BPM- Euro-Americas Zone

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 118

2010-05-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

Week # 118 – Dated Apr.30-May 07, 2010

WESTERN EUROPE

The European Commission has referred four Member States, Estonia, Italy, Luxembourg and Portugal, .to the EU's Court of Justice for failing to communicate their national measures for transposing legislation on working conditions in the international rail sector.

Euro zone members and the IMF announced last week that they have agreed on a 110 billion-euro aid package for Greece over the next three years. The EU will provide 80 billion euros of it, while the rest will come from the IMF. Meanwhile Greek Public employees kicked off a 48-hour strike against the government's austerity measures that include wage cuts.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said in an interview last week that the fact that Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country should not be an obstacle to EU membership.

According to documents shared with The Associated Press last week Israel's secretive nuclear activities may undergo unprecedented scrutiny next month, with a key meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency tentatively set to focus on the topic for the first time.

France's opposition Socialists presented a bill last week that would ban Islamic face veils in places such as hospitals and banks.

A British court has said that the government will not be allowed to keep evidence secret from former Guantanamo prisoners who are suing the U.K. over its alleged complicity in their detention.

Outgoing U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer shot down expectations of a climate treaty this year, saying last week that a major U.N. conference in December would yield only a "first answer" on curbing greenhouse gases.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Tens of thousands of people hit the streets of Tirana Albania last week in a protest organized by the opposition, insisting authorities open the ballot boxes from the June 2009 general elections, which they say were marred by violations. The government, however, says the demands are illegal. Amidst ongoing protests Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta has asked members of the opposition Socialist Party (SP) to end their hunger strike and start a fresh dialogue. Meanwhile the European Parliament (EP) has failed so far to bring Albania's political parties together for dialogue aimed at ending the country's political crisis.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) announced last week that parliamentary and presidential elections will be held on October 3rd.Meawhile in Croatia May 1^st marked the 15th anniversary of Operation Bljesak (Flash), in which Croatian forces removed Serb forces from the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina.

Montenegro officially became an associate member of the EU last week when the country's Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the bloc took effect.

Crin Antonescu, Romanian leader of the opposition National Liberal Party, has called for the government of Prime Minister Emil Boc to resign, while saying that the premier should either step down or find an actual solution to the economic crisis. Also the two largest opposition parties, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party, have drafted a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister. Meanwhile Washington and Bucharest signed an agreement that will eventually lead to visa-free travel for Romanian citizens visiting the United States.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has handed over score of volumes from an investigation into the World War II Katyn massacre of some 20,000 Polish officers and other prominent citizens, to his Polish counterpart as a move to repair long-troubled relations with Warsaw.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of Poland's late president told reporters in first political speech since his brother's death that he has gathered some 1,650,000 signatures of support for his campaign in the presidential elections.

The Czech Republic will hold a general election on May 28-29 that looks likely to bring back the centre-left Social Democrats to power. The election could break a deadlock that has crippled policymaking in the central European country since an election produced a hung parliament in 2006. But polls show that no strong government is likely to emerge, owing to the fine balance between left and right-leaning voters, and a minority government is a possibility.

President Shimon Peres told Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohut who was on Israel’s tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Czechoslovakia and Israel. He also urged the later to follow the example set by the Czech Republic, i.e. the amicable division of the former Czechoslovakia, in the process of seeking a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said last week that he would not hand over Kyrgyzstan's ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to face charges of violence in Kyrgyzstan. He has also criticized both Moscow and the West for supporting Kyrgyzstan’s new government.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that resets the export duty on Russian natural gas for Ukraine to zero for volumes of 1.1 trillion cubic feet in 2010. The premier has also proposed merging Gazprom with Ukraine's much smaller National Energy Company, Naftogaz Ukrainy. The proposal came after the new Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's agreement last month to extend the lease of a Russian naval base in exchange for cheaper gas imports.

On the financial front the Polish finance ministry has asked the central bank (NBP) to back its request to prolong a credit line of more than 20 billion dollars granted to Poland by the IMF last year.

The Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic (MoSR) unveiled its first Iveco M65E 4x4 Light Multirole Vehicle (LMV) at the International Defence Exhibition Bratislava (IDEB) last week. The vehicle is the first of ten LMVs that were delivered to the MoSR last week following an ‘integration’ program bringing the systems up to date with current Slovakian standard operating procedures.

Hungary's incoming government says the budget deficit this year could come in at 7-8 % of GDP, based on its current estimate, but it will seek to get it down to 5-6%, economy. Hungary targets a deficit of 3.8 %of GDP this year under a key financing deal with the IMF and the EU.

European Commission forecasts have showed that Estonia looks set to meet on a sustainable basis the criteria it needs to adopt the euro, with inflation and deficits staying within EU limits in 2010 and 2011. Estonia says it already met the criteria for 2009, the year on which its 2011 entry bid will be judged. But to convince European authorities of its fitness to adopt the single currency it will have to show those goals.

The Lithuanian government has approved an amendment to the country's electricity law to implement the EU's third energy package of legislative reforms, which provides a new framework for competition in the energy sector.

The European Commission last week referred Poland to the EU Court of Justice for incorrectly implementing EU rules prohibiting discrimination based on race or ethnic origin. The move comes after Poland failed to adequately transpose the legislation agreed at EU level in its national law.

The far-right Slovak National Party (SNS) has outraged Roma with election posters suggesting they abuse the welfare state, straining ethnic relations in the run-up to a general election. Posters for the SNS show a dark-skinned man with tattoos and a golden necklace, accompanied by the slogan "Do not feed those who do not want to work.

According to the report of a joint United Nations-European Union mission of experts, the Mining in the Kalush area of Ukraine has left the ground unstable and flat to subsidence, endangering the security dams at risk of bursting as a result of snowmelt and spring floods. Ground and surface water has become highly contaminated.

RUSSIA

A Russian warship opened fire on a hijacked oil tanker last week, freeing the crew and arresting the Somali pirates, who a day earlier had raced across the Indian Ocean to seize a cargo valued at more than $50 million.

Russia and Turkey have agreed on all the details and commercial terms for the construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant.

According to reports Cold War allies, Russia and Cuba have recently moved to restore their ties which declined after the breakup of the U.S.S.R.

Meanwhile US and Russia are also to propose ban on WMD in Middle East. The proposal – involving the appointment of a special coordinator to conduct exploratory talks with Israel, Iran and the Arab states, followed by a regional conference –was a central issue at last week’s New York conference aimed at preventing further spread of nuclear weapons around the world.

A 'National Nanotechnology Network' has been announced by the Russian Government in which the largest state universities and research centers will be integrated into a countrywide network, whose members will receive access to information about one another's research developments and facilities. Meanwhile Iran and Russia have reached an agreement on launching two satellites into orbit in order to study distance communication. The agreement was reached during Iran's Communications and IT Minister's last visit to Russia.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov acknowledged last week that his newly elected pro-Russian government was seriously considering Moscow’s proposal to merge its state-run behemoth Gazprom with Ukraine’s national energy company Naftogaz.

Dmitry Medvedev has launched a wide-ranging attack on the Soviet Union as a totalitarian state that crushed individual liberties in the most outspoken comments on the USSR by a Russian leader in recent years. According to some Mr Medvedev's comments, which also included stinging criticism on the historical role of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, will be interpreted by many as an attempt to distance himself from Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, who has adopted a more ambiguous stance on Russia's often tragic history.

Residential areas were flooded in Russia’s district of Dagestan, due to heavy rains and an emergency water discharge from the local Gedzhukh Lake. Some 210 private houses, where about 1,000 people live, were flooded.

The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church has called upon the faithful to have more children in order to repopulate their vast nation.

At least 13 injured in hippodrome explosion in Russia's North Caucasus. The bomb exploded near a VIP box during a horse race in the city of Nalchik, according to the report. No one was reported killed in the blast.

Last week on 9^th May troops from the United States, Britain and France marched in Russia’s annual Victory Day parade through Red Square for the first time, a step Russia's president called a nod toward their "common victory" in World War II. The annual parade celebrates the defeat of Nazi Germany by the former Soviet Union and its Western allies and serves as a demonstration of Russian military might.

According to a recent poll conducted by Nextep Pakistan, Croatia and Russia have topped a list of countries where people sitting behind shop and office counters have a surly attitude and find it difficult to smile.

US/CANADA

The Flagstaff City Council in America voted unanimously last week to sue over the new Arizona state immigration law. The council's vote directs the city attorney to retain legal counsel. It is an unfunded mandate to carry out the responsibilities of the federal government.

On the international front Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned that a new round of UN sanctions against Tehran would close the door on diplomatic engagement with the United States.

Meanwhile a record number of Canadians returned to work in April, stunning markets and adding pressure on the Bank of Canada to raise interest rates in June, ahead of other major industrialized countries.

The Canadian Supreme Court said in a landmark ruling last week that reporters in the country have no constitutional right to offer their sources blanket confidentiality. In the first pronouncement of its kind, the court ruled by an 8-1 majority that journalists could offer sources protection. But if prosecutors subsequently demanded to know who those sources were, courts would decide the merits of confidentiality promises on a case-by-case basis.

A Canadian military board of inquiry reported last week that the soldier who embarrassed Ottawa by alleging troops knew Afghan authorities were abusing prisoners handed over by Canada's forces was mistaken. A note by the soldier, written after an incident on June 14, 2006, became public last December and seemed to contradict official assurances that Canadian troops had no credible evidence that prisoners might be harmed.

LATIN AMERICA

Argentine Ambassador in Peru Darío Alessandro was summoned by an Argentine court last week in connection with the probe into the alleged bribes to export goods to Venezuela.

The European Union and the South American trade group Mercosur are to relaunch stalled negotiations on a trade liberalization pact. Leaders will formalize the move at an EU-Mercosur summit in two weeks in Madrid.

South American leaders at the 12-nation UNASUR summit last week slammed a controversial new immigration law in the US state of Arizona, but stressed they did not hold US President Barack Obama responsible.

Meanwhile the group named former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner as their secretary-general, setting aside their differences in hopes that the 12-nation UNASUR group can consolidate into a regional force.

Argentina has finally signed up for a significant increase in natural-gas imports from Bolivia, ending years of short-term solutions to its gas-supply deficit.

Last week Argentina's lower house passed a gay marriage bill that, if also approved by senators, will put the country among a handful in the world that allow homosexual couples to marry.

Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva has been named the most influential leader in the world by Time magazine – ahead of Barack Obama, who came fourth, Nancy Pelosi (8th) and Sarah Palin (9th), while neither Gordon Brown nor any other European leader made it to the top 25.

According to the country's labor minister Brazil will be able to create up to 2.5 million new jobs in 2010, higher than a previous estimate of 2 million.

On the security front Turkey and Brazil are trying to revive a stalled atomic fuel deal with Iran in an attempt to help the Islamic Republic avoid new UN sanctions over its nuclear program. However Brazil's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said Brasilia had not made an official offer to mediate over a UN-backed nuclear fuel swap between Iran and the West.

According to the Agriculture Ministry Sugar output in Brazil, the world’s biggest producer, will rise 17 % this year as drier weather will favor harvesting and after cane growers increased planting.

In the after math of the controversial immigration law, Mexico’s Congress has urged President Felipe Calderon to consider breaking commercial ties with Arizona and called on government officials to refrain from traveling to the U.S. state.

Senior Mexican and Chinese lawmakers have voiced their intention to work for more exchanges at the congressional level to help bring ties between the two countries to a new level.

Meanwhile the Mexican government has said that drug violence that has killed some 23,000 people could rage until 2014.

Venezuelan police has arrested a man on suspicion of trying to ‘incite’ the assassination of President Hugo Chavez. The accused allegedly has links with Columbia where according to the police messages were found on his computers alluding to a plot to kill Chavez involving Colombia's outlawed right-wing paramilitary groups.

The US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela criticized Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s meddling in the Colombian presidential elections. Chávez has repeatedly said that it would be "very difficult" to mend relations with Colombia if the candidate of the ruling Social National Unity Party, Juan Manuel Santos, is elected. He has also questioned leftwing candidate Gustavo Petro, for his views on the Bolivarian Revolution.

According to a recent report by international firm FTI Consulting, Venezuela, along with Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, tops the list of countries with the largest amount of public security problems.

President Hugo Chavez's ruling party rallied hundreds of thousands of members to a congressional election primary vote last week— a key step in preventing infighting as they battle a resurgent and united opposition.

On the energy front, Venezuela state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, has agreed to buy a 49% stake in the Dominican Republic's Refidomsa refinery, which can process 34,000 barrels of oil a day.

China has signed an in-principal agreement with political ally Venezuela for the sale of 33 civil aircrafts, including the Harbin Y12E. Reportedly Venezuela plans to use the aircraft to develop regional passenger and cargo services in rural areas. Meanwhile it is expected that in 2010 the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) may shrink for the second consecutive year, which economists and business associations term inevitable.

AUSTRALASIA

Just months ahead of an expected general election Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's government has taken a beating in an opinion poll after ditching its climate change plan, with the opposition taking the lead for the first time in years. §

________________________________________________________
Business and Politics in the Muslim World (BPM)refers to the project entitled, "Globalized Business and Politics: A View from the Muslim World.' The blog development project has been undertaken and jointly developed by the Gilani Research Foundation and BPM as a free resource and social discussion tool.
Please Preview your comments before posting.

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 117

2010-05-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

Week # 117 – Dated 24-30 April 2010

WESTERN EUROPE

Hundreds of thousands of people joined May Day rallies across Europe last week, many protesting against government austerity policies in the wake of the global financial crisis. In Greece, where the debt-stricken government has pledged budget cuts to secure a European Union and IMF rescue, protesters burned garbage cans and set a TV van on fire.

In France, an estimated 300,000 people took to the streets in various cities as part of the traditional May Day demonstrations held by trade unions amid President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to reform the country's costly pension system, as well as general fears over job security due to the financial crisis.

In Sofia, Bulgaria more than 5,000 Bulgarians protested against high unemployment and what they called an inadequate response to the economic crisis of the center-right government.

A fierce global equities sell-off was sparked last week after ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut Greek debt to junk status, while a downgrade to Portugal also stoked concerns about a widening Euro zone crisis.

Shares of BP - a leading energy provider, continued falling last week as the company felt the impact of the massive oil spill from an exploratory well in the Gulf of Mexico.

Belgium’s Premier Yves Leterme, whose government collapsed last week, has stepped aside, paving the way for Marianne Thyssen, 53, the first woman who could become Belgium's next prime minister. Early elections are likely in June. Until then Leterme's five-party alliance of Christian Democrats, Liberals and Socialists from both sides of Belgium's linguistic divide stays on a caretaker role.

Meanwhile Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi insisted last week that his government would serve out the remaining three years of its term, despite mounting infighting and trouble within his coalition.

Belgium's lower house of parliament has banned burqa-type Islamic dress in public, but the measure faces a challenge in the Senate which will delay early enactment of the law. The law holds that no one can appear in public "with the face fully or partly covered so as to render them no longer recognizable."

A study by the US-based watchdog Freedom House, released last week has revealed a decline in press freedom for the eighth year in a row.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Syrian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov announced last week that Syria will repay $17m of its debt to Bulgaria within 30 days.

Last week Croatia’s government approved amendments to the constitution and forwarded them to the parliament for passage. The amendments involve issues related to minorities, fighting crime and completing Croatia's EU accession negotiations.

Kosovo Border Police officially took over control of the country's border with Albania from KFOR last week (April 28th).

Meanwhile Prime Minister Hashim Thaci confirmed in a cabinet meeting last week that the Montenegrin community will be added to the list of minority communities in Kosovo and will be legally recognized and equal to other minorities there.

The United States and Poland plan to resume a strategic dialogue designed to address issues mutually shared by both countries, the nations' top diplomats announced last week.

The Polish opposition Law and Justice (PiS) has appointed Jaroslaw Kaczynskithe, twin brother of Poland's late president Lech Kaczynski, as the party's presidential candidate.

The Czech Republic is scheduled to hold a general election on May 28-29 that looks likely to bring the centre-left Social Democrats to power after a four-year hiatus, handing them the task of slashing a crisis-inflated budget gap.

According to the Czech Republic's vice premier the government has approved an agreement with the United States on scientific cooperation in defense research.

Greenpeace denounced the Czech Environment Ministry’s decision last week to accept a seriously flawed environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the expansion of the Czech Republic’s largest coal-fired power plant as a shamefully manipulated political decision, which does not respect expert analysis.

The Slovak parliament last week buried a controversial patriotism act, which had sparked public outrage in Slovakia months before the June general election. Under the failed law, state-run schools would have been forced to play the national anthem before class each Monday and fit classrooms with an array of state symbols.

On the economic front data released by the Slovak Statistics Office shows that Slovakia's budget deficit swelled to 6.77 % of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009.

Hungary’s centre-right party Fidesz secured the unprecedented two-thirds majority that it had hoped for on April 25, when it secured 263 of 386 seats in the country’s next parliament with 98 % of second round votes counted. The centre-right party won the elections by a landslide, which will enable it to pass deep state reforms. Meanwhile Gypsies in the nation fear that big gains made by an extreme-right party in national elections could further feed the climate of hatred that spawned an unprecedented string of serial killings of gypsies last year.

Iran will inaugurate copper wire factory in Belarus in the presence of Iranian Minister of Industries and Mines Ali-Akbar Mehrabian this week. Iranian private sector has invested eight million U.S. dollars on the project. Meanwhile the first tanker carrying Belarus-bound Venezuelan oil arrived at Ukraine's Odessa seaport last week.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko warned citizens last week to be on guard against Kyrgyz-style turmoil, suggesting that outside forces were bent on pushing him from power as a 2011 presidential election approaches. Meanwhile voters began going to the polls in communal elections in Belarus last week in the first voting under new election laws adopted under pressure from the European Union.

Members of the National Congress of Armenians of Ukraine and Analitika.at.ua information and analytical center called on the Ukrainian President and Supreme Rada last week to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Ukrainian public figures, politicians and representatives of national communities have put signatures to the statement.

Eggs were hurled during a rowdy Ukrainian parliamentary debate during the ratification of the controversial Russian-Ukrainian naval base deal that extends the lease by another 25 years. Meanwhile last week Ukraine's state prosecutor opened a criminal case relating to what it said was misuse by the government of Yulia Tymoshenko of about $290 million cash received for selling carbon quotas.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius expressed concern last week over plans by Russia and Belarus to build nuclear power plants close to his country's borders, while insisting that Lithuania's own plans for a nuclear facility will go ahead. '

Lithuania's economy shrank in the first quarter, after growing for the last two quarters of 2009, but the fall on an annual basis was less than expected.

RUSSIA

Kyrgyzstan’s provisional government revealed last week that Russian Special Forces had seized and extradited Kyrgyzstan’s former interior minister, who had been convalescing in Moscow after being severely beaten during bloody antigovernment riots last month. The move further signals Moscow’s support for the new Kyrgyz government.

NATO secretary general Anders Rasmussen has opined that bringing Russia into the plans will help to allay its concerns about the project and contribute to further arms control measures. Meanwhile according to Russia's envoy to NATO Russia will seek direct opportunities to sell weapons to NATO member states In return, it is hoped, the Alliance might lift all barriers for free military trade between Moscow and NATO member states.

On the geo strategic front there seems to be some hope regarding Poland and Russia taking a step toward possible reconciliation, drawn together by the death of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski, who was killed last month in a plane crash in Russia along with 95 other high-level Poles. In this stead Russia has published documents related to the 1940 massacre of thousands of Polish officers in Katyń, in a gesture of solidarity with Warsaw after the recent tragic incident. Also a decision has been taken by Moscow’s local government to remove posters of Stalin is a gesture heralding the recent thaw in Russian-Polish relations.

The 15th assembly of governors from Russia and Japan met in Moscow on May 3 to discuss developing relations at a regional level. Observers hope that such contacts may contribute to the development of political, cultural and economic ties, still marred by the territorial dispute over the South Kuril Islands.

