BPM- Euro-Americas Zone: February 2010

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

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

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?

________________________________________________________
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.

BPM- Discussion Forum

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. §

Thursday, February 18, 2010

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

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?

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 105

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

WESTERN EUROPE
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has condemned the record-breaking rise in anti-Semitic incidents last year. The Community Security Trust in Britan has

attributed the unprecedented increase in anti-Jewish incidents to extreme reactions to the conflict in Gaza.
Meanwhile in the wake of the proceedings of the Iraq inquiry in the UK the leader of Plaid Cymru's MPs has claimed possession of a memo allegedly showing that Tony Blair and George Bush struck a secret deal to invade Iraq a year before the 2003 war. Meanwhile campaigners have attacked a deal struck by UK defence contractor BAE Systems to end inquiries into its affairs. The firm is to admit two criminal charges and pay fines of £286m ($447m) to settle US and UK investigations.
Last week French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel brushed off President Barack Obama's decision not to attend an annual summit with European leaders, while stressing the importance of Russia as a European partner.
At the economic front Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has announced tough austerity measures aimed at cutting his country's soaring public debt, amidst a grave financial crisis. Meanwhile Portugal's opposition-led parliament has passed a bill on regional finance, turning down a mooted government austerity plan.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
Romania has agreed to host missile interceptors as part of a new US defence shield. The new system would provide better defence from "the emerging threat" of Iranian short- and medium-range missiles
Last week the peacekeeping force KFOR in Kosovo, made up of troops from 32 countries, downsized from 14,000 to 10,000 troops. The downsizing is being implemented in accordance with a NATO decision from July 2009 amid improving security and the strengthening of local institutions.
According to a report given by US National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair to the US Senate, events in the Balkans will remain the main challenge facing European stability in 2010.
Last week, the Constitutional Court in Tirana decided that an agreement on the Greek-Albanian border delineation violates the constitution and must be renegotiated. Meanwhile the Albania President Bamir Topi has agreed to assume the role of mediator between the government and the opposition to end the ongoing political crisis.
Twelve opposition parties led by the Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia formed a bloc last week, aimed at changing the balance of power in domestic politics.

RUSSIA
Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will reportedly be kept apart in the draw for the qualifying tournament for the 2012 European Championship, ensuring the former war foes will not play against each other in the qualifying stages.
Public criticism of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by the speaker of the country's Upper House of Parliament has prompted members of Mr. Putin's political party to demand the lawmaker's dismissal. Sergei Mironov, who is number three in the Russian power structure, has responded with a call for respect of minority rights in parliament
According to a senior Russian legislator the first major U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control treaty in nearly two decades will be ready for signing by the end of March this year. Meanwhile last week Russia hailed a new agreement with the United States intended to boost joint anti-drug efforts, but urged the U.S. and NATO to do more to stem a flow of drugs from Afghanistan
At the economic front First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov announced that the Russian government will step up its privatization program this year, considering more share sales than previously announced.

US/CANADA
The US Fedral Budget cites the projected deficit in the coming year at nearly 11 percent of the country’s entire economic output. Meanwhile according to projections, American deficits will not return to what are widely considered sustainable levels over the next 10 years. Also the US unemployment rate unexpectedly fell in January, to its lowest level in five months.
Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven major industrial countries met last week to settle differences on global banking industry changes.

