2pXSjJZd0hHZjJKWjFVdEhGcnZrZ3ZqaW0zSmJqUWpLcXpwb3RzdTRlbEVVVT0ifQ%3D%3D
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Two Men, Two Legs, and Too Much Suffering America's Forgotten Vietnamese Victims
Two Men, Two Legs, and Too Much Suffering America's Forgotten Vietnamese Victims By Nick Turse
Nguyen Van Tu asks if I'm serious. Am I really willing to tell his story -- to tell the story of the Vietnamese who live in this rural corner of the Mekong Delta? Almost 40 years after guerrilla fighters in his country threw the limits of U.S. military power into stark relief -- during the 1968 Tet Offensive -- we sit in his rustic home, built of wood and thatch with an earthen floor, and speak of two hallmarks of that power: ignorance and lack of accountability. As awkward chicks scurry past my feet, I have the sickening feeling that, in decades to come, far too many Iraqis and Afghans will have similar stories to tell. Similar memories of American troops. Similar accounts of air strikes and artillery bombardments. Nightmare knowledge of what "America" means to far too many outside the United States.
Click here to read more of this dispatch.http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176146/best_of_tomdispatch%3A_nick_turse%2C_from_the_missing_archives_of_a_lost_war/#more
The Defense Department Is Ruining America: Big Budgets, Militarization and the Real Story Behind Our Asia Pivot
The Defense Department Is Ruining America: Big Budgets, Militarization and the Real Story Behind Our Asia Pivot
http://www.alternet.org/economy/defense-department-ruining-america-big-budgets-militarization-and-real-story-behind-our-asia
Silencing America as it prepares for war by John Pilger
Silencing America as it prepares for war
by John Pilgerhttp://dissidentvoice.org/2016/05/silencing-america-as-it-prepares-for-war/This iPhone Factory in China Is Replacing 60,000 Workers With Robots
This iPhone Factory in China Is Replacing 60,000 Workers With Robots
Bernie Sanders Is 'Scared to Death' Hillary Clinton Will Lose to Donald Trump
Bernie Sanders Is 'Scared to Death' Hillary Clinton Will Lose to Donald Trump
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/bernie-sanders-scared-death-hillary-clinton-will-lose-donald-trump
All the Presumptive Nominee’s Men
All the Presumptive Nominee’s Men
For a guy who yells about Washington and Wall Street money in politics, Donald Trump sure has a lot on insiders on his team.
http://billmoyers.com/story/presumptive-nominees-men/#.V0mKr1jxDms.facebook
The Seven Reasons Bernie Sanders Will Stay in the Race Until Election Day
The Seven Reasons Bernie Sanders Will Stay in the Race Until Election Day
By Martin Sieff · May 27, 2016 ·http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/seven-reasons-bernie-sanders-will-stay-race-election-day/2016/05/27Zika precautions: What you need to know as you plan your summer travel
Zika precautions: What you need to know as you plan your summer travel
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/05/27/zika-precautions-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-start-your-summer-travels/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_rainbow
Chinese schoolkids climb a 2,625-foot cliffside ladder to get home. Soon, they’ll have stairs.
Chinese schoolkids climb a 2,625-foot cliffside ladder to get home. Soon, they’ll have stairs.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/05/27/chinese-schoolkids-climb-a-2625-foot-cliffside-ladder-to-get-home-now-theyll-have-stairs/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_rainbowRetaking Raqqa From the Islamic State
Retaking Raqqa From the Islamic State
https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/retaking-raqqa-islamic-state?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_content=B2C_Weekend_Content&utm_campaign=LL-160529-sunday-Digest&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_jaGBH3naCvZsRtMcZ7TKu5VSvOxOhlS7Bc2XE0VC9JQevrXaNvBgNAFXTQFSeXiP9Glygc7Con8shUW_ZvM37n1bUMQ&_hsmi=30045476
Conversation: The Geopolitics of Holy Sites in the Middle East
Conversation: The Geopolitics of Holy Sites in the Middle East
https://www.stratfor.com/video/conversation-geopolitics-holy-sites-middle-east?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_content=B2C_Weekend_Content&utm_campaign=LL-160529-sunday-Digest&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_1ngLYTjBk6Sp7fbciCFUc9gO-cUfqKXciMFIox9H65RW_6hvgxSzJjLbEsZykMUjUW7zmL9MHQlRvuBXVrncQiOTHEA&_hsmi=30045476
Saturday, May 28, 2016
The “Poison” of Gossip According to Pope Francis
The “Poison” of Gossip According to Pope Francis
http://catholic-link.org/2016/05/25/the-poison-of-gossip-according-to-pope-francis/
A former senior U.S. general again calls for abolishing the nuclear forces he once commanded
A former senior U.S. general again calls for abolishing the nuclear forces he once commanded
https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/05/27/19731/former-senior-us-general-again-calls-abolishing-nuclear-forces-he-once-commanded
Debunking Popular Clichés About Modern Warfare
Debunking Popular Clichés About Modern Warfare
http://www.unz.com/tsaker/debunking-popular-cliches-about-modern-warfare/
http://www.unz.com/tsaker/debunking-popular-cliches-about-modern-warfare/
Drones and Blowback
http://lobelog.com/drones-and-
The targeted assassination of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour last weekend wasn’t just another drone strike.