On the economic front Russia's economy grew 0.6 % in the first quarter this year, extending the recovery to three consecutive quarters. Meanwhile the administration of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been powerless to stem gains in the ruble, which has surged 15 % against the dollar in the past 12 months, tracking a 75 % rise in Urals crude in the same period.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia’s proposal to merge OAO Gazprom and Ukraine’s national energy company NAK Naftogaz Ukrainy won’t affect plans to build the South Stream gas pipeline to Europe, bypassing the neighboring country.

On the social front Moscow saw a traditional May Day gathering by the Communist Party, Russia's second biggest -- as well as a rare, officially-sanctioned opposition demonstration.

Russian women's gymnastics team has won gold in the team competition of the European Gymnastics Championships this year.

The bombing in the Russian North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria on May Day has claimed one life while the number of injured has been reported at 30.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a law ratifying an agreement that extends Russia's lease on naval bases in Ukraine for 25 years after the previous lease agreement's expiration date in 2017.

According to the Russian Interior Ministry a $9 billion money-laundering operation partly run by several Russian bank employees has been broken up by police.

US/CANADA

US Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has opened an inquiry into whether a top Defense Department official violated Pentagon rules by setting up a network of private contractors to gather intelligence in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

President Barack Obama said last week that there "may not be an appetite" in Congress to deal with immigration immediately after going through a tough legislative year. Meanwhile Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin has criticized Obama’s reservations regarding a new Arizona immigration law perpetuating racial tensions.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said that any attempt by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to undermine what the U.S. sees as the central purpose of next month's nuclear conference at the United Nations will meet with failure. Meanwhile the Obama administration has warned Iran and Syria that America's commitment to Israel's security is unshakable and that they should understand the consequences of threats to the Jewish state. In a speech, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Syrian transfers of increasingly sophisticated weaponry including rockets to militants in southern Lebanon and Gaza could spark new conflict in the Middle East.

A recent Harris-Decima survey for the Canadian Press has put the Conservatives at 29 % popular support -- down three points from earlier this month -- while the Liberals were at 27 %, down two points. The New Democrats were up three points at 20%.

Meanwhile the Canadian speaker of the House of Commons, charged with settling a power struggle between opposition legislators and the Conservative government, has given both sides two weeks to sort out their differences.

LATIN AMERICA

In a recent scandal a complaint has been made by ex Argentinean Ambassador to Venezuela Eduardo Sadous, who stated that during his tenure as ambassador a number of Argentine businessmen told him that they were asked to pay bribes to do business with Caracas, under former President Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007).

A World Court's ruling on April 20 faulted Uruguay for failing to consult with Argentina before building a eucalyptus pulp mill with Finnish help, but rejected Buenos Aires' demand for relocating the plant away from the river on the Uruguay-Argentina border. However, protesting pickets blockading a bridge that links the countries refused to accept a summary end to their cause and are carrying on with their protests.

Meanwhile Dozens of Argentine anarchists attacked Greece's embassy with sticks, Molotov cocktails and paint bombs to demand the freedom of an imprisoned activist. The anarchists were answering calls on the Internet for demonstrations against Greek embassies worldwide ahead of last week’s appellate court hearing in the case of Yiannis Dimitrakis, an anarchist convicted of participating in a bank robbery in Athens.

Indigenous activists threatened a clash with Brazil's government last week as they dispatched boats carrying 150 men to occupy the planned site of a controversial hydro-electric dam in the Amazon, after environmentalists, indigenous groups and local residents lost a protracted court battle to halt the bidding process for the giant Belo Monte dam, projected to be the world's third-largest. Meanwhile Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has thrown his weight behind the controversial project deeming it a necessity for the nations Energy needs.

The Brazilian President Lula da Silva is scheduled to visit Iran this month (May 2010) during the course of which he hopes to encourage an agreement on the nuclear dispute between Teheran and the international community.

At the environmental front Environment ministers of the BASIC bloc -- Brazil, South Africa, India and China -- have voiced the need for a legally binding global agreement to limit climate change by 2011, noting that the world could not wait indefinitely for the US to finalize its legislation on the issue.

Meanwhile heads of state and government, of Brazil and 14 Caribbean countries signed the Brasilia Declaration last week at the end of the first Brazil-CARICOM Summit, expressing their mutual desire for further integration and cooperation.

Also Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez arrived in Brazil for a new quarterly meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Lula da Silva.

Last week, amid a growing sex abuse scandal the church in Chile formally apologized to abuse victims, saying nothing could justify it.

Visiting Chilean Foreign Minister in Japan has said that his quake-hit nation intends to make technological exchange with Japan a high priority and establish an effective early quake warning system.

The Canadian government has warned its citizens against traveling to Mexico, especially to Ciudad Juarez where three people linked to the U.S. consulate were killed over the weekend. Meanwhile gunmen armed with high-caliber weapons ambushed the top security official in Mexican President Felipe Calderon's home state last week, wounding her and killing at least four other people.

According to the Mexican government, a strict new anti-immigration law enacted by the US state of Arizona is 'an obstacle to the solution of common problems' in North America. In reciprocation Mexico's Foreign Ministry issued a travel alert for Arizona after the law was signed, warning that its passage shows "an adverse political atmosphere for migrant communities and for all Mexican visitors."

Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe rejected last week the installation of a bust of Manuel Marulanda, the late founder of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in a Venezuelan border town and asked people "to defeat terrorists wherever they are."

Meanwhile Venezuela’s Chavez dismissed a retired general's warnings about a growing Cuban presence in Venezuela's military, accusing the officer of helping opponents portray his government a pawn of Fidel Castro.

Venezuela's energy minister said last week that the government of plans to pay off a $20 billion loan from China with daily shipments of 100,000 barrels of oil over a 10-year period. Also Brazil’s Lula has commented that the upcoming purchase of oil from Venezuela will balance the trade between the two countries.

Meanwhile the interior minister has said that Venezuelan authorities raided eight drug laboratories near the Colombian border this past week, seizing 4.5 tons of cocaine in one of the largest hauls in recent times.

President Chavez said last week that he wants to repair strained relations with Colombia, saying he hopes a breakthrough is possible regardless of which candidate wins the neighboring nation's presidential ballot next month. However in a contradictory statement he warned of worse ties, and even possible military hostilities, if Bogota’s ex-defense chief Juan Manuel Santos wins the presidency. Meanwhile President Alvaro Uribe accused his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, of meddling in Colombia's presidential election campaign by trying to influence the outcome of the vote.

Minister of State for the Red Crescent Affairs Bashar al-Sha'ar conveyed a verbal message from President Bashar al-Assad last week for President Chavez seeking to enhance Syrian-Venezuelan relations in all fields.

Chavez last week termed the US report regarding Iranian Special Forces having an increasing presence in the country as “absolutely false”. He warned that the USA could be looking for an excuse to attack Venezuela.

Russian Ambassador to Venezuela Vladimir Zaemsky has denied claims that both countries signed an agreement under which Caracas would purchase weapons from Moscow, as reported following Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to Venezuela.

Chavez threatened to nationalize gold mining concessions, adding them to the oil, utility and metal assets he’s taken control of in the country. The president said on state television last week that the government may end the grants because of “capitalist mafias” comprising national and multinational companies that destroy the environment and exploit workers.

Meanwhile Chavez, who already writes a weekly newspaper column, created a radio program and speaks for as many as seven hours every Sunday, has now added a Twitter Inc. account to his media arsenal. Chavez, who has been in power since 1998, said last week that he did not know when he would hand power, adding that no successor was in sight for now.

AUSTRALASIA

Last week Australia shelved plans for a carbon trading scheme to cut greenhouse gas emissions until at least 2013, blaming the slow pace of global action and an obstructive opposition for the delay. §

_______________________________________________________

Business and Politics in the Muslim World (BPM)refers to the project entitled, "Globalized Business and Politics: A View from the Muslim World.' The blog development project has been undertaken and jointly developed by the Gilani Research Foundation and BPM as a free resource and social discussion tool.
Please Preview your comments before posting.

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 116

2010-05-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

Week # 116 – Dated18- 24 April 2010

WESTERN EUROPE

Belgium may soon become the first European nation to outlaw the burqa and other Islamic garb even as France and the Netherlands are seen moving in the same direction.

Meanwhile earlier this month traffic police in France fined a Muslim woman for wearing Islamic face veil while driving. In the EU France is home to the largest Muslim population that comprises nearly 10% of the 62 million French population.

In Greece Hundreds of thousands of state employees staged a 24-hour strike last week against harsh austerity measures the government has announced in a bid to end the financial crisis.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

A massive cloud of dangerous ash from an Icelandic volcano moved southward last week forcing many countries in the Balkans to close their airspace.

In Albania Lawmakers from the main opposition Socialist Party (SP) and their supporters staged a rally last week against the material that public operator TVSH is broadcasting. Meanwhile the political deadlock in the country regarding the disputed election last year continues.

On April 19th in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) several thousand people attended the funeral of Bosnian Muslim wartime army commander General Rasim Delic. He was buried in Sarajevo with the highest military honors.

Meanwhile NATO foreign ministers agreed last week at an informal meeting in Tallinn to offer Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) a Membership Action Plan (MAP). The ministers, however, set conditions for implementing the MAP, including resolving the defence property issue.

A court in Zagreb sentenced the former head of Croatia's mission to the UN, Neven Jurica, to 18 months in prison last week for embezzling more than 90,000 euros of state funds.

The EU representative for northern Kosovo, Italian Ambassador Michael Giffoni, has said that the EU will not recognize structures resulting from municipal elections organized by Serbia.

Meanwhile in Macedonia Police detained more than 30 doctors and officials of the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund for suspected fraud for allegedly diagnosing patients without disabilities to allow them to receive pensions.

Russia spokesman for the Foreign Ministry has voiced his government’s alarm at the intentions behind the U.S. missile defense plan in Eastern Europe and its deployment of Patriot missiles in Poland.

Meanwhile Poland's Democratic Left Alliance party announced that Grzegorz Napieralski would be their presidential candidate in the upcoming early elections after their former candidate died in a plane crash on April 10 in Russia.

Acting President Bronislaw Komorowski set elections for June 20.

The President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus has fiercely criticized EU officials for not turning out for president Lech Kaczynski’s funeral. The only representative of the EU offices at the funeral was a Polish politician Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament.

Hungary faced a second round of parliamentary elections last weekend. Fidesz won a resounding victory, promising an economically shocked public badly needed jobs and growth. Meanwhile the far-right Jobbik party surfaced as a political challenger, taking nearly 17 % of the vote. Jobbik is openly anti-Semitic and anti-gypsy.

Kyrgyzstan's interim leader Roza Otunbayeva has condemned Belarus' decision to take in ousted Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, warning that Bishkek would appeal to Interpol if he is not extradited.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov has been elected the chairman of the ruling Party of Regions. President Yanukovich quitted the Party of Regions on March 3, as the Ukrainian constitution did not allow the president to hold any ruling positions in public organizations.

The Kremlin has scored a major diplomatic victory, striking a deal that will allow Russia's Black Sea Fleet to stay in Ukraine for another thirty years, more than a quarter of a century after it was supposed to leave. Russia has agreed to give Ukraine multi-billion dollar discounts to the price it pays for Russian natural gas in return. The controversial deal means that the Russian fleet will no longer have to abandon its famous base in the city of Sevastopol in Crimea in 2017 as originally planned. Meanwhile the US Secretary of State Clinton has said that the decision by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych should be seen as an attempt to balance his country's foreign policy, not a step away from the West towards Russia.

Latvia's right-wing government has slashed public-sector pay by an average of 31% over the past two years in a bid to satisfy international financiers. The average salary for a ministerial worker plummeted from 1,136 lats (£1,392) in February 2008 to 786 lats (£963) in February 2009.

On the economic front according to an IMF forecast Poland’s economic growth will reach 2.7 % this year and will accelerate to 3.2 % in 2011.

President of the Poland-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chief Julius Ogunyemi, has urged the Federal Government to consider Poland's initiative of revamping the nation's power and steel sectors. The late president was considering the deployment of Polish technology towards the revamping of Nigeria's railway system.

Czech production of personal and light utility vehicles jumped by nearly a third in the first three months of 2010, showing a recovery in the export-reliant economy was gaining traction.

The government of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, running for re-election in a June general election has pledged to bring the fiscal deficit back to the European Union's official limit of 3 percent in 2012 and reach a balanced budget later in 2015.

Ukraine hopes to secure a new $12 billion lending program from the International Monetary Fund for the next 30 months. The IMF had released around $11 billion of a $16.4 billion program to Ukraine before freezing lending in late 2009 after large spending increases were passed into law. The country badly needs to secure further lending to revive its economy after a 15% contraction last year.

The Russian government has placed two bonds worth 5.5 billion dollars on the international market for the first time since Moscow defaulted on domestic debts in 1998. Meanwhile Russia's economic development minister has said that the country's economy grew 0.6 % in the first quarter this year, where the recovery has lasted for three consecutive quarters.

Cisco and Nextira one has announced that they have completed a major deployment co-financed by the European Union's Outer Borders Fund to extend and support the Polish Border Guard's information technology and communications platform.

The Czech Republic is to bring "the best of its culture" to China with the Czech cultural festival entitled "New Sensitivity" starting this month. The two-month festival will feature Czech's two strengths: ballet and sculpture.

The Stockholm city authorities have asked diplomats from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Poland for cooperation in solving the problem of immigrant beggars in the city. No official statistics are available, but it is estimated that about 100 homeless immigrants from new EU member states are staying in Stockholm currently.

RUSSIA

Russia has voiced disapproval of a final document distributed at an international nuclear conference in Iran, which gathered top officials and experts from 56 countries, According to Russian Government, the document was not discussed by the event's participants and it was not submitted for approval by delegates. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov attended the conference on disarmament and nonproliferation, entitled Nuclear Energy for All, Nuclear Weapons for None, which was held in Tehran on April 17-18.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said here Friday that sanctions against Iran have become unavoidable because of its unwillingness to comply with the international community and to carry out the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and those made by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors. But it is necessary for such sanctions to be selective and do not include the Iranian energy sector,

The Peruvian Defense Minister said Friday his country plans to buy attack and transport helicopters from Russian for deployment with counter-narcotics forces. There are plans to buy six Mi-17 transport helicopters and two Mi-35 attack helicopters.

A high-level Russian delegation is set to negotiate Russian accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) with U.S.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said April 21 that Russia will give preferential treatment to its partners. This was followed by the Ukrainian deal where the price charged for natural gas has been cut by nearly 30 %. In doing so, Moscow is signaling its displeasure to Belarus.

In Russia a bill scheduled to be approved by the State DUMA aims to overhaul the financing for medical, educational, cultural and scientific institutions by giving them for the first time a free hand in how they spend state subsidies.

A group of U.S. lawmakers is calling on Russian President Dmitry Medvedev not to suspend adoptions between Russia and the United States. Russian authorities have said all adoptions to the U.S. are on hold pending a new agreement on the matter that could take months.

US/CANADA

In the USA Public confidence in government is at one of the lowest points in a half century, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center. Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say they don't trust the federal government and have little faith it can solve America's ills.

Meanwhile President Barack Obama last week cited encouraging signs of an auto industry rebound as he promoted stronger financial rules that he said would help prevent a repeat of the crisis that pushed carmakers to the brink. After shedding 400,000 jobs in 2008, bailed-out U.S. automakers are rebounding. General Motors Co. said this week it will repay $8.1 billion in U.S. and Canadian government loans five years ahead of schedule.

Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) a prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization last week said it has asked the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) to investigate a report of anti-Islam bias in the training offered to security personnel by that military law enforcement agency that includes the viewing of a propagandistic anti-Islam film.

Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona USA signed the nation’s toughest bill on illegal immigration into law last week aimed at identifying, prosecuting and deporting illegal immigrants. The move unleashed immediate protests and reignited the divisive battle over immigration reform nationally.

Following the recent signing of a Strategic Nuclear Arms Agreement with Russia, the United States is parrying a push by several NATO allies to withdraw its aging stockpile of tactical nuclear weapons from Europe. Speaking last week at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the Obama administration was not opposed to cuts in these battlefield weapons, provided Russia agreed to cuts in its arsenal as well, which is allegedly ‘10 times’ the size of the American one.

According to the top U.S. military commander in Iraq the planned withdrawal of nearly 45,000 U.S. troops from by the end of August is on track in spite of a recent increase in attacks by militant forces.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates asserted last week that the U.S. is prepared to take a range of actions against the Iranian nuclear program and will not be taken ‘off guard’.

LATIN AMERICA

Argentine meat workers marched to the labor ministry last week, disrupting traffic in downtown Buenos Aires, to protest expected job cuts amid fears that falling beef production will lead to plant closures.

Argentina’s last dictator Reynaldo Bignone, 82, has been convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for torture and illegal detentions committed during the nation’s 1976-1983 military regime.

Argentina’s Minister for Science, Technology and Productive Innovation Dr Lino Baranao has said that the country is initiating steps to boost co-operation with educational and scientific institutions in Qatar to develop its science, research and technology in coming years.

Vietam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung led a delegation to Buenos Aires last week for his official visit to Argentina. Meanwhile Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also arrived in Argentina on the first visit by a Russian head of state to the nation, touting Moscow's drive to expand its presence and influence in Latin America.

China and Brazil’s governments said in a joint statement that the two countries have agreed to cooperate in oil exploration and building infrastructure needed to ship Brazilian iron, coal and other minerals to China.

Brazil's government appeared to harden its position regarding Iran's government and its nuclear program following statements at a BRIC meeting, saying the country must be flexible in talks with the international community.

Chile's President Sebastian Pinera has announced his $8.43 billion plan to finance Chile's reconstruction with tax increases, new government debt and withdrawals from the country's copper savings.

The Catholic Church in Chile has asked for forgiveness from victims of pedophile priests in the country, saying there were 20 known such cases.

Mexico has become the top provider of sex slaves to the Americas, according to the United Nations. In an effort to tackle the problem, the Mexican government has now signed onto the UN's Blue Heart campaign, but so far it has had little success in prosecuting and convicting human traffickers.

Meanwhile Mexico is offering a package of tax and mortgage extensions and loans for the border city of Mexicali, after a 7.2-magnitude quake April 4 killed two people, damaged buildings and flooded some land with saline water.

On the Mexican Drug War front Mexican investigative reporters have revealed that violent drug cartels are increasingly hitting US targets in the country in an attempt to escalate an all-out war with President Felipe Calderon.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called on 35,000 armed militias yesterday to defend his socialist revolution with their lives if necessary as he faces a test of its popularity in elections in September.

Colombia has warned its citizens of the dangers of visiting Venezuela after eight Colombians were detained in the neighboring country on espionage accusations.

Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez last week welcomed investment by U.S. oil companies to help develop his country's vast crude reserves, as he held energy talks in Washington for the first time in six years.

President Hugo Chavez said over the weekend that China had agreed to extend $20 billion in loans to Venezuela, pointing to deepening ties between the two countries as China seeks to secure oil supplies here.

Cuban President Raul Castro arrived in Venezuela last week to participate in the main celebrations for the bicentennial of the beginning of Venezuela’s struggle for independence, including the Ninth Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of the Americas (ALBA) regional cooperation and integration bloc.

Meanwhile the governments of Venezuela and Argentina signed 25 cooperation accords in a number of sectors including food, construction and energy, during the latest of the quarterly meetings of the two countries' heads of state, Hugo Chavez and Cristina Fernandez.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that Venezuela's economic recovery is expected to be "delayed and weak" compared to other countries in the region which managed to weather the global downturn "comparatively well". §

________________________________________________________

Please Preview your comments before posting.

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 115

2010-04-30T03:19:00.000-07:00

Week # 115 – Dated 11-18 April 2010

WESTERN EUROPE

A damning report on human rights reveals that the discrimination Muslims face all across Europe is alarmingly on the rise, mainly due to raging conflicts.

UK Conservatives launched their manifesto earlier this month for the May 6 general election, with a raft of pledges they say will put power back in people's hands. Meanwhile British voters witnessed the first U.S.-style political debate, a historic event billed as an exciting prelude to one of the closest elections in years.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday he would decide next year if he will stand for re-election in 2012. Sarkozy's center-right party was heavily beaten in regional elections last month and his approval ratings have fallen sharply as concern over the fragile state of the economy and disapproval of his restless governing style have grown.