LATIN AMERICA
In the midst of the domestic political confrontation Argentina’s central bank President Martin Redrado resigned last week after a standoff with the government over its plan to use $6.6 billion in reserves to pay debt due this year. An Argentine congressional committee has backed President Cristina Fernandez's firing of former Central Bank chief Martin Redrado.
Meanwhile Argentina is to issue its “most energetic protest against the imminent start of drilling” near the Falkland Islands archipelago, according to a ministry e-mailed statement. Falkland Oil & Gas and partner BHP Billiton Ltd. expect to begin drilling in their Toroa offshore field in April.
Brazilian Cabinet Chief Dilma Rousseff surged in a presidential poll taken in January as voters become increasingly aware that she’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s chosen heir to lead the country.
Meanwhile a $17 billion project on the Xingu River in the northern state of Para is expected to help the fast-growing Latin American country cope with soaring demand for electricity but has raised concern about its impact on the environment and native Indians.
Ousted Honduran president Zelaya last week left the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where he had taken refuge since Sept. 21, 2009, and arrived in the Dominican Republic accompanied by his family and aides.
Mexico City's mayor says he will defend the capital's gay-marriage law and insists the ordinance will take effect in March despite an appeal by federal prosecutors. The law is a first for Latin America.
Meanwhile Twitter access in Mexico may soon be restricted if plans by the Mexican Revolutionary Democratic Party to restrict Twitter usage in an attempt to cut down on crime become law. From sharing the location of drunk driving checkpoints to more serious usage of Twitter by drug cartels, they believes that restricting access to Twitter will help reduce crime and create a “cybernetic police force” that will help in all areas of crime reduction.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned on last week that he may quicken his drive to build a socialist state, as he shuffled his cabinet amid opposition demonstrations sparked by closure of a television station. In the same line Venezuelan Socialists denounced the violent protests launched by the opposition to ‘destabilize Venezuela’, where two young people died and dozens have been injured. Meanwhile the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) slammed the Venezuelan government for dropping six cable TV channels, which triggered the protest.
The government of the Netherlands recently granted the US military use of its islands in the Caribbean, under the pretext of help in the “war against drugs”, however it has been deemed as a direct threat to the Chavez government in Venezuela.

AUSTRALASIA
An Australian firm has signed a $60bn (AUS$69bn; £38bn) deal to supply coal to Chinese power stations. §

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 104

Week # 104 - Dated January 24-30, 2010

WESTERN EUROPE

The UK economy has come out of recession, after figures showed the economy had grown by 0.1% in the last three months of 2009.

The economy had previously contracted for six consecutive quarters. The UK recession began in the April-to-June quarter of 2008. Europe's two biggest economies - Germany and France - came out of recession last summer. Japan and the US also exited recession last year.
On the political front Britain's far-right British National Party has been issued a final warning to scrap its whites-only membership policy or face a possible court injunction.
On the 28th January 2010, a one day conference in London was convened titled the ‘UK Afghanistan summit’; The conference was called amid rising U.S. and NATO casualties and falling public support.
Defending the most controversial decision of his career former British Prime Minister Tony Blair declared last week before an investigative panel that he had no regrets over going to war in Iraq, calling it the right decision in a post-Sept. 11 world. The proceedings were televised nationwide.
France's prime minister asked a government body last week to study the legal possibilities that would allow banning face-covering veils in France. Meanwhile Denmark's center-right government has said the burqa — an all-covering dress — and the niqab face veil are "diametrically opposed" to Danish values; it called for the use of existing rules to counter the practice without imposing a ban. Schools, as well as both public and private employers by law have the right to demand that students, teachers and workers show their faces.
Pope Benedict XVI decried last week what he called "growing aversion" to the Christian faith in the world. His worry about the plight of the Christian minority in the Middle East is expected to shape discussions of the Mideast bishops later this year.
In Greece Leftist demonstrators and ultra-right activists clashed in Athens last week (January 23rd) during a rally against racism and discrimination of immigrants. On the geopolitical front Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou is urging his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to re-launch efforts to improve bilateral ties. Meanwhile the nation’s Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou rejected last week any notion of his country leaving the Euro zone

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE

The new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church has urged dialogue to overcome long-standing divisions with Roman Catholics in the region.
Meanwhile in a record voter turn-out, the Democratic Party (DS) led coalition won local elections in Serbian regions Odzaci, Vojvodina, traditionally a stronghold of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS).
A new strategy formulated by the International Civilian Office (ICO) and the Kosovo government hopes to extend the authority of local state institutions to the northern part of the country. The EU reportedly plans to remain neutral toward the Belgrade-backed "parallel structures" in the north.
The European Parliament's (EP) Foreign Policy Committee approved last week amendments to Macedonia's EU progress report. Under the document, the country is to receive a date for starting EU accession talks in March at the EU's foreign ministers summit.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has urged the Albanian government and the opposition to end their stalemate and begin necessary reforms.