First of all, it was conducted by the U.S. military, not the CIA, which has orchestrated nearly all drone strikes in Pakistan.
Second, it didn’t take place in Afghanistan or in the so-called lawless tribal region of Pakistan known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA. The guided missile turned a white Toyota and its two passengers into a fireball on a well-traveled highway in Balochistan, in southwest Pakistan.
Prior to this particular drone strike, Pakistan allowed the United States to patrol the skies over the northwest region of FATA, a Taliban stronghold. But President Obama decided to cross this “red line” to take out Mansour (and a taxi driver, Muhammad Azam, who had the misfortune to be with the wrong passenger at the wrong time).
Pakistani leaders have registered their disapproval. According to former ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman, “The drone strike is different from all others because it has not only resumed a genre of kinetic action that is unilateral, but also illegal and expansionary in its geographical theater of targeted operation.”http://lobelog.com/drones-and-blowback/#more-34358
Drones and Blowback
by John FefferThe targeted assassination of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour last weekend wasn’t just another drone strike.
First of all, it was conducted by the U.S. military, not the CIA, which has orchestrated nearly all drone strikes in Pakistan.
Second, it didn’t take place in Afghanistan or in the so-called lawless tribal region of Pakistan known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA. The guided missile turned a white Toyota and its two passengers into a fireball on a well-traveled highway in Balochistan, in southwest Pakistan.
Prior to this particular drone strike, Pakistan allowed the United States to patrol the skies over the northwest region of FATA, a Taliban stronghold. But President Obama decided to cross this “red line” to take out Mansour (and a taxi driver, Muhammad Azam, who had the misfortune to be with the wrong passenger at the wrong time).
Pakistani leaders have registered their disapproval. According to former ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman, “The drone strike is different from all others because it has not only resumed a genre of kinetic action that is unilateral, but also illegal and expansionary in its geographical theater of targeted operation.”http://lobelog.com/drones-and-blowback/#more-34358
Why Christians Are Fleeing the Holy Lands
China Warns The World: America Is The "Greatest Threat To Peace & Stability"
China Warns The World: America Is The "Greatest Threat To Peace & Stability"
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-05-27/china-warns-world-america-greatest-threat-peace-stabilityFriday, May 27, 2016
From the Daughters of St. Paul: A Summer Retreat
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WPR Articles May 23 — May 27
WPR Articles May 23 — May 27
Can Duterte Back Up His Tough Talk as President of the Philippines?
By: Prashanth Parameswaran | Briefing
Earlier this month, Rodrigo Duterte, a
tough-talking mayor, emerged as the winner of the Philippines’
presidential election, sparking worries about a dramatic reversal from
his reform-minded predecessor, Benigno Aquino III. But how much will
Duterte’s rhetoric actually translate into reality at home and abroad?
Can the Nordic Countries Capitalize on Their Strategic Position in Europe?
By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines
Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark have
found themselves at the center of key security debates in Europe on
growing Russian aggression and the migrant crisis. But can the Nordic
countries translate their geostrategic importance into lasting influence
in NATO and the European Union?
Netanyahu Uses Lieberman Appointment to Bring Israel’s Military to Heel
By: Michael A. Cohen | Column
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s appointment of Avigdor Lieberman as the country’s defense
minister struck at the very heart of the civilian-military relationship
in Israel, in the process showing once again that there is nothing
Netanyahu won’t do to increase his political advantage.
Patronage and Ethnic Divisions Hobble Sierra Leone’s Political Parties
By: The Editors | Trend Lines
In late April, on Sierra Leone’s
independence day, police raided the headquarters of the opposition
Sierra Leone People’s Party, firing shots and arresting supporters. In
an email interview, Jimmy Kandeh, a professor at the University of
Richmond, discussed domestic politics in Sierra Leone.
The Mansour Killing Raises as Many Questions as Answers in Afghanistan
By: Steven Metz | Column
Last weekend, a U.S. military drone killed
Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, as he drove
home from Iran to Pakistan’s Baluchistan province. No one thinks that
killing Mansour will defeat the Taliban, but it might alter the
trajectory of the conflict at least a bit.