Eurozone finance ministers gathered last week to seek ways to halt a government debt crisis as Greece asks the European Union and the International Monetary. The first debt sale since then raised 1.56 billion euros indicating improved investor confidence.

The Vatican responded Monday to allegations it long concealed clerical sex abuse by making it clear for the first time that bishops and clerics worldwide should report such crimes to police if they are required to by law.

Meanwhile Italy's constitutional court has rejected bids to have gay marriages recognized in two Italian cities i.e. Venice & Trento.

Belgium soon may be the first European nation to outlaw the burqa and other Islamic garb that completely hides a woman's body and face. Neighboring France and the Netherlands may also outlaw attire that is viewed by many in western European societies as demeaning to women. It is also considered a gateway to radical Islam, a fear that is stoking rightwing sentiment across the continent.

In Greece earlier this month Prosecutors pressed charges against six people over their alleged membership in the far-left terror group Revolutionary Struggle. The suspects -- five men and a woman -- are accused of multiple counts of attempted homicide, setting off explosions and armed offences. Meanwhile the Police also detained about 70 demonstrators who had gathered in downtown Athens to protest the arrests.

France last week voiced its opposition to a U.S. extradition request for an Iranian, Majid Kakavand, a 37-year-old engineer, accused of evading export controls to purchase technology over the Internet to sell to Iran's military.

Germany's defense minister said last week that military restructuring could free up more soldiers for international missions, potentially bringing it in line with other countries' efforts. Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg's comments come as the country faces pressure from the United States to send more soldiers to Afghanistan, where it currently has about 4,000 troops. The war is extremely unpopular at home and Chancellor Angela Merkel has resisted the request for further troops.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Albania’s Defence Minister Arben Imami has said that the country plans to have all old ammunition destroyed by 2013 under a new dismantling effort in Elbasan and Polican, financed by Denmark. In need of dismantling are more than 90,000 tonnes of ammunition inherited from the communist regime. Meanwhile earlier this month Albania abolished its visa regime towards Serbian citizens, another sign of improving bilateral relations.

The Court of BiH has decided to release former Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Gojko Klickovic on bail. Klickovic is accused of war crimes committed in Bosanska Krupa during the 1992-1995 Bosnian conflict.

The cloud of volcanic ash over Europe led US President Barack Obama and other World Leaders to cancel their trip to Poland to attend funeral of President Lech Kaczynski.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has announced that the country will give up its eurozone application for the time being due to its current inability to meet the European Monetary Union criteria.

The Kosovo Embassy in London received a note earlier this month informing it that Swaziland has recognized Kosovo's independence, the 66th country to do so since Pristina's declaration of independence in February 2008.

Montenegro’s Lawmakers with a 47 to 27 vote rejected a no-confidence motion last week against Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic's cabinet, submitted by the opposition Movement for Changes (PzP) and other parties.

Romania, Georgia and Azerbaijan signed an official agreement in Bucharest last week to provide natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Romania.

Serbian President Boris Tadic has stated that Serbia and Croatia are searching for an out-of-court solution to the two countries' reciprocal genocide lawsuits filed at the International Court of Justice, for war crimes committed during the 1990s.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus, a fierce critic of the European Union and its reforming Lisbon Treaty and the last EU leader to sign the reform deal said last week that the pact has failed to boost the 27-member bloc's effectiveness.

In Hungary the right-wing Federation of Young Democrats (FIDESZ) with 52.7% of the vote won an absolute majority in parliamentary elections held last week. The neo-fascist Party for a Better Hungary (Jobbik), which ran a racist election campaign directed against Roma and foreigners, obtained 17 % of the vote.

Kyrgyzstan’s ousted president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, claims that two countries, Kazakhstan and Belarus have offered him political asylum.

Russia’s first Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov has disclosed that the nation may abandon its plans to join the World Trade Organization in a joint bid with Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Since Belarus was not invited to participate in the top-level 47-nation nuclear security summit in Washington on April12-13, during which world leaders agreed to ‘secure all vulnerable nuclear material in four years’, the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has announced that the nation has hundreds of kilograms of highly enriched uranium and it is not going to get rid of.

At the economic front, Czech central bank Vice-Governor Miroslav Singer very strongly condemned IMF for its ‘misleading reports’, painting a miserable picture of the country's financial exposure.

According to a Bloomberg survey, average gross wages in Hungary has probably advanced 3.5 % in February. Meanwhile the yield on Hungary’s 8 % bond due February 2015 fell 2 basis points to 5.789 percent.

The Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic has awarded US Company Ness Technologies, Inc. a contract to provide the first phase of an electronic healthcare services system valued at €32.4m.

According to the Statistical Committee reported, Belarus’ gross domestic product (GDP) rose 4.0 % in the first quarter of 2010 from a year earlier.

the Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said last week that his country and the International Monetary Fund have agreed to revise its two-year bail out program that was approved in 2008 and Ukraine has so far received 11 billion U.S. dollars out of a 16.4-billion-dollar loan from the IMF while the rest had been suspended since last November.

Estonia is likely to become the seventeenth member of the euro zone in 2011 as its macro-economic performance remains under control despite the recession. The European Commission is set to give its green light in mid-May.

The Polish constitution stipulates that if a president dies in office, the speaker of parliament assumes his duties and must decide on an election date within 14 days, with the election to follow no less than 60 days after that. Acting president Bronislaw Komowski announced the election will be held on June 20.

Belarus has initiated discussions on the formation of active citizenship among the young generation of the CIS countries aimed at involving of youth in development and strengthening of human values, education for their civil and patriotic feelings.

The Ministry of Regional Development and Local Government presented to the Latvian Cabinet an information report on the implementation of the e-Government Development Program 2005-2009. This includes the introduction of a secure e-Signature infrastructure, national e-Procurement system, new State and municipal information systems etc.

RUSSIA

The 47-nation U.S. summit on nuclear security earlier this month got off to a rocky start when Russia indicated that it did not favor tough economic sanctions against Iran. Further news of Iran buying an ultra-sophisticated missile system from Russia to protect its nuclear sites has caused fury and fear among Western powers seeking to stop the country from developing nuclear weapons. The new START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) bilateral nuclear arms reduction treaty between Russia and the United States was signed by Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama on April 8, 2010 in Prague. A ceiling was fixed for each country of 1,550 nuclear warheads and 700 deployed nuclear delivery vehicles. The new limits are about a third lower than the previous ones negotiated by George W. Bush in the 2002.

President Dmitry Medvedev participated in a summit of four i.e. Brazil, Russia, India, and China in Brasilia aimed at strengthening cooperation. The leaders called for a 'new international order' as they reached consensus to file a draft resolution before the Group of 20 (G20) in Canada in June, demanding more power for emerging and developing countries in global decision-making bodies.

After the Summit Medvedev said that Russia will leave the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions if a deal can't be reached on carbon emission reduction. The Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

Russia's uneasy ties with Poland face a test after Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and dozens of other senior Polish officials died in a weekend plane crash tentatively blamed on fog and pilot error.

The foreign minister of Kazakhstan, who currently chairs the OSCE stated that the United States, Russia and Kazakhstan worked together to allow Kyrgystan's ousted president to leave the country. Meanwhile Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has linked the collapse of political regime in Kyrgyzstan with the failure to solve social and economic issues and announced to continue its humanitarian aid to the nation but will conclude major agreement only with a legitimate government that will be able to cope with them.

According to Moscow’s central bank reports the ruble weakened 0.2 % to 29.0225 per dollar. Also the yield on the 7.5 % government bond in dollars due March 2030 fell 1 basis point to 4.791%.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin last week said that Russia might lend $5 billion to $6 billion to Ukraine to construct two nuclear reactors, while promising to consider a new deal on gas supply prices.

Three suspected Islamic insurgents blew themselves up as security forces stormed the private house where they were hiding in an Ingush village last week, and the widow of one of them attacked investigators killing one police officer.

According to a statement by the Russian Orthodox Church the bodies of victims of Stalinist purges found in a mass grave during the construction of a road near the Russian Far Eastern town of Vladivostok are to be reburied.

US/CANADA

Last week just hours after Congress passed an $18 billion bill to restore unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed, President Barack Obama made it the law of the land. A measure to restore eligibility for the jobless to receive up to 99 weeks of unemployment checks appears on track despite objections from Republicans concerned about its cost.

Allied activists demonstrated this month all over the US protesting government spending and what they deem as the Washington tax grab. Meanwhile former President Bill Clinton warned of a slippery slope from angry anti-government rhetoric to violence like the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, saying "the words we use really do matter."

Obama opened the global security summit earlier this month after two days of meetings with selected presidents and prime ministers of the 47 countries assembled to recharge efforts to keep nuclear material out of terrorist hands.

According to reports The United States is leading an effort by a handful of anti-whaling nations to broker an agreement that would limit and ultimately end whale hunting by Japan, Norway and Iceland.

In Canada a scandal involving a former cabinet minister has helped cut public support for the Conservatives. Meanwhile the weekly Ekos survey for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp put popular support for the Conservatives at 31.4%, down from 33.6% last week. Support for the main opposition Liberals rose to 29% from 27.3%.

On the Canadian financial front stronger-than-expected trade figures for February and a steady housing market confirm the Canadian economic recovery is picking up speed ahead of expected interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced that Canada will return spent nuclear fuel to its supplier, the United States, as part of a global drive to secure fissile materials.

LATIN AMERICA

Earlier this month Argentina's Cristina Fernandez rejected the idea that her leftist politics would prevent a strong working relationship with Sebastian Pinera, a right-wing billionaire whose inauguration last month ended 20 years of center-left rule in Chile.

A landslide swept away dozens of houses near Rio de Janeiro last week, worsening a disaster caused by heavy rains that has killed many around Brazil’s second-biggest city. In a recent statement officials updated the number of confirmed dead to 219.

According to Agencia Angola Press reports Petroleo Brasileiro SA, Brazil’s state-run oil company, plans to expand its exploration activities in Angola.

Brazilian opposition candidate Jose Serra launched his bid for the presidencylast week, buoyed by an opinion poll lead and extensive experience ahead of what promises to be a tough race until the October 3 poll. According to a recent poll candidate Jose Serra and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s chosen successor, Dilma Rousseff, are in a statistical dead heat six months before the October election.

Meanwhile President Barack Obama met with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week in Washington D.C. to discuss Iran's controversial nuclear program. The meeting took place on the sidelines of a summit that focused on nuclear security in the face of terrorist threats.

On the economic front according to reports Brazil may need to drill more wells to find the 5 billion barrels of oil reserves needed in a proposed swap for new shares in state-controlled Petroleo Brasileiro SA.

The United States and Brazil signed an agreement last week meant to bolster military ties, but Brazil's Defense Minister Nelson Jobim did not offer any hint about a key defense contract sought by U.S.-based Boeing Co. The accord, which was signed at the Pentagon by Jobim and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, is the first agreement of its kind in more than 30 years between the two countries.

Seeking to smooth relations with Mexico at the annual gathering of the NAFTA partners last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper blamed Canada’s decision to impose visas on Mexican nationals on Canada’s refugee system, and urged Parliament to enact changes to stem the flow of “bogus” claims.

Despite a severe energy-related crisis at home Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez offered last week to help Uruguay expand a refinery and supply it with crude oil at discounted rates. Meanwhile President Chavez extended an electricity emergency for another 60 days despite recent rainfall that raised hopes that severe power shortages would end in the oil-exporting nation. According to the South American OPEC nation's oil minister Venezuela has diversified its oil markets and is selling more than 460,000 barrels per day to China, a 21 % increase from a year ago.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez in a recent statement during a ceremony to receive the first of eight naval patrol boats purchased from Spain, called U.S. officials "stupid" for criticizing his arms purchases from Russia and said he would keep buying weapons until the country is ready to defend itself.

AUSTRALASIA

Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd threatened last week to ask voters to directly back his sweeping health reform plans as opposition from powerful state leaders threatens to hobble his re-election strategy. Rudd has played down early polls, but said he would go ahead with a risky referendum alongside the election if state leaders rejected his health shakeup.

Web attackers in China flooded an international network link to one of Optus' large commercial clients in Australia in what is known as a denial-of-service attack. This caused congestion that significantly slowed Internet and e-mail links to other customers on that link, including AAP and News.

The United Nations has raised concerns about Australia's decision to freeze asylum applications from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, saying it could leave people in detention for prolonged periods. Australia this month suspended applications from Afghans and Sri Lankans, saying the situation in their war-weary homelands had improved and fewer nationals of these countries would likely be considered refugees in the future. §

________________________________________________

Please Preview your comments before posting.

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 114

2010-04-26T03:31:00.000-07:00

WESTERN EUROPE

In the British general elections a row over tax and spending has dominated the opening days of the campaign. The dispute between the Conservatives and Labour over payroll tax and public spending has eclipsed worries about a large budget deficit.

In the Netherlands, according to PVV’s party leader Geert Wilders, a ban on headscarves for city council workers and in all institutions and clubs which get local authority money will be the most important point in the party´s negotiations to join governing coalitions in Almere and the Hague.

Meanwhile the European rights chief while urging politicians to promote understanding of different cultures has warned that a ban on face-veil would violate individual privacy rights and alienate Muslim women.

The Guardian reports that French Muslims of North African descent have spending power worth an estimated of 5.5bn euros a year. The young ones want high-end halal luxuries and a range of halal cuisines, rather than the foods that their parents grew up with.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Polish President Lech Kaczynski, 60, along with the country's highest military and civilian leaders died last week when the presidential plane crashed as it came in for a landing in thick fog in western Russia, killing 97 people. On board were the army chief of staff, national bank president, deputy foreign minister, head of the National Security Office, deputy parliament speaker, civil rights commissioner and at least two presidential aides and three lawmakers. The plane was taking the president and his delegation to events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre of 22,000 Polish officers in KATYN forest by Soviet secret police. Reflecting the sensitivity of the incident on bilateral relations, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has personally assumed charge of the investigation.

Putin also made an unprecedented gesture of good will to Poland by attending the memorial ceremony for 22,000 Poles executed by Soviet secret police during World War. However after attending the solemn event he said Soviet dictator Josef Stalin ordered the atrocity as revenge for the death of Red Army soldiers in Polish prisoner of war camps in 1920.

Last week US President Barack Obama wrapped up a two-day visit to the Czech Republic that saw the signing of a new US- Russian nuclear arms control treaty.

In Slovakia, several groups have sought to make an election issue out of the questions of nationhood and ethnic minorities. Meanwhile, the Czechs look like they might swing to the left. The Czech voters will choose their next government on May 28-29, while in Slovakia the general election is scheduled for June 12.

According to Hungary’s national election office OVI after processing 99% of the votes, the country's center-right opposition party headed by FIDESZ got 52.8% of the vote in last week’s first round of parliamentary elections, while all other parties gained considerably less support. The second round of the elections is scheduled for April 25.

Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych during a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week reiterated his country's willingness to strengthen strategic partnership with Russia. Meanwhile The Ukrainian president has dissolved the government's commission working toward NATO membership. The move has buried the ambitious pro-NATO policies by his predecessor, Orange Revolution hero Viktor Yushchenko.

On the economic front, according to a report of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Poland's GDP may rise 3 percent this year and up to 3.6 percent in 2011.

Czech consumer prices rose by 0.3 percent on the month in March, putting year-on-year inflation at 0.7 percent. According to the Central bank, it saw inflation near the 2 percent target in the first half of 2011, the bank's policy horizon.

Latest report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that the total external debt of Belarus in 2010 would reach the highest level in history to take up some 52 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).

Ukraine's Finance Ministry has received offers from nine lenders as the government prepares to sell Eurobonds after it resumed talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The ministry is still receiving offers from banks across the globe, including the United States and Japan.

According to reports The Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were in the top four in unemployment among European Union countries in February. Latvia led with a 21.7 % unemployment rate, followed by Spain at 19%, Lithuania 15.8%, and Estonia at 15.5% jobless rate. The average unemployment rate in the 27-member European Union member states was 9.6 % in February.

Several local start-up software developers attended the first Czech Republic Microsoft Business Academy held in Brno last week

More than 20,000 Lithuanians have signed an electronic petition to the government against the planned construction of a nuclear power station in neighboring Belarus for the safety of 500,000 inhabitants around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the planned site of the plant. Belarus plans to build a new nuclear plant that could possibly export energy to Lithuania. Lithuania agreed to close its own Soviet-era IGNALINA nuclear station by 2009 as part of its 2004 EU accession agreement.

Estonia's banking, media and government presence online was disrupted by several waves of distributed denial of service attacks that knocked services offline. The country is heavily wired - 90 percent of all financial transactions are conducted over the Internet and 70 percent of the population files their tax returns electronically.

RUSSIA

Russia's ambassador to the United Nations has introduced a draft resolution to the Security Council calling for new measures to ensure Somali pirates are punished when they are caught.

As USA President Obama signed a landmark arms-control treaty with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last week, a chorus of skeptics in Russia has raised concerns that Moscow may have conceded too much in the deal. Meanwhile according to officials the Obama administration plans to send the new arms-control treaty package with Russia to Congress by the end of April, hoping for ratification by year's end.

Russian Prime Minister and a top Foreign Ministry official have strongly condemned suggestions that Russia could be involved in the disturbances in Kyrgyzstan.

In a statement from the kremlin, President Dmitry Medvedev has signed into law amendments to legislation on economic crimes that should increase the use of bail for suspects awaiting trial and cut abuse of the system.

On the economic front the first Russian-Arab cooperation forum is expected to be held in the capital of Russia, Moscow, by the end of 2010.

The Nord Stream pipeline project was laid last week in PORTOVAYA Bay, north of St. Petersburg, Russia. The dual-pipeline project, the first phase of which is to be completed in 2011, will allow Russia to pump its natural gas directly under the Baltic Sea to Germany. But the project has been hugely contentious in Europe, especially for Poland, who accused Germany of going behind the backs of its Eastern European neighbors by forging a closer energy alliance with Russia. The European Union obtains nearly 45 % of its gas imports from Russia, while 70 % of Russia’s gas exports are earmarked for the 27-country bloc.

Russian president Medvedev arrived in Slovakia last week to take part in activities commemorating the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe and liberation of former Czechoslovakia. In 2008, the bilateral trade exchange between Russia and Slovakia reached the record USD 9.6 billion, but in 2009 it dropped to a half of the figure. An important point in the Bratislava talks was the extension of the broad-gauge railway from the Ukrainian-Slovak border to Vienna, which would for the first time directly connect central Europe with the Russian railway system, including the Trans-Siberian Railway.

A joint Russian-US project has created a new 117-proton element, provisionally called ununseptium, making the second heaviest substance created thus far.

According to reports Over 4,000 Russian inmates died in 2009. There are currently 861,867 people imprisoned across Russia. The country's prisons are notorious for their overcrowding and the high incidence of infectious diseases.

US/CANADA

Last week in the USA a prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy group welcomed reports from Pakistan that American Al-Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn has been arrested. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also repudiated Gadahn’s latest call to violence contained in an Al-Qaeda video released recently.

LATIN AMERICA

President Cristina Kirchner admitted last week that Argentina would never succeed in claiming the Falkland Islands by military force. However she expressed the hope that diplomatic and political pressure would wrest them away from Britain.

China's Ministry of Commerce recently suggested that its traders cancel soy oil cargoes from Argentina due to sanitary problems, a move that elicited objections from the Argentine government. Argentina, Latin America's No. 3 economy, is facing a financing crunch this year to meet debt obligations of up to $15 billion.

Under Brazil's electoral law, the deadline for departure from government positions to participate in general elections is April 3, six months before the elections. 10 Brazilian ministers quit their posts last week in this stead. The most notable departing minister is Dilma Rousseff, who has been handpicked by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as his successor. Meanwhile Lula da Silva called for continuity of government policies and plans in the first cabinet meeting following the pre election reshuffle.