RUSSIA

According to reports the US and Russia are to resume negotiations on nuke reductions. In the meanwhile Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili's visit to Russia which was to start this week has been postponed, reportedly to effect better coordination.
In the Thomson Reuters report an analysis of research papers published by Russian scientists shows an almost across-the-board decrease, which reflects Russia's shrinking influence not only in science but also in science-based industries such as nuclear power.
Turkmenistan, Central Asia's largest supplier of natural gas, has resumed supplies to Russia. Meanwhile the Interior Ministry's Investigative Committee revealed an almost eightfold rise in economic crime (428,000 crimes) for the year 2009.
2009 has been deemed a good year for the state's arms exporter, as sales of $7.4 billion smashed its previous record, though weapons deliveries to Iran have been stalled under political pressure.

US/CANADA

President Barack Obama's push to create jobs includes a new tax credit for small businesses that add employees, an idea that has appeal as the nation struggles with an unemployment rate topping 10 percent. Meanwhile embattled Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke won confirmation for a second term last week, by the closest vote ever for the crucial post and after withering criticism from lawmakers for bailing out Wall Street while other Americans suffered in recession.
Obama’s state of union speech has been received as not just a critique of politics in Washington but also as an affront to the judiciary. The president jabbed the judiciary for its latest ruling allowing corporations to throw in money into US elections, an allegation some might argue is an infringement of judicial independence.
China suspended military exchange visits with the United States last week in protest over $6.4 billion in planned U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and warned the U.S. ambassador that the sales would harm already strained ties. Meanwhile U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned China that it risks diplomatic isolation and disruption to its energy supplies unless it helps keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
According to polls the Canadian opposition Liberal party is now ahead of minority conservative ruling party, indicating that an election, favored by the opposition but unwanted by the government, might produce a deadlock.

LATIN AMERICA

Argentina's president suffered a setback last week when a court upheld a freeze on her use of central bank funds to repay debt and said Congress must decide whether she was right to dismiss the bank's head.
Meanwhile Argentina's industrial production rose 10.4 percent in December from the same month a year earlier. The nation also registered a 2009 trade surplus of $16.98 billion.
Brazil is looking to send hundreds more soldiers to its UN peacekeeping deployment in Haiti, potentially doubling the unit to 2,600 men.
Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in June as president of Honduras and holed up for four months in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, is reportedly set to leave for the Dominican Republic.
Brazil’s public debt could grow by as much as 16 per cent this year, according to the government’s 2010 Annual Borrowing Plan, which analysts described as consistent with the administration’s emphasis on slow but steady progress. Also according to the Agriculture Ministry coffee output in Brazil, the world’s biggest producer, may unexpectedly drop this year as downpours hinder the development of the beans.
Mexican drug war continues with the arrest last week of reputed drug lord Teodoro (El Teo) Garcia Simental. Mexican soldiers have also detained Juan Carlos Tarabay Castillo alias "El 20," one of the top leaders of Golfo drug cartel. The “war on drugs” launched by President Felipe Calderón has added to the list of impediments deterring Mexican immigrants in the US from returning home. Also Canada's decision last summer to require visas for visitors from Mexico and the Czech Republic has curbed skyrocketing refugee claims from the two countries. In the meanwhile President Felipe Calderón's administration wants to dissolve Mexico's 2,022 city police forces, saying many of them are so badly educated and vulnerable to corruption that they are undermining the country's crackdown on drug cartels.
Mexico is to hold talks with India for a free trade agreement (FTA) in May this year.
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez has criticized remarks made by Chilean president-elect Sebastián Piñera terming "the hemispheric rightwing" as overexcited; he accused the later of being undemocratic.
In his annual address to the National Assembly, Chavez announced a 25% increase in the minimum wage this year. He spoke of the influence of both Christianity and Marxism on his government's policies. The Venezuelan Bishops' Conference (CEV) too has suggested a program to fight widespread violence and insecurity and has urged both the government and communities to join the move.
The Venezuelan government's payroll increased by 10.4 percent in 2009 and stood at 2,411,603 workers, according to data provided by the National Statistics Institute (INE). Last year, the government nationalized cement companies, rice-processing plants, ports, small banks, while the transfer of the steelmaker Siderúrgica del Orinoco (Sidor) to the State concluded.
Thousands of protesters have turned out in Venezuela, both in support of Hugo Chavez, and against him, signaling a heated political climate ahead of the 2010 elections. Last week one student was killed and nine police officers injured in violence linked to protests over the suspension of a TV station opposed to the President. Also thousands of Venezuelans opposed to Chavez took to the streets, blaming him for rolling blackouts, water rationing and widespread crime.
Foreign ministers of nine member nations of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) met last week to discuss how to help rebuild Haiti. Meanwhile Venezuela's cut-rate regional energy alliance has announced to forgive quake-stricken Haiti's debt.

