As GPF founder and Executive Director Jim Paul retires at the end of this year, GPF is calling on all its friends and supporters. Please help the next generation carry the project into the future!
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General Analysis on Nations & States )
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| Picture Credit: prisonplanet.com |
Greece is set to comply with another austerity measure dictated by the eurozone members, this time lowering its debt in return for bailout funds. The Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras described this as a “landmark for the country's rebirth" although similar measures have recently been imposed undemocratically by bypassing parliamentary control. In a country where about 30 percent of the population now lives below poverty, “austerity is shredding the social fabric.”According to Matthaios Tsimitakis, Greece has become a “debt colony” and these “calls for ‘national unity’ are nothing but dust in the eyes of a dazed and confused people.” This ultimately raises concern about the capacity of supra-national bodies like the European Union to genuinely address the national struggles of their members.
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| Picture Credit: news.mongabay.com |
Up to 45, 000 people are at risk of losing their livelihoods if a large palm oil plantation project in southwestern Cameroon will proceed. SG Sustainble Oils Cameroon (SGSOC), a subsidiary of Herakles Farms, is overseeing the project after signing an agreement with the Cameroonian government in 2009. SGSOC still lacks presidential approval so the project has been unlawful since 2010. Campaigners argue that the environmental and socioeconomic gains from preserving the rainforest outweigh the promised benefits of the plantation. In addition, the working conditions and salaries at SGSOC’s plantation are deplorable and an investigation by Greenpeace and the Oakland Institute noted human rights violations. Opinion among the local population is divided because of the job opportunities that SGSOC is promising to provide.
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Poverty and Development )
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This article examines the economic impact of sanctions against Iran on Afghan refugees. Afghans have long migrated to Iran to find work and better living conditions, and the US-led war has exacerbated this trend. Iran’s national currency has decreased over 35% in value due to the sanctions against its nuclear program and led to a subsequent rise in consumer prices which has made living conditions exceptionally difficult for refugees. These sanctions targeted at the Iranian regime have a significant impact on unintended victims such as Afghan refugees, most of whom were forced to migrate due to the actions of some of the very countries applying sanctions on Iran.
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Humanitarian Intervention )
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| Picture Credit: aljazeera.com |
France is currently pushing for a Security Council resolution that would call for a “stabilizing” military force to be rapidly sent to Northern Mali. In this article, Ramzy Baroud provides a systemic perspective by shedding light on the history of Tuareg refugees, the large consignments of weapons made available after NATO’s intervention in Libya, and France’s destabilizing influence in Mali since its colonization in 1898. He argues that “former colonial powers rarely abandon their ambitions [and] remain deeply entrenched by meddling in various ways that destabilize the former colonies.” Recently, the US also has shown increasing interest in the prospects created by the “ungovernability” of the Sahel by creating the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) in 2008 and promoting an all-inclusive Al-Qaeda narrative to justify interventions. Ultimately, Baroud believes that “the growing chaos will likely benefit interventionist states [and that the] new war on terror, will justify further intervention in West Africa and more meddling in the affairs of ECOWAS countries.”
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Humanitarian Intervention )
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| Picture Credit: allafrica.com |
An international military intervention in Northern Mali “could further destabilize an already extremely fragile humanitarian situation” and “very well inflict more harm to the population.” Jérémie Labbé from IPI rightly argues that intense fighting would directly affect the civilian population, increase the number of refugees and internally displaced persons, and compromise the relatively stable situation of the last few months. Moreover, a military deployment would inevitably constrain an already difficult humanitarian access. Ultimately, “the risk is real that a military intervention will be perceived as promoting a Western agenda,” which might endangers the neutrality and safety of humanitarian actors operating in the region. In order not to repeat the mistakes of the relief operations in Somalia, Labbé stresses that a potential intervention should proactively and strictly comply with the UN human rights due diligence policy and that humanitarian actors should engage with non-traditional actors such as Islamic charities and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
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The Pyongyang leadership has completed a successful rocket launch, which placed a satellite into orbit. According to the North Korean government, the satellite serves for weather and crop monitoring. As the launch technology is very similar to that required for ballistic missiles, the UN Security Council has condemned the move as a violation of resolutions 1718 and 1874, which prohibit North Korea from launching ballistic missiles. Experts on the North Korean nuclear program assert that Pyongyang is yet to develop reasonable target accuracy and to acquire a nuclear weapon that is small enough to fit on a missile. Nevertheless, this recent development intensifies concerns over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
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General Analysis on Nations & States )
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| Picture Credit: my.firedoglake.com |
When the Cold War ended, many observers of international relations foresaw a new “globalized era” in which social movements and struggles for justice would be led at the supranational level, at the expense of the nation-state’s classic power channels. While recent geopolitical events have in part been shaped by new global social media, the so-called globalized power is still deeply centralized and nation-states remain the most democratic forums to effect change. In this article, Jamie Mackay argues that “the desire to declare the nation ‘dead’ is premature”: the so-called globalized system remains highly centralized and “continues to depend on key state institutions and their relationship with national communities.”
