SYNDICATION

Photo: Enthronement Ceremony of Emperor Naruhito, the 126th Emperor of Japan. Prime minister Abe made congratulatory speeches on 22 October 2019. CC BY 4.0.

Japan Between Cosmopolitanism and Ritualised Tradition

Viewpoint by Siegfried Knittel

The writer studied German literature and political science. He now works as a freelance journalist and, since 2011, lives in Japan. This article first appeared on the website of International Politics and Society on 5 November 2019.

TOKYO (IDN-INPS) – In Japan, harmony lies at the heart of everything, from politics to society in general. The recent change on the imperial throne, however, has brought to the fore how much Japan searches for its core identity beneath the harmonious surface.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 08 November 2019

Photo: © Flickr/fibonacciblue. Source: Strategic Culture Foundation.

How the US Regime ‘Justifies’ the ‘Theft’ of Syria’s Oil

Viewpoint by Eric Zuesse *

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – On October 26, the New York Times headlined “Keep the Oil’: Trump Revives Charged Slogan for New Syria Troop Mission” and opened by saying that “in recent days, Mr. Trump has settled on Syria’s oil reserves as a new rationale for appearing to reverse course and deploy hundreds of additional troops to the war-ravaged country.”

They closed with a statement from Bruce Riedel, retired from the CIA: “‘Let’s say he does do it,’ Mr. Riedel said. ‘Let’s say we establish the precedent that we are in the Middle East to take the oil. The symbolism is really bad.’”

: UN Bureau; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 31 October 2019

Photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi with European parliamentarians on October 28, 2019. Source: Countercurrents.

Far-Right European Parliamentarians Visit Kashmir

By Countercurrents Collective

This article is the 9th in a series of joint productions of South Asian Outlook and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate.

NEW DELHI (IDN) – The 27-member delegation of European Parliament members visited the troubled region of Jammu and Kashmir. It’s the first foreign delegation allowed to visit Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.

: South Asia Bureau; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 30 October 2019

Photo: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s 74th session on 24 September 2019 at the United Nations in New York. UN Photo/Cia Pak

President Erdogan Muses Over Turkey Owning Nuclear Weapons

By Shannon Bugos, Arms Control TODAY *

WASHINGTON, DC (IDN-INPS) – Complaining that nuclear-armed nations retain an unacceptable monopoly on nuclear weapons, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used a recent Turkish holiday to seemingly suggest that his nation acquire its own nuclear arsenal.

“Several countries have missiles with nuclear warheads, not one or two. But [they tell us that] we can’t have them. This I cannot accept,” Erdogan said on the centennial of the Turkish independence movement. “There is no developed nation in the world that doesn’t have them.”

: Arms Control Association; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 21 October 2019

UN Women Is Criticized for Appearing to Take Sides on Decriminalizing ‘Sex Work’

By Barbara Crossette, PassBlue

NEW YORK (IDN) – A group of civil society organizations is warning that a growing global movement to decriminalize and rebrand prostitution as "sex work" could lead to more, not less, violence against the world's most vulnerable women and girls.

The critics are petitioning UN Women, which is leading a review of the results of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, alleging that many dissenting voices against decriminalization have been shut out of the discussions.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 20 October 2019

Photo: View of Kibera in Nairobi, the largest urban slum in Africa. CC BY-SA 3.0

Burgeoning Urban Population Will Decide the Future of Africa

Viewpoint by Henrik Maihack *

NAIROBI (IDN-INPS) – In the next 25 years, Africa’s urban population is set to double. By 2040, the majority of Africans will be living in cities. There are numerous reasons for this: climate change, violent conflicts and the hope of finding work or education, although this list could easily be extended. Urbanisation thus constitutes one of the greatest transformations facing Africa in the 21st century.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 18 October 2019

Photo: 2019 Nobel Prize Winner for Economic Sciences Abhijit Banerjee. Source: Sroll.in

Nobel Laureate Banerjee’s Prescription for Indian Economy

By Rohan Venkataramakrishnan, Scroll.in

This article first appeared on Scroll.in on 14 October 2019.

MUMBAI (IDN-INPS) – Abhijit Banerjee, the renowned economist who was one of three awarded the Nobel prize for economics on October 14, put together some prescriptions for what the Indian economy needs right now. The last item on the list? “Pray.” On the next list, for the longer run? “Pray more.” Banerjee was speaking in response to Raghuram Rajan, another renowned economist and former Chief Economic Adviser to the Indian prime minister, as part of the OP Jindal Lectures at Brown University in the United States.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 18 October 2019

Photo: U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry told reporters in May, he has delivered a letter to Saudi officials demanding they agree to refrain from enriching uranium or separating plutonium in exchange for peaceful U.S. nuclear technology. Credit: energy.gov

Saudi Arabia Seeks to Enrich Uranium

By Shannon Bugos

The writer is a Research Assistant at the Arms Control Association, where she contributes research and analysis, reports for Arms Control Today.

WASHINGTON, DC (IDN-INPS) – Saudi Arabia intends to enrich uranium to fuel its planned nuclear power program, the country’s new energy minister said on September 9. The Saudi position could run afoul of a recently disclosed Trump administration policy to seek a Saudi commitment to refrain from such activities in exchange for U.S. nuclear technology.

: Arms Control Association; THE WORLD; Middle East; 14 October 2019

Photo: Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, venue of the UNIDO General Conference November 3-7, 2019.

UNIDO Conference to Boost UAE as a Global Hub for the 4th Industrial Revolution

By Nour Salman, Emirates News Agency (WAM)

ABU DHABI (IDN-INPS) – The UAE capital is set to host the 18th General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, with the participation of 800 ministers, officials and representatives from 170 member states, revealed Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry.

The UAE Minister of Energy and Industry held a press briefing detailing the agenda of the general conference, which will take place from November 3-7, 2019 at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

: Africa & ME Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Sustainable Industrialisation; 06 October 2019

Top Photo by Robert Mandel: Boris Johnson as one of the figures satirised on a float created by anti-Brexit protesters in Manchester. CC BY 4.0

Burning Down the House

Viewpoint by John Feffer

The author is the director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies and this viewpoint is published with his kind permission. It was written prior to the latest events in the UK Parliament.

WASHINGTON (IDN) – Doesn’t idiocy ever take a vacation?

As August wound down, the populist troika of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Jair Bolsonaro proved once again that the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil would be better off with no leaders rather than the dubious characters that currently pretend to govern these countries.