http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/index.php On trouvera ici une sélection des articles d'information et d'analyse publiés sur le site www.mondialisations.org du GERM, qui rendent compte de la richesse et de la diversité des figures des mondialisations contemporaines, ainsi que des débats qu'elles suscitent. FR Sat, 02 May 2026 22:32:53 Sat, 02 May 2026 22:32:53 germ.mondialisations@gmail.com (GERM) germ.mondialisations@gmail.com (GERM) 5 http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2019/galit-s-5122846 The World Inequality Lab has just released an unpublished report measuring the development of inequality in Europe and the United States since 1980. Entitled Has the European social model withstood the rise in inequality?, the report is the first to analyse income disparities before and after tax over such a long period, for all European countries. Tue, 02 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000 http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2019/galit-s-5122846 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41924&lan=EN Poor quality employment is the main issue for global labour markets, with millions of people forced to accept inadequate working conditions, according to a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO). New data gathered for the World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2019 (WESO) show that a majority of the 3.3 billion people employed globally in 2018 had inadequate economic security, material well-being and equality of opportunity. What’s more, progress in reducing unemployment globally is not being reflected in improvements in the quality of work. Wed, 13 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41924&lan=EN http://www.robert-schuman.eu/fr/questions-d-europe/0506-pour-une-geopolitique-de-l-euro The euro is a world currency. It is the official currency of 19 European States, and according to the June 2018 report by the European Central Bank (ECB) on the international role of the euro, it is by far, ahead of the pound, the yen and the renminbi, the world's second most important currency. The euro turned twenty on January 1st. Decided upon with the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, its adoption aimed to consolidate the European market and support trade between its members. Mon, 11 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.robert-schuman.eu/fr/questions-d-europe/0506-pour-une-geopolitique-de-l-euro http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41922&lan=EN The World Health Organization’s new advisory committee on developing global standards for governance and oversight of human genome editing has agreed to work towards a strong international governance framework in this area. �oeGene editing holds incredible promise for health, but it also poses some risks, both ethically and medically. This committee is a perfect example of WHO’s leadership, by bringing together some of the world’s leading experts to provide guidance on this complex issue. I am grateful to each member of the Expert Advisory Committee for their time and expertise.” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. Tue, 19 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41922&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41921&lan=EN The focus of both neuroscience and AI is to understand how the brain works and thus predict behaviour. And the better we understand the brain, the better designs we can create for AI algorithms. When it comes to learning, the neuroscience - AI partnership can be synergistic. A good understanding of a particular learning process by neuroscience can be used to inform the design of that process for AI. Similarly, if AI can find patterns from large data sets and get a learning model, neuroscience can conduct experiments to confirm it. Thu, 28 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41921&lan=EN http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2019/elections-europ-ennes-et-quilibre-entre-les-sexes-5122812 Women across Europe don't tend to vote as much in European elections, compared with men, posing questions on the growing gender gap in both politics and representation in the European Parliament. Mon, 25 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000 http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2019/elections-europ-ennes-et-quilibre-entre-les-sexes-5122812 http://www.wwf.es/nuestro_trabajo_/informe_planeta_vivo/informe_planeta_vivo_2018/ Plummeting numbers of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and fish around the world are an urgent sign that nature needs life support. Our Living Planet Report 2018 shows population sizes of wildlife decreased by 60% globally between 1970 and 2014. For the last 20 years, scientists from ZSL, WWF and other organisations, have been monitoring changes in the populations of thousands of animal species around the world. Sadly, they’ve concluded that the variety of life on Earth and wildlife populations is disappearing fast. Humans have only been around for 200,000 years, a tiny blip in the 4.5 billion years of our planet’s history. Yet we have had a greater impact on the Earth than any other species. All over the world, we are cutting down forests, using too much water from rivers, choking our oceans with plastic and pushing many animals to extinction. Tue, 30 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.wwf.es/nuestro_trabajo_/informe_planeta_vivo/informe_planeta_vivo_2018/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41916&lan=EN Mon, 05 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41916&lan=EN http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/global-warming-5122206 An exclusive analysis of over 100 million meteorological data points shows that every major city in Europe is warmer in the 21st century than it was in the 20th. Subarctic regions, Andalusia and southern Romania are most affected. In December 2015, 195 members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed to �oelimit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above preindustrial levels” in the Paris Agreement. For several cities in Europe, home to millions, the 1.5°C threshold has already been reached. An exclusive investigation by the European Data Journalism Network (EDJNet) shows that in the Nordic and Baltic regions, in much of Andalusia and in South-Eastern Romania, average temperatures in the 21st century were already much warmer, sometimes by several degrees, than in the 20th century, already affecting the life expectancy of Europeans, their health and well-being.The 1.5°C temperature increase is a global target and areas that are warming faster are not off-track from this goal; scientists have expected for decades that polar regions would warm more than areas closer to the equator. Tue, 06 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/global-warming-5122206 http://www.amnesty.org/fr/latest/news/2018/10/almost-130000-purged-sector-workers-still-awaiting-justice-in-turkey/ More than two years after being arbitrarily dismissed, almost 130,000 Turkish public sector workers are still awaiting justice and facing an uncertain future, Amnesty International said in a report published today.  Branded as ‘terrorists’ and stripped of their livelihoods, tens of thousands of people are still awaiting justice Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International Purged beyond return? No remedy for Turkey’s dismissed public sector workers reveals that doctors, police officers, teachers, academics and tens of thousands of other public sector workers dismissed from their jobs for alleged �oelinks to terror groups” are yet to be reinstated or compensated, while the Commission set up to review dismissal decisions is woefully unfit for purpose.  �oeBranded as ‘terrorists’ and stripped of their livelihoods, tens of thousands of people who have had their professional and family lives shattered are still awaiting justice,” said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s Turkey Strategy and Research Manager.  Thu, 25 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.amnesty.org/fr/latest/news/2018/10/almost-130000-purged-sector-workers-still-awaiting-justice-in-turkey/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41910&lan=EN New evidence continues to signal that the number of hungry people in the world is growing, reaching 821 million in 2017 or one in every nine people, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018 released today. Limited progress is also being made in addressing the multiple forms of malnutrition, ranging from child stunting to adult obesity, putting the health of hundreds of millions of people at risk. Hunger has been on the rise over the past three years, returning to levels from a decade ago. This reversal in progress sends a clear warning that more must be done and urgently if the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger is to be achieved by 2030. Thu, 13 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41910&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41908&lan=EN While the mania for cryptocurrencies may have peaked, new units continue to be announced, seemingly by the day. Prominent among the new arrivals are so-called �oestable coins.” Bearing names like Tether, Basis, and Sagacoin, their value is rigidly tied to the dollar, the euro, or a basket of national currencies. It’s easy to see the appeal of these units. Viable monies provide a reliable means of payment, unit of account, and store of value. But conventional cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, trade at wildly fluctuating prices, which means that their purchasing power �" their command over goods and services �" is highly unstable. Hence they are unattractive as units of account. Tue, 11 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41908&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41907&lan=EN Fascism is an extreme derivative of fundamentalism, with a long tradition in almost every culture. In his 1996 controversial work, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order, Samuel P. Huntington denounces the West as home to the most virulent fundamentalists. They imagine that their culture is the best in the world, that their religion is the best, the one and only true religion, that theirs is the best form of government, democracy, with the best techno-science, that has changed the face of the planet, and with its lethal weapons, it has given humans the ability to destroy humanity and much of the biosphere. Mon, 03 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41907&lan=EN http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/droit-d-asile-5122160 Every year, almost 100,000 Europeans seek asylum in EU countries, and the number of applications continues to grow. Yet this is a phenomenon which remains at the margins of the debate on asylum �" and that on EU enlargement All the arguments that have broken out in Europe on the right of asylum in recent years �" and the accompanying racism �" are based on the idea that asylum seekers are those arriving from across the Mediterranean or Turkey, originating in Africa and Asia. In reality, among those who applied for asylum in EU countries last year there were almost 100,000 European citizens: Albanians, Turks, Russians, Georgians, Ukrainians, Armenians, etc. Thu, 30 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/droit-d-asile-5122160 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41902&lan=EN As rapid technological advances bring �oekiller robots” ever closer to reality, Amnesty International is calling on states to support the negotiation of new international law to ban fully autonomous weapons systems. The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems will meet in Geneva between 27 and 31 August 2018. The meeting is a key moment for states to discuss options for addressing the human rights, humanitarian, ethical and security challenges posed by fully autonomous weapons systems. Mon, 27 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41902&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41900&lan=EN Following the Charlie Hebdo shootings in January 2015, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a message reflecting on religion, free expression and the controversial editorial line of the magazine. �oeA few years ago, an extremist in Pakistan fought to have me sentenced to death because Facebook refused to ban content about Mohammed that offended him.We stood up for this because different voices �" even if they're sometimes offensive �" can make the world a better and more interesting place,” Zuckerberg wrote on his page. Mon, 06 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41900&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41899&lan=EN An estimated 78 million babies �" or three in five �" are not breastfed within the first hour of life, putting them at higher risk of death and disease and making them less likely to continue breastfeeding, say UNICEF and WHO in a new report. Most of these babies are born in low- and middle-income countries. Tue, 31 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41899&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41898&lan=EN New Delhi �" Democracy is in crisis. Fake news �" and fake allegations of fake news �" now plagues civil discourse, and political parties have proved increasingly willing to use xenophobia and other malign strategies to win elections. At the same time, revisionist powers like Vladimir Putin’s Russia have been stepping up their efforts to interfere in elections across the West. Rarely has the United States witnessed such brazen attacks on its political system; and rarely has the world seen such lows during peacetime. Wed, 22 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41898&lan=EN http://cafebabel.com/fr/article/zero-dechet-100-bobos-5b0e9f20f723b37a833af2ac/ Zero waste initiatives are blossoming in Brussels like never before: conferences, cafés, workshops, festivals... Is this trend, aimed at decreasing the volume of waste we produce, the latest hipster fad in the European capital? Or is it an authentic peak in awareness on how our consumption patterns affect the environment? Cafébabel wandered through the streets of Brussels to meet these new environmentalists. Have you ever come across a photo showing an island of garbage floating in the middle of the ocean, or a turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nose? For about a hundred of Brussel's inhabitants, photos like these were the final straw. Last April, excessive wrapping led to a 'plastic attack' in a Delhaize supermarket in the city. This phenomenon, which originates from Great Britain, is now taking over the entire Old Continent. But what does it entail? Well, you do your groceries, you pay, then you remove all the unnecessary wrapping and put it into shopping carts so as to confront distribution companies with the absurdity of their packaging policies. Thu, 31 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://cafebabel.com/fr/article/zero-dechet-100-bobos-5b0e9f20f723b37a833af2ac/ http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/la-pologne-et-l-ue-5122126 Since December 2015 Brussels has been signalling its anxiety and addressing questions and warnings to Warsaw. The issues under dispute are primarily the rule of law, but also Three years of disputes Thu, 26 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/la-pologne-et-l-ue-5122126 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41806&lan=EN After more than five years of intensive work, the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants will be adopted this year by the United Nations. This indispensable instrument can thenceforth be used by rural populations to assert their rights and by authorities to implement ad hoc policies. Melik �-zden, Director of thee CETIM, explains how the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants will change the future of millions of people around the world. Thu, 12 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41806&lan=EN http://cafebabel.com/fr/article/supprimer-facebook-alors-facile-5b2ca9f4f723b30d8f7007c9/ Data breaches, identity theft, targeted ads that persistently follow us from one web page to another… and then there’s the average time we spend online every day. All of this shows how little control we have over the personal information we put online. So I set out on a quest to find young people who, having had enough, decided to drastically reduce their online presence. Meet Tom and Malika, two journalists off the grid. �"...�" Journalist by profession, Malika started auditing her online presence about a year ago. When she became interested in the topic of Internet surveillance and personal data use, the young Kyrgyzstani decided to delete her Twitter account. Fri, 22 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://cafebabel.com/fr/article/supprimer-facebook-alors-facile-5b2ca9f4f723b30d8f7007c9/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41775&lan=EN Time is running out for the world's forests, whose total area is shrinking by the day, warns a new FAO report urging governments to foster an all-inclusive approach to benefit both trees and those who rely on them. Halting deforestation, managing forests sustainably, restoring degraded forests and adding to worldwide tree cover all require actions to avoid potentially damaging consequences for the planet and its people, according to The State of the World's Forests 2018. Fri, 06 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41775&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41719&lan=EN At the end of May, the International Monetary Fund launched its new Global Debt Database. For the first time, IMF statisticians have compiled a comprehensive set of calculations of both public and private debt, country by country, constructing a time series stretching back to the end of World War II. It is an impressive piece of work. The headline figure is striking. Global debt has hit a new high of 225% of world GDP, exceeding the previous record of 213% in 2009. So, as the IMF points out, there has been no deleveraging at all at the global level since the 2007-2008 financial crisis. In some countries, the composition of debt changed, as public debt replaced private debt in the post-crisis recession, but that shift has now mostly stopped. Fri, 15 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41719&lan=EN http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/economie-et-politique-5122045 Two Eurosceptic forces are now governing Italy. On one hand the 5-Star Movement, the anti-system party of Luigi de Maio founded by the humorist Beppe Grillo. On the other, far-right xenophobic Liga led by Matteo Salvini. How could this have happened? How did one of the European Union's six founding members, host of Treaty of Rome in 1957, and for a long time the EU's most Europhile country, give a parliamentary majority to groups so hostile to European integration? Tue, 12 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/economie-et-politique-5122045 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41713&lan=EN To say that this month’s summit of G7 leaders in Canada was an unusual one would be an understatement. A traditionally friendly and predictable gathering of like-minded countries was marred by finger-pointing and disagreement, resulting in an inability to achieve consensus on a final communiqué. But, while political analysts were quick to declare the end of the G7’s coherence, integrity, and usefulness, markets were unfazed. Tue, 19 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41713&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41709&lan=EN �oeEverybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office,” Trump tweeted. �oeThere is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea.” He subsequently told reporters, �oeI have solved that problem.” There is only one catch: what Trump claimed was untrue. The nuclear threat posed by North Korea remains undiminished. The joint statement issued by the two leaders was as brief �" just 391 words �" as it was vague. Sat, 16 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41709&lan=EN http://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/opinion/roseanne-racism-blacks-apes.html The comedian Roseanne Barr resurrected one of the oldest and most profoundly racist slanders in American history when she referred to Valerie Jarrett, an African-American woman who served as an adviser to President Barack Obama, as the offspring of an ape. This depiction �" promoted by slave traders, historians and practitioners of �oescientific” racism �" was used to justify slavery, lynching and the creation of the Jim Crow state. Sun, 17 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/opinion/roseanne-racism-blacks-apes.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41695&lan=EN Once praised as a model for democratizing countries in the region, Turkey is now making headlines for election fraud and jailing political opponents. As Turkey prepares for its general elections on June 24 under state of emergency conditions, the results will be unlikely to loosen the grip President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has held on power since 2002. Turkey’s sharp turn towards authoritarianism raises a fundamental question about the supposed democratizing effect of liberal democracies on transitioning states. Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41695&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41694&lan=EN �oeBrutal attacks on Roma people, LGBT people, and rights activists have been on the rise in recent months in Ukraine," said Tanya Cooper, Ukraine researcher at Human Rights Watch. �oeThe government has taken little action in response, which cannot but embolden and encourage the attackers.” Since the beginning of 2018, members of radical groups such as C14, Right Sector, Traditsii i Poryadok (Traditions and Order), Karpatska Sich and others have carried out at least two dozen violent attacks, threats, or instances of intimidation in Kyiv, Vinnitsa, Uzhgorod, Lviv, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, and other Ukrainian cities. Law enforcement authorities have rarely opened investigations. Thu, 14 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41694&lan=EN http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2018/06/12/actualidad/1528827269_774477.html �oeWe are so happy. We’re not going back to Libya! We are going to a land of freedom: freedom of expression, freedom of movement, a place with the right to education!” exclaimed an exultant 26-year-old from Sierra Leone named Moses, when he learned that he was being taken to Spain. But the disclosure that Spain’s new Socialist Party (PSOE) government is taking in the 629 migrants that Italy and Malta turned away does not mean the same thing to all the people aboard the Aquarius. The first reaction was subdued: everyone sat still and scanned the crowd with their eyes, as if to gauge by other migrants’ reaction whether this was good news or bad news. Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2018/06/12/actualidad/1528827269_774477.