President Dmitry Medvedev visited Argentina and Brazil last week, as Russia strengthens relationships in a region long influenced heavily by the United States. Preceding that, in his first visit to Venezuela Prime Minister Vladimir Putin offered Russian assistance to help the nation set up its own space industry, including a satellite launch site. The two nations also agreed on a joint oil production project worth $20 billion. Meanwhile President Hugo Chavez affirmed last week that Venezuela and Russia are forging a strategic alliance aimed at the establishment of a new international order based on multilateralism.

Chinese President Hu Jintao is also expected to pay visits to Brazil, Chile and Venezuela this month.

Venezuela’s main thermoelectric plant, Planta Centro, was shut down last week due to failures in five of its generating units, exacerbating the country’s worsening electricity crisis.

Mexico’s Finance Ministry raised its forecast for economic growth this year to 4.1%, which would be the fastest pace in a decade, as U.S. shoppers increase demand for the country’s exports.

AUSTRALASIA

According to latest Roy Morgan findings a clear majority (81%) of Australians do not want Australia’s population to exceed 35 million by 2040.

Australians are more divided on the question of immigration where 46% say immigration should ‘remain about the same,’ while 39% say immigration should ‘be reduced’ and just 11% say immigrations should ‘be increased.’ §

________________________________________________________

Please Preview your comments before posting.

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 113

2010-04-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Week # 113 – Dated 28 March- 3 April 2010

WESTERN EUROPE
Voters began casting ballots last week in Italy's regional elections, which are being seen as an important test of popularity for Premier Silvio Berlusconi. The premier has seen his popularity erode amid rising unemployment, a corruption scandal and an investigation into his alleged attempts to influence TV coverage. Despite apprehensions Berlusconi's coalition won crucial races and wrested control of four regions from the opposition.
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair made a dramatic pre-election return to domestic British politics last week with an attack on the policies of David Cameron a Tory leader. Blair's return, weeks before a national election, came in a speech urging voters to give his Labour Party a fourth term in office.
Senior Catholic bishops are urging British worshippers to carefully consider candidates' policies toward marriage and abortion when they vote in the looming national election — a move likely to benefit the opposition Conservatives. Meanwhile British protesters called on Pope Benedict XVI to resign last week as they staged a demonstration over the Catholic Church's handling of clerical sex abuse cases.
Relatives of Bosnian Muslims killed in Europe's worst massacre since World War II lost another round Tuesday in their attempt to sue the United Nations for responsibility. The Hague Appeals Court upheld a 2008 lower court ruling affirming U.N. immunity from prosecution enshrined in international conventions that established the world body, and said the legal protection is an essential foundation of its peacekeeping operations around the world.
France's highest administrative body warned last week that a total ban on full-body Islamic veils in public risks being found unconstitutional but that rules requiring the face to be uncovered could be justified. Meanwhile a parliamentary committee in Belgium unanimously voted last week to ban the wearing of face-covering veils in public, a major step in the legislative process that could make the country the first European nation to impose such a religious prohibition.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Turkey last week amid the two countries disagreement over the mainly Muslim country's faltering bid to join the European. Also on the agenda for the two-day stay were differences linked to the huge Turkish immigrant population in Germany, where the world's largest Turkish diaspora is located.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
Albania’s main opposition Socialist Party (SP) wants to call a referendum on the government's plan to build a nuclear power plant.
The mission of Canadian troops in BiH officially ended on March 29th with five officers and one non-commissioned soldier returning home.
An impeachment motion against Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov, initiated by the ruling GERB party, was introduced in parliament last week after it collected the signatures of 162 lawmakers well over the required 61. Meanwhile a court sentenced six Bulgarians to prison Monday (March 29th) for financial fraud and embezzlement of about 7.5m euros granted the country under the EU's SAPARD programme.
The defence ministry of Croatia has announced intentions to send 20 more troops to Afghanistan by September. Meanwhile 79 Macedonian soldiers left last week for Afghanistan, where they will join Macedonia's 170-strong contingent within the NATO-led mission ISAF.
Greek Ambassador to Macedonia Alexandra Papadopoulou last week condemned nationalist slogans chanted during a military parade in Athens. She was summoned to the Macedonian Foreign Ministry where Deputy Foreign Minister Zoran Petrov demanded a formal apology.
According to media reports Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and representatives of the junior government partner, the Democratic League of Kosovo, have reached an agreement to restructure the government. Meanwhile the opposition has criticized the coalition for trying to distract the public from alleged corruption and mismanagement.
US troops handed over management of the borderline between Kosovo and Macedonia to the Kosovo Police last week.
Montenegro’s opposition Movement for Changes filed a no-confidence motion against the government last week. The opposition accuses the government of failing to fight corruption and organized crime, as well as inefficiency in addressing the economic situation.
In Romania buses and trams in Bucharest came to a halt last week after thousands of drivers staged a strike without advance warning, protesting government austerity measures that would cut their wages and Easter bonuses.
Polish Defense Minister is on a visit to Afghanistan to celebrate Easter with Polish troops stationed in Afghanistan.
US President Barack Obama met leaders of 11 central and eastern European countries in Prague last week. The meeting, held after the signing of a major nuclear weapons control treaty between the United States and Russia, dealt with these countries’ role in Afghanistan, and reassured the former Soviet satellites that by resetting its relations with Moscow, the United States would not curtail its interest in the region.
Visiting Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak and his Indonesian counterpart, Marty Natalegawa, signed an agreement last week aimed at bolstering economic ties between the two countries.
Hungary's opposition European People's Party-affiliated FIDESZ has announced that it will bar foreigners from buying arable land indefinitely if it wins elections this month. Fidesz is widely expected to obtain an absolute majority in parliament.
Belarusian Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food, Vasily Pavlovsky informed that the country intends to export Belarusian flax yarn to China and Japan. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also approved the draft inter governmental agreement signed with Azerbaijan on promotion and reciprocal protection of investments.
Last week, in an oil-for-arms deal with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Venezuela’s Chavez was able to add advanced ground-to-air radars to his arsenal.
Alexander Surikov, Russia's ambassador to Belarus, has said that there is a sharp difference in opinion between the two nations over the cost of a Belarusian nuclear power plant project. Last year the Belarusian government requested a $9 billion loan from Russia for the construction of the plant.
Cuba, Ukraine and the Chernobyl International Fund signed last week a medical cooperation accord, which will give continuity to the medical treatment of children from that nation suffering from health problems as a consequence of the1986 nuclear accident.
Ukraine’s new leadership said last week that it was inviting Russia to join the European Union in a plan to restore Ukraine’s gas pipeline network which carries crucial supplies of Russian gas to Europe. The announcement by Prime Minister Mykola Azarov effectively reversed a March 2009 agreement, signed by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, for the EU to overhaul its pipeline system.
The Ukrainian Parliament refused last week to put on the agenda a draft resolution on Ukraine’s participation in forming a Common Economic Space (CES) together with Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia and in the development of mutually beneficial economic cooperation.
Tiny Baltic State Estonia which joined NATO in 2004 said last week that it has taken a surface-to-air missile system from European defense giant MBDA and Sweden's SAAB in its largest-ever defense contract.
According to the Cabinet of Lithuanian, the Baltic state, which used to import 3 billion cubic meters of gas from GAZPROM annually, may have to increase its consumption by 150 percent to 200 percent.
Poland, along with France and Germany, is seeking to adopt common strategy regarding the future on European Union farming policy.
According to the Finance Ministry estimate, the Poland's inflation probably has decreased from 2.9 percent to 2.6 percent year-on-year in March. Meanwhile Poland's public debt rose to 49.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009 and stood just 0.1 percentage points below the first debt safety level.
The International Monetary Fund has signed an agreement with the Czech National Bank to provide it with about $1.4 billion.
According to the finance ministry's Debt and Liquidity Management Agency (ARDAL), Slovakia has sold 239.5 million euros ($323.6 million) worth of two-year, zero-coupon state bonds that mature on January 27, 2012.
The International Monetary Fund has approved last week releasing a $700 million tranche for Belarus and said the country was adapting well to higher Russian oil prices.
Moody's Investors Service Inc. raised the ratings outlook on Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania to stable from negative, reflecting improved financial and economic prospects, as well as likely euro adoption in 2011.
The move by the ruling Centrist Civic Platform party in the Polish parliament to increase the women seats to either half or a third of total seats, has aroused enormous controversy. Currently women have about a fifth of the seats in the lower house of the Polish parliament and less than 10 percent of the places in the Senate, lower than in many western European countries.
The Controversial Slovak Patriot Law requiring Slovak school children to sing the national anthem at the start of each school week and requiring new clerks in state administration to take a pledge of allegiance was passed again by the parliament with minor amendments and became effective on April 1st 2010.
Ukraine’s government has cut the salary of President Viktor Yanukovich by 50 percent. The salary of the former president was 41,000 hryvnas or 5,100 dollars. Yanukovich has also ordered to reduce his staff by 20 percent, or more. The staff of his predecessor numbered 530.

RUSSIA
Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov claimed responsibility for the deadly Moscow metro last week (which killed 39 people and injured 85 others) following two new suicide bombings that killed at least 12 people in Dagestan.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are to discuss military and economic cooperation, including a $2.2 billion loan to buy Russian arms, during his first visit to the South American country. Also Russia has offered to help Venezuela set up its own space industry, including a satellite launch site,
Meanwhile Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama last week approved the final terms of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty's successor, which would require the United States and Russia to both lower their respective strategic arsenals to 1,550 deployed warheads.
Last week Russian President Dmitry Medvedev harshly criticized State Duma deputies for failing to attend parliamentary sessions.
Moscow's markets shook off the bomb attacks on the city's metro to move higher last week, after focusing on the relief that the saga surrounding Greece's bailout appears finally to have wound down. Meanwhile according to reports Germany's Henkel plans to build two more plants in Russia for the production of mortar by 2012.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister Russia’s LUKOIL Company will invest 480 million dollars into the exploration and production of oil and gas in Uzbekistan over 2010. Meanwhile the signing of a contract between Russia and Belarus to build the ex-Soviet republic's first nuclear power plant has been delayed due to disagreements over the project's cost.

US/CANADA
US Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev agreed to an historic arms-control treaty on March 26th, calling for a substantial reduction of the two countries' deployed nuclear arsenals.
The United States last week finalized its first greenhouse gas emissions rules on automobiles and significantly boosted fuel efficiency standards for the first time since the 1970s, moves Canada jointly imposed on its industry.
According to reports the RBC Canadian Consumer Outlook Index dipped to 108 points in March from 109 in February, signaling that overall sentiment has barely budged. The index has been edging up and down since its launch in December, reflecting opinions that the country's economic recovery will be a bumpy one.

LATIN AMERICA
The Bolivian and Argentine governments have updated a natural gas contract dating back to 2006, establishing guarantees for both sides and also for construction of a $98 million gas pipeline.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, has announced plans to visit Iran in May, to prevent that the crisis provoked by the nation’s nuclear program.
According to a recent poll 76% of Brazilians see the government of President Lula da Silva as good or great. The popularity of Brazil's president is at its highest level since he took office in 2003. Meanwhile the president launched a $878 billion program to upgrade Brazil's infrastructure last week, setting out a major campaign banner for his chosen candidate in October elections.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon alleged last week that powerful groups in the United States appear to be blocking efforts to stem the flow of assault weapons fueling Mexico's drug war.
Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee and Mexico’s Secretary of Energy Georgina Kessels have signed a cooperation arrangement in Cancun, Mexico to facilitate bilateral collaboration in the field of renewable energy. Meanwhile Mexico’s peso rose for the third time this week as the unemployment rate in February fell more than the forecasted level.
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez said last week in Quito that his government has decided to "wait for the upcoming elections and see the attitude of the next Colombian President" to make a decision on resumption of bilateral relations. Meanwhile Venezuela's Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro described as "politicized" the position of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), which reported the "lack of independence" of the Judiciary in Venezuela. Also Venezuela's highest court last week barred an outspoken opponent of President Hugo Chavez from talking to news media about criminal charges alleging he struck a police official. Following the incident the leader of Venezuela's Roman Catholic Church accused the government of using judges and prosecutors to punish political adversaries.
With cycling and athletics medalists coming from the South American games, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez decreed the whole week of Easter as holidays in order to save energy. Chavez has also announced the discovery of a “super well” that shows an offshore field holds almost twice as much natural gas as originally estimated.

AUSTRALASIA
Australia has expressed alarm at growing support for a plan to allow limited commercial whaling, saying it could not accept the proposal before the International Whaling Commission (IWC). New Zealand, which also opposes whaling, is supporting moves to allow restricted commercial hunts over the next 10 years if it means a big cut to the number of whales currently killed by Iceland, Norway and Japan.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last week announced Australia's first population minister, citing concerns about sustainability as the number of people is tipped to balloon within decades. §

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 112

2010-04-09T03:52:00.000-07:00

Week # 112 - Dated 20-27 March 2010

WESTERN EUROPE
Spain has raised its terrorism alert level after Basque separatists were blamed for killing a policeman in France last week.
The long-flailing French left made a big-time comeback last week, crushing Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives in regional elections colored by voters' economic worries — and informally kicking off the 2012 presidential race. Meanwhile Sarkozy dismissed his labor minister and reshuffled several other Cabinet posts after leftists walloped his conservatives in the regional elections.
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown put economic recovery at the heart of his battle for re-election this week, as he unveiled his Labour party's key pledges for the vote expected shortly.
Germany's economy minister said his government remains opposed to paying financial aid to Greece. Following this European leaders clinched a deal to rescue Greece from its debt crisis, with a standby package of loans backed by the International Monetary Fund halting the euro's slide. The euro rebounded from a 10-month low on but European stocks dropped, as markets gave a cautious welcome to the eurozone's bailout program for Greece.
Thousands of British civil servants across the country staged a strike last week over plans to cut redundancy pay. Meanwhile Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged railway and union bosses to keep negotiating to avoid a threatened four-day strike that could cause travel chaos over the Easter holidays.
Italy's postal service intercepted a threatening letter containing a bullet addressed to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi; meanwhile a letter bomb sent to a minister caught fire last week.
According to Israeli media reports the diplomat who is to be expelled from Britain over the alleged forgery of British passports connected to the killing of a top Hamas militant, is a Mossad officer who will be replaced by the Jewish state.
The European Commission said last week that it wanted to develop its own system to track terrorist finances and that such a system would require the United States to contribute information on American citizens’ transactions. The announcement is part of intensifying efforts by Brussels to resolve an acrimonious battle within the European Union over how to identify, track and pursue suspected terrorists and their financiers.
In separate appearances at the Brussels Forum — an annual security conference three senior EU officials said it was imperative for Washington and the EU to craft a "more dynamic partnership" European Commission, claiming that Europe is a more significant ally than China and other emerging economies.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
PM Donald Tusk is to represent Poland at the high-level summit on nuclear security in Washington D.C. on April 12-13, a summit that will further verify the influential role of Poland on the international arena. Meanwhile Czech Republic will host the Summit scheduled to be held on April 8 in Prague for the signing of a new Russian-US nuclear arms reduction treaty. Russia and the United States are hopeful to finalize the deal before a “Washington Nuclear Security Summit”.
Former Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has stepped down as his party’s top candidate for a May general election after making contemptuous remarks about gays, Jews and the church.
The International Monetary Fund has released a $700 million trenches for Belarus amid a growing rift over the Gas tariff between Belarus and Russia. Belarus has already filed a lawsuit against Russia over oil export fees in an official Commonwealth of Independent States Court.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich warned last week that he would call a snap parliamentary election if a court ruled that a coalition supporting him in parliament had been formed illegally. His comment to European parliamentarians appeared aimed at assuring Ukraine's Western partners of his democratic credentials.
The Estonian press protested against the possible passing of a bill that stipulates the mandatory exposure of news sources upon request from the authorities. Many Estonian newspapers were published with at least one blank page on March 18.
In Latvia 4 ministers included Foreign Minister had tendered their resignations. Last week their political party withdrew from the ruling coalition. Meanwhile after the biggest coalition party pulled out, the Latvian First Party began talks to support the government. The next elections in the Baltic state are due in October.
On the economic front Poland's economy is expected to grow by 2.5 to 2.8 percent in the first quarter of the year; meanwhile Poland’s unemployment rose to 13 percent in February.
The Czech central bank voted last week to hold interest rates at record lows as previously forecast, as the export-driven economy continues to recovering modestly.
According to the finance ministry's Debt and Liquidity Management Agency (ARDAL), Slovakia has sold 239.5 million euros ($323.6 million) worth of two-year, zero- coupon state bonds in an auction. The bonds mature on January 27, 2012.
Meanwhile Hungary's central bank sold 2,083.8 billion forint ($10.65 billion) worth of two-week bills at a weekly tender last week, boosting the total stock of bills to 4,155.1 billion forint ($21.24 billion). The stocks in Hungary have done better than its other neighbors this year, but some investors are becoming more cautious ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections amid the over sizing of the budget deficit and slower pace of economic growth.
Estonia last passed its last major economic test for entering the euro zone in 2011 after its budget deficit met bloc rules, and analysts now expect political approval to join from the crisis-hit currency zone.
A statement issued by the bio-ethics experts unit of the Conference of the Polish Episcopate stresses that In vitro fertilization (IVF) violates human dignity and the rights of the child and is contrary to Christian faith and “natural law”. Currently, IVF has no clear legal standing in Poland despite the fact that there have been six bills submitted to Parliament so for.
According to media reports Civil rights leaders in Belarus are facing a campaign of persecution and harassment as ‘autocratic’ President Aleksandr Lukashenko looks to crack down on the opposition especially the Polish minority ahead of local and presidential elections over the next year.
The Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic has turned down the complaint filed by Prosecutor General about the discriminatory and unconstitutional nature of the law governing the registration of churches and religious organizations in the Slovak Republic.
About 3,000 police officers staged a peaceful protest in Sofia, Bulgaria on Saturday (March 20th) against planned salary cuts. To curb spending, the government wants to force police and others to make their own contributions to social security, effectively reducing wages by just over 12%.
In Kosovo the public is growing increasingly dissatisfied with the government, according to an Early Warning Report from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), published last week.
The head of the European Commission (EC) delegation to Serbia, Vincent Degert, has voiced support for an initiative of a number of NGOs from the region to set up a fact-finding regional commission on war crimes committed during wars in the Balkans.
Meanwhile a summit of Western Balkan leaders near Ljubljana ended last week (March 20th) by adopting a joint statement on their countries' commitment to the European perspective. The Serbian president however was absent from the forum.

RUSSIA
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told reporters last week that Russia is prepared to invest in the reconstruction of Ukraine's gas transportation system, although Russia is implementing the NORD STREAM and SOUTH STREAM pipeline projects, which bypass the Ukrainian territory, it is ready to get engaged in the modernization of transit pipelines in Ukraine.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called for improved ties between Moscow and Vilnius as he met his Lithuanian counterpart last week in the first such talks in six years.
Activists of some political and public organizations attempted last week to organize mass rallies not sanctioned by Moscow authorities. They were however contained while 70 people have been detained in the process.
French Defense Ministry has confirmed that if France reaches an agreement with Russia on selling the Mistral class helicopter carriers to it, they will be sold without onboard weaponry.
Russia's central bank cut key rates by 25 basis points, knocking the rouble off multi-month highs last week, and analysts forecast more easing to come as the economy remains sluggish and the currency still strong. The widely expected cut, the 12th in a year, puts the benchmark refinancing rate at a fresh historic low of 8.25 per cent effective this week.
The Russian Far East opened a tsunami center in Vladivostok last week that will decrease the warning time from half an hour to one minute. Meanwhile the Russian space vehicle Proton-M launched from Baikonur last week has successfully put the EchoStar-14 American communication satellite into the planned orbit.
Russian lawmakers have passed a bill that would allow those accused of economic crimes to be released on bail instead of being sent to jail. President Dmitry Medvedev has said the bill would help end a practice common among corrupt police officers, who jail businessmen and then extort money to set them free.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has demanded that the U.S. administration lower hurdles to Russian investment and offered U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a list of trade complaints during a meeting last week.