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The Climate Change Conference held in Qatar this year generated a lot of comment on what Gulf states are doing about climate change. Ironically the host country itself is the highest per capita carbon emitter in the world, while the US and China remain the biggest emitters in absolute terms. Gulf governments have not signed up to binding emissions cuts under the new commitments. Some Gulf countries such as the UAE have made significant progress with renewable energy projects. But these oil exporters generally are part of the problem.
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General Analysis on Nations & States )
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| Picture Credit: rt.com |
In times of increasing mobility of individuals across borders, citizenship rights have become central to understand geopolitical disputes. This is particularly true in Eastern Europe, where passport have become weapons of foreign policy since the fall of the Soviet Union. Russian passports have certainly facilitated Abkhazian and South Ossetian separatism in Georgia and allowed Moscow to launch a military intervention in the country in 2008. Some argue that “Russia has ‘weaponized’ citizenship by combining its right to grant citizenship with its sovereign ‘right’ or ‘duty’ to protect its citizens at home and abroad.” Governments in Georgia, Latvia and Estonia have also used citizenship rights to prevent their ethnic Russian populations from gaining political power in their country. Ultimately, Xenia de Graaf concludes that “ as long as Russia and former Soviet Republics remain insecure about their national identity and need ‘significant others’ to define themselves, passport and citizenship troubles are likely to remain.”
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Humanitarian Intervention )
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Following the unexpected ouster of Mali’s transitional Prime Minister, members of the Security Council are determined to launch a military intervention in North Mali. Yet, the shape of such military action remains unclear as France and the United States are divided on the right strategy to adopt. France, South Africa, India, and other Council members favors the adoption of a single Security Council resolution authorizing a foreign intervention force by the end of 2012. France promotes a "two track" approach - promoting a democratic political transition while training Malian security forces to conduct offensive military operations. Skeptical of the capacity of the 3,300 Western African troops to oust the rebels from North Mali, the US promotes a longer-term “multifaceted strategy” to intervene in Mali, including political, humanitarian, environmental, and military pieces, as well as a greater role for its counterterrorism regional allies, mainly Algeria.
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| Picture Credit: thinkmexican.org |
The Mexican government is about to approve the large-scale release of genetically modified maize for commercial production. Agribusiness giants Monsanto, DuPont, Dow and others have requested the government to plant 2.4 million hectares of genetically engineered maize. This decision would have an irreversible impact on Mexican maize, and is a threat to food security in Mexico and globally. It will be impossible to maintain maize diversity when large corporations privatize and control the maize seed market. The Mexican Unión de Científicos Comprometidos con la Sociedad (UCCS), GRAIN and other international organizations have put together a report urging the Mexican government to change track and protect the diversity of maize.
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A Malian government agency is diverting Niger River water to foreign agricultural development schemes. This threatens the livelihoods of many Malians. The foreign companies are constructing concrete dams and canals. During dry season up to 70 percent of the river’s flow could soon be used for the irrigation of these new projects. Nearly two million Malians live in the Niger delta, where most people get their livelihoods from farming and fishing. The government of Mali is determined to increase foreign investment for its agriculture and refuses to acknowledge the damage the water withdrawals will do to the delta. Jane Madgwick, head of Wetlands International argues that these projects will greatly decrease food security in the country.