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41684&lan=EN The euro may be approaching another crisis. Italy, the eurozone’s third largest economy, has chosen what can at best be described as a Euroskeptic government. This should surprise no one. The backlash in Italy is another predictable (and predicted) episode in the long saga of a poorly designed currency arrangement, in which the dominant power, Germany, impedes the necessary reforms and insists on policies that exacerbate the inherent problems, using rhetoric seemingly intended to inflame passions. Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41684&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41681&lan=EN A June 2018 UNICEF report found that up to 3.7 million children in Afghanistan �" nearly half the children in the country �" are out of school, and 60 percent of those are girls. In six of the country’s 34 provinces �" Helmand, Kandahar, Paktika, Uruzgan, Wardak and Zabul �" 15 percent or less of girls are in school. For the first time since 2002, UNICEF found, the number of Afghan children studying is falling. Tue, 12 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41681&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41680&lan=EN Any good leader knows that scientific discovery and innovation fuels progress, facilitates development, and can help tackle issues like food insecurity, water shortages, and climate change. And yet most African governments are failing to fund research and development adequately in their countries. In late March, Africa’s leading scientists, innovators, and policymakers met in Kigali, Rwanda, to brainstorm solutions to an increasingly pressing problem: the low quality of science on the continent. Tue, 12 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41680&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41671&lan=EN Armed separatists in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions have stabbed to death and shot military personnel, burned down schools and attacked teachers, while security forces have tortured people, fired on crowds and destroyed villages, in a spiral of violence that keeps getting more deadly, Amnesty International said today. In a new report on Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis, ‘A turn for the worse: Violence and human rights violations in Anglophone Cameroon’, which is based on in-depth interviews with over 150 victims and eye-witnesses, and material evidence including satellite images, the organization documents how general population is paying the highest price as violence escalates in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon. Mon, 11 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41671&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41664&lan=EN Roseanne Barr is an American comedian whose fictional TV character of the same name is a working-class Trump supporter. For those who remember the show �oeAll in the Family,” she might be usefully compared to Archie Bunker, the crude proletarian patriarch from Queens, New York. Barr’s show was swiftly canceled late last month by the television network ABC, not for anything her �oecharacter” said in her show, but for a tweet in which she described Valerie Jarrett, an African-American former adviser to Barack Obama, as the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and �oePlanet of the Apes.” Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41664&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41660&lan=EN Mozambique and the world received the news that Afonso Dhlakama, one of Mozambique’s most influential politicians, has died. The former guerrilla fighter and leader of Mozambique's National Resistance (known by its Portuguese acronym Renamo), the largest opposition party, died from ill health complications at one of the most crucial points of the country’s history �" peace negotiations. For over 40 years, Dhlakama led Renamo, a militant organization founded in 1977 and supported by anti-communist, white-minority rule governments of neighboring Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa, which fought in a civil war that devastated Mozambique for 16 years. In 1992, most of the group disarmed and became a political party, but so far it has never managed to win a parliamentary majority in the Assembly of the Republic or beat the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) for the post of president. Mon, 11 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41660&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41657&lan=EN Some of the 800 residents of the peaceful Alsatian commune of Thal-Marmoutier, moved by their ordeal, gather to welcome them and help them take their first steps towards a new life. For the next four months the 56 women, men and children will be hosted by Franciscan nuns in their convent as a French non-profit organization, France Horizon, helps them put down roots. Twenty-five �" from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan �" had been stranded and detained in Libya, and were evacuated to Niger by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Fri, 27 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41657&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/locations-courte-dur-e-5121987 The short-term property-rental platforms have seen the potential for influence over those EU bodies which are supposed to regulate them, and are now putting resources into it. "This is a mistake that needs sanctioning by European law." Such was the reaction of the Union nationale pour la promotion de location de vacances (UNPLV), the industry body representing short-term rental platforms like Airbnb, HomeAway and TripAdvisor, after presentation of France's Elan housing law in April, which increases the responsibility of digital tourism companies. Fri, 18 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/locations-courte-dur-e-5121987 http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jun/06/australia-remains-preferred-destination-for-millionaire-migrants Australia is the millionaires’ migration destination of choice for the third year running, according to a new report, with wealthy individuals lured by the country’s proximity to Asia, relative safety and no inheritance taxes. About 10,000 high-net-worth individuals, with a personal wealth of US$1m or more, migrated to Australia in 2017 �" mostly from China, India and the UK. Melbourne and Sydney were among the top 10 cities around the world to have a net immigration of millionaires, as was Auckland in New Zealand. Sydney is one of the wealthiest cities worldwide. Wed, 06 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jun/06/australia-remains-preferred-destination-for-millionaire-migrants http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41646&lan=EN Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán produced a video message on Saturday (2 June) supporting the efforts of Macedonia’s main opposition party to block a solution to the long-standing name dispute with Greece. He praised its refusal to bend �oeunder pressure from foreign powers”. Thousands of supporters rallied in favour of Macedonia’s nationalist opposition VMRO-DPMNE party (European People’s Party-EPP) in Skopje on Saturday and against the ongoing talks between their government and Athens to find a solution to the name dispute that blocks the country’s entry to NATO and hopes of joining the EU. Mon, 04 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41646&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41645&lan=EN Strikes have taken place at McDonald’s and TGI Friday’s restaurants across the UK in recent months. These strikes are the first of their kind in the UK, instigated by a new generation of trade union members fighting for better pay and fairer working conditions. At the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD for short), we’ve been following these strikes on social media and at the picket lines, to discover what’s driving this fledgling movement, and how it differs to those that went before. Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41645&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41642&lan=EN With concerns about Italy's public debt growing, Italian populists have taken a page from US President Donald Trump's playbook and threatened to blow up the eurozone if they don't get their way. The European Union must resist the temptation to engage in a dangerous game of chicken. (...) Yet even without prescriptive theories, feigning �oefrenzy” or madness can also be a plausible, powerful, and rather contagious negotiating strategy. In the early 1970s, US President Richard Nixon adopted the tactic to convince the North Vietnamese that he had his finger on the �oenuclear button,” and that they had better negotiate a deal to end the war �" or else. Wed, 30 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41642&lan=EN http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2018/06/01/lestonie-sapprete-a-rendre-les-transports-en-commun-gratuits-dans-tout-le-pays_a_23449113/ If you like getting things for free, be prepared to feel envious. Starting July 1, Estonia will allow citizens to get from one end of the northern European country to the other without ever reaching into their wallets. The move to free public transportation builds on an ambitious scheme already in place in the capital, Tallinn, where public transit on the city’s buses, trams, trolley buses and trains was made fare-free for city residents back in 2013. Now, the government is rolling out free bus travel across the country. Thu, 31 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2018/06/01/lestonie-sapprete-a-rendre-les-transports-en-commun-gratuits-dans-tout-le-pays_a_23449113/ http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/may/28/thousands-enslaved-in-forced-marriages-across-uk-investigation-finds More than 3,500 reports of forced marriage were made to police over a three-year period, a Guardian investigation has found, as charities warned that there were thousands more victims living in conditions of modern slavery in homes across the UK. Data shared exclusively with the Guardian revealed 3,546 reports between 2014 and 2016. But experts warn that the figures, collected by the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation under the Freedom of Information Act, are just the tip of the iceberg. Mon, 28 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/may/28/thousands-enslaved-in-forced-marriages-across-uk-investigation-finds http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/may/28/brilliance-overtakes-beauty-ms-geek-africa-spotlights-tech-genius-salissou-hassane-latifa After years of women in evening gowns vying for the title of national beauty queen, glamour is giving way to geekery in Rwanda. A group of female tech entrepreneurs decided it was time to ditch Miss Rwanda for a different kind of competition, one that judged women on brilliance rather than beauty. It was time for Ms Geek. The first Ms Geek Rwanda was crowned in 2014, and the competition has since expanded to include other African countries under the unifying banner of Ms Geek Africa. The event, open to girls and women aged 13 to 25, encourages contestants to use technology to solve everyday problems in their communities. The finalists receive business training and the winner is awarded financial backing to help realise her idea. Mon, 28 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/may/28/brilliance-overtakes-beauty-ms-geek-africa-spotlights-tech-genius-salissou-hassane-latifa http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41624&lan=EN Find more statistics at Statista Tue, 29 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41624&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41620&lan=EN You think life is bad for Muslims in Trump’s America? Spare a thought for the Muslims of France. Over the past few years, they have been collectively blamed, and punished, for a series of horrific terror attacks carried out in France by so-called jihadists. The latest, a knife attack in Paris by a man shouting �oeAllahu akbar,” killed one person and injured four others last weekend. Wed, 16 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41620&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41619&lan=EN The Australian government is attempting to walk away from the human rights crisis it has created for refugees and asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) by winding back critical healthcare services, despite the ongoing plight of the people trapped in its offshore detention centres, Amnesty International said today. Over the past six months the Australian government has terminated trauma and counselling services for refugees and asylum seekers in PNG, and moved refugees to new detention centres where they have reduced access to healthcare. Fri, 18 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41619&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41618&lan=EN Migration control is now �oehigh politics” in Europe and a priority for the EU. For example, on May 2, 2018, the European Commission proposed that the budget for the management of external borders, migration and asylum �" set at 13 billion euros for the period 2014-2020 �" be raised to 34.9 billion euros. The main goal is to stem migration flows by displacing the border as far as possible from EU territory. In this context, it may be worthwhile to analyse the initiatives of the new French president, Emmanuel Macron, who has vowed to weigh on EU decisions. What solutions does he propose and how can we assess them? Tue, 22 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41618&lan=EN http://elpais.com/elpais/2018/05/21/inenglish/1526921032_857532.html The Catalan issue has shattered the essential agreement of our democracy: territorial unity based on decentralization and self-government. It has also created enormous doubts about the quality of our political model. More than once I have heard the assertion that the wave of anti-establishment sentiment that has affected many countries over the last decade, expressing itself through various forms of populism, nationalism, xenophobia and other radical assaults against the established order, had not affected Spain substantially, or at least not sufficiently to shake the structures of power in any significant way. Sun, 20 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://elpais.com/elpais/2018/05/21/inenglish/1526921032_857532.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41612&lan=EN Connectivity across the Western Balkans will top the agenda of the EU-Western Balkans summit held this week in Sofia under the auspices of the Bulgarian presidency. To be sure, this is exactly what is missing when it comes to planning electricity production and transmission in the region. While most of the electricity systems are physically well-connected, according to research commissioned by the European Commission "the regional long-term transmission network development planning is practically the sum of individual national long-term network development plans, with minor coordination for cross-border transmission lines." Thu, 17 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41612&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41607&lan=EN The FIFA World Cup starting on June 14, 2018, will take place during the worst human rights crisis in Russia since the Soviet era, Human Rights Watch said today. FIFA should use its leverage with the Russian authorities to address labor rights abuses, restrictions on fundamental freedoms, and an ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders. Tue, 15 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41607&lan=EN http://www.atimes.com/article/war-is-peace-in-myanmar/ It is becoming obvious government's peace process is really cover to sustain conflict and sow divisions among ethnic armed groups. As Myanmar security officials surrounded peaceful anti-war protestors in Yangon on May 12, dispersing a small gathering and arresting eight, the clampdown demonstrated more than just the persistence of the nation’s police state mentality. The activists took to the streets to protest the wars raging across the country, especially in the northern Kachin state where thousands of displaced civilians are trapped between government air strikes and heavy artillery and the rebel Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Thu, 17 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.atimes.com/article/war-is-peace-in-myanmar/ http://www.theglobalist.com/italy-elections-eurozone-ecb-economy/ France and Germany will be very flexible in their response to Italian demands, irrespective of the official rhetoric from Berlin and Paris. Politicians and financial markets remained surprisingly relaxed after the recent Italian election. Their expectation was that the newly elected parties would act like all Italian parties before and forget about the promises they had made before the election. Tue, 22 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theglobalist.com/italy-elections-eurozone-ecb-economy/ http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/protection-des-donn-es-personnelles-5121943 For the researcher Olivier Ertzscheid, author of the New Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace, the forthcoming European General Data Protection Regulation is an important step forward for internet users. VoxEurop: Does the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which enters into force on 25 May, represent progress in returning autonomy to internet users or is it just another restriction on use of the internet by platforms and users? Fri, 20 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/protection-des-donn-es-personnelles-5121943 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41594&lan=EN Czech firms in the southwest are facing labour shortages as residents living close to the border are increasingly commuting to Germany for work. The main incentives are salaries, three times higher than the Czech average, and child benefits, the so-called kindergeld. Czech companies, though deeply dissatisfied with this, simply cannot compete with the conditions provided by German employers, which extend as far as the retirement of the departing workers. Tue, 15 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41594&lan=EN http://cafebabel.com/fr/article/en-roumanie-des-citoyens-funky-contre-les-derives-du-gouvernement-5b05453af723b325c3728951/ Despite warnings from the EU, the government seems to do exactly as it pleases. �oeThere is a side that thinks: 'Who are they to tell me what I must do in my own country?' in Poland and Hungary,” Elena explains. If Romanians are mainly pro-Europeans, then disenchantment with European values is making its way into society. �oeThe European dream was not well managed in this country. People had high hopes, but no one told them that it would take decades before western European standards could be achieved,” she says. The president of Funky Citizens meets regularly with members from Polish and Hungarian associations, and their meetings are increasingly becoming 'group therapies'. �oeThese three countries have proved that they had very pro-European civic societies, but unfortunately, European institutions communicate only with governments. We feel a bit neglected.” Thu, 17 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://cafebabel.com/fr/article/en-roumanie-des-citoyens-funky-contre-les-derives-du-gouvernement-5b05453af723b325c3728951/ http://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-jerusalem-embassy.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news Across the Gaza Strip on Monday morning, loudspeakers on minarets urged Palestinians to rush the fence bordering Israel, where they were met by army snipers. At least 60 were killed and thousands injured, local officials said �" the worst day of carnage there since Israel invaded Gaza in 2014. Hours later, a beaming Ivanka Trump helped unveil a stone marker etched with her father’s name on the new American Embassy in Jerusalem, keeping his campaign promise to officially acknowledge Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Mon, 14 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-jerusalem-embassy.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/15/venezuela-brazil-hunger-highway Venezuela holds elections on Sunday but 5,000 people a day are leaving �" many trekking a 215km route through the Amazon. Daniel Guerra hit the Hunger Highway at dawn hoping to steal a march on the punishing heat of Brazil’s northern savannah and consign 21st-century socialism to his past. �oeNecessity forced me to come,” explained the 24-year-old Venezuelan as he trudged along the BR-174, a 215km (134-mile) ribbon of asphalt that cuts south across the Brazilian Amazon and is the main entry point for tens of thousands of Venezuelan migrants fleeing economic meltdown back home. Tue, 15 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/15/venezuela-brazil-hunger-highway http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41573&lan=EN Saudi Arabia is detaining thousands of people for more than six months, in some cases for over a decade, without referring them to courts for criminal proceedings. Saudi Arabia’s attorney general should promptly charge or release all criminal defendants and stop holding people arbitrarily. Sun, 06 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41573&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41570&lan=EN There is something surreal about the photo-op of a smiling Rohingya refugee family heading back to conflict-torn Myanmar. In a similar case of mixed signals, Myanmar’s social welfare minister Win Myat Aye’s visit in April to the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh spoke a language of resettlement but its message was a deeply unsettling one. He announced that his country would take back only those Rohingya refugees who could furnish a proof of residency in Myanmar. In the complex game of political signals all nations play, this was as clear a warning shot as any, of trouble ahead. But one wonders how many in the Indian policy establishment heard it at all, given its increasing tone-deafness to both nuance and subtext. Mon, 30 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41570&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41569&lan=EN The town of Banff on the northeastern coast of Scotland is a peaceful place, with just 4,000 residents and a picturesque bay that flows into the open sea. Fifty miles from the nearest big city, the air is fresh and the pace of life is slow. But for one young man, the town’s seaside location offered no contentment. He was stockpiling weapons and planning an act of terrorism. Connor Ward lived in a gray, semi-detached apartment building a short walk from Banff’s marina, where dozens of small boats are docked and fishermen depart each day on a hunt for mackerel or sea trout. Inside his home, 25-year-old Ward was plugged into a different kind of world. He was reading neo-Nazi propaganda on the internet about an imminent race war. Thu, 03 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41569&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41568&lan=EN When peace shows its face, and weapons companies’ stocks plummet, we have to do more than just cheer. We have to avoid misunderstanding where peace comes from. We have to recognize the forces that want to destroy it. We have to work to make it last and expand. There’s something very twisted about the belief that the primary cause of tension between the United States and North Korea is what has reduced tension there. On a personal scale I think we could grasp this. If you yell insults and threats across the street at someone and they return the favor, and this carries on until a third party intervenes and proposes resolving the conflict, you can’t then proclaim that the person you were yelling at finally gave in and shut up because you yelled loudly enough. Mon, 30 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41568&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/lebanons-rubbish-crisis-and-youth-protests-if-not-us-then-who?nopaging=1 Something remarkable has begun in Beirut. Massive government mismanagement and the attendant rubbish crisis two years ago inspired and galvanised Lebanese youth to demand more of their government and to hold their leaders accountable. It all began with the closure of the Naameh landfill, which was over-capacity. Kareem Chehayeb recalls the protests. Although politicians knew for years that the Naameh landfill was to eventually be closed, they were never able to come up with a sustainable, long-term waste management plan for Lebanonʹs capital. And with Naameh closed and no place else to put Beirutʹs trash, the corporation that handles Beirutʹs trash ceased collection. Within 24 hours, sidewalks were blocked and within days, cars couldnʹt drive through some streets because they were choked with rubbish. Had the government taken action? Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/lebanons-rubbish-crisis-and-youth-protests-if-not-us-then-who?nopaging=1 http://time.com/5266707/nasa-robot-geologist-insight-mars/ A robotic geologist armed with a hammer and quake monitor rocketed toward Mars on Saturday, aiming to land on the red planet and explore its mysterious insides. In a twist, NASA launched the Mars InSight lander from California rather than Florida’s Cape Canaveral. It was the first interplanetary mission ever to depart from the West Coast, drawing pre-dawn crowds to Vandenberg Air Force Base and rocket watchers down the California coast into Baja. Sat, 05 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://time.com/5266707/nasa-robot-geologist-insight-mars/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41561&lan=EN New evidence gathered in Myanmar and China by the UK-based conservation charity Elephant Family, has revealed an alarming escalation in the illegal trade in Asian elephant skin. The new report - ‘Skinned �" The Growing Appetite for Asian Elephants’ - exposes the rise in poaching to feed a developing form of transnational wildlife crime, and those who are trading, promoting and profiting from elephant skin products. Following the trade chain from the forests of Myanmar into China, the report highlights worrying evidence indicating that skin products are being licensed for pharmaceutical use. Tue, 24 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41561&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/06/photographs-ancient-tibetan-murals-revealed They are some of the greatest treasures of Tibetan Buddhist culture: ancient murals showing the life of the Buddha and the secrets of meditation. Many are hidden in remote monasteries or temples whose walls are crumbling, but a remarkable project has recorded the paintings before they disappear for ever. The American photographer and writer Thomas Laird spent a decade living among yak herders, farmers and monks while travelling across the Tibetan plateau in search of masterpieces that few have been able to see, let alone photograph. Sun, 06 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/06/photographs-ancient-tibetan-murals-revealed http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/asias-first-floating-rubbish-bin-placed-at-republic-of-singapore-yacht-club A floating rubbish bin that can collect the ocean's trash is now bobbing in the waters of Singapore. Wartsila Corporation, a Global Pilot Partner of the Seabin Project since 2017, is now donating Seabins to different marinas around the world. Asia's first Seabin was installed at the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club on Tuesday (April 10). The Seabin is now in about 15 countries all over the world, including Finland and the US. The first Seabin was installed in October 2017 in England. Tue, 10 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/asias-first-floating-rubbish-bin-placed-at-republic-of-singapore-yacht-club http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41544&lan=EN The popular image of humanitarian aid in public consciousness is of trucks loaded with essential foods being handed out to refugees. But increasingly, humanitarian organisations have been turning away from transporting bags of commodities to crisis areas, and are instead focusing on giving refugees the means to buy their own food. The UK-based Overseas Development Institute estimates that cash and vouchers now account for around 6% of total humanitarian spending, up from less than 1% in 2004. That is still a small amount but the United Nations World Food Program says cash now accounts for just over a quarter of its assistance. Mon, 30 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41544&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41542&lan=EN The Nicaraguan government appears to have engaged in serious abuses against protesters and arbitrarily shut down media outlets covering the recent protests, Human Rights Watch said today. Organization of American States (OAS) member countries should urge President Daniel Ortega’s government to allow the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), the main rights body in the Americas, to visit the country and investigate the allegations of abuse. Fri, 27 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41542&lan=EN http://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/opinion/a-smorgasbord-of-solutions-for-global-warming.html Thinking about Earth Day, I did a Google search for �oeglobal warming solutions.” Up popped a slew of �oewhat you can do” lists from leading scientific and environmental organizations. When I dug in, however, I found the suggestions rather general �" �oereduce emissions,” �oestop deforestation,” �oeconsume less,” �oebe efficient,” �oeeat smart.” The lists were also mainly about what we ought to do, rather than about what people are doing, where we are seeing progress and how we might build on those opportunities. I wondered: How do we translate these imperatives into action for people in different fields and positions? Sat, 28 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/opinion/a-smorgasbord-of-solutions-for-global-warming.html http://time.com/5247858/impossible-foods-meat-plant-based-agriculture/ On an otherwise unadorned table at an event space overlooking Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, glass bowls displayed the constituent parts of the Impossible Burger. One contained a B-vitamin-laced potato protein paste, another wheat protein, a third a globule of coconut oil. In a fourth, shimmering crimson under the ceiling lights, was the secret sauce: heme (or haem), a component of many proteins, including hemoglobin �" the pigment that gives blood its color. It’s also found in the roots of the soybean plant, which is where Impossible Foods extracts it from. Mon, 23 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://time.com/5247858/impossible-foods-meat-plant-based-agriculture/ http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/what-windrush-scandal-how-windrush-12383743 When the ship the Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury in 1948 it sparked an influx of migrants from the Caribbean and now the Government is facing an outcry over fears some of them may have been deported "in error". The eruption of the Windrush scandal, as it has become known, has sparked a fierce national debate over immigration and the status of those who arrived from the Caribbean before 1973. Tue, 01 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/what-windrush-scandal-how-windrush-12383743 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41534&lan=EN Regional rankInfogram Wed, 25 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41534&lan=EN http://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/earth-day-2018-7-things-you-are-doing-every-day-that-kills-the-planet-html-1217555-2018-04-22 Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22 all over the world as the largest secular world event which brings to attention the state of the planet and highlights the role of humans in making it so sick. Many other communities celebrate Earth Week instead of a single day. The day aims to encourage people across the world to be more environment-friendly. First celebrated on April 22, 1970, the day became a global event 20 years later after much effort by environmentalists and awoke citizens Sun, 22 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/earth-day-2018-7-things-you-are-doing-every-day-that-kills-the-planet-html-1217555-2018-04-22 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41526&lan=EN In 2004, then-senator Barack Obama wowed the country with an address at the Democratic National Convention designed to unite the country and tear down partisan divides. �oeNow even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes,” he said. �oeWell, I say to them tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America; there’s the United States of America.” Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41526&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41520&lan=EN The Micronesian Republic of the Marshall Islands is set to become the first country to base their national currency on a cryptocurrency. The Israeli company Neema will provide the technology and support to launch an initial coin offering (ICO) that is expected to raise $30 million, half of which Neema will keep.The Marshall Islands’ parliament passed the law that will create the cryptocurrency, known as the sovereign (SOV) earlier this month, giving it full legal status as a currency to be used alongside the US dollar. Unlike bitcoin, all 24 million of the sovereign coins will be issued at once with 6 million being sold to foreign investors and 2.4 million going to Marshallese residents. Thu, 05 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41520&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41519&lan=EN The trade skirmish between the United States and China on steel, aluminum, and other goods is a product of US President Donald Trump’s scorn for multilateral trade arrangements and the World Trade Organization, an institution that was created to adjudicate trade disputes. Before announcing import tariffs on more than 1,300 types of Chinese-made goods worth around $60 billion per year, in early March Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum, which he justified on the basis of national security. Trump insists that a tariff on a small fraction of imported steel �" the price of which is set globally �" will suffice to address a genuine strategic threat. Thu, 05 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41519&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/apr/22/kendrick-lamar-wins-pulitzer-prize-damn-album The first Pulitzer prize for music went, in 1943, to William Schuman’s Secular Cantata No 2. It took 54 years before the judges recognised music beyond the European classical tradition, making Wynton Marsalis’s Blood on the Fields the first jazz winner. There have only been two jazz winners since then (Ornette Coleman in 2007 and Henry Threadgill in 2016) and, until this year, nothing from the world of popular song. The prize has long been criticised as stuffy and irrelevant, with even 2003 winner John Adams saying it has �oelost much of the prestige it still carries in other fields like literature and journalism”. Sun, 22 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/apr/22/kendrick-lamar-wins-pulitzer-prize-damn-album http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12036138 Australia's most crucial trade relationship is under threat �" and the impact could take a serious toll on the country's industries. Chinese ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye has criticised the state of Canberra and Beijing's relationship, warning that Australia needs to do more to "increase mutual trust". "If there is a growing lack of mutual trust, in the long run, it may have some undesirable impact (on trade relations with China)," he told The Australian today. Fri, 20 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12036138 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41501&lan=EN Children and adults who work on Zimbabwe’s tobacco farms are facing serious risks to their health as well as labor abuses, (...). Child labor and other human rights abuses on tobacco farms in Zimbabwe tarnish the tobacco industry’s contributions to the country’s economic growth and improved livelihoods. The 105-page report, �oeA Bitter Harvest: Child Labor and Human Rights Abuses on Tobacco Farms in Zimbabwe,” documents how children work in hazardous conditions, performing tasks that threaten their health and safety or interfere with their education. Child workers are exposed to nicotine and toxic pesticides, and many suffer symptoms consistent with nicotine poisoning from handling tobacco leaves. Adults working on tobacco farms in Zimbabwe also face serious health risks and labor abuses. Thu, 05 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41501&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/la-slovaquie-apr-s-lassassinat-de-j-n-kuciak-5121907 The killing of Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová set off a wave of protests throughout the country. Having already forced the resignation of a long-term Slovak Prime Minister there’s no telling how far they could go from here, says researcher Milan Nič. At the end of February, the murder of Slovak investigative reporter Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová shocked the country. Within days it sparked mass street anti-corruption protests that toppled populist Prime Minister Robert Fico and pushed his center-left ruling coalition to the verge of collapse. For now, it seems that a snap election has been avoided�"but the implications carry a powerful message beyond this small Central European nation. Mon, 26 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/la-slovaquie-apr-s-lassassinat-de-j-n-kuciak-5121907 http://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/the-big-love-fuelling-track-star-caster-semenya-20180406-p4z82w.html In South Africa there is a word they use to describe what connects people who might otherwise be separated through their differences. Ubuntu. "I am what I am because of who we all are," according to Nobel Peace Prize winner and Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee. Caster Semenya calls it "humanity", the love of her country. It may well have saved her through almost a decade of being treated as a suspicious curiosity in world athletics. "My country have given me love, courage, respect, recognition and appreciated me for who I am," Semenya told Fairfax Media. "That’s for free, we call it humanity (Ubuntu). I couldn't have asked for more." Fri, 06 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/the-big-love-fuelling-track-star-caster-semenya-20180406-p4z82w.html http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/r-seaux-sociaux-5121934 Facebook has been intensifying its lobbying efforts within European institutions since 2013. Facebook is a regular subject of controversies connected to the use of data shared by its users �" in 2013, for example, after the revelations of Edward Snowden, or more recently with the Cambridge Analytica affair. As a consequence, the company has been trying its best to polish its image and reassure both the public and institutions. To this end, it has formed a network to amplify its influence in Washington as well as in Brussels. Thu, 12 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/r-seaux-sociaux-5121934 http://en.qantara.de/content/gazas-cultural-heritage-the-palestinians-vanishing-legacy As well as giving the nod to the reckless redevelopment of ancient historical sites, Hamas and its de-facto government have also been fingered in the disappearance of countless archaeological finds. Gazan activists, archaeologists and historians are now fighting to protect what remains of their Palestinian heritage. On a summerʹs day, when I started secondary school in Gaza, my father told me a story. The story goes, when Israel occupied Egyptian Sinai, they brought a huge drill with hundreds of stones that had ancient Hebrew calligraphy on them. They dag and buried them secretly in the desert. "They did that so the next generations will find them and say that this land belongs to Israel," he explained. Thu, 05 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/gazas-cultural-heritage-the-palestinians-vanishing-legacy http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/04/martin-luther-king-how-a-rebel-leader-was-lost-to-history On 15 January 1998, what would have been Martin Luther King’s 69th birthday, James Farmer was awarded the presidential medal of freedom in the White House’s East Room. �oeHe has never sought the limelight,” said the then president, Bill Clinton. �oeAnd until today, I frankly think he’s never got the credit he deserves. His long overdue recognition has come to pass.” Farmer, who ran the Congress of Racial Equality and led the Freedom Rides through the segregated south in 1961, was by that time blind, diabetic and a double amputee. He died the following year. When I spoke to him a few months after the ceremony, he said it was the best day of his life. �oeIt was just like the old days. But this time, I felt like I was finally being vindicated; that the years of invisibility were over.” Wed, 04 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/04/martin-luther-king-how-a-rebel-leader-was-lost-to-history http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/28/magazine/cambodia-persecuted-minority-water-refuge.html The best handyman living among the boat people in Chong Koh was named Taing Hoarith. Most days, Hoarith woke up at 5 a.m. and bought a bowl of noodle soup from a passing sampan, the same genre of wandering bodega from which his wife, Vo Thi Vioh, sold vegetables houseboat to houseboat. When she left for the day, around 6, Hoarith rolled up their floor mat and got to work. Chong Koh is one of hundreds of floating villages, comprising tens of thousands of families, on the Tonle Sap River and the lake of the same name in Cambodia. Dangers on a floating village multiply in the rainy season. When I first visited, in late July, there was always something for Hoarith to do: repairing storm damage in a wall of thatched palm, clearing the water hyacinths that collected along the upstream porch. Sometimes the house had to be towed closer to the receding shoreline so that storms or the waves of passing ships would not capsize it. Every few months, he got his ancient air compressor working and swam beneath the house, a rubber hose between his teeth, to refill the cement jars that kept the whole thing buoyant. He was mindful of pythons. Wed, 28 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/28/magazine/cambodia-persecuted-minority-water-refuge.html http://en.qantara.de/content/non-fiction-dunya-mikhails-the-beekeeper-rescuing-the-stolen-women In a harrowing compilation of true stories charting the fate of women abducted by IS in Iraq, Dunya Mikhail shows how the best of human qualities can persist even in the worst of times. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the book. The provocative title of Dunya Mikhailʹs most recent book �" her first work of nonfiction �" is markedly different in translation. In Arabic, the book is called Fi Souq al-Sabaya, or In the Sabaya Market. At one point, Mikhail and her co-translator Max Weiss tell us the word sabaya means "sex slave", although that isnʹt quite right. More often, they leave it as "sabaya". In the U.S. edition, published in March, the bookʹs title has become The Beekeeper: Rescuing the Stolen Women of Iraq. When it is published in the UK in August, the title will be The Beekeeper of Sinjar. Both English titles foreground neither the women nor the slave market, but small-town Iraqi beekeeper Abdullah Shrem. Fri, 13 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/non-fiction-dunya-mikhails-the-beekeeper-rescuing-the-stolen-women http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/apr/09/the-struggle-for-melbourne-has-the-worlds-most-liveable-city-lost-its-way In Melbourne’s Federation Square, people are sitting on the steps, eating lunch among the pigeons under a sky that threatens drizzle. The cascading crazy paving and interlocking sandstone facades supposedly, in the architects’ vision at least, represent the desert heart of Australia. Across the road, a banner hangs from the walls of St Paul’s Cathedral: �oeLet’s fully welcome refugees.” Melissa, an academic, walks out of the Koorie Heritage Trust, housed in the Yarra building on the square’s south side. It is due to be demolished to make room for a �oeflagship” Apple store, under plans announced by the state government a few months ago out of the blue and without public consultation. The proposal for the jarring two-storey pagoda, dubbed �oethe Pizza Hut” by critics, was met with a fury that is hard to over-estimate. Petitions were started. Public debates were held. Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/apr/09/the-struggle-for-melbourne-has-the-worlds-most-liveable-city-lost-its-way http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41480&lan=EN Drought in the Horn of Africa has been widespread, causing food insecurity that has triggered a regional humanitarian crisis, particularly among livestock-owning communities. FAO’s Abdal Monium Osman, Senior Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer, and Cyril Ferrand, Resilience Team Leader for East Africa explain what FAO is doing to help improve the resilience of pastoral livelihoods. Tue, 10 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41480&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41477&lan=EN The conflict that escalated in March 2015 in Yemen has left more than 22 million people - 75 per cent of the population - in need of humanitarian aid, the greatest number in any country in the world. More than 60 per cent of the population (17.8 million people) are without enough to eat. Over 8.4 million of these people are one step away from famine. About 16 million Yemenis do not have access to safe water sources, with rural areas most affected. Thu, 05 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41477&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/hedwig-klein-and-mein-kampf-the-unknown-arabist During the Nazi period, Hedwig Klein worked on a dictionary intended to help with the translation of Hitler's diatribe "Mein Kampf" into Arabic. But it didn't help the Arabist: she was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942. The dictionary, however, remains a bestseller �" with no mention of Klein’s fate. By Stefan Buchen. "Allah will help me." Hedwig Klein, a 27-year-old native of Hamburg, is feeling confident. She is an Islamic studies scholar who had been planning to make a career for herself at Hamburg University. But there is an insurmountable obstacle in her way: Hedwig Klein is Jewish. On board the steamer Rauenfels, she writes a postcard to the man in Hamburg who helped her escape, Carl August Rathjens. Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/hedwig-klein-and-mein-kampf-the-unknown-arabist http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41475&lan=EN Perched on gently rolling hills, San Lorenzo village in southern Mexico has been home to some 50 refugee families who fled Guatemala’s civil war. The Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees (COMAR) estimates that over 45,000 people fled to Mexico in the ‘80s, mainly from villages and cantons of Guatemala’s Huehuetenango and Quetzaltenango regions. Thu, 05 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41475&lan=EN http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/babies/afghan-mum-cradling-baby-during-university-exam-goes-viral/news-story/ef779c70d2de8b5c343b95b0ee089414 SITTING on the ground, a young woman focuses on completing her university entrance exam, which she hopes will help her fulfil her dreams. But this is an image with a difference �" as the young woman works on her paper, she is cradling her sick child in her lap. The powerful photo, taken by a professor at Nasir Khusraw private university in central Afghanistan, has gone viral after striking a chord in a country where most women are illiterate and treated as second-class citizens. Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/babies/afghan-mum-cradling-baby-during-university-exam-goes-viral/news-story/ef779c70d2de8b5c343b95b0ee089414 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/31/weary-angry-gazans-bury-dead-after-deadly-border-conflict The Gaza Strip is reeling from the bloodiest episode in years after Israeli forces killed more than a dozen people during demonstrations near the frontier. Gazans had gathered as part of a �oeGreat March of Return” protest demanding refugees and their descendants be allowed to return to their ancestral homes in Israel. Sat, 31 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/31/weary-angry-gazans-bury-dead-after-deadly-border-conflict http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41469&lan=EN A woman’s battle and eventual triumph after returning to her country. On the outskirts of Aweil town, some 876 km north-west of South Sudan’s restive capital, Juba, nestled in the hinterland is the small village of Kuom. The place resembles an island of peace, allowing development partners to support longer-term work to improve communities’ self-sufficiency and food security in areas not directly affected by the conflict. This is the story of how a widowed returnee received help from a UK-aid funded project, allowing her to take the first steps out of the hunger trap. Sun, 11 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41469&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41468&lan=EN Warm food at school can keep children nourished, educated and in the classroom until they are ready to graduate. Thursday 15 March is International School Meals Day, which aims to raise awareness of good nutrition for all children regardless of their circumstances. School meals are an integral part of the World Food Programme (WFP)’s work�" a daily school meal can mean not only better nutrition and health, but also increased access to and achievement in education. Here we take a look at their impact in Nepal, and the further benefits they might provide. In Far Western Nepal, boys and girls have very different childhoods. Boys eat first, are given more food than their sisters, do less housework and marry later. For girls, marriage and not school work can dominate their childhoods. Nepal is home to the third highest levels of child marriage in Asia. Thirty seven percent of girls marry before the age of 18, and 10 percent marry before they are 15. The legal age for marriage in Nepal is 20. Tue, 06 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41468&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41464&lan=EN From China to Syria, Kenya to Egypt, girls and women are rising up and risking their lives to stand up for what they believe in. Activists, lawyers, sisters and students, these women have put their lives on the line, fought for lost loved ones and stood up for strangers. Now it’s their time to shine. Meet the inspiring women defending human rights around the world… Thu, 08 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41464&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41463&lan=EN A groundbreaking research project by Amnesty International has exposed evidence of serious negligence by oil giants Shell and Eni, whose irresponsible approach to oil spills in the Niger Delta is exacerbating an environmental crisis. Through the Decoders network, an innovative platform developed by Amnesty International to crowdsource human rights research, the organization enlisted thousands of supporters and activists to collect data about oil spills in the Niger Delta. Their findings were then analyzed by Amnesty International’s researchers and verified by Accufacts, an independent pipelines expert. Fri, 16 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41463&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41459&lan=EN 124 million people in 51 countries experienced high levels of food insecurity, warns a new report. A new report out today sounds the alarm regarding surging levels of acute hunger. Some 124 million people in 51 countries were affected by acute food insecurity during 2017 �" 11 million more people than the year before �" according to the latest edition of the Global Report on Food Crises. The report defines acute food insecurity as hunger so severe that it poses an immediate threat to lives or livelihoods. Thu, 22 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41459&lan=EN http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-03-23/great-pacific-garbage-patch-much-bigger-than-thought-study/9571234 New findings show that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a rotating soup of plastic in the north Pacific Ocean, contains up to 16 times more waste than previous surveys were able to detect. A team of scientists has conducted what they say is the most comprehensive study to date of the patch's size and the debris floating in it. Using a combination of drag netting and visual surveys from boats and an aeroplane, they estimated the patch is 1.6 million square kilometres in area �" almost the same size as Queensland. Packed into this area is more than 78,000 tonnes of plastic, the researchers report in the journal Scientific Reports. Fri, 23 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-03-23/great-pacific-garbage-patch-much-bigger-than-thought-study/9571234 http://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-egyptian-novelist-ahmed-naji-when-writing-becomes-a-crime Sat, 24 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-egyptian-novelist-ahmed-naji-when-writing-becomes-a-crime http://www.economist.com/news/international/21737498-so-far-it-seems-less-bad-other-kinds-pollution-about-which-less-fuss-made On current trends, by 2050 there could be more plastic in the world’s waters than fish, measured by weight. Such numbers frighten people and change their behaviour. Sat, 03 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.economist.com/news/international/21737498-so-far-it-seems-less-bad-other-kinds-pollution-about-which-less-fuss-made http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2018/mar/24/march-for-our-lives-protest-gun-violence-washington Sat, 24 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2018/mar/24/march-for-our-lives-protest-gun-violence-washington http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41450&lan=EN What does it feel like to go hungry for days? To be unable to provide your ailing children with food and medicine? To wash your food with dirty contaminated water? What does it feel like to go sleepless for long nights under bombing and shelling, terrified for your family’s lives and yours? To watch your house burn down and your beloved town disappear under never-ending piles of rubble? I can’t help but think of these questions every day, as I speak to people trapped inside Syria’s Eastern Ghouta. This is the reality there today. An area in Damascus countryside, no bigger than 100 km2, has been home to 400,000 people trapped under siege by Syrian government forces since late 2012, suffering severe shortages of food, water, medicine and other crucial supplies. Thu, 15 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41450&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/01/bacon-cancer-processed-meats-nitrates-nitrites-sausages Decades’ worth of research proves that chemicals used to make bacon do cause cancer. So how did the meat industry convince us it was safe? By Bee Wilson There was a little cafe I used to go to that did the best bacon sandwiches. They came in a soft and pillowy white bap. The bacon, thick-cut from a local butcher, was midway between crispy and chewy. Ketchup and HP sauce were served in miniature jars with the sandwich, so you could dab on the exact amount you liked. That was all there was to it: just bread and bacon and sauce. Eating one of these sandwiches, as I did every few weeks, with a cup of strong coffee, felt like an uncomplicated pleasure. Thu, 01 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/01/bacon-cancer-processed-meats-nitrates-nitrites-sausages http://en.qantara.de/content/social-unrest-in-algeria-cranking-up-the-pressure For months now, Algeria's education and health system has been crippled by a wave of strikes. But despite vehement protests against the government's labour and social policies, it is categorically refusing to make any concessions to the strikers. By Sofian Philip Naceur Mon, 05 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/social-unrest-in-algeria-cranking-up-the-pressure http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41439&lan=EN 2018 is a year for the European Commission to reflect on the priorities to give to the energy-climate issue. The Juncker Commission will publish a communication at the end of the spring regarding its energy-climate priorities for 2025. In view of this the present paper describes the areas which might be given to the next European Commission to turn the Union's ecological leadership into a lever for industrial development, growth and sustainable employment. Mon, 12 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41439&lan=EN http://time.com/longform/donald-trump-immigration-policy-splitting-families/ Just before 7:30 one Friday morning last March, Alejandro said goodbye to his wife Maria and his two small daughters and headed off to work. He didn’t make it far. Four blocks from his home near Bakersfield, Calif., two unmarked vehicles, a white Honda and a green Mazda pickup truck, pulled up behind him at a stop sign. Plain-clothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents spilled out. They wore vests emblazoned with the word POLICE. Alejandro dialed Maria from his cell phone and told her what was happening. Her heart dropped. She said later that she knew it wouldn’t matter that Alejandro had no criminal record, not even a speeding ticket. Or that he’d driven these same roads every day for the past decade, picking grapes, pistachios and oranges in California’s Central Valley. Since 2006, when Alejandro overstayed his visa, he had been considered a �oefugitive alien,” in ICE parlance, and therefore subject to immediate deportation to Mexico. Now he was arrested on the spot. Thu, 08 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://time.com/longform/donald-trump-immigration-policy-splitting-families/ http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/europe-des-citoyens-5121767 A new open and democratic Europe can come out from dynamic citizens and grassroots movements like Pulse of Europe, says one of its members, the author of "The European Spring" François Dupont. The European Union is a proto-state which can’t, by itself, transform into a robust and democratic European Rule of law, acceptable to all. We can neither move from a continental power adapted to the political rivalry that engulfs all the world’s large federal states, nor continue to haphazardly improve the intergovernmental EU. Fri, 19 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/europe-des-citoyens-5121767 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/retraites-5121814 Along with the increase in life-expectancy, which adds to the number of years on pension (19.6 years for women and 14.6 for men in 1990, compared to 22.5 and 18.1 on average today, respectively, in the OECD), and thus public spending on pensions, as the baby-boomer generation reaches retirement and the the birth-rate stabilises to a relatively low level across the OECD, there is a real risk of a reduction in the replacement rate (pension payments compared to pre-retirement earnings, expressed as a percentage) for future pensioners, and an increase in public costs for pension schemes. Fri, 23 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2018/retraites-5121814 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41432&lan=EN When you hear �oeviolence against girls,” what comes to mind? Perhaps it’s the most recent kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants and the likelihood that they will be forced to marry their captors just like previous victims were. Or maybe it’s the 120 million girls from every corner of the world who have experienced sexual violence. Or the harassment and catcalling that you or your sister faced on your way to school? On their way to school, in classrooms, at homes, in refugee camps, and on playgrounds �" girls experience harassment and violence. Globally, more than 8 out of 10 girls experience street harassment before they turn 17. In the United States, more than one in 10 girls is sexually taunted by the time she is 11. Girls with mental disabilities are especially at risk: in Australia, up to 68% have been the victims of sexual assault. Wed, 07 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41432&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41431&lan=EN One example of a cryptocurrency, bitcoin is a decentralised digital currency based on a peer-to-peer payment system built on cryptographic principles. Rather than data being stored on one central server, it is simultaneously stored on nodes in a system where each node communicates with the others to record and verify each transaction. Information is publicly recorded in ‘blocks’. Blocks are simply collections of data and can store any type of data; bitcoin is only one of the many applications of the technology. Blocks contain not only the data that was recently stored in them, but all previous data points. This makes it possible to link one block to its previous block, creating a chain of information. This is why the underlying technology of the bitcoin system is referred to as a blockchain. Wed, 31 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41431&lan=EN http://gefira.org/de/2018/03/06/wahlen-in-italien-populismus-im-aufmarsch/ 2016: Brexit and Trump, �oeA new hope”. 2017: Macron, �oeThe Empire Strikes back”. 2018: Di Maio and Salvini, �oeThe Return of the Jedi”. The titles of the original Star Wars trilogy fit the wind of change sweeping through politics. The Western leadership has forsaken its citizens, pursuing the dreams of a global empire; its main victims were its supporters, the moderates, the centrists, the Western middle class,1)who crashed under the weight of globalization in the forms of tax havens, mass migration, off-shoring, and global wars. The 2018 Italian elections are a reminder that the political upheaval, superficially snubbed as �oepopulism” by an increasingly delusional globalist elite, is here to stay. The �oepopulist” triumph: the anger of the Italian youth Movimento 5 Stelle and Lega are Italy’s anti-establishment parties. They were expected to pick up 27-28% and 13-15% respectively. They both exceeded polls predictions. M5S will likely pick 31%, while Lega 18.5%, beating its coalition rival and mainstream party Forza Italia of Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian forerunner of Donald Trump, which now garnered a meagre 13.6%. Mon, 05 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://gefira.org/de/2018/03/06/wahlen-in-italien-populismus-im-aufmarsch/ http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/23/uk-faces-significant-snowfall-due-to-freezing-air-from-siberia North Pole up to 22C warmer than usual, as cold weather and snow warnings issued in UK. Parts of south-east England could end up colder than the North Pole this weekend, as forecasters predict that the Arctic could inch above freezing point during the polar night for the first time in recorded history. The North Pole and northern Greenland have been 17-22C (30-40F) warmer than historical averages in recent days, adding to fears of rapid polar warming that has huge implications for global climate. The northernmost weather station in the world, Cape Morris Jesup in Greenland, was above freezing nearly all day on 20 February, according to the Danish Meteorological Institute. Fri, 23 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/23/uk-faces-significant-snowfall-due-to-freezing-air-from-siberia http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41419&lan=EN Benjamin Franklin’s famous line that nothing is certain, except death and taxes, no longer holds true. Exposé after exposé have proved that it is all too easy for wealthy individuals and powerful corporations to sidestep their tax obligations. The practice has become so widespread that tax dodging is considered standard business practice by many corporate bosses. This may now be set to change. The B Team, a coalition of forward-looking business leaders including Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, and Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group, have announced a new set of principles and commitments on corporate tax. Despite some notable weaknesses, this initiative raises the bar on what constitutes responsible corporate tax behavior. Thu, 08 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41419&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41417&lan=EN With a youthful energy and stylish flair, 27-year-old Pascal Masuba speaks passionately. His outfit is carefully coordinated: modern circular glasses, flashy pants covered with images of tigers that he designed himself, a matching scarf. He claims that he was a shy child, an absurd idea to anyone who encounters him. He has unique charisma: when he talks, you’re drawn to listen. I met him at his presentation called �oeImpact Beyond Measure” �" a powerful testament to how his time as one of Sierra Leone’s Golden Kids sculpted the rest of his life. Pascal was born at the dawn of Sierra Leone’s long and brutal civil war. He grew up in its shadows. The conflict lasted for 11 long years, during which sexual abuse against women was rampant, children were recruited as soldiers, human rights violations were widespread. He discovered himself at the war’s resolution in 2002. Around this time, his father sent him to live with his aunt, Frances Fortune, who then served as Country Director for Search �" Sierra Leone. Tue, 27 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41417&lan=EN http://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/technology/amazon-wristband-tracking-privacy.html What if your employer made you wear a wristband that tracked your every move, and that even nudged you via vibrations when it judged that you were doing something wrong? What if your supervisor could identify every time you paused to scratch or fidget, and for how long you took a bathroom break? What may sound like dystopian fiction could become a reality for Amazon warehouse workers around the world. The company has won two patents for such a wristband, though it was unclear if Amazon planned to actually manufacture the tracking device and have employees wear it. The online retail giant, which plans to build a second headquarters and recently shortlisted 20 potential host cities for it, has also been known to experiment in-house with new technology before selling it worldwide. Thu, 01 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/technology/amazon-wristband-tracking-privacy.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41394&lan=EN Eighty two percent of the wealth generated last year went to the richest one percent of the global population, while the 3.7 billion people who make up the poorest half of the world saw no increase in their wealth, according to a new Oxfam report released today. [...] Billionaire wealth has risen by an annual average of 13 percent since 2010 �" six times faster than the wages of ordinary workers, which have risen by a yearly average of just 2 percent. The number of billionaires rose at an unprecedented rate of one every two days between March 2016 and March 2017. Mon, 22 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41394&lan=EN http://www.arcadis.com/en/global/our-perspectives/sustainable-cities-mobility-index-2017/?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=10302017&utm_campaign=SCMI2017&utm_content=global Cities and their policymakers face enormous pressures as they seek to meet today’s mobility challenges. As rapid urbanization, aging infrastructure, population growth and climate change continue to challenge our world’s cities, those that choose to make bold moves in advancing and diversifying their urban transport systems will gain a competitive advantage �"- we see that investing in improved and sustainable mobility will give cities enhanced productivity, attractiveness and overall quality of life. Where did 100 of the world’s leading cities land in their sustainable mobility? Wed, 01 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.arcadis.com/en/global/our-perspectives/sustainable-cities-mobility-index-2017/?