AUSTRALASIA

Australians have been urged to consider changing their national holiday that commemorates the arrival of British settlers, a day of "pain and bewilderment" for Aboriginal people.
Australia has also set up a group to look into recent violence against Indian students that has threatened its ties with the South Asian giant.
Meanwhile according to Greenpeace climate change could more than triple the risk of catastrophic wildfires in parts of Australia, almost a year since savage firestorms that killed 173 people.§
________________________________________________________
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.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 103

Week # 103- Dated January 17-23, 2010

WESTERN EUROPE
The British government raised its terror threat assessment last week from "substantial" to "severe", the second-highest level, suggesting an attack on the country is "highly likely".

An official of the watchdog body for Italy's judiciary has announced the barring of a judge who refused to hear cases because of the presence of crucifixes in the nation's courtrooms.
The finance ministers of Euro zone nations backed Greece's anti-crisis plan last week, but warned that the country must take urgent measures to reduce its public debt and budget deficit.
SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
Romania's EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner-designate Dacian Ciolos was approved unanimously for the post on January 15th after his hearing at the European Parliament (EP) in Brussels. According to data supplied by the EU's statistical office, Romania and Bulgaria are among the EU members whose citizens face the highest risk of poverty in the bloc.
Meanwhile the Romanian Supreme Defence Council has announced plans to send 600 additional troops to Afghanistan this year, increasing their presence to more than 1,600.
Outgoing Croatian President Stipe Mesic has warned that he would intervene militarily if Republika Srpska (RS) tried to secede from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
Pristina-based daily Koha Ditore reported that the government and the International Civilian Office (ICO) are intensifying efforts to create a new municipality in northern Kosovo. Meanwhile the Montenegrins in Kosovo have demand to be recognized as a national minority and have also sought better diplomatic ties between Montenegro and Kosovo.
The Council of Europe (CoE) issued a report last week urgeing an end to the political crisis in Albania. The CoE said the contested June 2009 general elections should be investigated, as the opposition, including the Socialist Party (SP), has demanded.
UN war crimes tribunal prosecutors insisted last week that the sentence of former Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Army General Rasim Delic be more than doubled, from three to seven years in prison.
US/CANADA
In the USA, Overruling two important precedents about the First Amendment rights of corporations, a bitterly divided Supreme Court ruled last week that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections. The ruling reversed a century-long trend to limit the political muscle of corporations, organized labor and their massive war chests. It also recast the political landscape just as crucial midterm election campaigns are getting under way.
President Barack Obama's administration scrambled to save the nomination of Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke as more opposition emerged from members of the president's own party. This underscores a shift in the political landscape after the loss of a seat in Massachusetts that ended the Senate supermajority for the party.
China has rejected a call by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for the lifting of restrictions on the Internet in the communist country, denouncing her criticism as false and damaging to bilateral ties.