Africa’s Counterterrorism Growth Industry May Backfire
By: Richard Gowan | Column
Counterterrorism is a growth industry
across large parts of Africa, overshadowing the continent’s other
security challenges. There is a risk that this will initiate an endless
cycle of wars, as African militaries and regional organizations might
inspire further resistance in crushing Islamist groups.
Failure to Manage Commodities Windfall Forces Congo Budget Cuts
By: The Editors | Trend Lines
In the wake of declining commodities
revenues, the prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo
proposed a new budget that included cutting government spending by 30
percent. In an email interview, Yvan Yenda Ilunga discussed the effect
of falling commodities prices on the DRC’s economy.
Despite Loosened Embargo, Bankers’ Fears Block U.S. Commerce With Cuba
By: William M. LeoGrande | Briefing
One of President Barack Obama’s most
significant measures to promote commerce with Cuba isn’t working. U.S.
banks can now legally process Cuban transactions with non-U.S. parties,
but banks are refusing to do it. “It turns out it’s easier to impose
sanctions than it is to dismantle them,” admits a U.S. official.
Rhodes Profile: Citizens, Spin and Truth in the Hybrid Information Era
By: Ellen Laipson | Column
The latest mini-drama in Washington is
centered on whether the Obama administration manipulated the truth about
the Iran nuclear talks to sell the deal to Congress and the public. The
larger story is about how citizens can navigate the complicated
landscape of information, spin and advocacy.
With Putin’s ASEAN Outreach, Russia Sets Sights on Southeast Asia
By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Feature
Vladimir Putin’s so-called tilt to Asia
has taken on new importance recently, as Moscow looks eastward for new
economic and diplomatic opportunities. But despite this new push and the
Russia-ASEAN Summit in May, numerous hurdles stand in the way of deeper
Russian engagement with Southeast Asia.
The Struggle to Reform Odessa Reflects Wider Malaise in Ukraine
By: Dan Peleschuk | Briefing
When controversial former Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili was tapped as governor of Ukraine’s
strategic Odessa region last year, he hired a young team to build a
showcase for reform in post-revolutionary Ukraine. But today the
prospects for success seem to be growing dimmer by the day.
Malaysia Moves Forward With TPP as Opposition Fails to Materialize
By: The Editors | Trend Lines
Last week, the Malaysian government
announced the creation of a national committee to oversee the
implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In an email interview,
the Malaysian Institute for Economic Research’s Shankaran Nambiar
discussed the potential impact of TPP membership on Malaysia.
Russia and Saudi Arabia Are Only Feigning Restraint in Syria
By: Alexander Decina | Briefing
Although they are on opposite sides of
Syria’s war, Russia and Saudi Arabia find themselves in similar
positions. Both are presenting themselves as trying in earnest to rein
in their respective proxies, Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the
opposition. Yet neither is willing to put conditions on their support.
Sri Lanka’s Painful Past and Uncertain Future on Display in Tamil North
By: Frida Ghitis | Column
The scars of Sri Lanka’s 26-year-long
civil war remain plainly visible in the country’s north. More than half a
decade after the fighting ended, much needs to be done before the
conflict is relegated to the pages of history, allowing Sri Lanka to
work toward a prosperous and stable future.
Looking Back to Look Ahead: The U.S.-Japan Alliance in Today’s Asia
By: Sheila A. Smith | Briefing
The symbolism of Obama’s landmark visit to
Hiroshima aside, for many, the U.S.-Japan alliance appears to be a Cold
War artifact. But the strategic bargain struck during the Korean War
serves a far different purpose today, as the U.S. and Japan have
adjusted to new geopolitical currents in Asia.
Russia’s Push to Gain Influence in Southeast Asia
By: The Editors | Trend Lines
In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s
editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein, and host Peter Dörrie discuss rolling
back Cuba sanctions, counterterrorism in Africa, and the hybrid
information era. For the Report, Nikolas Gvosdev joins us to talk about
Russia’s outreach to Southeast Asia.
Sadr Weathers Iraq’s Twists and Turns to Re-Emerge as Political Player
By: Frederick Deknatel | Trend Lines
A key character from the Iraqi insurgency
is back center stage in Baghdad. The re-emergence of Muqtada al-Sadr, a
notorious Shiite cleric, has sparked all manner of coverage. A
toned-down Sadr has gone the political route so far, but his calculus
could change as violence and tension rise in Baghdad.
Teh Week With IPS
| 2016/5/27 |
Click here for the online version of this IPS newsletter
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New International Accord to Tackle Illegal Fishing
Lyndal Rowlands
A new international accord to tackle illegal and under-reported fishing will come into force on June 5.
Under the Port States Measures Agreement (PSMA) governments will be
required to inspect foreign fishing vessels that dock in their ports.