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=10302017&utm_campaign=SCMI2017&utm_content=global http://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-trump-is-helping-to-save-our-democracy/2017/09/22/539b795e-9a1f-11e7-82e4-f1076f6d6152_story.html?utm_term=.783b8a2480ef The election of Donald Trump could be one of the best things that ever happened to American democracy. We say this even though we believe that Trump poses a genuine danger to our republican institutions and has done enormous damage to our country. He has violated political norms, weakened our standing in the world and deepened the divisions of an already sharply torn nation. But precisely because the Trump threat is so profound, he has jolted much of the country to face problems that have been slowly eroding our democracy. And he has aroused a popular mobilization that may far outlast him. Many of the trends that led to Trump’s election have been with us for years; he has created a crisis by pushing them to their alarming endpoints. Political norms, for example, have been decaying for decades, but Trump has eschewed norms altogether. One reading is that there will be no going back from the diminished public life he has created, and it’s certainly true that the breaching of norms often produces a cascading effect: Behavior previously considered inappropriate is normalized and taken up by others. Yet Trump’s sheer disregard for the normal practices and principles of presidential behavior has cast a spotlight on the vital role that norms play in regulating and protecting our democracy. Only when norms disappear are we reminded of how important they were in the first place. Fri, 22 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-trump-is-helping-to-save-our-democracy/2017/09/22/539b795e-9a1f-11e7-82e4-f1076f6d6152_story.html?utm_term=.783b8a2480ef http://www.unicef.org/french/media/media_101066.html Over the past 25 years, the world has made significant progress in saving young children’s lives. The rate of child mortality fell 62 per cent from 1990�"2016, with under-five deaths dropping from 12.7 million to 5.6 million. But this progress has not been universal. A new report from UNICEF and its partners in the Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME), Levels and Trends in Child Mortality: Report 2017, shows the full scope of child and newborn mortality across the world. In addition to global estimates for under-five, infant and newborn mortality, the report for the first time contains estimates on mortality among children aged 5-14. Thu, 19 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.unicef.org/french/media/media_101066.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41371&lan=EN Pledges made under the Paris Agreement are only a third of what is required by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, pointing to the urgent need to boost efforts by both government and non-government actors, the United Nations environment wing said on Tuesday. [...] The eighth edition of UNEP's Emissions Gap Report, released ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in in Bonn next month, warns that as things stand, even full implementation of current national pledges makes a temperature rise of at least 3 degrees Celsius by 2100 very likely. Tue, 31 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41371&lan=EN http://multimedia.scmp.com/news/china/article/One-Belt-One-Road/index.html Mon, 30 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://multimedia.scmp.com/news/china/article/One-Belt-One-Road/index.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41369&lan=EN This week, Kurds in northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence for the country’s Kurdistan Region. With some 30 million Kurds divided among four states (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran), nationalists argue that they deserve the world’s recognition. In Spain, some 7.5 million Catalans have raised the same question. Does it matter that polls show Catalans, unlike Kurds, to be closely divided on the issue? Does it matter that the states bordering Iraqi Kurdistan might use force to resist secession? Sun, 29 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41369&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41365&lan=EN In a new report released today, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) describes how the effectiveness of the United Nations (UN) and its member states in the fight against terrorism is hampered by two major phenomena. First, a tentacular bureaucratic structure in which entities’ mandates sometimes overlap rather than complement each other which ultimately undermines its overall effectiveness and key cooperation between states. Secondly, the current leadership of the main counter-terrorism bodies is in the hands of member-states, whose human rights records are highly questionable. Those same states use their powerful position in the architecture to advance specific political agendas at home and abroad, often devastating for civil liberties. These consequences can be far-reaching and have been found to fuel more hate and feed into the terrorists’ narratives. Tue, 26 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41365&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41361&lan=EN More than 530,000 Rohingya men, women and children have fled northern Rakhine State in terror in a matter of weeks amid the Myanmar security forces’ targeted campaign of widespread and systematic murder, rape and burning, [...] Dozens of eyewitnesses to the worst violence consistently implicated specific units, including the Myanmar Army’s Western Command, the 33rd Light Infantry Division, and the Border Guard Police. �oeIn this orchestrated campaign, Myanmar’s security forces have brutally meted out revenge on the entire Rohingya population of northern Rakhine State, in an apparent attempt to permanently drive them out of the country. These atrocities continue to fuel the region’s worst refugee crisis in decades,”[...] Witness accounts, satellite imagery and data, and photo and video evidence gathered by Amnesty International all point to the same conclusion: hundreds of thousands of Rohingya women, men, and children have been the victims of a widespread and systematic attack, amounting to crimes against humanity. Wed, 18 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41361&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41360&lan=EN In places such as Bukhara, the language encountered �" still ostensibly a variation of Persian �" would be near incomprehensible to someone with knowledge of �oecolloquial Persian.” The same goes for Afghanistan and even Iran itself. The formal Persian of the media is virtually identical across borders, while the spoken dialects vary tremendously on a city-by-city, village-by-village basis. [...] This basic insight is taken for granted by scholars with years of experience studying Persian (by its various names) and living in Iran and Central Asia. But it is a language framework missing from most Persian textbooks and actively subordinated to an explicitly national way of understanding language dynamics in the region. The language categories we are more or less stuck with are organized vertically by nation-state, which at once obscures the profound variation of local dialects (Mazandarani, Bukhari, Kabuli, and many others), while simultaneously implying deep differentiation by country that does not in fact exist, among Farsi, Dari and Tajik. Wed, 11 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41360&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41355&lan=EN The Commission is presenting today guidelines and principles for online platforms to increase the proactive prevention, detection and removal of illegal content inciting hatred, violence and terrorism online. As announced by President Juncker in his As announced by President Juncker in his Letter of Intent accompanying his State of the Union speech of 13 September, the European Commission is presenting today guidelines and principles for online platforms. The aim is to increase the proactive prevention, detection and removal of illegal content inciting hatred, violence and terrorism online. The increasing availability and spreading of terrorist material and content that incites violence and hatred online is a serious threat to the security and safety of EU citizens. It also undermines citizens' trust and confidence in the digital environment �" a key engine of innovation, growth and jobs. Thu, 28 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41355&lan=EN http://thewire.in/171850/venezuela-crisis-populism/ The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology defines populism as any political movement which seeks to mobilise the people against a state which is too powerful or controlled by vested interests. Too often, states have been captured by populists towards furthering a particular set of interests in the garb of the interests of the people. In this sense, no democracy is complete with its quota of populism. Indian democracy is no exception. Populists have become the ruling strata in many countries with nationalist-populist, ethnic-populist, racist-populist and masculine-populist with high degree of xenophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric buttressing the stance. Populists have attacked institutions that have come in their way. They have made votes work in their favour because they know how to rouse frenzy on issues and mobilise the votes. Wed, 30 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://thewire.in/171850/venezuela-crisis-populism/ http://www.nature.com/news/three-years-to-safeguard-our-climate-1.22201 In the past three years, global emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels have levelled after rising for decades. This is a sign that policies and investments in climate mitigation are starting to pay off. The United States, China and other nations are replacing coal with natural gas and boosting renewable energy sources. There is almost unanimous international agreement that the risks of abandoning the planet to climate change are too great to ignore. Wed, 28 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nature.com/news/three-years-to-safeguard-our-climate-1.22201 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41344&lan=EN This is the story of what happened in the plebiscite for peace in Colombia, which ended up with a rejection of the Peace Agreement. It is a very similar story to that of the current political polarization in Brazil, and that of the UK European Union membership referendum, and that of the election of Donald Trump... It is, in short, the story of what happens in any political discussion occurring in the social media. Thu, 13 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41344&lan=EN http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/07/05/1704949114.full The strong focus on species extinctions, a critical aspect of the contemporary pulse of biological extinction, leads to a common misimpression that Earth’s biota is not immediately threatened, just slowly entering an episode of major biodiversity loss. This view overlooks the current trends of population declines and extinctions. Using a sample of 27,600 terrestrial vertebrate species, and a more detailed analysis of 177 mammal species, we show the extremely high degree of population decay in vertebrates, even in common �oespecies of low concern.” Dwindling population sizes and range shrinkages amount to a massive anthropogenic erosion of biodiversity and of the ecosystem services essential to civilization. This �oebiological annihilation” underlines the seriousness for humanity of Earth’s ongoing sixth mass extinction event. Tue, 23 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/07/05/1704949114.full http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41337&lan=EN The truth is that it is the United States that is not paying its fair share. Long ago, the United Nations called on rich countries to raise their foreign aid to 0.7% of their gross national income (which of course is very different from government spending). In 2016, according to OECD figures, the United Arab Emirates, Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Germany reached that level. In contrast, official US aid amounted to only 0.18% of gross national income, or 18 cents for every $100 dollars earned. Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41337&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41334&lan=EN This year’s G20 summit in Hamburg promises to be among the more interesting in recent years. For one thing, US President Donald Trump, who treats multilateralism and international cooperation with cherished disdain, will be attending for the first time. Trump comes to Hamburg having already walked out of one of the key commitments from last year’s summit �" to join the Paris climate agreement �oeas soon as possible.” And he will not have much enthusiasm for these meetings’ habitual exhortation to foreswear protectionism or provide greater assistance to refugees. Moreover, the Hamburg summit follows two G20 annual meetings in authoritarian countries �" Turkey in 2015 and China in 2016 �" where protests could be stifled. This year’s summit promises to be an occasion for raucous street demonstrations, directed against not only Trump, but also Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Thu, 06 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41334&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/islam-in-the-middle-east-the-curse-of-religiosity Daesh did not emerge in a vacuum; rather, it is the product of a culture of social, religious and political control that has governed the public arena for the last fifty years or so. It developed amid a climate of swift decline brought about by the failure of the state in the Arab region, combined with non-stop wars and military interventions from outside. The main contributing factor has been a conservative religious and social culture which hijacked mosques, schools and the media, establishing a strict religious regime for determining right and wrong in the process. This regime thus decides how an individual is regarded by society; indeed, the status and respect which he, or indeed, she commands is dictated by religious and devotional hierarchies and priorities. Focusing on this is not intended to detract from the considerable influence of other factors, specifically the failure of the state and the interference of foreign powers, but the constraints of this piece do not allow for a discussion of every aspect. Fri, 30 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/islam-in-the-middle-east-the-curse-of-religiosity http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41330&lan=EN From Saint Augustine, perhaps the greatest Christian genius, a great inventor of phrases, comes this sentence: hope has two beloved daughters: Indignation and Courage; Indignation teaches us to reject things as they are, and Courage inspires us to change them. At this moment we first must evoke the daughter Indignation: facing what the Temer government is criminally perpetrating against the people, the indigenous, the small farmers, women, the workers and the elderly - taking away their rights and lowering millions of Brazilians from poverty into abject misery. Not even national sovereignty is safe, because the Temer government is allowing the sale of national lands to foreigners. If the government offends the people, the people has the right to invoke daughter-Indignation, not giving the government peace, but demanding in the streets and squares that it be removed, because it is already being accused of criminal corruption and is the result of a coup, and for that reason, lacks legitimacy. Daughter-Courage is seen in the movement for change, even though the confrontations could be dangerous. Courage keeps our spirits high, sustains us in the struggle and can lead us to victory. It is important to follow the advice of Don Quixote: "Do not accept defeat if the last battle has not yet been fought." Wed, 05 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41330&lan=EN http://agenceglobal.com/2017/07/04/why-it-is-critical-to-focus-on-aljazeera/ To grasp quickly the core of the Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates (UAE) accusations against Qatar, it is best to focus on the demand that the Aljazeera television, radio, and online network should be closed, along with half a dozen other media operations that Qatar initiated or funds. Aljazeera has become a proxy of sorts for all the things that the Saudi-Emirati camp fears will happen in the Arab region and inside their own borders �" free flow of information, public debate of ideas, peaceful contestation among different social and political ideologies, all quarters of society holding each other accountable through constitutional means, and activist citizen organizations engaging each other and their governments in a public sphere. The Saudi-Emirati demand to close Aljazeera mirrors the central modern Arab tradition since the 1950s of governments tightly controlling the flow of information and facts and the exchange of ideas in society. This has destroyed much of the human vitality and national integrity of many Arab societies, leading to the sad, violent state of our region today. It is no surprise that some Arab elites want to keep things this way; Aljazeera shows that the majority of Arab men and women want otherwise. Tue, 04 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://agenceglobal.com/2017/07/04/why-it-is-critical-to-focus-on-aljazeera/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41325&lan=EN A comparison of recent events in the Middle East with popular revolutions that occurred in Eastern Europe in 1989-1990 reveals a variety of illuminating parallels. The fall of oppressive regimes in Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania were all resolved within two years of each country’s respective uprising, and in most cases the primary focus of revolution was to overthrow oppressive ruling systems and replace them with something more unifying. The Tunisian, Egyptian, and Libyan revolutions had similar aims, and also overthrew their respective regimes within months. The other side of the coin was Yugoslavia, which�"like in Yemen and Syria and Iraq�"devolved into war, with large-scale loss of life, the devastation of country infrastructure and a humanitarian crisis that reverberated globally. Mon, 26 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41325&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/07/religion-new-colonial-frontier-international-development/ A decade ago, it was difficult to get Western policy makers in governments to be interested in the role of religious organizations in human development. The secular mind-set was such that religion was perceived, at best, as a private affair. At worst, religion was deemed the cause of harmful social practices, an obstacle to the �oesacred” nature of universal human rights, and/or the root cause of terrorism. In short, religion belonged in the ‘basket of deplorables’. Azza Karam, Senior Advisor, UNFPA and Coordinator, UN Interagency Task Force on Religion and Development Yet, starting in the mid-1990s with then President of the World Bank, James Wolfenson, and celebrated in 2000 under then UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan when the Millenium Development Goals were agreed to, a number of religiously-inspired initiatives coalesced, all trying to move ‘religion’ to international development’s ‘basket of desirables’. Tue, 04 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/07/religion-new-colonial-frontier-international-development/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41320&lan=EN As part of the Colombian government’s reconciliation program, the National Library of Colombia has made it a priority to install mobile public libraries on the outskirts of FARC demobilization zones �" the areas where former guerrillas can surrender their weapons and begin to reintegrate into society. These mobile public libraries are providing communities that have been devastated by decades of conflict with education and access to information. The parts of Colombia that were once controlled by the FARC are among the most remote and isolated in the country. Many of these communities do not have basic sanitation, power, health care, or access to education. Low literacy rates in Colombia’s rural areas have exacerbated inequality throughout the country. Fortunately, Santos understands that education and literacy are prerequisites for upward economic mobility. His commitment to making more resources available in demobilization zones is thus a way of leveling the playing field. But Santos’s historic project aspires to be much more than a fillip to economic growth. By promoting such quintessentially free and open institutions as public libraries, Santos is also opening a space for citizens to engage in democratic dialogue. Libraries encourage empathy and tolerance, and they can foster productive interactions between local populations and ex-combatants who are returning to the fold of Colombian civil society. Tue, 27 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41320&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41317&lan=EN High-tech US-based transnational companies (TNCs) now represent five of the top seven largest corporations in the world, dominating information (Google, number 2), media (Facebook, number 7), retail (Amazon, number 6), and technology (Apple, number 1 and Microsoft, number 3), according to the World Economic Forum. One of the best investments one of these companies can make is to change the rules under which it operates so that it can extract greater profits from the global economy while preventing their competitors from having a level playing field. They have long used trade agreements to lock in rules favoring their �oerights” to make profits, while limiting governments’ ability to regulate them in the public interest, often in ways that could not advance through normal democratic channels. Tue, 16 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41317&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41315&lan=EN As world refugee day was being marked around the globe came the all too familiar news that at least 120 people had drowned off the coast of Libya. Their deaths bring the total number of people who have died whilst attempting to cross the central Mediterranean to more than 1,800 since the start of the year. [...] Rather than offering refugees and migrants opportunities to avoid irregular border crossings, such as the creation of safe and legal routes for people to move to Europe, as well as improving conditions in refugee camps and establishing viable asylum-systems, the focus has been on increasing border controls and stepping up returns. Thu, 22 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41315&lan=EN http://iwallerstein.com/india-the-in-between-great-power/ I have the impression that, of all the �oegreat powers” in the contemporary world-system, however one defines �oegreat power,” India is the one that receives the least attention. I admit that this has been true of me, but it is true as well of the majority of geopolitical analysts. Why should this be? India after all is rapidly approaching the point where it will have the world’s largest population. It is respectably high on most measures of economic strength and improving all the time. It is a nuclear power and has one of the world’s largest armed forces. It is a member of the G20 which is the imprimatur of being a great power. However, it is