Meanwhile World markets slipped lower last week, led by bank stocks after President Barack Obama proposed a sweeping overhaul of Wall Street to avert future financial crises. President Barack Obama's plan to limit financial risk-taking is expected to force banks, such as Goldman Sachs (GS.N) or JPMorgan (JPM.N), to shed parts of their private equity operations.
According to the Bank of Canada, the nation’s economy is on track to recover this year and the outlook has improved since October. Meanwhile according to a recent poll Canada's ruling Conservatives are slightly ahead of the main opposition party and an election now would most likely result in deadlock.
LATIN AMERICA
Argentina's Central Bank remains at the center of a worsening row between President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and the bank governor and now threatens to engulf the Congress and the courts. Last week President Fernandez, the controversial leader accused her own Vice President Julio Cobos of plotting to destabilize Argentina and cause the fall of the government to further his own ambition.
Brazil says food prices held inflation at 4.3 percent in 2009, the lowest in three years and below the government's target of 4.5 percent. The chairwoman of the International Olympic Committee's oversight panel has said that Rio de Janeiro is on track to overcome infrastructure and security challenges and deliver a "very good" 2016 Olympics.
Mexico is sending 2,000 police officers to boost security in violence-ridden Ciudad Juarez after human right groups criticized an army-led clampdown against drug gangs in the border city.
Meanwhile the country hosted a preliminary meeting for the Group of 20 (G20) summit attended by senior officials of G20 foreign ministries.
President Hugo Chavez suspended rolling blackouts in Venezuela's capital a day after they began and sacked his electricity minister, saying government officials imposed a rationing plan riddled with mistakes. Venezuela's government has imposed blackouts of four hours every other day throughout the country to combat an energy crisis, which experts say will further jeopardize the country's worsening economy.
President Hugo Chavez has also announced a 25% increase in Venezuela's minimum wage to try to blunt the effects of soaring inflation. Last week the government also nationalized a chain of supermarkets controlled by France's Casino on charges of price gauging after the government devalued the bolivar currency. It has also seized three banks and ordered two other financial institutions closed, as the country reeled from a currency devaluation implemented to improve state finances.
Last week the Honduran Congress voted to withdraw from the Venezuela-led trade bloc called the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA). Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes has also announced this week that his government will not adhere to the ALBA bloc, despite a recent declaration of intention to join. Meanwhile according to Venezuelan Finance Minister Ali Rodriguez the ALBA bloc’s common currency, an electronic compensation system called the Sucre will be put into use starting this month.
While the Chavez voiced the government’s intention to mend ties with the United States, the overture was followed last week by accusations that the US was using the earthquake in Haiti as a pretext to occupy the devastated Caribbean country.
The Venezuelan government has sent a second humanitarian aid taskforce to Haiti. Meanwhile Brazilian efforts in Haiti include the provision of food and water to the devastated region. Also the country's Defense Ministry is studying the possibility of sending additional troops. Mexican President Felipe Calderon too has pledged 15 to 20 tons of aid a day in the wake of the crisis. §

___________________________________________________
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 # 102

Week # 102 - Dated January 10-16, 2010

WESTERN EUROPE
Britain has ruled out copying the United States by proposing a special tax on banks to recover state funds used to bailout lenders