“The vessels themselves have the obligation to ...
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Malawi's Drought Leaves Millions High and Dry
Charity Chimungu Phiri
It’s Saturday,
market day at the popular Bvumbwe market in Thyolo district. About 40
kilometers away in Chiradzulu district, a vegetable vendor and mother of
five, Esnart Nthawa, 35, has woken up at three a.m. to prepare for the
journey to the market.
The day before, she went about her village ...
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Traditional Mexican Recipes Fight the Good Fight
Emilio Godoy
In a clay pot, Araceli Márquez mixes tiny Mexican freshwater fish known
as charales with herbs and a sauce made of chili peppers, green tomatoes
and prickly pear cactus fruit, preparing a dish called mixmole.
“I learned how to cook by asking people and experimenting,” the
55-year-old divorced ...
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UNFPA Funding Cuts Threaten Women's Health in Poorer Nations
Thalif Deen
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which has played a key role in ensuring
maternal health and promoting reproductive rights of millions of women
world-wide, is expected to suffer over 0 million in funding cuts by
Western donors this year.
Arthur Erken, Director of the Division of ...
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The Humanitarian Clock Is Ticking, The Powerful Feign Deafness
Baher Kamal
The humanitarian clock is now ticking away faster than ever, with over
130 million of the world’s most vulnerable people in dire need of
assistance. But the most powerful, richest countries—those who have
largely contributed to manufacturing it and can therefore stop it,
continue to pretend not ...
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New and Old Vaccines Still Out of Reach for Many
Lyndal Rowlands
While long-awaited new vaccines for malaria and dengue may finally be
within reach, many of the world’s existing vaccines have remained
unreachable for many of the people who need them most.
The recent outbreak of yellow fever in Angola shows how deadly
infectious diseases can return when ...
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Humanitarian Summit, The Big Fiasco
Baher Kamal
The World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) held in Istanbul on May 23-24,
managed to send a strong wake-up call to the world about the
unprecedented human suffering now in course, but failed to achieve the
objective of attracting the massive funds needed to alleviate the
humanitarian drama, as none of the ...
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Water Security Critical for World Fastest-Growing Economy
an IPS Correspondent
Lack of water management and limited access to data risk hindering
Myanmar’s economic growth, making water security a top priority of the
new government.
Climate change and increased urbanisation, along with earthquakes,
cyclones, periodic flooding and major drought, require an urgent ...
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Economic Interests Harming Global Health: WHO Chief
Lyndal Rowlands
Putting economic interests over public health is leading the world
towards three slow-motion health disasters, Margaret Chan,
Director-General of the World Health Organization’s warned the world’s
health ministers on Monday.
Changes in the world's climate, the failure of more and more ...
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Natural Capital Investment Key to Africa’s Development
Busani Bafana
Plugging Africa’s funding gaps to accelerate social and economic
development requires a fresh approach to using its natural capital,
environment experts said on Monday.
It is time Africa invested billions of dollars - part of the 50 billion
dollars lost through illicit financial flows - in ...
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Prickly Pears Drive Local Development in Northern Argentina
Fabiana Frayssinet
Family farmers in the northern Argentine province of Chaco are gaining a
new appreciation of the common prickly pear cactus, which is now
driving a new kind of local development.
Hundreds of jars of homemade jam are stacked in the civil society
association “Siempre Unidos Minifundios de ...
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Is it in Europe's Interest to Push Russia into China's Arms?
Roberto Savio
No mention in the media of the dangerous increase in the tension between
Europe and Russia and yet Nato has just made operational in Romania a
missile system, the ABM, which the United States has declared will
protect it from “rogue” states, like Iran.
Roberto SavioRussia, especially after ...
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Bangladesh's Urban Slums Swell with Climate Migrants
Rafiqul Islam
Abdul Aziz, 35, arrived in the capital Dhaka in 2006 after losing all
his belongings to the mighty Meghna River. Once, he and his family had
lived happily in the village of Dokkhin Rajapur in Bhola, a coastal
district of Bangladesh. Aziz had a beautiful house and large amount of
arable land.
But ...
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Species Loss, the Migration Hiding in Plain Sight
Monique Barbut
Two months ago, I was in Agadez, a city in the middle of the famous
Ténéré Desert of Niger. Agadez has become a major transit point on a
hazardous journey for the hundreds and thousands of desperate people
from all over West Africa trying to make it to the Mediterranean coast
every year.
...
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Will Canada Recognise Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Developing Countries Too?
Aruna Dutt
While Canada’s long-awaited support for the UN Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples brought hope and celebration last week, it's not
yet clear whether the rights of Indigenous people in developing
countries harmed by Canadian mining companies will also be included.
The Special ...
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