US/CANADA
US President Barack Obama signed into law historic, sweeping reforms last week that lay out health care coverage for almost every American. Meanwhile Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin is accusing Republicans of engaging in a "political exercise" by slowing progress on a bill designed to complete congressional passage of the health system overhaul.
Sticking to a hardline position before the White House talkslast week, Israel’s Netanyahu said that peace efforts would be held up by what he called "unreasonable" demands for a freeze on new settlers’ homes in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The U.S. and Russia will drastically reduce their nuclear arsenals under a historic treaty to be signed this month in Prague.

LATIN AMERICA
Argentina increased pressure on the British government over sovereignty of the Falkland Islands last week by threatening to ban companies operating in the colony. Firms could be forced to choose between the Falklands and Argentina under proposed new legislation.
Argentina's Senate failed last week to vote on the appointment of a close government ally as central bank chief, prolonging uncertainty over the president's bid to pay debt with foreign reserves.
Brazil's president in a recent trip to the region criticized Israeli policies towards the Palestinians, warning that Israel's separation barrier, its blockade of Gaza and its continued settlement building was extinguishing "the candle of hope". Further more he reaffirmed that his country can make a significant contribution to the peace process in the Middle East
Meanwhile the Brazilian government has announced plans to double the size of its railroad expansion plan as it seeks to cut transportation costs and make the country’s goods more competitive abroad.
The United States, as part of its $1.4-billion multiyear Merida Initiative, is sending Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to accompany Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Mexico this week for talks on the country's drug war.
Venezuela and Belarus strengthened energy and trade co-operation last week, with President Hugo Chavez saying that the two allies are seeking to increase their independence from the US and other "imperialist" states.
According to local media in Venezuela lawmakers have begun debating ways to police the Internet at the urging of President Hugo Chavez, as opposition groups increasingly use the Web to organize against him. Chavez denied these allegations saying on the contrary that Web use had shot up more than nine fold during his decade in power. He also called upon his supporters to wage an Internet battle against false news and calls to overthrow his government.
Meanwhile the chief of the U.S. military's Southern Command said last week that Venezuela's socialist government is a "destabilizing force" in Latin America and continues to back leftist guerrillas in Colombia.
Hernán Martínez, the Colombian Minister of Mines and Energy, has said that Venezuela has not yet responded to the offer made by Colombia to resume power supply to its neighboring country. The offer still stands, reiterated Martínez. Meanwhile Venezuela's President announced in his Sunday TV program a special $ 1 bn fund to strengthen the country’s power grid and prevent another energy crisis like the one the country is now suffering.
Polls show Chavez's traditionally high popularity, especially among the poor, is suffering from the power crisis. The latest survey, by Alfredo Keller and Associates, which is perceived by many to favor the opposition, gave Chavez a 43 percent approval rating, saying it was his lowest since 2003.
Meanwhile former Colombian President Andrés Pastrana has denied allegations that his government (1998-2002) authorized a meeting between the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and members of the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
According to media reports the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice has approved a request of the government to extradite former President Carlos Andres Perez from the United States. Perez is accused of being responsible for the death and disappearance of hundreds of people during street protests in 1989, which was known as the "Caracazo."

AUSTRALASIA
As Australia gears up for an election expected later this year, the centre-left Labor leader Rudd and conservative Liberal Party leader Abbott squared off in an unprecedented debate on health at the National Press Club. Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd won the bruising nationally televised debate against opposition leader Tony Abbott.
About 100 Australian police are being investigated for circulating racist and pornographic e-mails via an internal system, following a scandal blamed for one officer's suicide. §

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 111

2010-04-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Week # 111 - Dated 14-20 March 2010

WESTERN EUROPE
Britain's Labour government was boosted on Wednesday by news that unemployment fell in February at the fastest pace in over 12 years, in a fresh sign of recovery ahead of expected May elections.
Greek President Karolos Papoulias was sworn-in on March 12th for a second term during an inauguration ceremony in parliament.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that there needs to be a mechanism to expel countries from the eurozone if they persistently break its financial rules. She reiterated that Germany is not planning to give "rash" financial support to Greece. Meanwhile in a recent meeting of Euro group finance ministers decided to withhold financial assistance for Greece at present. However mechanisms to aid short term assistance are still being considered.
In Greece, taxi drivers and gas station owners staged a 24-hour strike last week against planned reforms that will oblige them to issue VAT receipts to customers. New jobless figures show the unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2009 climbed to 10.3%, compared to 7.9% a year earlier.
Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin declared last week that his Catholic colleagues in Ireland must tell "the entire truth" about their decades of covering up child abuse in the priesthood. Meanwhile Angela Merkel has the sex abuse scandals in Germany, which Pope Benedict XVI has failed to address hence far, a major challenge.
A major reorganization of allied forces in Afghanistan is expected to centralize both American and other foreign troops under the direct command of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the senior U.S. and NATO commander.
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
According to the Bulgarian parliamentary speaker the possible deployment of elements of the US-missile defence shield has not yet been discussed by parliament or by the government in Sofia. Meanwhile Bulgarian Parliament unanimously adopted a bill last week to ban Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) cultivation for scientific and commercial reasons.
Serbia President Boris Tadic has said that Serbia would not object to the extradition of former Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) presidency member Ejup Ganic to Sarajevo, stressing the most important thing is for Ganic to stand trial.
According to APP, a Polish M-28 aircraft, which took off from Kos island of Greece, violated Turkish air space earlier this month. The incident has further strained relations between the two countries.
Polish opposition accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s team in parliament of protracting Poland's dependence on Russian gas by sealing a long term contract with Russia's gas distributor GAZPROM.
The European Commission on 18 March 2010 sent reasoned opinions, the final stage before a case is referred to the European Court of Justice, to Austria, Belgium and Poland after they failed to communicate National Legislation that aims to implement EU rules against gender discrimination in employment. Reasoned opinion have also been sent to the Czech Republic and Greece as a result of the countries failing to reschedule EU legislation setting procedures for safety checks for EU and third country aircraft using their airports.
The president of Slovakia has vetoed a controversial patriotism law passed recently by parliament. The law among other things would have required schools to play the Slovak national anthem every Monday.
Pre-election rallies in Hungry last week reflected a marked shift to the right after eight years of socialist government. A crowd of tens of thousands greeted the opposition leader of the centre-right party FIDESZ.
Polish-Belarusian consultations on the situation of the Union of Poles in Belarus begin last week, after accusations that Lukashenko’s regime has persecuted the minority organization. The EU has already warned Belarus against harassment of the Union of Poles or risk losing financial aid packages.
In the backdrop of an IMF mission arriving in Ukraine the country’s Communist Party has slammed government plans to accept a new loan from the US-dominated International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization and the World Bank.
Latvia's right-wing People's Party pulled out from the ruling coalition as protest on unpopular tax rises and drastic cuts in public welfare sector. It recalled its five ministers from the government and moved into the parliamentary opposition after Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis refused to back the party's economic-rescue plan.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin last week and pledged to enhance cooperation with Russia in trade and sort out strategies for the Russian entry to WTO. Also at the invitation of Russian PM, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping arrived in Russia last week for a five-day official visit. Russia is the first leg of Xi's four-nation Europe tour, which will also take him to Belarus, Finland and Sweden.
According to statistics Poland's consumer inflation was lower than expected in February, strengthening the case for keeping interest rates unchanged. Meanwhile according to officials the Czech Republic may be able to adopt the euro in 2015, provided it cuts its Budget deficit by EU standards.
Ratings agency Moody's has played down the scope of political tensions in Latvia, saying they had no implication for credit quality. Moody's is the only ratings agency to have kept Latvia at an investment grade, albeit it’s lowest level of Baa3.
A Polish court ruled last week that allegations in the 2009 biography of former President “Lech Walesa: The Idea and History" by Pawel Zyzak alleging that Walesa served as a communist informant were slanderous.
According to a report from human rights watchdogs Amnesty international and the Omega Research Foundation, several EU countries including Spain, Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic buy and sell equipment used in torture despite a 2006 EU law against the trade.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has proposed to hold the joint military parade of the Ukrainian Navy and Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol on May 9 to celebrate the 65th anniversary of V-Day.
RUSSIA
Thousands of Russians took to the streets in rallies across the country in a protest about falling living standards, unemployment, local issues and government policies. “A Day of Anger” was organized by a coalition of opposition groups: the Communist Party, the Solidarity movement and human rights groups.
Amidst agitation parliamentary election was held last week in eight territories of the Russian Federation; all the four parties represented in the State Duma - United Russia, KPRF, LDPR and Just Russian parties, will have their representatives in these legislatures. In the vote Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's party easily won control of all eight regional parliaments, but its support was down significantly in seven compared with 2007 parliamentary elections. Russian opposition parties expressed satisfaction with the results of Sunday's regional legislative elections as seen a popularity test for the pro-Kremlin United Russia party.
Meanwhile the Prime Minister won support on the domestic turf to build a dozen ultrasafe nuclear reactors in India, part of more than $10 billion in deals in energy, arms, telecoms and other cooperation signed during his visit last week.
According to Valery Konovalyuk, who heads the Ukrainian parliament’s commission for investigating illegal weapon supplies Russia has terminated a number of armament projects with Ukraine in the wake of supplies of Ukrainian weapons to Georgia.
Last week Medvedev, Obama agreed to discuss concrete dates for a new strategic arms reduction treaty START signing.
Russia has condemned as "irresponsible and immoral" a Georgian TV hoax about a Russian invasion. Panic was sparked in Georgia after the Imedi TV station broadcast news that Russian tanks had invaded the capital and the country's president was dead.
A total of $411 million flowed into Russian funds over the week ending March 11, the highest level since October, far outstripping investment flows into Russia's BRIC peers, according to fund tracker EPFR Global. Meanwhile Alexandra Wrage, whose non-profit organization TRACE International advises firms on how to avoid bribery, told Reuters the "rampant endemic" corruption in Russia was much worse than in other big emerging economies.
The Russian Foreign Ministry indignantly dismissed U.S. criticism of Russia's human rights record last week, saying the United States was guilty of its own abuses from Afghanistan to "the streets of America."
At least 69 people have been arrested in a crackdown on the Russian mafia in several European countries.
According to a Federal Security Service spokesman 20 members of the radical Islamic organization Tablighi Jamaat have been arrested in Chita, Siberia. Many countries, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan have already banned the movement, which was outlawed in Russia in 2009, after the Supreme Court ruled that the organization sought to destroy the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, discriminated against Russian citizens, and gave support to international terrorist organizations.
According to Reuters report, the jobless rate in Russia fell by nearly 400,000 last month, but the economy contracted because (1) the investment continued to fall and (2) growth in retail sales and disposable incomes was very slow.
Meanwhile President Dmitry Medvedev announced last week that Russia would build a high-tech hub at Skolkovo, near Moscow to encourage modernization of the economy and reduce its dependence on oil and gas. The centre will be designed to develop five priority sectors — energy, IT, telecommunications, bio-medical and atomic technologies.
US/CANADA
Last week the Senate Homeland Security subcommittee heard testimony from top federal officials about growing corruption of U.S. law enforcement along the U.S/Mexican border.
US Companies that hire unemployed workers are to get a temporary payroll tax holiday under a bill that won final congressional approval last week. Optimistic estimates predict the tax break could generate perhaps 250,000 jobs through the end of the year, but that would be just a tiny fraction of the 8.4 million jobs lost since the start of the recession.
According to a top White House official Israel's announcement of plans to build 1,600 settler homes in east Jerusalem was not only an "insult" to the United States but "destructive" of the Middle East peace process. Meanwhile Secretary of State Hillary Clinton while saying that Israel must prove it is committed to the peace process brushed aside suggestions that relations with Israel are in crisis.
LATIN AMERICA
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was in the Middle East last week, seeking to bring a fresh outlook to the peace process on a trip to Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan.
Meanwhile Israel's foreign minister confirmed last week that he boycotted meetings with the visiting Brazilian president; Lieberman said he was upset at Silva's decision not to visit late Zionist leader Theodor Herzl's grave, especially while agreeing to lay a wreath at the tomb of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
According to a Human Rights Commission’s report since deployment of Mexico’s troops combating drug trafficking since December 2006, there has been a dramatic increase in complaints of military abuse. From 2007 to the end of 2009, Mexico's National Human Rights Commission received 3,388 complaints of human rights violations by the military. Of these, it has already concluded that in at least 38 cases the military was in fact responsible for abuses.
Meanwhile three people with ties to the American consulate were killed in a drug-plagued Mexican city. President Barack Obama expressed outrage over the killings, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon promised a swift investigation. The number of U.S. citizens killed in Mexico has more than doubled to 78 in 2009 from 37 in 2007, according to the U.S. State Department's annual count.
Spanish Deputy Prime Minister María Teresa Fernández de la Vega said last week that Spain has the support of Venezuela in the fight against the armed Basque separatist group ETA, as it occurs with other countries like France or Portugal.
José Mujica, the president of Uruguay, has said that he wants to help improve relations between Venezuela and Colombia and is willing to "talk to everybody."
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offered to help Venezuela strengthen its military, while saying last week that President Hugo Chavez's government should not have to worry about foreign threats.
The Venezuelan government plans to increase its fuel consumption by a third in 2010 to fuel thermoelectric plants with which President Hugo Chávez hopes to overcome the energy crisis. §

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 110

2010-04-01T04:26:00.000-07:00

Week # 110 - Dated 5-12 March, 2010
WESTERN EUROPE
A British court has barred a far right, anti-immigrant political party from accepting new members until it stops discriminating against nonwhite people. The British National Party was ordered last year to scrap its whites-only membership rules to comply with race relations laws. The party voted last month to change its constitution so that black and Asian people could join, but critics said the changes were too vague.
Meanwhile a British Airways computer expert was charged Thursday with plotting suicide bombings — including one he allegedly planned to carry out himself. Prosecutor Colin Gibbs alleged that Bangladesh-born Rajib Karim deliberately sought a job with the airline in order to further an unspecified terrorist conspiracy.
The foreign ministers of Turkey and Sweden condemned last week a vote in the Swedish parliament that defined the early 20th-century killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide.
Irish police have released three of the seven people arrested last week in connection with an alleged plot to murder a Swedish cartoonist over a drawing depicting the Prophet Mohammad.
The Vatican rallied around Pope Benedict last week, dismissing suggestions he had tried to cover up priestly child abuse in Germany.
RUSSIA & THE BALKANS
The situation in Afghanistan and NATO-Russia relations dominated last week’s talks in Warsaw between Polish President Lech Kaczynski and visiting NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. While commenting that NATO was crucial for the safety of the region and the world, Kaczynski also supported the view that Russia should not be admitted to NATO.
The European Parliament has condemned the recent imprisonment of activists of a Polish minority organization (Union of Poles) in Belarus. Parliament has also demanded that all independent internet news sites and forums closed by the authoritarian regime of President Aleksander Lukashenko be allowed to function.
The Czech Social Democrats (CSSD), the leading opposition Parties, have been running a campaign promising a comprehensive tax reform according to which ordinary people will not have to pay for the Global Economic crisis, and companies and the rich should be taxed to maintain a generous welfare system.
Slovakia's language law has generated a new debate regarding the status of minority languages in Europe. “A Challenge for Europe” conference, at the Parliament's Brussels premises was intended to highlight the issue. According to estimates, around 40m people regularly speak over 60 non-recognized European languages in the EU. The question of Ukraine giving official status to the Russian language has become a matter for heated debate since Viktor Yanukovych was elected president in February on the back of strong support in the mainly Russian-speaking east of the country.
According to most recent opinion polls, Hungary’s Socialists will face a crushing defeat in an election to be held in April the two right-wing political parties will gain majority votes. According to analysts this sharp decline in support for the Socialists, who have ruled Hungary for eight years, is mainly because of their inconsistent economic policies and corruption scandals. Their fate may mirror the near demise of the Polish left in 2005.
Russia has signed an agreement with India to build up to 16 nuclear reactors for power stations. In striking this deal, Asia’s third largest economy is reaffirming old cold war ties.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held talks with King Abdullah II of Jordan on the Middle East settlement and the implementation of joint economic projects. The wide range of bilateral relations is swinging from defense cooperation to humanitarian interaction.
Poland's Finance Minister has criticized the International Monetary Fund for advising European governments last year to expand their borrowing and spending because due to that IMF advice, some European governments had increased their public debt burden to unsustainable levels.
Hungarian industrial output increased from a year earlier in January for the first time since the global economic crisis hit the country in the autumn of 2008. Hungary, which was the first European Union country to secure International Monetary Fund support during the crisis, saw its deepest economic decline last year for nearly two decades. Meanwhile Standard and Poor's on Friday lifted Ukraine's debt ratings from a level deemed vulnerable to default.
The proposed law aiming at mandatory displays of love for the nation and elevating the nation's patriotic spirit have been met with resistance in Slovakia. The law, if signed by the president, requires students in state-run schools to listen to the national anthem before class each and each classroom to be fixed with a slide of state symbols ranging from Slovakia's flag, the coat of arms, and the text of the constitution's preamble and the words of the national anthem.
Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom signed last week the amendment to the criminal code that now considers holocaust denial illegal.
US/CANADA
An indictment against a suburban Philadelphia woman accused of recruiting jihadist fighters online and moving to Europe to try to kill a Swedish artist has surfaced as a rare case of an American woman aiding foreign terrorists, authorities say, and shows the evolution of the threat of terrorism.
Meanwhile U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates raised the possibility that some of the U.S. forces involved in the Afghanistan surge could leave the country before President Barack Obama's announced July 2011 date to begin withdrawal.
The White House last week announced a "summit on entrepreneurship" to build economic ties with the Islamic world, as part of President Barack Obama's outreach to Muslims.
According to activists, the rate of tuberculosis among Canada's 55,000 Arctic Inuit people is catastrophically high and much more must be done to combat the lung disease.
LATIN AMERICA
Last week Argentine President Cristina Kirchner lost her Senate majority. Senators switched allegiance and voted to put anti-government lawmakers at the heads of 13 of the Senate’s 25 committees, giving them effective control of both houses of Congress for the first time since 2005. Also her choice to head the central bank was rejected by a key committee.
Spain, current EU presidency holder, has sent Argentina a strong message it doesn't want the European Union involved in any kind of mediation initiative over the British drilling for hydrocarbons in the waters of Falklands.
US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton's one-day visit to Brazil last week was dominated by the Iranian nuclear program. President Lula said he did not want Iran to develop nuclear weapons and would raise the issue in a visit to Tehran in May.
Brazil’s economy may overheat as too much foreign investment flows into the country, said Luciano Coutinho, president of state development bank BNDES.
Mexico's capital city handed out its first licenses for same-sex marriage, allowing gay couples to marry legally, and also adopt children and receive government benefits—changes that pit the city's progressive government against a more conservative country that surrounds it.
According to recent reports Venezuelan State-run Oil Company Petróleos deVenezuela (Pdvsa), in association with a Belarus company, is searching for new fields for the production of hydrocarbons in an area of 1,930.5 square miles in the state of Apure, southwestern Venezuela.
Venezuela's highest court has reinstated an opposition mayor, just one week after it annulled his election and replaced him with a supporter of President Hugo Chavez.
Meanwhile the number of homicides in Venezuela rose last year to 16,047, compared with 14,589 in 2008, according to a report by the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, or OW, which names impunity and corruption as the chief causes.
Venezuela ranked 174 among 183 countries in the 2010 Index of Economic Freedom, a product of the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal. The study found that domestic economy decreased by 2.8 points since last year, and entered the category of "restricted" economy, while it remains in the same ranking.
AUSTRALASIA
Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina joined forces for a 2.96 billion US dollar bid for Australia's Arrow Energy last week, hoping for a bigger slice of the country's booming liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector. §