during the financial crisis. Meanwhile the British government banned an Islamist group Islam4UK on charges of glorifying al-Qaida and having links with terror plots in the UK and abroad.
Oxford, Cambridge and other British universities have voiced alarm at the government's plan to cut their funding. Unlike most elite institutions in the United States, Britain's top schools rely almost exclusively on taxpayers; but strapped for cash, the government has slashed its higher education budget by 600 million pounds (nearly $1 billion) over the next three years.
EU’s new commissioner for economic and monetary affairs has ruled out excluding Greece from the eurozone, despite the country's financial crisis. Meanwhile Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has unveiled a three-year plan to restore financial stability to his economically embattled country.
UN Special Envoy for Cyprus Alexander Downer has said that he is satisfied with intensified talks on reunification that began this week between Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.
A top French lawmaker has submitted a draft law this week banning Islamic dress (head-to-toe robe and veil) anywhere in public, a measure that would set a European precedent
A deadly shooting rampage against Togo's soccer team in Angola has pushed France into an awkward position, leading to the opening of a terrorism inquiry into the role of an Angolan separatist that it had been backing for years
Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, one of the country's most popular politicians, is due to go on trial in March for allegedly insulting Muslims as a group and inciting hatred and discrimination against them. Meanwhile U.N. human rights officials have voiced concern about Italy's deep-rooted racism against migrants following clashes in a southern town between African farm workers, residents and police.
Pope Benedict XVI's planned visit to Rome's main synagogue this week has sharply divided Italian Jews. Some are angered by his efforts to push World War II Pope Pius XII towards sainthood who, many believe turned a blind eye to the persecution of Jews during the War.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
Montenegro has recently established diplomatic relations with Kosovo while Mauritania has become the 65th country to recognize Kosovo's independence. Meanwhile the KFOR (Kosovo Force) has called the Serb parallel structures in Kosovo dangerous, and a violation of UN Resolution 1244. Further more Wolfgang Ischinger, former EU envoy for Kosovo's status has said that Serbia's membership in the EU will be conditioned on resolving its disagreements with Kosovo.
The EU's new Foreign Affairs chief-designate, Catherine Ashton, has called for an effective strategy to overcome the political stalemate in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) while rejecting the idea of holding a referendum on the status of BiH's entities, as requested by Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik. Meanwhile President Boris Tadic has said that Croat and Muslim representatives must apologize for war crimes committed against Serbs in the former Yugoslavia.
Albania has requested activation of the European Civil Protections Mechanism to help it cope with floods caused by torrential rains and melting snows.
US/CANADA
The US-based democracy watchdog group Freedom House has revealed in its annual survey that for the fourth year in a row, setbacks in political rights and civil liberties in 2009 outweighed improvements of freedoms around the world. The results represent the longest continuous period of decline for global freedom in the nearly 40-year history
Meanwhile in the US the number of sole breadwinner working moms rose last year to an all-time high, while the number of stay-at-home dads edged higher aswell, in a shift of traditional gender roles caused partly by massive job losses. By the numbers, about 4 percent or 963,000 moms were the only parent in the labor force. The share of fathers as the sole worker was much bigger -- 28.2 percent or 7.3 million -- but still the lowest since 2001. The share of couples who both work stayed the same at 66 percent or 17 million. There were 158,000 stay-at-home dads, up from 140,000 in 2008. Still, the number is less than 1 percent of married couples.
President Barack Obama has slammed Wall Street's "audacity" for fighting a bailout fee he wants to slap on financial firms and said his Republican opponents had sided with big banks. With Obama's popularity hovering around 50 percent and congressional elections in November, analysts comment that the White House wants to cast itself alongside ordinary Americans while branding Republicans as the party for the rich.
According to a recent poll Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to suspend Parliament has cost his party its lead in public support, where Harper's Conservatives show 31 percent popular support and the opposition Liberals show 30 percent
LATIN AMERICA
Speculations about the proper tracking of aid money to Haiti are on a rise especially since U.S. government auditors pulled out of the country years ago after concerns over kidnappings and other crimes. Meanwhile France has suspended expelling illegal immigrants from Haiti in the wake of the disaster.
A judge has ordered Argentina's fired Central Bank chief to be restored to his post, a day after President Cristina Fernandez removed him in a bitter fight over control of the bank's reserves. The Bank’s Chief reportedly refused to use international reserves to pay the external debt. Argentina's stocks, bonds and currency have lost ground in the wake of the dispute.
Meanwhile Cristina Fernandez has condemned political moves aided by the country's justice sectors to impede the running of her government. The president has also ordered the military to declassify all "dirty war"-related documents.
Brazil’s Human Rights Minister Pablo Vanucchi has threatened to resign if the military are successful in changing a bill creating a truth commission to review human rights violations that occurred during Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964-85).
Meanwhile Mexican President Felipe Calderon has declared jobs and reducing poverty his top two priorities in 2010, while the fight against drug cartels that dominated the first half of his presidency placed third.
Venezuela's hopes of an early inclusion into the Mercosur trading bloc suffered a new blow as Paraguayan Vice President Federico Franco ruled out ratification of the pact while Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ‘harbored designs’ on the landlocked state.
Also Venezuela is at risk of a devastating power collapse as drought pushes water levels precariously low in the country's biggest hydroelectric dam, posing a serious political threat for Hugo Chavez. The President has announced a sharp devaluation of the country’s currency, a move that reflects the financial stress faced by his government since the price of oil, the country’s top export commodity, fell from its peak as a result of the global financial crisis.
AUSTRALASIA
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Tuesday that ties with India had not been undermined by a series of recent attacks against Indians living in Australia. The unsolved stabbing murder of 21-year-old Nitin Garg earlier this month caused anger among Indians in Australia and overseas and prompted India's External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna to suggest it would hurt ties. §