not a member of the G7, which is a far more restricted group and a far more important one. Thu, 01 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://iwallerstein.com/india-the-in-between-great-power/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41309&lan=EN Queer people in the Caucasus face a number of challenges; discrimination, physical and sexual abuse, and blackmail. In recent times, activists have observed in horror evidence of the persecution of gay men in Chechnya. But the threat to the LGBTQ community in the country did not emerge overnight. OC Media spoke to a transgender woman from Grozny, who shared some of her experiences and talked with us about what is happening in the republic. Sat, 24 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41309&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41306&lan=EN Trump’s visit was a major victory for Saudi Arabia. US-Saudi relations had reached a nadir during former US President Barack Obama’s tenure, but they have now been reset. During his visit, Trump emphasized the importance of the US-Saudi strategic relationship, offered his full support in Saudi Arabia’s rivalry with Iran for regional primacy, and signed various business and investment deals worth many billions of dollars. MBS, who is nothing if not ambitious, has set two broad goals for Saudi Arabia. The first, which he outlines in a program called Vision 2030, is to diversify the Saudi economy, by reducing its heavy dependence on oil revenues, and creating good jobs outside of the oil sector. MBS is convinced that Saudi Arabia’s vast oil reserves will be far less valuable in the future, owing to the rise of alternative fuels and renewable-energy technologies. Sat, 24 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41306&lan=EN http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/survey/2017/overview-key-findings-2017/ This year's report reveals new insights about digital news consumption based on a YouGov survey of over 70,000 online news consumers in 36 countries including the US and UK. The report focuses on the issues of trust in the era of fake news, changing business models and the role of platforms. Thu, 22 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/survey/2017/overview-key-findings-2017/ http://metrocosm.com/mapping-every-disputed-territory-in-the-world/ Some of the biggest geopolitical events in the world are centered around disputed territories, land whose sovereignty is claimed by more than one nation / occupying power. At the other extreme, some territorial disputes involve land that would seem entirely worthless. The U.K., Iceland, and Denmark all assert ownership of Rockall Island, an 8,000 square foot rock in the middle of the North Atlantic, hundreds of miles from the nearest inhabited location. From one extreme to the other, at least 124 countries (or �oewould-be” countries) are involved in a territorial dispute of some kind, involving, by my count, 105 separate territories. Fri, 20 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://metrocosm.com/mapping-every-disputed-territory-in-the-world/ http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/41037-myths-of-globalization-noam-chomsky-and-ha-joon-chang-in-conversation Since the late 1970s, the world's economy and dominant nations have been marching to the tune of (neoliberal) globalization, whose impact and effects on average people's livelihood and communities everywhere are generating great popular discontent, accompanied by a rising wave of nationalist and anti-elitist sentiments. But what exactly is driving globalization? And who really benefits from globalization? Are globalization and capitalism interwoven? How do we deal with the growing levels of inequality and massive economic insecurity? Should progressives and radicals rally behind the call for the introduction of a universal basic income? In the unique and exclusive interview below, two leading minds of our time, linguist and public intellectual Noam Chomsky and Cambridge University economist Ha-Joon Chang, share their views on these essential questions. Thu, 22 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/41037-myths-of-globalization-noam-chomsky-and-ha-joon-chang-in-conversation http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41296&lan=EN Following the collapse of communism, many of us in Central and Eastern Europe had hoped that the region would steadily move toward liberal democracy, and that any obstacles en route to that goal could be overcome. But in many former communist countries, older systems of patronage and corruption have survived, and taken new forms. What we thought was a transitional phase has become a permanent state of affairs. Consider Hungary, which has become a mafia state during the seven years of Viktor Orbán’s rule as prime minister. Hungary is unique in that it moved toward liberal democracy and joined the European Union before changing course and heading toward autocracy. The rest of the region’s mafia states, such as Russia, Azerbaijan, and other Central Asian former Soviet republics, either passed through a period of oligarchic flux, or took a direct path from communist dictatorship to criminal enterprise. Wed, 21 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41296&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41294&lan=EN These megamergers will have many negative repercussions in the short term: a notable increase in the price of agricultural inputs, a reduction of innovation and varieties in the market, greater limitations to public phyto improvement and the increase of agrotoxins in the fields �" and hence in food supplies �" in order to continue selling GMO seeds, even though this has provoked resistance in dozens of invading plants and increased dosages, with the adddition of even more toxic agro-chemicals. For these companies, their biggest business is selling poisons, so if they are not prevented, this course of action will continue. The takeovers will have a strong impact on the peasant economy and family farming �" even though most of them use their own seeds with little or no chemical input �" because the power of pressure of these mega-enterprises on governments and international authorities will increase with their size and due to their monopoly control over the first links of the agri-food chain. The pressure will increase to obtain more restrictive intellectual property laws; to restrict the interchange of seeds among campesinos or make it illegal �" for example with �oephytosanitary” norms and the obligation to use registered seeds�"; for the programmes for the countryside and agricultural credits to be conditioned on the use of their inputs and patented seeds; for infrastructure expenses and other agricultural policies to benefit industrial agriculture and displace peasants. Tue, 13 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41294&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41293&lan=EN The new analysis on education’s impact on poverty by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report team is based on the average effects of education on growth and poverty reduction in developing countries from 1965 to 2010. It shows that nearly 60 million people could escape poverty if all adults had just two more years of schooling. If all adults completed secondary education, 420 million could be lifted out of poverty, reducing the total number of poor people by more than half globally and by almost two-thirds in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Studies have shown that education has direct and indirect impacts on both economic growth and poverty. Education provides skills that boost employment opportunities and incomes while helping to protect people from socio-economic vulnerabilities. A more equitable expansion of education is likely to reduce inequality, lifting the poorest from the bottom of the ladder. Wed, 21 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41293&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41289&lan=EN It is not that Washington should be more alert about what happens in the world; it is the world that should be concerned with what is going on in the United States. Tue, 20 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41289&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41287&lan=EN Many explanations for the fall of political parties have been advanced. Working-class voters’ move to the middle class did as much to kill off Western Europe’s communist parties as the failure of the Soviet regime. More broadly, in countries where coalition governments comprise parties with similar ideologies, it can be easy for voters to shift their loyalty. This is particularly true nowadays, as voters increasingly view parties as brands that can be replaced if they fail to keep up with consumer tastes, rather than as focal points of unassailable tribal loyalty. Moreover, voters nowadays are more and more likely to focus on one or two key policies, rather than a party’s entire program. Tue, 20 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41287&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41284&lan=EN �oeIn the era of Sustainable Development, we can prevent the 1.4 million environment related deaths by making health a political choice across all government sectors,” said Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe (WHO/Europe), at the opening of the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in Ostrava, Czech Republic. European citizens annually lose 50 million years of healthy life due to environmental risks, corresponding to at least 15 per cent of Europe's total deaths �" around half of which are due to outdoor and indoor air pollution. Tue, 13 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41284&lan=EN http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2017/04/24/ranked-the-50-best-cities-for-millennials-to-live-right-now/#525a684d5692 As the largest generation in history begins to get older, one thing has become clear: When it comes to where they want to live, the suburbs won't cut it for millennials. This trailblazing generation is putting down roots and seeking out cities that offer access to thriving business ecosystems, affordable cost of living, a high quality of life, smart technology and more. Sat, 22 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2017/04/24/ranked-the-50-best-cities-for-millennials-to-live-right-now/#525a684d5692 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41276&lan=EN On June 4, the New York Times published a note entitled "Why they kill in Latin America". According to journalists Alejandra Sánchez Insunza and José Luis Pardo Vieras, Latin America occupies the first place in the world for the three kinds of homicides listed by the United Nations: criminal, interpersonal and socio-political. The Inter-American Development Bank --IDB -- points out that 50% of the crimes in Latin American cities are committed in barely 1.6% of their streets. The greater part of assassinations are concentrated in 7 of the 20 countries of the region: Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico, to a great extent linked to drug-trafficking. Wed, 14 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41276&lan=EN http://www.thenation.com/article/daring-to-dream-in-the-age-of-trump/ We have to question not only Trump but the stories and systems that ineluctably produced him. It’s not enough to superficially challenge him as an individual, foul and alarmingly ignorant though he may be. We have to confront the deep-seated trends that rewarded him and exalted him until he became the most powerful person in the world. The values that have been sold to us through reality TV, get-rich-quick books, billionaire saviors, philanthrocapitalists. The same values that have been playing out in destroyed safety nets, exploding prison numbers, normalized rape culture, democracy-destroying trade deals, rising seas, and privatized disaster response. (...) The persistence of these other stories should remind us that, while Trump is the logical culmination of the current neoliberal system, the current neoliberal system is not the only logical culmination of the human story. Which is why part of our work now�"a key part�"is not just resistance, not just saying no. We have to do that, of course. But we also need to fiercely protect some space to dream and plan for a better world. This isn’t an indulgence. It’s an essential part of how we defeat Trumpism. Tue, 13 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.thenation.com/article/daring-to-dream-in-the-age-of-trump/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41273&lan=EN At a time when our power of creation, matched by our power of destruction, has reached unprecedented levels �" when one weapons launch could change the course of history �" the development of a more equitable and effective system could not be more urgent. In this new age of complexity, we need a new paradigm for thinking about the world, and thus for guiding our efforts to advance peace and prosperity. (...) As we move to develop a new worldview to guide our future, we must embrace a truly global perspective. In the past, analysis of the evolution of humanity’s worldview has tended to focus on the West, following the European and, later, American progression from exploration, colonization, and empire-building, to industrialization, the diffusion of market relations, and technological innovation. Mon, 12 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41273&lan=EN http://making-of.afp.com/une-crise-sans-fin The alarm clock rings at dawn and I am exhausted as I pry my eyes open. Then, within moments, the adrenaline starts pumping. I reach for my cell phone to check email, Twitter and WhatsApp. Any early signs where this particular day is heading? Any looting at night? Any more dead? Where are the movements on the street? Fri, 12 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://making-of.afp.com/une-crise-sans-fin http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41270&lan=EN Ocean sciences are led by a small number of industrialized countries although collecting data and taking the measure of the ocean’s health is a global priority considering the economic and environmental stakes involved, according to the Global Ocean Science Report, compiled by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. The Report advocates increased investment into research and calls for greater international scientific cooperation. �oeThe publication marks a turning point in that it is the first such tool developed to help inform countries’ and stakeholders’ decisions and investments in favour of the ocean. It will also play a major role in assessing progress towards meeting Sustainable Development Goal 14, adopted by the United Nations to preserve the key resource that the ocean represents for humanity as a whole,” declared UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. Thu, 08 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41270&lan=EN http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/12/key-facts-about-race-and-marriage-50-years-after-loving-v-virginia/ In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Loving v. Virginia case that marriage across racial lines was legal throughout the country. Intermarriage has increased steadily since then: One-in-six U.S. newlyweds (17%) were married to a person of a different race or ethnicity in 2015, a more than fivefold increase from 3% in 1967. Among all married people in 2015 (not just those who recently wed), 10% are now intermarried �" 11 million in total. Here are more key findings from Pew Research Center about interracial and interethnic marriage and families on the 50th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision. Mon, 12 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/12/key-facts-about-race-and-marriage-50-years-after-loving-v-virginia/ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/12/lost-natural-wonder-in-new-zealand-may-be-found-say-researchers The eighth natural wonder of the world may have been rediscovered, 131 years after it was buried by a volcanic eruption, New Zealand researchers believe. In the mid-1800s, the pink and white terraces of Lake Rotomahana in the North Island attracted tourists from around the globe. The terraces �" dramatic cascading pools descending into the lake’s temperate waters �" were lost in an eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886. Mon, 12 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/12/lost-natural-wonder-in-new-zealand-may-be-found-say-researchers http://en.qantara.de/content/qatars-political-isolation-the-latest-scapegoat Two main factors are behind these developments. On the one hand, there have been tensions between Qatar and the UAE since 2011, when Qatar pledged its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, which at the time was trying to gain power throughout the region by means of elections in various countries. The leadership both in the UAE and Saudi Arabia viewed the Brotherhood as an existential threat to their own rule. In addition, they also feared a rapprochement of nations supporting the Brotherhood (notably Egypt) with Iran. After the fall of Mohammed Morsi in July 2013, which the two Gulf States witnessed with relief, Qatar came under increasing pressure to discontinue its material, financial and media support for Islamist groups. When it did not sufficiently bow to the demands of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the situation culminated in a diplomatic crisis in 2014, leading the two states and the small Kingdom of Bahrain to withdraw their ambassadors from Qatar. Wed, 07 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/qatars-political-isolation-the-latest-scapegoat http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41265&lan=EN The government maintained centralized control of the rainforests until 1940, when concessions were granted to private companies for the exploitation of forest resources. By the late 1970s, the Mexican forestry sector landed in crisis after over-exploiting its forests. In 1986, the government ended its concessions to private companies, returning the forest resources to the communities and communal lands. In 1997, Mexican officials devise a new strategy to promote forest management built on two new programs: the Forest Development Program and the Community Forestry Development Program. Thu, 08 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41265&lan=EN http://agenceglobal.com/2017/06/06/the-real-threat-that-saudi-arabia-sees-in-qatar/ Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt in particular have employed draconian tactics to muzzle any independent media across the Arab world, and Qatar in this respect is a prime target for their ire. They cannot accept that independent thinkers, reporters, and analysts express their thoughts in public in a manner that deviates from the Saudi-defined policy of maintaining the autocratic status quo that has defined (and ravaged) the Arab region during the past half century or so. Tue, 06 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://agenceglobal.com/2017/06/06/the-real-threat-that-saudi-arabia-sees-in-qatar/ http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2017/06/06/conference-oceans-aux-nations-unies-nouveau-souffle-mise-oeuvre-de-lodd-14/ But the adoption of the Oceans SDG is just a first step: the challenge now is to ensure its implementation�"which is all the more urgent as many of its associated targets (sustainably managing and protecting marine and coastal ecosystems, ending overfishing, conserving at least 10% of coastal and marine areas, etc.) are to be achieved by 2020. These issues will be central to the United Nations Conference to be held in New York from 5 to 9 June 2017. This event, initiated by Fiji and Sweden, will bring together hundreds of people, representatives of states, international organisations, research centres, foundations, donors, NGOs and the private sector�"all concerned by the future of the marine environment. Thu, 08 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2017/06/06/conference-oceans-aux-nations-unies-nouveau-souffle-mise-oeuvre-de-lodd-14/ http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jun/08/south-sudan-battle-for-cattle-is-forcing-schoolgirls-to-become-teenage-brides Conflict and desperate hunger are driving families to marry off their daughters to secure precious cows, despite the girls having to forfeit their education Thu, 08 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jun/08/south-sudan-battle-for-cattle-is-forcing-schoolgirls-to-become-teenage-brides http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41258&lan=EN (...) the cultural discourse of 1913 totally fails to mention the possibility of the catastrophe that will soon shake both Europe and the world that depended on it: the First World War. 17 million people, military, and civilians, will die, amongst them many Africans whose existence Europe is unaware of or simply chooses to ignore. The second absence has to do with the fact that everything that happens outside Europe, or even outside Northern and Central Europe, does not exist, that is, it is constructed as nonexistent by hegemonic thinking. (...) This becomes possible because, after the European colonial expansion in the late 15th century, an abyssal line, as extreme as it was invisible, was drawn between social relationships in the world of European metropolises and social relationships in the world of extra-European colonies. According to this line, which is a geopolitical, ideological, and epistemological divide, the only relevant social, political, cultural, and ethical reality, the reality that counts when principles, values, and criteria of sociability are defined, happens on this side of the line, i.e., in metropolitan societies. (...) Contrary to appearances, the abyssal line has not been erased with the end of territorial colonialism. It is still there today, just like colonialism is, albeit in new forms. It is this abyssal line that justifies racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, the destruction of countries like Iraq, Libya, or Syria, the Palestinian �oefinal solution” perpetrated by victims turned into aggressors, the massive incarceration of young Black people in the United States, the inhuman treatment of refugees. How different and yet how similar today’s absences and those of 1913. Tue, 06 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41258&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41253&lan=EN No country has emitted more greenhouse gases over this period than the US. That is a reason to require the US to make deeper cuts now than other countries must make, especially given that the US is continuing to emit greenhouse gases at a much higher per capita rate than other large emitters, such as China and India. (...) If the US now fails to achieve even the very modest target it set itself in Paris, and thus fails to carry out its fair share of the reductions necessary to stabilize our planet’s climate, what should the rest of the world do? China and the European Union have already indicated that they will abide by their commitments. But