By Jeremy R. Hammond* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis
TAIPEI (IDN | Foreign Policy Journal) – The January/February issue of Foreign Affairs features an article titled ‘Getting to Yes With Iran: The Challenges of Coercive Diplomacy‘ by Robert Jervis. By ‘Getting to Yes’, of course, Jervis means compelling Iran to obey Washington, and by the Orwellian phrase “Coercive Diplomacy”, of course, means issuing ultimatums and threats of criminal violence.
By Ernest Corea* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis
WASHINGTON DC (IDN) – Hear those sounds? They are probably the echoes of Israel’s fervent supporters in the US erupting in hosannas when the White House recently confirmed that President Barack Obama is due to visit Israel in March 2013. On the same safari, he will stop over in Jordan and in the Palestinian territory universally known as the West Bank.
The visits are of regional and international significance because they raise the possibility that Obama intends to be directly engaged in the Middle East peace process and that this time around he will be more focused, and supported by more decisive aides, than he was during his administration’s previous attempt to support effective peace negotiations. That effort now lies as inert as road-kill on a highway.
By J C Suresh | IDN-InDepth NewsReport
TORONTO (IDN) – Thirty-three Heads of State of Latin America and the Caribbean have pledged to work towards a world free of nuclear weapons and emphasized “the commitment to participate actively and share a common position at the High Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament” on September 26, 2013 in New York.
By R. S. Kalha* | IDN-InDepth NewsViewpoint
NEW DELHI (IDN) – Just before he was overthrown, former Libyan ruler Gaddafi warned the West that his ouster would result in chaos and holy war overtaking North Africa. His forebodings, now so accurate, were at that point in time dismissed by western governments as the ranting of a megalomaniac. It is now admitted that “Gaddafi’s overthrow broke all kinds of local ethnic, tribal and commercial bargains and power broking arrangements that we never understood”.
By Eva Weiler | IDN-InDepth NewsReport
STOCKHOLM (IDN) – The need for security forces in a fragile state to be adequately trained and equipped is recognized as a precondition for stability and development. However, supplying arms to security forces in fragile states can contribute to armed conflict and instability, warns a new report by the eminent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
By Jaya Ramachandran | IDN-InDepth NewsReport
BERLIN (IDN) – Crime, corruption, and tax evasion recorded near-historic highs in 2010, with illicit financial outflows costing the developing world $859 billion in 2010, just below the all-time high of $871.3 billion in 2008, the year preceding the global financial crisis. Besides, nearly $6 trillion (6000 000 000 000 000 000 U.S. dollars) were stolen from poor countries in the decade between 2001 and 2010, says a new report and urges world leaders to increase transparency in the international financial system.
By Jack Cornforth* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis
ABI DHABI (IDN) – As the host of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi from January 15 to 17 and home of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) positioned itself as an important player in the world of renewable energy.
The UAE, along with the five other states that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), can guarantee the regular strong sunshine necessary for large scale solar energy generation, and also possess ample space for, and conditions conductive, to wind farms.
By Amy Cutter* | IDN-InDepth NewAnalysis
LONDON (IDN) – Significant falls in the cost of renewable energy are making it competitive with fossil fuels in countries worldwide. The reduced costs of solar and wind, in particular, are changing the energy landscape dramatically, especially in remote areas, such as islands, where solar has become the most economic option for communities that are off-grid and rely predominantly on diesel generation for their energy needs.
The increased competitiveness of renewables is due to a combination of reduced technology costs and greater efficiency of equipment, as a result of rapid deployment, stimulated by support policies to overcome barriers.
By Ramesh Jaura | IDN-InDepth NewsFeature
BERLIN (IDN) – When I visited Japan five years ago and met senior representatives of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) in Tokyo, I learnt about the educational activities of this faith organization and the underlying concept spelt out by its President Daisaku Ikeda: “Education that lacks an ethical or spiritual underpinning can warp our attitudes toward knowledge, allowing scientific research to run dangerously out of control.”
Nothing demonstrates this more horrifically than the development of nuclear weapons, he said in an interview. “This is why I have put my energies into dialogues aimed at bridging differences of nationality, religious affiliation and ideology, and into promoting educational exchanges that foster people-to-people connections,” stressed the President of SGI, a worldwide Buddhist network spanning the globe and promoting peace, culture and education through personal transformation and social contribution.
By Ernest Corea* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis
WASHINGTON DC (IDN) – A 19-year-old single mother captured the spirit of hope and change that animated candidate Barack Hussein Obama’s first presidential election campaign with this text message: “Rosa sat, so Martin could walk; Martin walked so Obama could run; Obama is running so our children can fly.” Khari Mosley, a leader of the Democratic Party in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania cited the comment in a newspaper article and it re-surfaced in 2013, reaffirming the sentiments of “hope and change” that helped to propel Obama to the pinnacle of political power in the US.
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