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Is the Western Balkan really set for the EU

Does it requires any logic to submit that the Western Balkan cannot stomach the EU membership.

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 101

Week # 101- Dated January 3-9, 2010

WESTERN EUROPE
A new poll shows that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's new center-

right government faces wide public dissatisfaction after a stumbling start that has been dominated by squabbling over planned tax cuts. Meanwhile according to an official estimation German retail sales fell by around 2.0 percent in 2009 from the previous year, as consumption fared better.
France wants to speed up the way it prosecutes genocide and crimes against humanity, creating a special investigative unit in a Paris court as more suspects allegedly linked to Rwanda's genocide are turning up in the country. Meanwhile government ministers, intellectuals and activists clashed this week over whether to set quotas to ensure more low-income students attend a handful of "grandes ecoles," university-level institutions seen as the country's premier path to prosperity and power.
In the UK two former Labour Cabinet members sent a letter to fellow Labour lawmakers calling for a secret ballot on Brown's leadership, a challenge that exposed a badly divided party months before a national election that polls predict it will lose.
Meanwhile the debate over the use of full body scanners continues in Britain where human rights activists are rallying against the technology already being experimented at Manchester Airport. European nations are divided over the issue while the United States, Britain and the Netherlands have already announced plans to install the scanners amid growing worldwide security concerns.
Residents of an Italian town beat with iron bars, shot at and ran over immigrants, wounding nine, in a second night of racially charged violence. The clashes in the southern town of Rosarno, which erupted last week during a protest by mainly African farm laborers, have injured 18 policemen and 19 foreigners in two days.
Portugal's parliament passed a bill last week that would make the predominantly Catholic nation the sixth in Europe to permit gay marriage.
The current holder of the rotating EU presidency Spain has said that Greece should not expect a bailout from the 27-nation bloc and must instead deal with its ailing finances itself. Meanwhile promising to pursue a new deal on global warming through the Group of 20, Herman van Rompuy, the new EU president, said halting global warming remains a key target for the Europeans whose proposal for ambitious pollution cuts by 2020 found no takers at the December climate conference in Copenhagen.
In a sharply worded statement China warned the Swiss government last week against accepting two Guantanamo inmates belonging to its ethnic minority Uighurs, calling them terrorist suspects who should face Chinese justice.
SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
The Serbian government has announced (December 31st) its decision