we should not simply allow the US to free-ride on other countries’ reductions, while burning unlimited quantities of fossil fuel to provide cheap energy for its industries. Instead, the world’s citizens should take matters into their own hands, and boycott products manufactured in a country that so manifestly refuses to do its part to save the planet. Mon, 05 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41253&lan=EN http://www.akamai.com/fr/fr/about/our-thinking/state-of-the-internet-report/state-of-the-internet-connectivity-visualization.jsp Sun, 02 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.akamai.com/fr/fr/about/our-thinking/state-of-the-internet-report/state-of-the-internet-connectivity-visualization.jsp http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41249&lan=EN US President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will no longer participate in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the landmark United Nations treaty that many of us worked so hard to achieve. Trump is making a mistake that will have grave repercussions for his own country, and for the world. Trump claims that he will try to renegotiate the deal reached in Paris, or craft a new one. But leaders from around the world have already hailed the agreement as a breakthrough for the fight against climate change, a victory for international cooperation, and a boon to the global economy. That remains true today. Fri, 02 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41249&lan=EN http://visionofhumanity.org/indexes/global-peace-index/ The 2017 GPI finds: • The world slightly improved in peace last year but has become less peaceful over the last decade • There has been a decline in militarisation over the past three decades • Globally, the economic impact of violence on the economy is enormous • Current peacebuilding spending focused on building peace is well below the optimal level • Falls in Positive Peace make countries susceptible to populist political movements Thu, 01 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://visionofhumanity.org/indexes/global-peace-index/ http://www.courrierinternational.com/article/environnement-une-ile-deserte-du-pacifique-ensevelie-sous-les-plastiques Nowhere is safe from plastic. A tiny South Pacific island 5000 kilometres from the nearest human occupation has the highest density of washed-up plastic rubbish known anywhere in the world. Henderson Island is an uninhabited, 5-kilometre-wide speck of land halfway between Australia and South America. A recent expedition led by Jennifer Lavers at the University of Tasmania in Australia found 38 million items of rubbish weighing a total of 18 tonnes spread across its beaches. Mon, 15 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.courrierinternational.com/article/environnement-une-ile-deserte-du-pacifique-ensevelie-sous-les-plastiques http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2017/05/los-megaproyectos-ahondaron-la-corrupcion-en-brasil/ It cannot be categorically stated that corruption has increased in the country in recent years, because there is no objective information from earlier periods to compare with, according to Manoel Galdino, executive director of Transparency Brazil. But recent revelations give the impression of a drastic increase in corruption, involving unprecedented amounts of money, nearly the entire political leadership of the country, and numerous state-run and private companies. The Odebrecht conglomerate, led by Brazil’s biggest construction company, admitted to having paid 3.39 billion dollars in bribes to politicians between 2006 and 2014. Thu, 04 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2017/05/los-megaproyectos-ahondaron-la-corrupcion-en-brasil/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41243&lan=EN Thousands of Syrian families will light up their homes, charge their phones and chill their food by solar power tonight, as Jordan’s Azraq camp becomes the first refugee camp in the world to be powered by renewable energy. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, switched on Azraq’s new two-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant on Wednesday. It will provide clean energy free of charge to some 20,000 Syrian refugees living in shelters that have been linked up to the electricity grid since January. The grid is due to be expanded to all 36,000 refugees currently residing in the camp by early next year. Wed, 17 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41243&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41241&lan=EN The people chairing the meeting, young men and women from working-class neighbourhoods, explain the ongoing struggle in these 7 neighbourhoods of San Cristobal. Land occupations to build housing began in 1985. From 2006, the inhabitants won access to drinkable water, electricity and finally natural gas. Since 2015, the Bogota authorities announced that the inhabitants’ situation would be legalized. This first seemed to be a victory, and then the inhabitants learned that the legalization would only affect 50% of them. The others would have to accept to leave and be rehoused elsewhere in the city. Providing title to some residents was conditional on the others moving out. The community opposed this prospect and for the time being there is a stalemate. Tue, 02 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41241&lan=EN http://www.euractiv.fr/section/alimentation/news/slovak-study-fuels-concerns-about-lower-quality-food-in-eastern-europe/ A study carried out by the Slovak government has found significant quality differences in the same products sold in Slovakia and Austria. For several years there has been speculation about the dual-quality foodstuffs phenomenon, where multinational companies sell products under the same trademark and the same packaging but which actually contain different ingredients. In addition, sometimes the quality is also different, raising concerns about consumer health. Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.euractiv.fr/section/alimentation/news/slovak-study-fuels-concerns-about-lower-quality-food-in-eastern-europe/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41238&lan=EN The 59-page report, �oe‘It’s a Men’s Club’: Discrimination Against Women in Iran’s Job Market,” examines in detail the discriminatory provisions and insufficient protections in Iran’s legal system that represent obstacles to women’s equal access to the job market. Over the past four decades, Iranian women have become half of the country’s university graduates. But, based on the most recent official statistics available, for the period between March 2016 and March 2017, only 14.9 percent of Iran’s women are in the workforce, compared with 64.1 percent of men. This rate is lower than the average of 20 percent for all women in the Middle East and North Africa. The unemployment rate for women, currently 20.7 percent, is double that for men. Thu, 25 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41238&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41237&lan=EN May 21 is the UN World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. Given today’s conflicts, political uncertainties and support for nationalism, it is important to be reminded of the benefits that diversity brings to development. When it comes to ethnic groups that may represent different cultures, there has been a discussion among scholars about the impact of ethnic diversity on conflict and cooperation, and on economic development. According to these discussions�"and setting aside the very real ethical questions such discussions bring�"ethnic diversity is a double-edged sword. Mon, 29 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41237&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41236&lan=EN Wed, 17 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41236&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/28/the-worlds-most-toxic-town-the-terrible-legacy-of-zambias-lead-mines Kabwe is the world’s most toxic town, according to pollution experts, where mass lead poisoning has almost certainly damaged the brains and other organs of generations of children �" and where children continue to be poisoned every day. Almost a century of lead mining and smelting has left a truly toxic legacy in the once-thriving town of 220,000 people in central Africa’s Copperbelt, 100km north of the capital Lusaka. But the real impact on Kabwe’s people is yet to be fully revealed and, while the first steps towards a clean-up have begun, new dangers are emerging as desperately poor people scavenge in the vast slag heap known as Black Mountain. Sun, 28 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/28/the-worlds-most-toxic-town-the-terrible-legacy-of-zambias-lead-mines http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41225&lan=EN America’s water infrastructure is in a state of disrepair, as evidenced by disasters such as the public health crisis in Flint, Michigan and dangerous flooding at the Oroville Dam. While water infrastructure like treatment facilities, flood control systems, pipes, wastewater treatment plants and reservoirs are essential for public health and safety, our current, aging systems are inadequate for today’s needs. For example, in order to fulfill the growing demand for safe drinking water in the United States, the million-plus miles of water pipes across the country will require $1 trillion in investments over the next 25 years. Tue, 16 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41225&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/05/agony-of-mother-earth-i-the-unstoppable-destruction-of-forests/ The world’s forests are being degraded and lost at a staggering rate of 3.3 million hectares per year. While their steady destruction in many Asian countries continues apace, deforestation of the world’s largest tropical forest �" the Amazon �" increased 29 per cent from last year’s numbers. And some of the most precious ecosystems in Africa are threatened by oil, gas and mineral exploration and exploitation. These are some of the facts that have been repeatedly heralded by the scientific community and the world’s most authoritative voices, who remind us that globally, 1.3 billion people are estimated to be �oeforest peoples”, who depend almost entirely on them for their livelihoods. Thu, 18 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/05/agony-of-mother-earth-i-the-unstoppable-destruction-of-forests/ http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/19/arctic-stronghold-of-worlds-seeds-flooded-after-permafrost-melts#img-1 It was designed as an impregnable deep-freeze to protect the world’s most precious seeds from any global disaster and ensure humanity’s food supply forever. But the Global Seed Vault, buried in a mountain deep inside the Arctic circle, has been breached after global warming produced extraordinary temperatures over the winter, sending meltwater gushing into the entrance tunnel. Fri, 19 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/19/arctic-stronghold-of-worlds-seeds-flooded-after-permafrost-melts#img-1 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41219&lan=EN There’s a lot of talk about a bicycle renaissance in various countries, and specifically often in the world’s big cities. What I’ve been studying is cycling policy and advocacy in London in the UK, so I’m going to talk a bit about what’s going on there, about what kind of things the advocates are asking for, what the policy situation is, and thinking about cycling as a social movement of people as engaged in making political demands around cycling. You need to know something first about the UK context: in the UK we have had a transition in terms of cycling. [...] There are some places where cycling levels are high, and there are some places where cycling levels have gone up. In terms of advocacy, in terms of the politics of cycling, it’s quite interesting to look at what’s happening in those places where cycling is going up because it hasn’t been on the agenda and now it is. There are potentially lessons for other cities like Paris, New York, Berlin, and so on, where cycling is also increasing. Mon, 25 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41219&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41215&lan=EN Thu, 06 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41215&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41213&lan=EN The Trump administration’s executive order on travel, scheduled for federal appeals court review on Monday, would harm both immigrants and US citizens if allowed to enter into effect, warns Amnesty International in a briefing paper released today. �oePresident Trump’s travel ban order separated families and sent a message of bigotry and intolerance,” said Joanne Mariner, Senior Crisis Response Adviser at Amnesty International. �oeThis harmful and discriminatory ban deserves the most probing judicial scrutiny.” Fri, 12 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41213&lan=EN http://www.socialeurope.eu/2017/03/no-need-basic-income-five-policies-deal-threat-technological-unemployment/ The potential threat of technological unemployment is one of the most hotly debated economic issues of our times: in boardrooms and trade union offices but also increasingly amongst policy-makers. The catch-all term ‘digital’ may have been added to numerous political concepts in recent years but beyond such branding there has been very little debate of substance about what a comprehensive policy response to this threat should be. We do not know whether some of the more sombre predictions about large-scale job losses will materialize but we do know that governments and others need to be prepared if and when substantial labor market shifts occur. Mon, 27 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.socialeurope.eu/2017/03/no-need-basic-income-five-policies-deal-threat-technological-unemployment/ http://saveliberaldemocracy.com/2017/04/21/nations-are-political-constructs/ Over the centuries the rulers of various parts of Europe tried to get their populations to feel a primary loyalty to the territory that they ruled over. They wielded myths of ‘nation’ and the nation’s enemies in order to do this. Their success varied. The monarchs of the Scandinavian countries, England, much of France, Poland, and the territories that became the Netherlands, were particularly successful. But there were always exceptions, where more local identities survived: Scotland, Catalonia, the Basque country, Bavaria, to some extent Wales and Brittany, many of the regions and cities of Italy. The whole business �" both the creation of national identities and local resistances to them �" was highly arbitrary. But the arbitrary can be very powerful if backed by powerful political forces and a lengthy history �" even (or perhaps even especially) a mythical history. This is no place for rationality! Fri, 21 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://saveliberaldemocracy.com/2017/04/21/nations-are-political-constructs/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41204&lan=EN Despite their different political affiliations and ideologies, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, former Brazilian President Lula da Silva, and former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo have one rather damning connection: their futures are tied to the construction company responsible for the biggest corruption scandal in history. Just months after becoming the world’s newest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Santos received last week the questionnaire from the National Electoral Council (CNE) to respond to allegations that he received illegal campaign funds from Brazil’s Odebrecht. Wed, 17 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41204&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/05/young-people-you-didnt-vote-and-now-you-protest/ The first obvious observation is that if the traditional intergenerational rift disappears, we will have little change in politics, as older voters are usually more conservative. And the second obvious observation is that citizens’ participation will progressively shrink, as the young will age. What is worrying is that we have too many polls on the reasons behind the political disenchantment of young people to think that the political system is unaware. On the contrary, many political analysts think that parties in power don’t mind abstentions in general terms. It shrinks the voters to those who feel connected, whose priorities are clear and simpler to satisfy, as the older generations feel more secure than the younger ones. And the theme of young people is disappearing in the political debate, or is merely rhetorical. A good example is that the Italian government devoted in 2016 a whopping 20 billion dollars to save four banks, while it dedicated a total of 2 billion dollars to create jobs for young people, in a country which has close to 40 percent youth unemployment. For youth, the message is clear: finance is more important than their future. So they do not vote, and they are less and less a factor in the political system. Tue, 16 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/05/young-people-you-didnt-vote-and-now-you-protest/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41198&lan=EN There are about 65 million people worldwide right now who have fled their homeland. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says this is the highest such figure since the second world war. As tragic as that is, it's even more heartbreaking to realize that many of those folks have lost contact with their families. But help may be on the way. Two Danish brothers and social entrepreneurs David and Christopher Mikkelsen have found a solution to this challenge. Their platform, REFUNITE, for Refugees United, has registered more than half a million migrants around the world to re-establish lost contact with their families. Sun, 14 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41198&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41197&lan=EN Reverse anachronistic thinking makes us live in a postcolonial time with post-colonial imaginaries; because of it, we live in a time of informal dictatorship with imaginaries of formal democracy; we live in a time of racialized, sexualized, murdered, dismembered bodies with imaginaries of human rights; we live in a time of walls, trenches dug along borders, forced exiles, internal displacements, with imaginaries of globalization; we live in times of silencings and of sociologies of absences, with imaginaries of a digital communicational orgy; we live in a time of victims turning against victims and oppressed electing their own oppressors, with imaginaries of liberation and social justice. When the great majorities are only free to be miserable in different ways, it is the misery of freedom that reveals itself. Wed, 10 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41197&lan=EN http://iwallerstein.com/global-left-vs-global-right-from-1945-to-today/ So, where are we? The economic conservatives first won out and then lost strength. The succeeding socio-cultural conservatives first won out and then lost strength. Yet the Global Left seems nonetheless to flounder. This is because they have not yet been willing to accept that the struggle between the Global Left and the Global Right is a class struggle and that this should be made explicit. In the ongoing structural crisis of the modern world-system, which began in the 1970s and will probably last another 20-40 years, the issue is not the reform of capitalism, but its successor system. If the Global Left is to win that battle, it must solidly ally the anti-austerity forces with the multicultural forces. Only recognizing that both groups represent the same bottom 80% of the world’s population makes it likely that they can win out. They need to struggle against the top 1% and seek to attract the other 19% to their side. That is exactly what one means by a class struggle. Mon, 15 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://iwallerstein.com/global-left-vs-global-right-from-1945-to-today/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41193&lan=EN Is there an evolutionary explanation for humanity’s greatest successes �" technology, science, and the arts �" with roots that can be traced back to animal behavior? I first asked this question 30 years ago, and have been working to answer it ever since. Mon, 15 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41193&lan=EN http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v544/n7651_supp/full/544S21a.html Over the centuries, as farmers have adopted more technology in their pursuit of greater yields, the belief that 'bigger is better' has come to dominate farming, rendering small-scale operations impractical. But advances in robotics and sensing technologies are threatening to disrupt today's agribusiness model. �oeThere is the potential for intelligent robots to change the economic model of farming so that it becomes feasible to be a small producer again,” says robotics engineer George Kantor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Wed, 26 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v544/n7651_supp/full/544S21a.