GLOBAL ISSUES – Page 197 – IDN-InDepthNews

ARMAMENTS2013-11-132023-07-10

Umbrella States Should Quit Nuke Dependency

By Leo Hoffmann-Axthelm* | IDN-InDepth NewsViewpoint

BERLIN (IDN | ICAN) – In addition to the nine nuclear-armed states, there are five NATO states with nuclear weapons on their soil. 24 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey still host forward-deployed US B-61 thermonuclear gravity bombs.

They offer zero military value – in fact, the fighter jets that are responsible for carrying and dropping these bombs, should such an order be given, are barely able to leave EU territory without refueling. Most NATO-states are opposed to nuclear sharing, a dangerous relic of the cold war.

GLOBAL ISSUES2013-11-122023-07-10

Iran Talks: France Anxious About Competition With the Other Five

By Jaya Ramachandran | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

BERLIN | TEHRAN (IDN) – France is concerned about its declining influence in the Middle East and fears economic competition from the U.S., Britain and Germany if relations between Tehran and the West are normalized for the first time since the 1979 Iranian revolution. This, according to a senior Iranian analyst, is the reason French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius appeared to adopt a tough stance in Iran’s talks with the P5+1 – the UN Security Council’s permanent members, the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China along with Germany – on November 9-10 in Geneva.

ECONOMY2013-11-112023-07-10

Controversy on Landmark Global Trade Accord

By Martin Khor* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

GENEVA (IDN) – Negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) have been proceeding at full speed in recent months, giving rise to a lot of interest worldwide. The stated goal is to conclude the negotiations by the end of 2013. However there is only a slim prospect for this, as there are still many contentious issues to resolve.

Climate Change2013-11-072023-07-10

Warsaw Meet Crucial To Combat Climate Change

By Jutta Wolf | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

BERLIN (IDN) – Dangers are lurking all around but appropriate action can help avoid perilous levels of climate change. Much hope is therefore pinned on the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from November 11 to 22 in Warsaw.

USA and Canada2013-11-062023-07-12

When Freedom and Sovereignty Are Hollow Words

By Julio Godoy* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

BARCELONA (IDN) The German political comedian Karl Valentin once coined a wonderful phrase to parody the cowardice of people who betray their own will: “Mögen hätt’ ich schon wollen,” Valentin mocked them, “aber dürfen habe ich mich nicht getraut.” Loosely translated: “I actually would have loved to want, but I did not dare to can.”

Valentin’s grim humour is a perfect match for the present predicament of European governments vis-à-vis the U.S. and British global surveillance of telecommunications, revealed by the brave Edward Snowden. All heads of governments, from Angela Merkel in Germany to Mariano Rajoy in Spain, passing through François Hollande of France, have expressed their alleged outrage towards the U.S. spying of their official and private telephone and Internet communications. All of them have used the same expression: What the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) have been doing all these years is “unacceptable.”

GLOBAL ISSUES2013-11-052023-07-10

Efficacy of Sanctions on Oil-Exporting Countries Doubtful

By Erfan Ghassempour* | IDN-InDepth NewsEssay

TEHRAN (IDN) – One of the main reasons for putting sanctions in place is to restrain the target government, individual or group from continuing an activity which is believed to be against international peace and security.

ENERGY2013-11-012023-07-10

No More U.S. Money For Overseas Coal Plants

By Athena Ballesteros of World Resources Institute
IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued on October 29, 2013 a policy document ending Washington’s support for multilateral development bank (MDB) funding for new overseas coal projects except in narrowly defined circumstances. Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs Lael Brainard explained: “By encouraging the use of clean energy in multilateral development bank projects, we are furthering U.S. efforts to address the urgent challenges of climate change.” World Resources Institute’s Project Manager of International Financial Flows and Environment Project, Athena Ballesteros, analyses the significance of the initiative in a blog.

Latin America & the Caribbean2013-10-312023-07-12

Mixed Praise For Chile’s Economic Performance

By J C Suresh | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

TORONTO (IDN) – Chile has received kudos for making significant economic progress in the previous three years but has been faulted for “some glaring inequalities”. A new study finds that – together with Mexico – Chile displays “the greatest inequality gap” in the 34-nation Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The average income of the wealthiest 10 percent in Chile and Mexico is 27 times that of the poorest 10 percent, in other words, a ratio of 27 to 1. By contrast, the OECD average is around 10 to 1, informs the 2013 Economic Survey of Chile.

ECONOMY2013-10-292023-07-10

From US Shutdown To A De-Americanized World?

By Martin Khor* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

GENEVA (IDN) – The world waited with bated breath as the deadline neared. And breathed a sigh of relief when at the last minute the United States avoided crossing its “debt ceiling” and a default on its debts.

The debt ceiling was raised, and the government shutdown also ended, after weeks of a high-profile standoff between U.S. President Barrack Obama and the Republicans in Congress. But this relief was mixed with incredulity and frustration.

Firstly, the respite is only temporary; the can is just kicked down the road. The deadlines for government shutdown and debt ceiling are shifted some weeks away to January and February 2014.

ARMAMENTS2013-10-282023-07-10

Challenges Remain But Good News For Nuclear Disarmament

By Ramesh Jaura* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

BERLIN (IDN) – There is a lot of good news on the nuclear disarmament front but there are miles to go before the campaigners for banning the bomb can ‘lie down and sleep in peace’. Almost seventy years after the first use of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, about 17,000 continue to threaten the very survival of humankind.