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 109

2010-04-01T03:58:00.000-07:00

Week # 109 - Dated 28 February- 6 March, 2010
WESTERN EUROPE
The U.S. and Europe say they share U.N. fears that Tehran may be secretly working on developing nuclear missiles, expressing support last week for new sanctions if Tehran continues to defy Security Council demands. Their comments reflected the International Atomic Energy Agency's change in tone under new director-general Yukiya Amano in its assessment of Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders returned to Britain last week, seizing the media spotlight and stirring up protest after winning a local election in the Netherlands. Wilders flew in to London to show his anti-Islam film "Fitna," a 15-minute short which associates the Muslim holy book, the Quran, with Islamist terror.
Two women who refused to go through a full-body scanner citing religious reservations were barred from boarding a flight at Manchester Airport.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said last week that he would block private groups from launching war crimes prosecutions against visiting foreign dignitaries, following a controversy inflamed by an arrest warrant for former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Meanwhile at an Iraq inquiry Brown stated that Britain's backing for the US-led invasion of Iraq was "the right decision... for the right reasons,". He faced a backlash over his testimony to the public inquiry as ex-military chiefs questioned his claims that the army was adequately funded.
Meanwhile NATO's chief said that Afghanistan will serve as a prototype for future civil-military cooperation in handling crises in other weak or failing nations.
Greece announced painful new austerity measures last week, winning approval from the European Union as it tries to snuff out a financial crisis that threatens Europe's economy.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
According to media reports authorities have complained to the European Commission (EC) about an influx of Albanians from Macedonia and southern Serbia.
Albania’s Opposition Socialist Party (SP) leader Edi Rama said Friday (February 26th) that his party is again leaving parliament and threatened large public protests unless Prime Minister Sali Berisha agrees to open the ballot boxes of the June 2009 general elections.
About 500 people protested in front of a Romanian government building last week, demanding the resignation of Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi. In public remarks on February 11th, he connected the ethnic minority to crime, on the basis of physiology.
European Parliament (EP) President Jerzy Buzek on Wednesday (March 3rd) backed Bulgaria's efforts to join the Schengen area and the Eurozone.
RUSSIA & THE BALKANS
As the NORDSTREAM Gas Pipeline project being built under the Baltic Ocean to carry gas directly from Russia to Germany has been modified at Poland's request so that it does not endanger shipping in the region.
Slovakia has adopted a law to crack down on income from crime and corruption, a frequent feature of Slovak politics, ahead of a June election.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych met with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev last week. One issue on the agenda included convincing Russian authorities to lower gas prices for Ukraine in exchange for a gas transit association consisting of Ukraine, Moscow and European member states. Around 80 percent of the Russian gas bound for Europe runs through Soviet-era pipelines in Ukraine currently.
A Latvian hacker, by the name Neo, has issued a call for rebellion against “fat cat” officials after stealing millions of Latvian government tax records to expose the salaries of several senior bureaucrats.
During a meeting between French and Russian Premiers last week some agreements have been reached including the sale of four French Amphibious Assault Ships to Russia, the largest-ever arms sale by a NATO member to Russia, and a massive contract of Russian natural gas to France. Meanwhile in a sign of strain Russian pilots working in Iran have been asked to leave the country as their services are no longer required.
According to the Federal Customs Service, Russia's foreign trade surplus rose to $15.7 billion in January from $9.1 billion in the same period a year ago. Meanwhile the government last week unveiled a plan to invest almost 20 billion dollars over the next decade to transform the embattled Russian car industry into a major global player. Some 584 billion rubles (19.6 billion dollars) of state funds will be invested in the car industry to 2020.
U.S., British and French soldiers will march on Moscow’s Red Square to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany 65 years ago. Russia’s Western allies against Adolf Hitler in World War II have confirmed their participation in the annual May 9 parade. Meanwhile Human rights activists and allies of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have attacked plans by the city of Moscow to allow portraits of Soviet leader Josef Stalin to be displayed during the commemorations.
US/CANADA
President Obama, beginning his final push for a health care overhaul, called last week for Congress to allow an “up or down vote” on the measure, and sketched out an ambitious timetable for his party to pass a bill on its own within weeks.
The US Army chief of staff, General George Casey, told lawmakers last week that it was time to review the rules that bar women from ground combat in light of how women have served in the two wars. His comments came as the military unveiled plans to lift the ban on women serving in submarines, an all-male bastion that navy officers once insisted could never change.
A small group of U.S. lawmakers unveiled legislation last week to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement in the latest sign of congressional disillusionment with free-trade deals.
Turkey says it is recalling its ambassador to the U.S. for consultations following a resolution declaring the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I genocide.
LATIN AMERICA
Argentina received unprecedented support from Latin America in condemning Britain for exploring oil near the disputed Falkland Islands, which could give the South American nation a boost as it presses the issue with the United Nations. Meanwhile Argentine President Cristina Fernandez is trying to use billions of dollars in foreign reserves to help pay debt this year, but a court decision last week upheld a freeze on Fernandez's bid to transfer some $6.6 billion from the country's foreign reserves into a fund managed by the Treasury.
The Spanish government last week gave the green light for the extradition to Argentina of a former senior police officer on charges of human rights violations during the Latin American country's 1976-83 military dictatorship.
Argentine Foreign Secretary Victorio Taccetti in a meeting with Federal Minister for Environment Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi has reaffirmed hopes of strengthening good relations between the two nations.
Mexico and Brazil are set to begin formal talks over a possible free trade agreement between Latin America's two biggest economies. Meanwhile Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during a trip Haiti has called all creditor countries and agencies to write off the nation’s external debt hence allowing new loans to finance its post quake reconstruction. Later Da Silva also made an unexpected trip to Chili in a show of solidarity with the nation.
Hillary Clinton visited Brazil last week. Clinton's visit is a preparation for the first visit of President Barack Obama to Brazil, which is expected to occur in the second half of this year.
Meanwhile some 90 million people in Brazil are to be vaccinated against A/H1N1 flu in a nationwide campaign to start later this month.
Americans have been advised against traveling to Mexico where shootouts have left slain 19 people over three days.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said last week that he is willing to hold talks with his Colombian counterpart, Alvaro Uribe, on easing tensions between the South American neighbors.
Meanwhile according to a statement by the Spanish foreign minister, Venezuela has pledged to cooperate with a Spanish court that accuses the South American nation's government of collaborating with Basque separatist militants and Colombian rebels.
AUSTRALASIA
According to a recent poll Australia's Labor government has lost the lead it has held over the conservative opposition since coming to power in 2007.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said last week that some of the recent attacks against Indian students in Australia were "racist" and that the country would have to work hard to repair its image. Meanwhile according to officials Australian school children will now learn more about the country's Aboriginal history and relations with Asia in the country's first national curriculum. §

BPM Discussion Forum-=Summary- (part 3)- Para States, Quasi states, and black spots: Perhaps not States but not ‘Ungoverned Territories’ Either

2010-03-16T03:09:00.000-07:00

Case Study 2- Para-States in the Post-Soviet Area from 1991 to 2007
Katarzyna PeLczyNska-NaLEcz, Krzystof Strachota and Maciej Falkowski
The disintegration of the Soviet Union triggered one of the largest experiments in state formation in modern times. 15 new states emerged with hardly any experiences in statehood and difficult geo strategic positions as well as social and cultural identity, subsequently bringing about a new range of para-state entities.
Four Forms of Para-State Entities in the Post Soviet Region
As-if States: Internationally recognized but lacking essential control over its territory.
Almost States: Aspirant state entities that enjoy control over territory but lack international recognition.
Black-Spots: Areas under local governance/control (clans, criminal organizations etc.) that are neither recognized as nor aspire for statehood.
States Within States: Regions that formally recognize central governments but maintain a high degree of independence that is tolerated by the former for various reasons. These don’t seek international recognition and enjoy clearly defined institutions of power.
These para-state classifications are not necessarily mutually exclusive. In the 1990s in Chechnya Black spots existed in an almost state entity. Again in the case of Moldova and Azerbaijan, despite the existence of para state entities, the central governments continued to function relatively well and cannot thus be termed as As-if States.
These definitions are also not exhaustive. There may exist hybrid forms, consisting selective features of these classifications. For example in Georgia’s Java-khetia or southern Kyrgyzstan certain spheres of activity are controlled by clan or criminal structures operating in parallel to state authorities.
As-if States:
Reduced effectiveness of the state has plagued all the post soviet countries except for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. However deep incapacity that qualifies for as-if states is evident in regions with extended civil wars e.g. Georgia (1991-93) and Tajikistan (1992-97). Both these states faced problems in forming and legitimizing their central authorities and exercise monopoly over violence.
The Russian federation with its massive size and patch work of nationalities is a complex case. In its initial years with the legislative crisis the state authorities were completely paralyzed lacking any credible control. This eventually fomented the Fiscal crisis of 1992 where some entities, in a state of fiscal deficit, even issued surrogate money independent of the state. The process of state degradation reached its peak in the mid 90s.
The condition of states in the region began to stabilize in this decade, where a gradual shift towards state legitimacy was observed and state control over territory considerably increased (Russia, Georgia and Tajikistan being prime examples). In Russia reforms were implemented by President Vladimir Putin, but were not necessarily democratic in nature. The 2003 ‘Rose revolution’ resulting in the resignation of president Shevardnadze and democratic election of his successor Saakashvili in Georgia was the turning point. The pro NATO/EU reforms affected were supported by the west and the effectiveness of the state was thus not brought about by any credible democratic process.
Tajikistan however was not able to recover from its catastrophic civil war on its own. The Afghanistan war forced the external supporters, including Russia, Iran and Afghanistan, of the infighting Tajik Clans to reconcile. An unprecedented compromise ensued that admitted the opposition into the political structures of power moving the conflict to a political level. Control over Karategin Valley (black spot), refuge to the Islamic movement of Uzbekistan however remained elusive. Ultimately the war on terror freed Tajikistan from threats engendered by the Afghan conflict, and its accession to the anti terror coalition strengthened the Tajik government and entailed external assistance.
Almost-States:
This category includes South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the two separatist republics in Georgia, as well as Nagorno Karabakh, nominally part of Azerbaijan, and Transnistria in Moldova. The first three had enjoyed some autonomy during the soviet ere. To a greater extent in Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and Chechnya and to a lesser extent in Transnistria, separatist tendencies came about through ethnic conflict that turned violent. Russia was a key factor that prevented disintegration of the nominal state in Transnistria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Armenia with Russia’s support was involved in Nagorno Karabakh and at present maintains it as a defacto part of its own territory. All these states in the presence of external influence exist as de-facto satellites. In all these cases, though to some degree democratic institutions exist, however they are not functionally democratic, where political freedoms are restricted by deep rooted influences. Abkhazia perhaps has developed the most pluralist system but even there Bagpash, elected in 2004 against Moscow’s will had to accept, under pressure, his political rival as vice president.
States Within States:
This form of ‘deficit of the state’ was most common in the Russian federation of the 1990s, and even before the dissolution where such entities were common along ethnic lines. Tatarstan and Bashkortostan were the republics that achieved the highest degree of separation, adopting constitutions and legislation often in contradiction with the central government. Putin’s first phase of reform, introducing uniform legislature pretty much did away with such entities.
Another example is Georgia’s Ajarian Republic (1991-2004), where for 13 yrs powere remained in the hands of Aslan Abashidze, a member of the local communist nomanklatura and chairman of the supreme council of Ajaria. Following the collapse of USSR he took over absolute control with the help of his own police force. Following the ‘Rose revolution’ however, owing to the support of the people of Ajaria it was integrated back into Georgia.
Nakhichevan in Azerbaijan and Chechnya in Russia are two exceptions of states within states that did not disappear in the post soviet reformation. Nakhichevan is an autonomous enclave of Azerbaijan, with the status of a republic. The conflict in Nagorno Karabakh has isolated this entity from direct roots to the central government. The political ties with Azerbaijan however remain strong, where the dominant political clan originates from this region. The ‘vicegerent’ who has ruled there since 1993 maintains an authoritarian hold over the region and is loyal to the government in Azerbaijan. The entity enjoys in turn support from both Azerbaijan and Turkey, where it shares a direct border with the latter.
Black Spots:
These are difficult to describe because of a lack of borders and defined institutions. In the post soviet era many such ‘black spots’ emerged in connection with long term armed conflict (Georgia, Tajikistan and Chechnya) however most disappeared soon after the end of conflict and introduction of reforms.
In Georgia the Kodori Valley bordering Abkhazia and the Pankisi Gorge bordering Chechnya are two examples. Apart from armed conflict difficult geographic access too isolated these regions contributing to their status as ‘black spots’. Pankisi Gorge populated by Kist-Chechens was a natural refuge for Chechen rebels, was a major point of contention with Russia. Over time it came to be associated with Arab Mujahideen supporting the Chechens. Eventually with the pressures stemming from the War on Terror, this black spot disappeared between late 2001 and early 2002.
Kodori Valley, situated between the separatist regions of Abkhazia and Mingrelia, remained rebellious throughout the 1990s. it became a shelter for paramilitary and criminal organizations like the White Legion and the Forest Brothers, and even Chechen Rebels. Following the ‘Rose Revolution’ the upper part of the valley was finally incorporated into Georgia. This black spot however was transformed into a scene of conflict between Georgia and Abkhazia.
Javakhetia, an Armenian populated region in Southern Georgia is yet another example of a geographically isolated potential black spot. Distrust between the Armenians and the local government fueled separatist tendencies. Armenia, that did not wish to get involved with the already ongoing Nogorno Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan, tried to mitigate the situation. Russian presence in the region was also potent as it was viewed as a protector of the Armenians. At one time in the region, Armenian and Russian currency actually dominated the Georgian lari. The situation in Javakhetia was not far from conditions in a ‘black spot’, however following the ‘Rose Revolution’ the dynamic changed and the region is now gradually being integrated into mainstream Georgia.
In Tajikistan, the most marginalized region in the soviet era, Karategin Valley became a strong hold of Islamic opposition, was home to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), base of operations that attempted instigating an Islamic revolution in Uzbekistan in 1999-2000. Also Tajik Mujahedeen with strong links with Afghanistan (including criminal networks) were based in this region. The region was gradually pacified on one hand with Russia’s complicated game in the region that played the instability card to put pressure and seek agreements with regional neighbors. Also the shifting interests of powers such as China, Russia and the United States in an evolved global security environment played a role in pacifying the region that at present seems to be a stable part of Tajikistan.
The ‘Wahhabi Republic’ in Dagestan (1998-99) is another example of a black spot, that was established by Islamists from several villages, independent of outside influences, that effectively dismantled Russian state structures, introduced Sharia law, and brought some order to a previously chaotic region. Later however the republic developed links with Chechen rebels. The Republic ceased to exist following the attack of federal troops in September 1999, at the same time when the Chechen intervention triggered the second Chechen war.
Tajikistan’s Gornobadakhshan Autonomous Region of the 1990s is another special, paradoxical example of a black spot. Poverty and inefficiency exacerbated by isolation were festering in the region. Imminent crisis was averted by the intervention of the fourth Agha Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaili communities of the region. The Agha Khan Foundation became a central entity in the governance and development of the region independent of Tajikistan. Alternative institutions replaced the state and even established cross border relations with non-state entities, characteristic of a ‘black spot’. When the Tajik state gained strength it reestablished ties with the region, integrating it back into the mainstream.

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 108

2010-03-16T02:59:00.000-07:00

WESTERN EUROPE
According to officials Israel's foreign minister sidestepped questions at EU headquarters last week about his country's alleged role in the recent assassination of a top Palestinian Hamas operative in Dubai.
Meanwhile the Swiss Foreign Ministry revealed last week that a Swiss businessman detained in Libya for more than 19 months has left the country, easing a diplomatic row that began with the 2008 arrest of Moammar Gadhafi's son in Geneva.
Denmark's prime minister announced a major government shake-up last week, changing more than a dozen Cabinet posts including the ministers of defense, justice and foreign affairs to build his own team 10 months after taking office. The reshuffle — which put women in charge of the defense and foreign ministries for the first time — had been widely expected since Lars Loekke Rasmussen took over as leader of the center-right government in April 2009. Meanwhile The Dutch government has set June 9 as the date for general elections, nearly one year ahead of schedule, following the collapse of the center-right government in a dispute over the army's engagement in Afghanistan.
Last week Bank Mellat of Iran won a preliminary court ruling against sanctions imposed by the British government. The government has accused the privately owned bank of providing financial services to companies involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programs. The Treasury acted in October to forbid any U.K. financial companies from doing business with the bank.
Spain's prime minister as the current EU presidency holder has announced that the European Union wants a halt to all executions by 2015 as a step toward abolishing the death penalty. Meanwhile the United Nations has said that formal negotiations on an international treaty to control global warming will resume in Bonn in April, four months after the failed climate change summit in Copenhagen.
With economic recovery barely there and talk of austerity spreading, many European workers are pushing back. French air traffic controllers walked off the job last week just as Lufthansa pilots ended a strike and British Airways cabin crews voted to launch one of their own. Greek unions prepared to shut down much of their country with wide-ranging strikes. The walkouts are the latest signs of a broader unease about jobs and benefits, and what the future holds for a continent struggling to stay competitive on a global scale. Meanwhile a court in Athens last week ruled that a strike by the country's customs officials is illegal. The strike has caused fuel supply problems across the country.
German Finance ministry spokesman Martin Kreienbaum has denied media reports that Berlin is co-ordinating the actions of Eurozone members in providing financial aid to Greece. Meanwhile Greece has asked for support from the EU bloc but says it is not looking for a loan.
Also Germany on last week rejected accusations by Greek Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos, who said Berlin has failed to compensate Athens properly for the Nazi occupation during World War II. The German Foreign Ministry says Berlin has provided Athens with aid amounting to billions of euros.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
A delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) arrived in Tirana last week to help end Albania's political stalemate. Following talks the opposition Socialist Party (SP) announced on Wednesday (February 24th) that its members are returning to parliament after nearly six months of boycott.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) Justice Minister Barisa Colak approved last week (February 24th) the extradition of Serb Bojan Guduric to Croatia, where he is wanted in connection with the murder of prominent Croatian publisher and journalist Ivo Pukanic.
Meanwhile BiH’s Ambassadors of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC)'s Steering Board have said that they are concerned by the worsening financial situation in the Federation of BiH (FBiH). The (FBiH) parliament's House of Representatives passed amendments last week to the law on war veterans, a key condition for the release of the next tranche of a 1.2 billion-euro stand-by arrangement with the IMF and additional funding by the World Bank and the European Commission.
The Bulgarian foreign ministry said in a statement last week that the country has held no official talks with Washington on hosting elements of the planned US missile defence shield. The statement came in response to Russia’s request for an explanation on the revamped plans. Meanwhile according to the Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko, Bulgaria and Russia have agreed to start building a nuclear power plant in the Bulgarian town of Belene this autumn.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci last week appointed Ylber Hysa as oversee implementation of the strategy for northern Kosovo. The strategy seeks to put the Serb-dominated north under the control of Kosovo institutions, rather than Belgrade-backed parallel structures.
Romanian Economy Minister Adrian Videanu announced last week that Russian gas giant Gazprom has officially invited Romania to join the South Stream gas pipeline project. Meanwhile the IMF has announced it would give Romania $3.32 billion as part of a big loan to help the country recover from its deep recession.
In Serbia Masked policemen searched the house of genocide suspect Ratko Mladic last week in an effort to capture the war crimes fugitive as Serbia seeks EU membership. Also Serbia -- Justice Minister Snezana Malovic invited his Montenegrin counterpart Miras Radovic to meet last week (February 25th) in Belgrade to discuss problems that are hindering co-operation between their respective judicial institutions. Relations between the two nations have grown strained recently over the case of suspected cocaine trafficker Darko Saric, who is allegedly hiding in Montenegro.
Meanwhile President Boris Tadic's office stated that Serbia does not mind Kosovo's participation in regional meetings, as long as it is done in accordance with UN Resolution 1244 and if it is presented as UNMIK-Kosovo.