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Financing for Development )
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The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has announced that it will align itself more closely with the private sector- in particular the mining industry- to make their aid and long-term development projects “more effective.” The Canadian International Co-operation minister emphasized CIDA's role in preparing developing countries for foreign investment, suggesting the agency's work can help make countries and people "trade and investment ready" and even dissuade governments from nationalizing extractive industries. Critics argue that the private sector, which is driven by the profit motive, has little incentive to work for the benefit of aid-recipient countries. The fact that this scheme will be functioning under a national initiative is an even bigger cause for concern.
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Regulation and Oversight of PMSCs )
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The increasing privatization of Somalia’s security might drastically harm an already fragile state, especially if private military and security companies are not bound by strict operating regulations. The South African personnel of Sterling Corporate Services, a PMSC registered in Dubai that was found to have violated the UN arms embargo, has trained the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) to fight piracy in the region. Yet, the PMPF is reportedly operating outside the Constitutional framework for security institutions in Somalia while being involved in operations unrelated to piracy. Faiza Patel, the Chairperson of the UN Working Group on the use of Mercenaries warns that “as Somalia rebuilds its security institutions, the Government should ensure that private security forces are properly regulated and do not become a substitute for competent and accountable police.”
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General Analysis on International Justice )
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In this opinion piece, Glenn Greenwald explores the double standards of the US justice system. Federal investigators recently found the banking giant HSBC spent years committing serious crimes, such as facilitating money laundering by Mexican drug cartels and moving tainted money for Saudi banks tied to Al Qaeda and other groups. Despite the gravity of these charges, the US Department of Justice announced that HSBC will not be prosecuted as they are “too important, too instrumental to subject them to such disruptions.” Greenwald contrasts the leniency granted to the powerful with the harsh sentences imposed on regular citizens in the US – the country with the world’s largest prison population.
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Security Council and Haiti )
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The UN needs to take responsibility for the outbreak of the cholera epidemic in Haiti. In December, the UN Secretary General launched the 10-year “Initiative for the Elimination of Cholera in Haiti.” This announcement is a good step forward, but the UN still refrains from acknowledging liability. In order to battle the epidemic, which is still spreading, Haiti is in dire need of improved clean water and sanitation infrastructure. International civil society movements and Haitian grassroots organizations are already lobbying for the UN to clean up its mess and make amends.
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Financing for Development )
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Although David Cameron recently pledged to fight for tax justice in poor countries, the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) is chanelling aid projects thorough public-private investment funds based in the offshore tax haven, Mauritius. The basis of this new British trend is arguably due to the the coalition government’s battle to defend its internationalaid pledge of 0.7% of GDP against calls to spend it domestically. The government argues that using offshore investment funds and private partners increases overall investment and economic activity. However there is a real risk to small and medium farmers in developing countries since this new method will favour agribusinesses.
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International Trade and Development )
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Reuters found that Starbucks reported 13 years of losses in the UK while it told investors that the unit was among the best performing of its overseas operations. Despite controlling almost one-third of the UK coffee-shop market, Starbucks paid tax only once in the past 15 years. The US-based global coffeehouse announced that it will make changes to its UK tax practices. Starbucks however is only one of many multinational companies that are avoiding taxes overseas while local businesses pay their fair share.
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| Molly Anderson |
On December 5, 2012, GPF and the Working Group on Food & Hunger invited Molly Anderson from the College of the Atlantic to discuss the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report and the future of sustainable food policy. Ms. Anderson was one of the coordinating lead authors of the study that reflected the work of more than 900 agricultural experts from 110 countries. To this day the IAASTD report remains by far the most definitive study of global agricultural science and technology. During the luncheon, Ms. Anderson discussed the report’s implications for policy making. She also discussed the contested terrain of food system alternatives after Rio+20.
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| Picture Credit: weinformers.net |
Large-scale land acquisitions are on the rise in Uganda, and are threatening the lives of many. In the race for securing their own food supplies and profiting from growing biofuel production, foreign governments and companies are aiming to get a share of the scarce land resources. Companies like the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe often under-consult and insufficiently compensate local communities, leaving their livelihoods threatened. The effects of these land grabs can also disturb community cohesion, as land in Uganda is mostly based on customary systems. The land rights of citizens are recognized in various mechanisms, but there remains a wide gap between policy and practice. In various cases in Uganda corporations have downplayed or dismissed the difficulties faced by displaced populations.
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