GLOBAL ISSUES – Page 199 – IDN-InDepthNews

GLOBAL ISSUES2013-03-152023-07-10

Chavez Had Creative Link With A US Organisation

By Ernest Corea* | IDN-InDepth NewsViewpoint

WASHINGTON DC (IDN) – The death of President Hugo Chavez, after a drawn-out battle with cancer, brought out huge crowds of grieving Venezuelans onto the country’s streets. Their grief suggested that he had been a more effective ruler than many of his critics allowed.

His visceral reaction to most things American was unfortunate, standing in the way of expanded economic relations which could have benefitted both countries, while each remained faithful to its internal political imperatives. In one area, however, he was personally responsible for a strong and beneficial link with the US.

USA and Canada2013-03-112023-07-12

US Spending Cuts Hit Poor at Home and Abroad

By Martin Khor* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

GENEVA (IDN) – On 1 March 1, the United States government had to introduce spending cuts of US$85 billion for this year, as President Obama and the Congress failed to reach an agreement on how to reduce the budget deficit. The so-called “sequestration” marked a new failure in the relations between the President and the Republicans in Congress.

The term “dysfunctional” is now commonly used to describe the US government system, as the deadlock between the President and Congress, and the animosity between the Democrat and Republican parties have blocked laws, policies and agreements.

ARMAMENTS2013-03-112023-07-10

Trailblazing Conference Urges Ban On Nukes

By Ramesh Jaura* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

BERLIN | OSLO (IDN) – There are miles and miles to go before a world without nuclear weapons becomes a reality. But a significant step towards banning atomic arsenal capable of mass annihilation has been taken in Oslo, the capital of Norway, which is an ardent member of the 28-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

GLOBAL ISSUES2013-03-082023-07-10

People Getting Fed Up With The Mighty Few

By Roberto Savio* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

ROME (IDN | OtherNews) – For those who think that Occupy Wall Street, the indignados in Spain, the World Social Forum and the hundreds manifestation of protest worldwide are expressions without concrete outcome, the result of the recent Swiss referendum (March 3 2013) on capping the salaries and bonuses of banks executives should make them think twice.

Like it or not, two-thirds of the Swiss, who are not exactly a revolutionary people, have given the shareholders of financial institutions the right to decide salaries and bonuses of their executives, which is thus no longer to the cosy mutual enrichment of their boards, and another referendum is due shortly on limiting the salaries and bonuses of executives of companies of all sectors to a figure that does not exceed 15 times that of the average salary of their employees.

ARMAMENTS2013-03-082023-07-10

UN and Disarmament Entering New Transition Age

By Angela Kane* | IDN-InDepth NewViewpoint

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, USA (IDN) – Disarmament is, first and foremost, one of the UN’s oldest and most durable goals. The term appears twice in the UN Charter – which we should recall was adopted before the first nuclear weapon was even tested. The first resolution adopted by the General Assembly established on January 24, 1946 the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons and all other weapons “adaptable to mass destruction”, later called WMD.

ARMAMENTS2013-03-042023-07-10

ICAN Resolved to Ban Nukes

By Ramesh Jaura | IDN-InDepth NewsReport

OSLO (IDN) – A global movement to outlaw nuclear weapons is in the making with significant support from Norway, which is protected by the U.S. nuclear umbrella as a member of the 28-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This emerged from a two-day ICAN Civil Society Forum in Oslo.

Some 400 youthful participants gathered in the Norwegian capital on March 2 and 3 ahead of an ‘international conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons’, which the five ‘official’ nuclear powers that are also permanent members (P5) of the UN Security Council – United States, Russia, China, France and U.K. – have boycotted in a concerted move that surprised officials and non-governmental organizations at the ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) Forum.

GLOBAL ISSUES2013-02-282023-07-10

Battle Against Post-harvest Losses Can Be Won

IDN-InDepth NewsReport

WASHINGTON DC (IDN) – Robert D. Hormats, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, speaking at a conference here on February 19, 2013, urged that solving the problem of post-harvest food losses should be made a global priority. That would be “a giant step forward” towards conserving the world’s natural resources. It would, as well, improve the food security of the world’s poor and boost the incomes of smallholder farmers in developing countries, he explained.

Measures to avoid post-harvest losses are “within reach” he emphasized – if “bold action” is taken.

ARMAMENTS2013-02-272023-07-10

I CAN Get Rid Of Nuclear Weapons!

By Xanthe Hall* | IDN-InDepth NewsViewpoint

BERLIN (IDN) – The latest acronym in the disarmament community is CHC. It stands for Catastrophic Humanitarian Consequences and is the message that the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons (ICAN) is trying to get across, both to the general public and to governments. So far, so successfully.

ARMAMENTS2013-02-272023-07-10

U.S. Abandoning Commitment to Nuke-free World?

By Lawrence Wittner* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

ALBANY (IDN) – In a major address in Prague on April 5, 2009, the newly-elected U.S. President, Barack Obama, proclaimed “clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.”

On January 24, 2013, however, Senator John Kerry, speaking at Senate confirmation hearings on his nomination to become U.S. secretary of state, declared that a nuclear weapons-free world was no more than “an aspiration,” adding that “we’ll be lucky if we get there in however many centuries.” Has there been a change in Obama administration policy over the past four years? There are certainly indications that this might be the case.

GLOBAL ISSUES2013-02-252023-07-10

Happiness is More than State of Mind

By Shastri Ramachandran* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

NEW DELHI (IDN) – The big-versus-small debate pervades all facets of our lives. Big may be better, but small is smarter. This seems to be the subtext of a recent “happiness survey” in the Indian daily Hindustan Times. The happiness index was based on whether people are happy with their health, wealth and sex lives.

The survey’s findings are important for what they state as much as for what they conceal. Small is not always beautiful or smart.