US/CANADA
President Barack Obama and Republican leaders fought forcefully for their competing visions of historic health care reform last week in a live-TV debate. Far from any accord, Obama signalled the Democrats were prepared to push ahead for an all-or-nothing congressional vote. Meanwhile American companies that hire the unemployed may claim new tax breaks under a jobs-promoting bill that's expected to pass the Senate this week.
Last week in a speech Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called for closer cooperation between Russia and NATO, the trans-Atlantic alliance that Moscow views with suspicion as a relic of the Cold War and a potential threat to its security.
Meanwhile according to media reports Iran has formally set out its terms for giving up most of its cache of enriched uranium in a confidential document — however the conditions fall short of what has been demanded by the United States and other world powers. .

LATIN AMERICA
Argentina pushed hard Saturday for a new diplomatic offensive aimed at pressing Britain to negotiate the status of the disputed and potentially oil-rich Falkland Islands. Meanwhile the Board of Directors of the World Bank approved last week a US$229 million loan for the Republic of Argentina to support an emergency project for the prevention and management of influenza type illness and strengthening of the epidemiological system.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva said last week that the global community, in its quest for peace, should avoid isolating Iran over its controversial nuclear program. Also Brazil on Friday stressed the importance of Honduras's return to the Organization of American States (OAS) and said the government of Porfirio Lobo should adopt measures to ensure national reconciliation. Meanwhile according to Lula's spokesman the Brazilian President is to meet with Cuban leader Fidel Castro this week for a meeting of "friends" during which they will discuss aspects of international politics.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon said at a summit last week that Latin American and Caribbean nations have agreed to create a new alliance that would exclude regional neighbors United States and Canada. Meanwhile Carlos Navarrete, president of the Mexican Senate, called last week for the U.S. president to immediately lift the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba.
Critics of Felipe Calderon, Mexico's president and his so-called ‘war on drugs’ have alleged that the Mexican government may be favoring the Sinaloa cartel, one of the country's most powerful drug-trafficking organizations.
Mexico’s National Infrastructure Fund, designed to spur private investment in highways, waterworks and ports, will almost double the number of projects it helps finance this year as the government seeks to bolster economic growth and create jobs.
Monsignor Ovidio Pérez Morales, a top member of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference, said last week that the system the national government wants to impose by destroying private property and merging all social classes into only one class "is leading to collective oppression, and to nationalization rather than socialization (sic)."
Meanwhile Venezuela's energy minister termed as suspicious Colombia's offer to supply Venezuela with electricity as it struggles with a severe energy crisis. He however added that his nation would consider a serious proposal. Later in the week President Hugo Chavez announced that Venezuela is evaluating a proposal to purchase electricity from Colombia and is buying power turbines from General Electric Co. amid nationwide rolling blackouts and a severe drought. Venezuela, which froze relations with Colombia last year, is seeking to avoid politicization of the issue. Also the Ecuadorian government has made a proposal similar to the Colombian offer to export electricity to Venezuela. Meanwhile President Hugo Chavez accused his adversaries on Sunday of sabotaging Venezuela's electricity grid as part of a broader plan aimed at bringing about the system's collapse - and his downfall.
The Colombian government estimates Colombian exports will total USD 37.5 billion in 2010 replacing Venezuela as top export market. Among other factors, it has managed to replace sales to Venezuela with exports to markets such as China, Brazil, Chile and Canada. Meanwhile Luis Eduardo Ataya, the governor of the Colombian department of Arauca has said that he has reports showing that Germán Briceño Suárez, also known as "Grannobles," a FARC guerrilla leader, is hiding in Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said last week that Britain's "desperation" for oil was leading it to flout international law in the Falkland Islands, and called on the British to return the islands to Argentina. Meanwhile a group of technicians and assistants to the US Congress held a meeting with deputies of Venezuela's National Assembly last week seeking to improve bilateral relations.
In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week, Venezuela condemned the military coup against Niger's government, presided over by Mamadou Tandja, and urged the international community to support the "reinstatement of constitutional order" in the African country. Also Chavez insisted last week that the presidency of new Honduran President Porfirio Lobo was illegitimate.
Óscar Álvarez, Honduras' Minister of Security has said that authorities from the Central American country have detected between 250 and 300 drug trafficking routes, with most of the aircrafts departing from Venezuela and run by the Mexican cartels.
AUSTRALASIA
Australia has summoned the Israeli ambassador to explain why three new suspects over the Dubai killing of a Hamas leader used Australian passports. §

BPM Discussion Forum: Summary- (part 2)- Para States, Quasi states, and black spots: Perhaps not States but not ‘Ungoverned Territories’ Either

2010-03-09T05:37:00.000-08:00

Case Study 1- Dark Corners: The Western African Joint Criminal Enterprise
By David M. Crane
Throughout history certain parts of the world have been left to wallow in neglect, where endemic bad governance, corruption and unrest, becoming flash points for conflict. Kosovo, Rwanda, Cambodia, Burundi, sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire are some recent modern day examples of this phenomenon. Illicit activities are carried out in these vacuums under the fabric of international order.
This article discusses one such example, that of the West African endemic criminal enterprise. The 20 years of turmoil has affected the suffering and displacement of over 5 million West Africans.
A Bloody Century:
Estimates reveal that over 200 million people died in the 20th century as a result of domestic as well as international conflicts. The author professes that atrocities carried out under Mao, Stalin, Leopold ц of Belgium, Hitler, Turkish Pashas, Pol Pot of Cambodia, Charles Taylor of Liberia and Sadam Hussain account for around another 12 million fatalities. Cloaked behind the concept of state sovereignty these violations continued without check.
Post the Second World War the world chartered Rights recognizing the essential right of existence thus affecting a fundamental paradigm shift. The Nuremburg Principles, the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Convention and the Genocide convention established in theory a new world order.
The ‘First Cold War’, preceded by the emancipation of the Southern Hemisphere from their Colonial masters, gave way to a scramble for these nascent states on an ideological agenda. These new states took advantage of the polarized world and combinations of artificially propelled traditional societies incubated endemic unrest. At the end of this ideological war these cast aside, barely functioning states with sham political traditions became the ‘dark corners’ of the world.
Dark Corners- The New Battlefields:
In this arena the second major ideological battle has been bred, essentially an ideological struggle that in the writer’s opinion has now laid the ground for a Second Cold War, involving the West vs. the Islamofascists. He ponders whether the rules of civilization created 6 decades ago by the international community hold enough strength to deal with this evolved threat.
A Case Study- The West African Joint Criminal Enterprise:
In the 80s Libya’s Khadafy, a self proclaimed ‘Emperor of Africa’, sought to control a string of states on the resource rich West African coast, classic examples of ‘Dark Corners’. His attempts were directed through a consortium of war lords, politicians, criminal cartels and terror cells that came to be known as the West African Joint Criminal Enterprise. Crane alleges that following the cold war West Africa fell into a planned state of chaos supported by Kadafy (Libya), Blasé Campare (Burkina Faso) and Chales taylor (Liberia). The latter two were graduates from Kadafy’s terror training camps from the late 80s, along with some other major players in the criminal enterprise. They waged a 10 year long campaign that witnessed the destruction of 2 nations along with suffering and displacement of millions.
In the wake of such turmoil other shady entities like Hamas, Hezbollah and Al Qaeda used the West African base to support their covert operations ranging from illicit diamond trade to fund conflict to seeking refuge in the shadows of the world. A direct consequence of these activities was the decade long civil strife in Sierra Leone where ultimately UN peacekeeping forces were called in and a special court was set up, ultimately bringing an end to the war on January 22, 2002. Efforts by the international community thus checked the nefarious intents of tyrants in this part of the world.
Lessons Learned:
Among the lessons learned, firstly Dark Corners form when insecure parts of the world with potential for conflict are ignored by the international community. Secondly unnatural post colonial solutions set the stage for such crises. Thirdly sustainable peace is only possible through a mechanism of justice and reconciliation.
Engagement and long term efforts by the international community may thus be the only viable solution to deal with dark corners, as was done in the West African case.
Conclusions and Reflections:
In the modern day world the concept of sovereignty and the role of nation state faces a challenge. In an increasingly globalised set up propelled by the information age, the widening gap between the developed and the developing world is troublesome. Weakened state and social structures hold the potential to metamorphose into endemic threats to international peace. Force however should not be employed as a quick fix, but as a last resort. Engaging these vulnerable spots of the world and creating the opportunity for social, political and economic development is perhaps the only viable long term solution.

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 107

2010-03-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

Week # 107 - Dated 14-20 February, 2010

WESTERN EUROPE
A British venture capital firm plans to launch Europe's first halal industrial park, tapping an under-served market worth up to $6.27 billion a year.
The number of people claiming jobless benefits in the United Kingdom has hit a 12-year high meanwhile the bank of England remains uncertain regarding policy related to stimulus provision. Bank of England policymakers voted unanimously in a recent meeting to keep British interest rates at a record low level and to freeze radical credit-easing plans.
The finance ministers of the 16 members of the euro zone urged Greece on Monday (February 15th) to further slash spending and raise taxes or face possible sanctions next month. Meanwhile the German finance ministry has said that countries using the euro currency will together provide aid worth between 20 and 25 billion euros ($27.2 and $34 billion) for Greece. Last week at a government session Prime Minister George Papandreou accused the bloc of using Greece as a scapegoat to hide the 27-member group's own failures.
France's highest court last week overruled a lower court's acquittal of five former inmates at the Guantanamo Bay prison and ordered an appeals court to rehear the case centring on terrorism charges.
Britain's human rights watchdog called last week for an urgent independent probe into claims that the security services were complicit in the torture of more than 20 of its terror suspects. Meanwhile a probe into similar allegations regarding Britain's last remaining Guantanamo Bay detainee, continue.
British Diplomats met Israel's ambassador last week to discuss fake British passports used by alleged killers of a Hamas chief amid speculation its Mossad spy agency was behind the murder in Dubai. Meanwhile hundreds of peace protesters demonstrated last week outside a factory in southern England where warheads for Trident nuclear submarines are made.
Britain and France led a call last week for an international probe into the violence that followed last year's disputed presidential election in Iran. The demand, which Iran swiftly rejected, came during the U.N. Human Rights Council's first review of Iran's rights record since the organization was founded in 2006.
The Dutch coalition government collapsed last week over whether to extend the country's military mission in Afghanistan, leaving uncertain the future of its 1,600 soldiers fighting there. Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende announced that the second largest party in his three-party alliance is quitting, in a breakdown of trust in what had always been an uneasy partnership.
Following media reports a scandal has erupted regarding French military having purposely exposed soldiers to a 1961 nuclear test in the Sahara. The government has denied these allegations but reportedly did concede last year to compensate victims.
Several prominent Anglican British bishops are urging Christians to keep their carbon consumption in check this Lent a 40-day period of penitence before Easter where observant Catholics, Anglicans, and Orthodox Christians give up meat, alcohol or chocolates.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
A political stalemate continues in Albania as diplomatic efforts are under way to bring opposing parties to the table. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) President Mevlut Cavusoglu is expected to head a delegation to assist President Bamir Topi in mediating political negotiations between the government and the opposition in the ongoing boycott of parliament.
According to Bulgaria Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s statements last week the US is expected to hold preliminary talks with the Bulgarian government on the possibility of hosting elements of the US anti-missile defence shield. Meanwhile Russia has demanded more details from Bulgaria regarding the deployment.
European Union aspirant Croatia will inaugurate its new president, leftwing intellectual Ivo Josipovic this week.
According to local media Kosovo's visa liberalisation process with EU countries is conditioned on the repatriation of thousands of Kosovo citizens living illegally across Europe. The government says it has already reached a repatriation agreement with several EU countries, including France, Belgium and Switzerland, and is in the process of hammering out agreements with Germany and Scandinavian countries.

RUSSIA AND THE BALKANS:
Election officials named Russia-friendly Viktor Yanukovych as the official winner of Ukraine's presidential election Sunday, thwarting Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's hopes of overturning the vote. Meanwhile Russia has terminated a number of armament projects with Ukraine in the wake of supplies of Ukrainian weapons to Georgia, according to Valery Konovalyuk, who heads the Ukrainian parliament’s commission for investigating illegal weapon supplies.
According to U.S. Ambassador John Beyrle the United States and Russia have agreed that a new arms control treaty will mention a link between offensive nuclear arms and defenses against them. Meanwhile Russia tested its fifth-generation Sukhoi fighter jet in the Russian Far East last week. Russia has also moved to bolster its military presence in Abkhazia, signing an agreement last week to establish a Russian military base in the separatist territory, a focal point of Russia’s war with Georgia in August 2008. In the mean time Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has criticized French plans to sell a warship and armored vehicles to Russia.
Meanwhile four civilians were killed during anti-militant operations in the volatile southern Russian republic of Ingushetia. Also a Russian group that advocates for human rights, Memorial, said last week that four civilians who were killed during recent operations against Islamist militants in the North Caucasus region had not been accidentally caught in a cross-fire, as Russian authorities have contended
Top managers of a popular Scandinavian retail chain IKEA have been fired for alleged bribery of state officials. Dmitry Medvedev also launched a purge of Russia’s interior ministry last week, firing 18 senior police officers as part of a drive to root out rampant corruption plaguing the country’s law enforcement system. On the environment front Some 2,000 people rallied in the Siberian city of Irkutsk last week to protest the opening of one of Russia's dirtiest factories, the Baikalsk Paper and Cellulose Plant.
With Iran's announcement that it has enriched uranium to 20 per cent, Russia's policy towards the Islamic state is reflecting a shift. Officials have suggested Russia could support a new round of crippling UN sanctions against the Ahmadinejad regime, and now there is a new line of confrontation over its delay in delivering a batch of anti-aircraft missiles.
On the economic front in Russia oil for February delivery rose $2.15, or 3%, to close at $81.51 a barrel, the highest settlement since Oct. 9, 2008. Meanwhile Finland's decision last week to give its final environmental approval to the Nord Stream gas pipeline came as Russia signaled a concession on another key issue for its Nordic neighbor - a further delay in imposing prohibitive export tariffs on raw timber.

US/CANADA
US President Barack Obama is expected to sign an executive order establishing a bipartisan commission to find ways to reduce the gaping US budget deficit. Plans for a congressionally mandated fiscal commission earlier failed to pass through the Senate. The budget deficit is expected to swell to a record 1.556 trillion dollars in fiscal 2010.
Last week President Barack Obama hailed the one-year-old economic stimulus law as an accomplishment that staved off another Great Depression and kept up to 2 million people on the job. Many however remain sceptical.
Muslim scholars have criticized the use of body scanners for security in US airports as a violation of religious teachings on decency in all faiths, asserting a need for respecting people’s religious convictions.
In a recent report two former high-level Bush administration officials who provided legal justification for harsh interrogations of overseas terror suspects have been vindicated against any legal responsibility and may avoid formal punishment.
According to a new poll Canada's Liberals have failed to gain any ground on the Conservatives, despite discontent with the government's decision to suspend Parliament until early March.

LATIN AMERICA
Argentina said last week that boats sailing between it and the British-ruled Falkland Islands will need a government permit, deepening a row over oil exploration in the disputed archipelago.
Last week the first round of Pakistan-Brazil Bilateral Political Consultations was held in Brasilia where the two sides exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual concern.
As the Mexican war on Drugs continues, the murders of 12 teenage students in Ciudad Juárez is igniting calls for an overhaul of the drug-war crackdown on which President Felipe Calderón has staked his presidency. President Felipe Calderon has promised a new strategy against drug-related violence in Mexico amidst rising public sentiment.
Last week Mexico’s lower house of Congress approved a constitutional amendment that formally establishes the separation of church and state after religious leaders criticized legislation on gay rights and abortion.
On the climate front, Mexico, which will host the United Nations’ main annual climate change meeting in November and December, has proposed two further negotiating sessions to prepare for the talks.
On the economic front Mexican auto production is expected to rise 20 percent this year as demand locally and in the neighboring U.S. rebounds after the global economic crisis, according to Ana Ruth Solano, the Economy Ministry official who oversees the industry.
Amidst a growing energy crisis, the Venezuelan Ministry of Electric Energy has banned the use of electric power in billboards and indoor and outdoor advertising displays. Also Venezuela awarded last week the largest oil investment of President Hugo Chavez's 11-year rule, drawing tens of billions of dollars of much-needed foreign finance to the Orinoco Belt just three years after the leftist leader nationalized operations there.
Meanwhile Chavez said last week that he wanted to govern the country till 2030, to consolidate his socialist project against capitalism. His statement came during the closing celebration of Youth Day, which was celebrated last week with a march of thousands of his followers.
AUSTRALASIA
According to reports Britain's far-right BNP has welcomed news that controversial Australian politician Pauline Hanson is emigrating and offered her the chance to restart her stalled career among its ranks.
Five Muslims were sentenced last week to 23 to 28 years in prison in Australia for stockpiling explosive chemicals and firearms for terrorist attacks on unspecified targets. §

Summary-Para States, Quasi States, and Black Spots: Perhaps Not States, But Not ‘Ungoverned Territories,” Either

2010-03-08T21:23:00.000-08:00

International Studies Review (2008) Vol. 10

Edited by Bartosz H. Stanislawski

In today’s technologically and economically connected world, problems like crime and terrorism have metamorphosed into boundary less arenas, often stemming their operations from remote regions lacking effective, recognized governance. To term these as ‘ungoverned’ however would be incorrect leading to false assumptions on part of policy makers.
Such zones lack formal, legitimate, democratic or state control and are in effect are controlled by structures that are undemocratic and intent on forwarding their own interests. In this stead ‘Black Spots’ represent territories in which and from which both transnational organized crime (TOC) and terrorism operate, often becoming criminal terrorist entities. These are places in the shadows of global attention and usually prefer to remain below the radar of security agencies.
Control of Territory and the Concept of State:
The 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States defines states as entities that have a) a permanent population, b) a defined territory, c) government, and d) the capacity to enter into relations with other states.
This definition implies complete or near complete control over territory and the monopoly over violence instrumental in the enforcement of laws of the state. Lacking these, a state de facto lacks credibility in the international arena.
Degree of ‘Stateness’:
Exceptions to the 1933 Montevideo Convention may exist, for example Israel’s borders since its inception have been highly disputed but the majority of the world does not question its statehood.
Also states may differ based on the degree of their territorial control and performance of governmental control. De jure but not de facto states became common in the postcolonial birth of many new states. Hedley Bull and Adam Watson (1984: 430) called them ‘nascent’, ‘quasi’ or ‘pseudo’ states or states due to international ‘courtesy’. Such ‘quasi states’ possess many features of sovereign states that result from their formal membership in the international community, but they lack ‘the political will, institutional authority and organized power to protect human rights or to provide socio-economic welfare’ (Jackson 1990:21). ‘Privatization’ of the ‘public’ domains ensues, resulting in ‘nepotism, patronage, bribery, extortion, and other personal or black market relationships’ (Jakson 1987: 527) or simply in ‘kleptocracy’ (Andreski 1968). Some examples of such states may be found in Afghanistan and Pakistan (McGirk 2004), parts of Caucasus and southern Europe (King 2001) and third world post conflict countries (TI- Global Corruption Report 2005).
Quasi-States and their Varieties: ‘As-If-States’ and ‘Almost-States':
As-If States may be termed as those that enjoy international recognition but lack de facto control of their territories, while ‘Almost States’ lack international recognition but are characterized by efficient internal control. Charles King (2001) notes examples of ‘Almost States’ may include Nagorno Karabakh (Azerbaijan), Transnistria (Moldova) or Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Georgia). He further notes that since the hostilities between these ‘almost states’ and the central governments have ceased, they have become ‘informational black holes’ where very little is known about them to the outside world.
Black Spots:
In the international security environment, entities may not always be categorized as weak states, failed states or para-states. one key characteristic defining them as black spots may be that they are territorial entities in which illicit actors or ‘transnational criminal organizations… demonstrate the potential… to challenge state sovereignty and gain local dominance’ (Bunker and Sullivan 2003:48).
When states, the guarantors of compliance with international legal standards, lack absolute control over their de jour territories, security concerns may be raised that may warrant external intervention. This however has been traditionally disputed by the concept of sovereignty. Black spots are thus areas that lack international recognition, and government control but nor are they ‘ungoverned’.
The term ‘Black Spot’ was coined to account for those spaces on the world map that appear to be outside of effective, recognized governmental control, sustained by illicit operations, and capable of breeding and exporting insecurity. §

