Friday, December 6, 2019
News and Views from the Global South
Global Geopolitics
Forced to Flee. Displaced with a Dream. Time for Action.
Genesis smiles and holds her hand up proudly to answer questions in class. She claps her hands in support of her classmates when they answer the teachers’ questions correctly. “I miss my cousins and aunts in Venezuela, she says.” Her smile fades and her lips tighten. She struggles to hold back her tears. “I can’t return. I want to stay here in my school, with my new friends.” Her smile returns, as she resolutely states: “I want to become a lawyer, so I can help solve problems.”
The Adaptive Age: No Institution or Individual can Stand on the Sidelines in the Fight Against Climate Change
When I think of the incredible challenges we must confront in the face of a changing climate, my mind focuses on young people. Eventually, they will be the ones either to enjoy the fruits or bear the burdens resulting from actions taken today.
World’s Crisis-Stricken Oceans Doomed to Destruction Without a Global Treaty
The greatest single climate-induced threat facing the world’s 44 small island developing states (SIDS) is rising sea waters which could obliterate some of the low-lying states, including Maldives, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Palau and Micronesia.
Nuclear False Warnings & the Risk of Catastrophe
Forty years ago, on Nov. 9, the U.S. Defense Department detected an imminent nuclear attack against the United States through the early-warning system of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). U.S. bomber and missile forces went on full alert, and the emergency command post, known as the “doomsday plane,” took to the air.
IEDs: Tackling Terrorists’ Weapon of War
Some of the most memorable images of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, show her wearing a protective suit while touring a minefield in Angola in 1997 to raise awareness of the devastating effects of land mines.
Despite Halting Progress, UN Continues its Push for a Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone in the Middle East
A longstanding proposal for a regional nuclear-weapons-free zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East – one of the world’s most conflict-ridden regions – has been kicked around the corridors of UN committee rooms since 1974.
Achieving the Possible: “Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone in the Middle East”
A historic conference on the Middle East opened at the United Nations in New York on 18th November and will continue until 22nd November. The Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction is presided over by Ambassador Sima Bahous of Jordan.
Governments & Internet Companies Fail to meet Challenges of Online Hate
The prevalence of online hate poses challenges to everyone, first and foremost the marginalised individuals who are its principal targets. Unfortunately, States and companies are failing to prevent ‘hate speech’ from becoming the next ‘fake news’, an ambiguous and politicised term subject to governmental abuse and company discretion.
Trump Poised to Withdraw from Open Skies Treaty
The Trump administration is reportedly on the verge of withdrawing from the 1992 Open Skies Treaty, according to lawmakers and media reports. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, first sounded the public alarm in an Oct. 7 letter to National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien.
Huge moment for Ethiopia as Abiy Ahmed wins Nobel Peace prize
Ethiopia found itself in the global spotlight for all the right reasons after Abiy Ahmed, its young, dynamic prime minister was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Role of Emerging Technologies in Military Conflicts
Throughout history, technology has transformed armed conflict. The carnage of First World War battlefields is a stark example of what happens when advances in weaponry outpace the normative frameworks around its use.
Modern Conflicts Against the Backdrop of Climate Change, Inequalities, Injustice & Human Rights Violations
We will look at how modern conflicts will be affected by the recent unprecedented technological and societal developments. The nature of conflict is also changing. It is becoming more protracted, complex and unpredictable.
The Risk of Nuclear War is Increasing
Over the long course of the nuclear age, millions of people around the world, often led by a young generation of clear-eyed activists, have stood up to demand meaningful, immediate international action to halt, reduce, and end the threat posed by nuclear weapons to humankind and the planet.
Advice to US: When You’re Going to a Gunfight, Bring all Your Friends with Guns
Jim Mattis a former United States Defense Secretary in the Trump administration quotes a Marine Corps dictum in a recently released book titled “Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead”.
International Cooperation Required to Solve World’s Severest Problems
In an interview with Dan Smith, Director of the renowned Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and Professor of Peace and Conflict at the University of Manchester. The native Londoner, he has been researching conflicts and peace for decades and served in the UN Peacebuilding Fund Advisory Group, which he chaired for two years.
World is in Crisis– & Multilateral Approach is the Key
As the UN General Assembly begins, we are once again ringing the alarm on the urgent issues of climate and development that demand our global attention and action. And I worry yet again leaders will not heed the warnings and not act with the clarity and at the scale the issues we’re here to tackle demand.
UN Chief Calls for Action, Not “Beautiful Speeches”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has offered an unsolicited piece of advice to the 190-plus speakers, including heads of state and heads of government, who will address an unprecedented six high level plenary meetings during the General Assembly sessions September 23-27.
Multidisciplinarity of Data: Time to Put Data at the Heart of UN’s 2030 Agenda
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted in 2015. At its core are 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets, all meant to guide efforts by all countries towards a more sustainable, prosperous and equal future.
Big Power Conflicts are Increasingly Taking Place in Outer Space
Nearly every article on ‘space security’ begins with the acknowledgement that satellites and space-based services are critical for modern societies. And with good reason.
UN’s Upcoming Summits May Foreshadow a Revival of Multilateralism or an Obituary for World Order
The United Nations will be hosting six high level plenary meetings –- unprecedented even by its own standards—during the beginning of the 74th session of the General Assembly in late September.
Is the UN’s High Seas Treaty Heading Towards Troubled Waters?
The world’s high seas, which extend beyond 200 nautical miles, are deemed “international waters” to be shared globally-- but they remain largely ungoverned.Next Page »
Is the world dominated by three great empires -- the U.S.A, China and the European Union? How much power do the great behemoths of the south -- India, Brazil, and South Africa -- wield? And where does Russia fit in that equation? Are we in the middle of a new Cold War? What are the implications of the armed conflict with Georgia? What about the new axis: Venezuela-Russia? And what role does Turkey play? What about issues like Climate Change and other global forces like the food crisis and the high energy prices? How is all this reshaping the world's forces? IPS looks for some answers.
The Week with IPS
NEXT STOP - SDGs
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
