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 Ajey Lele* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis
NEW DELHI (IDN | IDSA) – Iran has successfully sent a monkey to space and also retrieved it back alive. Has Iran thereby “made a ‘monkey’ of its adversaries”? Or was this demonstration just a smokescreen to experiment with its ballistic missile capabilities? Or is it actually a signal to the rest of the world about Iran’s technological progress?
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 Alan Matthews* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis
DUBLIN (IDN | CAP Reform) – Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, called January 17 for members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to take into account the impact on developing countries when voting on amendments to the draft CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) regulations post-2013. Among other issues, he called on MEPs to support the views of the European Parliament’s Development Committee, which voted unanimously in favour of a mechanism to monitor the CAP’s development impacts. In the voting January 23-24, COMAGRI (Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development) MEPs declined to do this.
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.
Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel.