to file a lawsuit against Croatia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), claiming that war crimes were committed against Croatia's ethnic Serb population between 1991 and 1995.
A new regional structure for Serbia became effective on Friday (January 1st), under which the country will be divided into seven statistical units -- Belgrade, Eastern, Western, Central, Southern and the regions Vojvodina and Kosovo and Metohija. Also Serbia took over the chairmanship of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) for 2010. The agreement, which was signed on December 19th, 2006, unites Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Montenegro, Croatia, Moldova, Macedonia and Albania.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) became one of the five new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for 2010-2011, replacing Croatia as a representative of Southeast European countries over the next two years. The remaining four new members are Brazil, Lebanon, Gabon and Nigeria.
Meanwhile (BiH) High Representative Valentin Inzko has warned that a referendum proposed by the Republika Srpska (RS) government is not within the entity's constitutional authority and violates the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has alleged that the Balkans are "the next destination" for al-Qaeda and other Islamic extremist groups, pointing specifically to areas populated by Bosnians and Albanians.
Kosovo’s President Fatmir Sejdiu has asked EULEX (European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo) and the International Civilian Office (ICO) to support authorities in their efforts to dissolve parallel Serb structures in the country.
US/CANADA
Last week’s drone attacks along the Pakistan-Afghan border resulted in deaths of seven CIA employees. The deaths are being perceived as a severe blow to the expertise of the CIA.
Meanwhile Hundreds of law enforcement officers are being trained as federal air marshals to ramp up security in the aftermath of the near-catastrophic attempt to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day. Also the most recent estimates of released terror suspects from Guantanamo returning to the fight are about one in five, a revelation which is expected to stroke an already fierce debate.
The Obama administration is gearing up for a fresh attempt to re-launch stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after the effort hit a dead end last year. In a flurry of meetings in Washington and in European capitals this week and next, senior administration officials will explore new approaches to bringing the two sides together.
In Canada the Liberal Party has signaled it would not try to topple the

minority Conservative government, despite Prime Minister Stephen Harper's unpopular decision to have Parliament suspended until early March. Meanwhile the recovery in Canada's job market stalled in December as employers unexpectedly cut 2,600 jobs after hefty hiring in November; another sign that the economic revival will be sluggish rather than in leaps and bounds.
LATIN AMERICA
Argentina's government plans construction of a pipeline that would allow more imports of natural gas from Bolivia taking it up to around 27.7 million cubic meters per day.
President Lula da Silva’s advocacy of truth commission to investigate human rights crimes committed by Brazil’s military government (1964 to 1985) has been strongly opposed by the nation’s military leaders. Brazilian officials announced plans to create the commission late last year, noting that Chile and its President Michelle Bachelet had set an example for other South American nations to follow.

At least 19 people have died in Brazil after flooding caused by heavy rain.
Turkey and Brazil have agreed to implement together an action plan for strategic partnership in the wake of Turkey-Brazil relations having improved significantly over the last years in both regional as well as global issues. Meanwhile according to the Industry and Trade Ministry Brazil's exports plunged by 22 percent in 2009, after a full decade of record growth, to hit $152 billion (R1.114 trillion). Also the Brazilian government has announced a goal to cut carbon intensity up to 38.9pc by 2020. The cut will be measured against Brazil's average annual emissions between 1996 and 2005.
In Mexico the capture of a reputed kingpin following the death of his brother has knocked out most of a brutal drug trafficking dynasty after a crackdown on corruption stripped the Beltran Leyva cartel of many snitches within security forces.
In the meanwhile Mexico has announced plans for improvement of its government-funded health insurance to cover 10.3 million people, or almost one in every 10, by the end of 2009.
Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has dismissed as unfounded Venezuela's latest statement accusing the Netherlands of helping the United States prepare an attack from its islands in the Caribbean. Also the Venezuelan government has rejected statements by Peruvian President Alan García, according to which the Bolivian President Evo Morales is verbally attacking Peru following instructions of President Hugo Chávez.
Meanwhile Oil-rich Venezuela has ushered in 2010 with new measures rationing electricity use in mal

ls, businesses and billboards, as Hugo Chavez's government aims to save power amid a crippling drought, a move that business leaders warned could worsen Venezuela's economic recession.
Rafael Antonio Caldera, who helped establish democracy in Venezuela, went on to serve two terms as president and issued the pardon that allowed Hugo Chavez to rise to power, died on Dec. 24, 2009, at age 93. §

_______________________________________________________
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.

BPM- Euro-Americas Zone

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

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

BPM- Discussion Forum

Thursday, February 18, 2010

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

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 105

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 104

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 103

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 102

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Is the Western Balkan really set for the EU

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 101

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