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary, Week # 106

2010-03-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

Week # 106- Dated January 24-30, 2010

WESTERN EUROPE
About 2,500 people marched through downtown Oslo in a protest last week against a Norwegian newspaper that printed a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad.
Phil Jones, the professor behind the "Climategate" affair, has admitted some of his decades-old weather data was not well enough organized contributing to his refusal to share raw data with critics.
The head of MI5 has denied officers withheld information over what it knew about the torture of a UK resident. The Court of Appeal earlier ruled that Mr Mohamed could learn what MI5 knew about his 2002 mistreatment while in secret detention in Pakistan.
As Europe edges toward emergency guarantees to stem market panic amidst the Greek financial crisis, Germany is suffering from growing doubts about the European experiment it has long championed. Eurozone leaders promised last week (February 11th) to help Greece overcome its severe financial crisis but stopped short of offering financial assistance.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha confirmed last week (February 11th) his government's intention to transform the country into a "regional electricity superpower".
EU envoy to Macedonia Erwan Fouere and US Ambassador to Skopje Philip Reeker on Wednesday (February 10th) strongly rejected as unacceptable a recent remark by the leader of the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA). Menduh Thaci said that if the government continues to discriminate against Albanians, there will be war in Macedonia. The opposition DPA has been boycotting parliament since last summer, protesting the government's policy towards Albanians.
Fierce blizzards have blocked dozens of roads and left about 20 towns and villages without electricity in Romania. Mean while the country confirmed last week that it is ready to take part in the new version of the US anti-missile defence shield.
Croatian Army Chief of Staff Slavko Baric said last week that almost half of the country's troops have been sent on a prolonged unpaid holiday because of national budget constraints.
Shunning warnings from the international community, the parliament of Republika Srpska (RS) adopted a law on February 10th that could pave the way for a future referendum on the entity's independence; further destabilizing Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

RUSSIA
With NATO and the US increasingly seeking help in Afghanistan, Russia has refused to provide any. Meanwhile Russia is increasingly warming up to the U.S. sanctions push against Iran, a move that China has so far opposed.
According to the US ambassador to Russia the new arms reduction treaty between the two states reflects a link between strategic offensive and defensive weapons. Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was in Russia last week in an effort to reduce Russia’s anxieties over NATO expansion and a proposed US missile defense system in Romania.
Meanwhile Russia's military doctrine through 2020, publicized last week does not include a provision for pre-emptive nuclear strikes, as officials had previously suggested.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised Baltic statesmen last week that Russia would curtail its sewage dumping in the Baltic Sea and reassured them that the Nord Stream pipeline would not harm the Sea, as Finland nears a decision on the final permit for the pipeline.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said last week that nuclear energy development was a national priority, in particular as an instrument for combating global warming. Meanwhile Russia's nuclear chief Sergei Kiriyenko said that the first reactor of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in India being built using Russian technology and expertise will be launched in 2010 as scheduled.
Last week the Japanese government adopted a document claiming that Russia “illegally occupies the South Kuril Islands.” The disputed territories have been under Russian administration since World War II in accordance with international agreements. Tokyo, however, claims the islands should be returned to Japan.
Sberbank became the first Russian bank to ever make the Top 20 Most Valuable Banking Brands list, complied by Brand Finance. The bank is rated 15th, and lists its 2010 brand name value at $11,729 billion after showing a 160-percent growth last year.
Last week around 20 Chechen ‘militants’ were killed in counter-terrorist operation in southern Russia.
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has launched a large-scale offensive against excessive vodka consumption aiming at reducing the level of alcohol consumption by half by the year 2020.
The Russian Federal Guard Service has lifted a January 2008 ban on professional photo and video shoots on the Kremlin's territory on orders of President Medvedev.
A group of French holders of bonds issued by the Czarist government of Russia during World War One have urged Moscow to pay out the century-long debt threatening to seize the Russian property in Paris through courts. The International Federative Association for Russian Bond Holders (AFIPER) estimates the value of bonds at $137 billion (100 billion Euros).

US/CANADA
President Obama has called on the Republican Party for a bipartisan meeting geared at discussing the deadlock healthcare issue. Meanwhile Key Democrats and Republicans in the Senate reached a rare bipartisan agreement last week on steps to spur job creation. According to a latest New York Times/CBS News poll, Americans blame former President George W. Bush, Wall Street and Congress much more than they do Mr. Obama for the nation’s economic problems and the budget deficit.

LATIN AMERICA
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy has been signed between the Russian state nuclear company, Rosatom and Argentina's Ministry of Federal Planning, Investment and Services. Meanwhile the Canadian government too made an agreement with the Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina to work peacefully on nuclear technology.
With history repeating itself Argentina and the United Kingdom are once again engaged in a dispute over Falkland Island. U.K government has acquired a contract for the drilling in the region that Argentina has a disputed claim over. In 1980 both countries fought a war over the island that touts a billion dollars oil reserve.
According to a Sao Paulo newspaper, the Brazilian government has decided to buy 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from France at $6.2 billion. The government however announced that a decision is yet to be finalized though Brazil is planning to upgrade its air force. France and Sweden are in competition to provide the facility.
Meanwhile in preparation for the 2016 Olympics, the Brazilian government is incentivizing its police forces with promises of bonuses while providing special training for the high profile event.
Brazilian government has issued the license to build the controversial hydroelectric dam in the Amazon rainforest a $17 billion project, to be the world’s third largest dam at Xingu. River. Contention exists over the issue of relocation of an estimated 12,000 resident Indians.
Installment of virtual fence at US-Mexican border, a project initiated by the Bush administration at a total cost of $6.7 billion, has now been delayed till 2014. Meanwhile the death of 16 school children in Mexico’s war against drug cartels has sparked a heated blame debate in the congress. Journalists have voiced reluctance to perform their duties where 89% of the crimes against journalists are still unresolved and the figure is even higher in the case of citizens.
Heavy rains in Mexico City have claimed 33 lives and have left 3500 homeless.
Trucking dispute between US and Mexico regarding the violation of NAFTA trade agreement against allegations of U.S. protectionism is to be resolve in the US congress.
Amidst its electricity crisis Venezuela’s Chavez has sought help from long term ally Cuba. Meanwhile the police used tear gas, plastic bullets and water cannons on the student gathered in Caracas to protest against the government. The same day supporters of Chavez gathered in the city to celebrate the Day of Dignity marking the 18th anniversary of the failed coup attempt against Chavez. The UN has taken note of Rights violations in Venezuela where two students died last week in similar protests.
Twitter an internet social blog is becoming popular in Venezuelan community where Chavez opponents employ it to criticize government’s policies freely. Previously 5 channels critical of the government have been refused licenses renewals. Chavez has also launched his own radio show to broadcast directly to the nation. §

Global Justice & Global Jurisdiction: Acquiring a niche as a Constitutive Norm?

2010-02-24T01:29:00.000-08:00

Week #105 – Dated 31 December- February 6, 2010

Zone 3- Telescopic Analysis:

The acceptability of the concept of Global justice has always enjoyed an exalted position in view of its mass appeal as a universal ideology. The acceptability of global jurisdiction however has been in flux as its enforcement in the international community in light of other constitutive norms has been on the rise. Where the concepts of Democratic domestic governance and Human Rights enjoy a ‘legitimate appeal’ world wide, questions regarding enforceability through global jurisdiction of widely adhered to ‘norms’ are a more complex undertaking. Following are a few cases that highlight this disputed arena.
Goldstone Report- Israel
Last year following the issue of UN-sponsored Goldstone report, both Israel and the Palestinians were asked to investigate accusations of human-rights violations committed during the conflict in the Gaza Strip. In the wake of this development a British court issued an arrest warrant against Tzipi Livni, Israel’s former foreign minister, for her role in orchestrating Israel's military offensive against Hamas. The supporting legislation was under the controversial 1988 Criminal Justice Act, which gives courts in England and Wales universal jurisdiction in war crimes cases.
Previously Britain had abstained during the United Nations vote on the Goldstone report, which accused Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes in Gaza, and the Swedish proposal to recognize Jerusalem as a shared Israeli and Palestinian capital. In response to the warrant, Livni voiced affront at the comparison of Israel Defense Forces soldiers to ‘terrorists’. This incident was the latest in a string of attempts by pro-Palestinian activists to have Israeli officials arrested on British soil. Previous attempts include:
Oct 2009: Former military chief Moshe Yaalon cancelled a UK visit because of fears of arrest for alleged war crimes
Oct 2009: Failed attempt to raise warrant against Defence Minister Ehud Barak. Court ruled he had diplomatic immunity
Sept 2005: Arrest warrant issued for a former head of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, Gen Doron Almog. He received warning before disembarking from an aircraft at Heathrow Airport, and flew back to Israel
Though this latest warrant was subsequently annulled it has raised havoc in diplomatic and legal circles in its wake. Pro-Palestinian groups welcomed news of the abortive move as "long overdue". The Foreign Office however was deeply embarrassed by the episode, where David Miliband, UK’s Foreign Secretary stated that “The Government is looking urgently at ways in which the UK system might be changed in order to avoid this sort of situation arising again”.
Kosovo
Following Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence in February 2008, Serbia announced last year that it would seek an opinion from the International Court of Justice on the legality of the issue and that Belgrade would abide by the court’s decision, despite it being a nonbinding, advisory opinion. The question being pondered in the international Court simply seeks to confirm whether Kosovo’s declaration of independence accords with international law.
Kosovo, formerly a province of Serbia, unilaterally declared independence on February 17, 2008, after UN-brokered talks between Belgrade and ethnic-Albanian officials in Pristina broke down. Since then, more than 60 countries, including 22 of the EU's 27 members, have recognized Kosovo's independence. The judges are expected to issue their nonbinding opinions sometime during 2010.
Nigeria
Last year The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir for atrocities committed in Darfur; the first international arrest warrant ever issued against a sitting head of state.
Though Sudan under the pretext of not being a signatory of the Rome Statute refused to hand over the accused president, the warrant did raise issues for nations such as Nigeria that was hosting the African Union summit on refugees, which Bashir subsequently declined to attend. Nigeria, though it announced it would not proceed with the arrest, faced pressures pertaining to its international legal obligations including under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which it has ratified.
Professor Noah Weisbord is of the opinion that ICC’s first arrest warrant against a sitting head of state is an historic moment in international affairs. “They (ICC) may have discovered a way to leverage their force and advance the cause of international justice. States will enforce the warrant when they realize that going after Bashir is not going after Sudan.”
In light of these examples, the novel development in recent history of international law whereby national courts may act on global stimuli or conversely the acceptance of non binding international rulings in a national sphere, no matter how disputed, depicts a distinctive trend. Regardless of its potential enforceability, the fact of such stimuli being potent diplomatic arguments is in it self quite remarkable. §

Discussion Question:
· In your opinion is the concept of ‘Global Jurisdiction’ an asset in international law or an impediment to sensitive diplomatic dealings?

BPM- Discussion Forum

2010-02-24T01:22:00.000-08:00

Foreign Affairs January 2009
Summary- A Balanced Strategy: Reprogramming the Pentagon for a New Age
By Robert M. Gates- U.S. Secretary of Defense.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, in his article that appeared in the Foreign Affairs in January 2009, notes that the primary focus of Pentagon's National Defense Strategy is balance, where by the Department of Defense must set priorities and consider inescapable tradeoffs and opportunity costs. Such a strategy is inevitable considering today’s conventional and sub conventional security arena—as well as tomorrows projected conflicts.
Unconventional thinking
The secretary opines that the United States' ability to deal with future threats will depend on its performance in current conflicts. At present there is going to be an inevitable projected decline in forces in Iraq. However the US will continue to maintain its advisory position and counterterrorism efforts for years to come. Meanwhile Afghanistan, a more complex and difficult long-term challenge than Iraq, will require a significant U.S. military and economic commitment for some time.
In the current scenario the US must not be so preoccupied with preparing for future conventional and strategic conflicts that it ends up neglecting its current commitments. Traditionally support for conventional modernization programs is deeply embedded in the Defense Department's budget, in its bureaucracy, in the defense industry, and also in Congress. The major concern, Gates voices, is the lack of commensurate institutional support -- including in the Pentagon -- for the capabilities needed to win today's wars and some of their likely successors.
Direct military force will continue to play a role in the long-term efforts against ‘terrorists’ but the United States cannot ‘kill or capture its way to victory’. These so called ‘Kinetic operations’ must be subordinate to measures aimed at promoting better governance, economic programs, and efforts to address the grievances among the discontented. In the future likely catastrophic threats to the U.S. homeland are more likely to emanate from failing states than from aggressor states. Hence greater focus is likely to be meted out to indirect intervention.
However even the biggest of wars will require "small wars" capabilities, but one should bear in mind that nearly every major deployment of U.S. forces has led to a longer subsequent military presence to maintain stability. In the Secretary’s opinion, so far, mainly in matters of capacity to maintain security and stability in the aftermath of active conflict, the military and civilian elements of the United States' national security apparatus have grown increasingly out of balance. To truly achieve victory, as Clausewitz defined it -- to attain a political objective -- the United States needs a military ‘whose ability to kick down the door is matched by its ability to clean up the mess and even rebuild the house afterward.’
Conventional threats in perspective
The 2008 National Defense Strategy concludes that although U.S. predominance in conventional warfare is not unchallenged, it is sustainable for the medium term given current trends. To keep some perspective the U.S. Naval battle fleet is still larger than the next 13 navies combined -- and 11 of those 13 navies are U.S. allies or partners.
Even as its military hones and institutionalizes new and unconventional skills, the United States still has to contend with the security challenges posed by the military forces of other countries. Both Russia and China have increased their defense spending and modernization programs to include air defense and fighter capabilities that in some cases approach the United States' own. In addition, there is the potentially toxic mix of ‘rogue nations, terrorist groups, and nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons’. All these potential adversaries have learned that it is unwise to confront the United States directly on conventional military terms.
Yet even though the days of hair-trigger superpower confrontation are over, Beijing's investments in cyber warfare, anti-satellite warfare, antiaircraft and anti-ship weaponry, submarines, and ballistic missiles perturb the US. Russia's conventional offensive in Georgia too was augmented with a sophisticated cyber attack and what Gates terms as a ‘well-coordinated propaganda campaign’. Political scientist Colin Gray has noted that the categories of warfare are blurring. One can expect to see more tools and tactics of destruction -- from the sophisticated to the simple -- being employed simultaneously in hybrid and more complex forms of warfare.
The United States seeks a better balance in the portfolio of its capabilities in accordance with this blended high-low mix of adversaries and types of conflicts. The Department of Defense's conventional modernization programs seek a 99 percent solution over a period of years. Stability and counterinsurgency missions require 75 percent solutions over a period of months. The challenge is whether these two different paradigms can be made to coexist in the U.S. military's mindset and bureaucracy.
Sustaining the institution
At present one of the enduring issues the military struggles with is whether personnel and promotions systems designed to reward the command of American troops will be able to reflect the importance of advising, training, and equipping foreign troops. Another is whether formations and units organized, trained, and equipped to destroy enemies can be adapted well enough and fast enough to dissuade or co-opt them -- or, more significantly, to build the capacity of local security forces to do the dissuading and destroying.
For decades there has been no strong, deeply rooted constituency inside the Pentagon or elsewhere for institutionalizing the capabilities necessary to wage asymmetric or irregular conflict. The base budget for fiscal year 2009, for example, contained more than $180 billion for procurement, research, and development, the overwhelming preponderance of which was for conventional systems. What the US needs to be conscious of is that the capabilities needed for the complex conflicts the United States is actually in and most likely to face in the foreseeable future also have strong and sustained institutional support over the long term.
As a large, hierarchical organization, some tendencies of organizational behavior, as identified by Robert Komer, to some degree impede the U.S. national security apparatus’ adaptation of evolved realities. The advances in precision, sensor, information, and satellite technologies have led to extraordinary gains in what the U.S. military can do. But one should not neglect the psychological, cultural, political, and human dimensions of warfare. In conclusion The Pentagon has to do more than modernize its conventional forces; it must also focus on today's unconventional conflicts -- and tomorrow's. §

Zone 3- Micro Analysis:Cyber Warfare- Tomorrow’s Battles?-

2010-02-18T04:07:00.000-08:00

Week #104 – Dated 23rd to 29th January 2010

China’s Google Controversy

In a recent hard hitting speech the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized China's policies on Internet administration and insinuated that China restricts Internet freedom. The remarks follow the unfolding Google controversy where in a most recent development Google has announced to end censorship and possibly pull out of China.

The issue revolves around a series of events the latest of which involves alleged ‘highly sophisticated and targeted attack’ on Google corporate infrastructure ‘originating from China’. Further investigation apparently revealed that "a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists,”. Where the Chinese government has not directly been accused in these allegations, the implied responsibility is quite obvious. The shifting policies herald a major change for Google, which had originally abided by Chinese laws requiring some politically and socially sensitive issues to be blocked from search results in the country.
The Chinese Government has issued a stinging response to criticism that it is jamming the ‘free flow of words and ideas’ on the internet, accusing the US of damaging relations between the two countries by foisting its ''information imperialism'' on China.

Cyber warfare has increasingly attracted attention at the diplomatic front in the twenty first century. Issues of regulation of the World Wide Web as well as offensive attacks on sensitive government information have been in the spotlight as has been highlighted in this most recent incident.

China, a stringent enforcer of censorship and regulation argues that all nations including the United States, that has in its opinion hypocritically projected a higher moral argument in the matter, takes necessary measures to administer the Internet according to its own laws and regulations. It cites events in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks when the U.S. Congress approved the Patriot Act to grant its security agencies the right to search telephone and e-mail communications in the name of anti-terrorism.

Russia too has been highlighted as another active entity in international cyber warfare. Secretary of Defence Robert Gates noted in a Foreign Affair’s article last year that Russia employed a relatively crude but brutally effective conventional offensive in Georgia which was augmented with a sophisticated cyber attack and a well-coordinated propaganda campaign.

The recent threat assessment reports of the US intelligence also highlight the evolving arenas of warfare and the US efforts to counter attacks. Reportedly the U.S. offensive cyber war capabilities have been focused on getting into Chinese government and military computers outfitted with less secure operating systems like those made by Microsoft Corp.

In the meanwhile China has developed more secure operating systems meant for government and military systems, hoping to make Beijing's networks impenetrable to U.S. military and intelligence agencies. Officials described it as a growing war in cyberspace which they allege is often guised as civilian hackers on government payrolls.

Internet's domain name systems too are a vital resource of the digital age. Because of an historical accident, a California-based nonprofit organization, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), oversees the administration of generic suffixes (such as .com or .info). Many countries believe such important functions should not be in the hands of a private-sector body. Many nations are wary that the U.S. government, which created the Internet, is ICANN's ultimate supervisor. They believe that the Internet, as a global resource, should be managed by the international community rather than by a single country, no matter how well intentioned. Hence the debate seeking a modified global regulatory system continues.

At present according to Mr. Coleman, a computer security specialist consultant to the office of the director of national intelligence and U.S. Strategic Command- China, the United States and Russia are matched equally in this new type of warfare. According to another analyst Mark Hosenball the U.S. government isn't that worried about all-out cyber warfare from China or Russia at all. He opines that it would not be in these nations’ economic interests. The primary concern at present is the threat of a nongovernmental actor such as Al Qaeda developing the required expertise. Such an evolved battle would be one in which, Gates notes, "The United States cannot kill or capture its way to victory".

In June last year, Defense Secretary Gates issued an order to establish a new military cyber command dedicated to coordinating the Pentagon's efforts to defend its networks and conduct cyber warfare. The command was expected to be fully operational by October this year. In this stead the Secretary of Defence decisively notes that the Pentagon has to do more than modernize its conventional forces, “it must also focus on today's unconventional conflicts -- and tomorrow's.”

Discussion Question:

Is the potential threat for global cyber warfare involving rogue non governmental actors well founded?