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41184&lan=EN Wed, 03 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41184&lan=EN http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(17)30066-8/fulltext For 20 years, combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been the standard approach to treating HIV-1 infection in Europe and North America. The first ART regimens were inferior to those currently available, which better suppress HIV replication, are less toxic, and have higher genetic barriers to resistance, reduced pill burden (often one a day), and fewer side-effects.1, 2 Other improvements in health care since 1996 for people living with HIV include treatment and prophylaxis for opportunistic infections and management of comorbidities.3 Improvements in intensive care management, disease screening, and health promotion might also have improved prognosis. Therefore, people living with HIV who started ART more recently might have improved survival compared with those treated earlier in the ART era. Wed, 10 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(17)30066-8/fulltext http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/fr/#/11111111111 There is more to life than the cold numbers of GDP and economic statistics �" This Index allows you to compare well-being across countries, based on 11 topics the OECD has identified as essential, in the areas of material living conditions and quality of life. Wed, 10 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/fr/#/11111111111 http://whc.unesco.org/fr/etatsparties/?action=stat& Wed, 10 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://whc.unesco.org/fr/etatsparties/?action=stat& http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41171&lan=EN Artificial Intelligence is the next technological frontier, and it has the potential to make or break the world order. The AI revolution could pull the �oebottom billion” out of poverty and transform dysfunctional institutions, or it could entrench injustice and increase inequality. The outcome will depend on how we manage the coming changes. Unfortunately, when it comes to managing technological revolutions, humanity has a rather poor track record. Consider the Internet, which has had an enormous impact on societies worldwide, changing how we communicate, work, and occupy ourselves. And it has disrupted some economic sectors, forced changes to long-established business models, and created a few entirely new industries. In fact, in some ways, the Internet has exacerbated our problems. Tue, 02 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41171&lan=EN http://agenceglobal.com/2017/05/10/the-5-ghosts-that-haunt-the-fractured-arab-region/ Many people spend much time and energy these days analyzing the causes of the turbulent, often violent, and occasionally disintegrating conditions of many countries across the Arab region. Years ago and even occasionally today, Western and Arab scholars or analysts alike usually singled out one or two reasons for the problems of the Middle East and its Arab core societies. Today, we know better than to blame one or two things for our difficult condition. Every Arab country is different, yet some broad trends have impacted the entire region. Here are five �oeghosts” of widespread phenomena that still haunt us, as they also help us understand the messy state of the Arab region today. Wed, 10 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://agenceglobal.com/2017/05/10/the-5-ghosts-that-haunt-the-fractured-arab-region/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41165&lan=EN World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it. The contribution which an organised and living Europe can bring to civilisation is indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. In taking upon herself for more than 20 years the role of champion of a united Europe, France has always had as her essential aim the service of peace. A united Europe was not achieved and we had war. Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity. The coming together of the nations of Europe requires the elimination of the age-old opposition of France and Germany. Tue, 09 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41165&lan=EN http://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/opinion/america-from-exceptionalism-to-nihilism.html?_r=1 �oeThe world is going America’s way,” Fareed Zakaria wrote in 2008. �oeCountries are becoming more open, market friendly and democratic.” Since the fall of communism, American leaders in politics, business and journalism have repeatedly broadcast the conceit that we live, or will soon live, in the best of all possible worlds. Not even 9/11, the bloody stalemates in Iraq and Afghanistan or the worst economic crisis since the Depression challenged faith in a benignly Americanized world. Barack Obama declared last year that �oeif you had to choose any time in the course of human history to be alive, you’d choose this one. Right here in America, right now.” What finally shattered such Panglossian notions was the demagogue on the campaign trail last year who ranted, credibly to many, about �oeAmerican carnage.” It took the rise of Donald J. Trump in a harshly polarized country to shatter the belief that, as the critic Philip Rahv wrote in the early 1950s, the United States �oeis in its very nature immune to tragic social conflicts and collisions.” Fri, 28 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/opinion/america-from-exceptionalism-to-nihilism.html?_r=1 http://regardssurlaterre.com/dossier/vaincre-les-inegalites In 2015 the world has never been richer, if wealth is measured in terms of goods and services consumed and produced. And this wealth has never been so unevenly distributed. The share of national wealth owned by the richest 1% and 10%, in countries where tax data are available, reach the peak levels of the beginning of the last century. Rising inequality within countries is also observed at the global scale. By 2016, half of the world’s wealth will be owned by 1% of the Earth’s population. This seemingly inexorable resurgence of inequality would be even more alarming if it was not accompanied by an equally unprecedented countermeasure: for the first time, the reduction of domestic income inequality has been put onto the international development agenda �" it is one of the universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 10) that were adopted in September 2015 at the end of the United Nations General Assembly. Mon, 24 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://regardssurlaterre.com/dossier/vaincre-les-inegalites http://gefira.org/en/2017/04/07/heresies-or-inexplicable-collective-behaviour/ As we watch the so-called migration crisis, we pose to ourselves questions. What’s the sense, what’s the purpose? We are told we need workforce, yet there are millions of unemployed young Europeans; we are told we are paying for the sins of the yesteryear of colonialism, yet drawing people from the Third World, we strip the countries of origin of brains and hands i.e. act as colonialists. We are told these are refugees, yet we must get down to work to integrate them as if refugees by definition were not people who plan on returning to their war-torn countries after the conflict is over. We are told the Third-World immigrants are enriching us, yet we observe street riots, crime rate increase, reinforced police units in our streets and a number of East European countries defending themselves from being blessed with this enrichment. Fri, 07 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://gefira.org/en/2017/04/07/heresies-or-inexplicable-collective-behaviour/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41151&lan=EN When more women work, economies grow. According to the World Economic Forum, greater gender equality, which implies greater use of human capital, correlates positively with per capita GDP, competitiveness, and human development. Squandering that capital has the opposite effect: the United Nations Development Programme reports that gender inequality costs Sub-Saharan Africa, to name one example, $95 billion (or 6% of GDP) per year, on average. Yet women around the world still face a massive gender gap in employment and wages. The proportion of women participating in the global labor force has hovered around 50% since 1990, compared to more than 75% for men. And, in most countries, the women who work earn, on average, only 60-75 cents for every dollar that men earn. Wed, 03 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41151&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41150&lan=EN This extraordinary phenomenon -- which emerged in a Confucian society centred on men -- the culture of Jeju-haenyeo was inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016. Its inscription contributes to improving the status of women in the community and to ecology, with its environmentally-friendly methods. The community, organized into fishing cooperatives, prohibits the use of modern technologies to avoid overfishing. Fri, 28 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41150&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41146&lan=EN The Islamic State has lost substantial control of territory and people since 2014 in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and Nigeria�"and is on a path to collapse as a self-proclaimed state, according to data compiled in a new RAND report. Still, the Islamic State continues to conduct and inspire attacks around the world in an effort to exact revenge on its enemies, coerce the withdrawal of foreign forces and bait foreign governments into overreacting. These attacks may even increase once the group loses its core caliphate. Thu, 20 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41146&lan=EN http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2017/04/20/participation-citoyens-a-transition-energetique/ The reflection on citizen participation in the energy transition focuses mainly on citizen and participatory projects on renewable energies. Behind these concepts is actually a multitude of models, based on varying degrees of involvement of local citizens and actors in the funding and governance of projects, which promise several ultimate benefits: strengthening the social acceptance of projects, increasing the economic spin-offs for the territory and, more generally, transforming the role of the citizen from that of a simple consumer to more of an actor in the transition. Thu, 20 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2017/04/20/participation-citoyens-a-transition-energetique/ http://www.catchnews.com/india-news/50-years-of-naxalbari-why-the-new-milieu-it-spawned-is-still-relevant-today-59119.html Praised and reviled alike, Naxalbari has come to occupy a singular place of significance in the annals of radical politics in post-independence India. Much has been written on what had happened in that remote place in North Bengal 50 years ago, why and how the politics of Naxalbari engulfed the whole of West Bengal, and quickly spread to other parts of the country, the massive participation of students and youth in the mobilisations, the movement's non-conformism, and heavy state repression. Journalists and chroniclers have also written on how the movement, in a different form known as the Maoist movement, continues. Yet some aspects of the time and the movement have gone unnoticed or have been taken as natural. It may be worthwhile today to look into them in some detail. Thu, 27 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.catchnews.com/india-news/50-years-of-naxalbari-why-the-new-milieu-it-spawned-is-still-relevant-today-59119.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41140&lan=EN [...] �oeFreedom of the press is a cornerstone of any democracy. It makes it possible for the people to keep checks upon the powerful, to be aware of what is being done in their name, and to ensure that abuses of power are challenged. This applies whether the abuses of power is by states, clergy or corporations. We need days like World Press Freedom Day to call attention to the shortfalls in the freedom of the press. But singers and poets, filmmakers and painters also play a role in expressing political and social problems. Art can engage with the audience in a very creative and imaginative ways - from graffiti all the way through to opera �" and often reaches out to different audiences. A protest song may galvanize action against a repressive state in a different way than an editorial statement does. Wed, 26 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41140&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41139&lan=EN Measuring how efficiently water is used in agriculture, particularly in water-scarce countries, is going high-tech with the help of a new tool developed by FAO. The WaPOR open-access database has gone live, tapping satellite data to help farmers achieve more reliable agricultural yields and allowing for the optimization of irrigation systems. Thu, 20 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41139&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41135&lan=EN The US federal and state governments are taking insufficient action to ensure access to the life-saving medication naloxone to reverse opioid overdose, resulting in thousands of preventable deaths [...] Thu, 27 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41135&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41130&lan=EN The term ‘post-democracy’ was coined by Colin Crouch to refer to the fusion of corporate power with government, generating an elite politics based on a political-financial cycle in which money buys power and power rewards money. Post-democracy is a plausible imitation of democracy. It has a popular, consultative appearance, while the real politics of power and money consists of a continuing round of inter-personal transactions among elites. Tue, 17 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41130&lan=EN http://www.eurozine.com/rethinking-europe/ Emmanuel Macron has broken from entrenched definitions of right and left in France and based a programme on liberalization and social justice. Sigmar Gabriel, the German Social Democrat foreign minister, has also sought to bring together the conflicting wings of his party. Here, the two discuss the need for positive campaigning on Europe, and why the future of the Union depends on a combination of investment and reform. With an introduction by Jürgen Habermas. This event, entitled ‘Which future for Europe?’, was hosted by the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin on 16 March 2017 and moderated by Henrik Enderlein, the Hertie School’s Vice-President. Thu, 16 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eurozine.com/rethinking-europe/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41122&lan=EN One explanation links the increasing violence of Islamist groups with the downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood and the dim prospects of instating a system of Islamic-inspired governance in Egypt. For example, Hassan Abu Haniya, a Jordanian expert in jihadist movements, has recently suggested that, since 2013, �oemore groups and individuals that would not ideologically side with jihadists are believing the peaceful path is over.” Along similar lines is a view that attributes the endurance of Islamist militancy in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula to the repression of non-violent expression and popular mobilisation. But this narrative �" folding the attacks on Copts into a broader story of political resistance to the demise of the Muslim Brotherhood-led government, and the instatement of an authoritarian regime �" must be unpacked. It is a popular opinion, that the violence is reactive: a response to limits on more peaceful forms of political expression. The truth is more complex. Mon, 24 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41122&lan=EN http://www.weforum.org/es/agenda/2017/03/la-cooperacion-financiera-internacional-sigue-siendo-crucial [...] The 2008 global financial crisis was exceptionally severe in the magnitude, breadth, and persistence of its effects, but it is one in a long series of financial crises stretching back centuries. Not only do crises cause financial losses for professional investors; more importantly, they impose high human costs for those who lose their jobs, homes, and savings. To protect their citizens, governments generally adopt an array of financial regulations designed to reduce the risk of a failure that could reverberate across the economy. These include balance-sheet standards, insider trading rules, broader conflict-of-interest laws, and consumer protections. Wed, 29 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.weforum.org/es/agenda/2017/03/la-cooperacion-financiera-internacional-sigue-siendo-crucial http://www.medelu.org/Les-deux-foyers-nevralgiques-de-la President Donald Trump has made it clear that his presidency will have a position on everything everywhere. He has also made it clear that he alone will make the final decision on the policy his government will follow. He has chosen two priority areas in implementing his policies: Mexico and Syria/Iraq, which is the zone of strength for the caliphate of the Islamic State (IS). We may call these two areas the hotspots, in which Trump is acting in his most provocative fashion. Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.medelu.org/Les-deux-foyers-nevralgiques-de-la http://www.socialeurope.eu/2017/04/the-politics-of-nostalgia/ Western democracies are facing a new threat: pessimism. Recent surveys reveal that 65 percent of Europeans and North Americans think the world is getting worse and that younger generations will be poorer than previous ones, with a mere 6 percent considering that things are better and will continue to get better. This sinister sense of decline is not only affecting our economies and individual behaviour (by dissuading investment and increasing stress), but it is also leading to unprecedented political consequences. Fri, 21 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.socialeurope.eu/2017/04/the-politics-of-nostalgia/ http://en.qantara.de/content/sex-tourism-in-egypt-a-bride-for-the-summer Hundreds of under-age Egyptian girls enter temporary marriages with rich tourists from the Persian Gulf during the summer in return for money for their families. These unions �" dubbed summer marriages �" are not legally binding and end when the foreigners return to their own countries. By Elizabeth Lehmann, Eva Plesner and Flemming Weiss-Andersen Fri, 21 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/sex-tourism-in-egypt-a-bride-for-the-summer http://mashable.com/2017/04/13/human-trafficking-survivors-lawyers-india/?utm_cid=mash-aud-mashswap-fb-mic#GiHTurTPoOqV The School for Justice, which just opened on April 6, educates survivors of sex trafficking to pursue careers in law. Eventually, these women plan to use their degrees to prosecute traffickers like the ones who abused them. "Becoming a lawyer is my dream, and bringing justice to those responsible for forced child prostitution is my goal," Lata said. "I want to punish the men who did this to me." The school is the result of a partnership between Free A Girl Movement, an international organization that works to free girls from sex trafficking, and one of the top law schools in India. During their studies, the women will live at the law school, the name of which remains undisclosed due to security concerns. Thu, 13 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://mashable.com/2017/04/13/human-trafficking-survivors-lawyers-india/?utm_cid=mash-aud-mashswap-fb-mic#GiHTurTPoOqV http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/european-jerusalem-sarajevo During Ottoman rule, Sarajevo was heralded as the �oeEuropean Jerusalem”, as its invaluable contributions to civil engineering, industry, trade and architecture attracted people from various ethnic and religious backgrounds. Aesthetic beauty alongside scientific ingenuity made, and indeed makes, Sarajevo a hub for civilisation. Thu, 20 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/european-jerusalem-sarajevo http://www.eurozine.com/orbans-assault-on-academic-freedom/ The legislation targeting the Central European University is part of the systematic erosion of the autonomy of Hungary’s universities. Instead of following the path paved by the CEU towards the internationalization of knowledge, the Hungarian government is committed to the nationalization and political control of science. Wed, 05 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eurozine.com/orbans-assault-on-academic-freedom/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41107&lan=EN Turkish voters had a clear-cut choice when they cast ballots on Easter Sunday in a referendum on 18 constitutional amendments already approved by the National Assembly. A �oeYes” vote would change their country’s political system and usher in a new era in Turkish history. More than a century of parliamentarianism would be replaced by an alla turca presidential system that is tailor-made for the current incumbent, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Given Turkey’s considerable experience in writing constitutions, most legal experts deem the amendments, which voters endorsed by a razor-thin margin, regressive at best. Those who drafted them seem to have ignored 150 years of Turkish history, not to mention the most fundamental lessons of liberal democracy. Tue, 18 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41107&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41106&lan=EN Social media not only serves as a source of news for nearly half of Europeans, but it also has made spreading fake news easier and faster. Six out of ten news items are shared without actually being read. MEPS raised concerns about the spread of disinformation, political propaganda and hate speech in plenary on 5 April. However, they disagreed on the best way to respond to the problem. Watch our video above for an overview of the debate. Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41106&lan=EN http://neweasterneurope.eu/articles-and-commentary/2318-russia-decimation-of-women-s-human-rights-in-the-context-of-global-misogyny The move to partially �oedecriminalise” domestic violence in Russia in January 2017 is the illustrative apex of a longer trajectory of the decimation of women’s rights post- Pussy Riot. I have spent more than a decade researching what rights mean in women’s everyday life in Russia. It is evident that the local neoconservative context in Russia is hardening. We are seeing legislative moves in parallel with neoconservative discourses that actively limit women’s autonomy and freedom by attacking reproductive rights and disregarding gender-based violence. Yet, it is important to consider these moves as situated within a global context of apparent state-sanctioned misogynies, which we see across autocracies and democracies. Is Russia one extreme example of the wider failure to recognise women’s rights and their violations in relation to gendered violence across the globe? Wed, 05 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://neweasterneurope.eu/articles-and-commentary/2318-russia-decimation-of-women-s-human-rights-in-the-context-of-global-misogyny http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41103&lan=EN (...) globalization is more than economics. It is about an irreversible process, a new stage in the evolution of the Earth, that began at the moment we discovered her as seen from outside, as the astronauts showed us from their spaceships. Then it was clear that Earth and Humanity form a unique complex entity. The testimony of John W. Young, the North-American astronaut, on the fifth trip to the moon of April 16, 1972, is impactful: �"Below is the Earth, the blue and white planet, amazingly beautiful, shining, humanity's motherland. From here, the moon would fit in the palm of my hand. From this perspective, there are neither Whites nor Blacks on Earth, nor divisions between East and West, communists and capitalists, North and South. Together we form a single Earth. We must learn to love this planet of which we are part�". We must now rescue the positive and essential meaning of the word planetization, a word that is better than globalization, given its economic connotations. Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41103&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41097&lan=EN Like Euthyphro, Trump does not just think that he knows what he knows, and that what he knows is sufficient for sound decision-making; he is absolutely sure of it. This self-assuredness suggests that he has rarely, if ever, stopped to consider what he does not know. He seems to be incapable of engaging in the kind of introspective reflection that would reveal gaps in his own understanding �" the first step toward expanding one’s knowledge of an issue. Trump’s epistemological arrogance is something that we tolerate, and strive to correct, in children. It is not a trait one expects to find in educated, mature adults �" and certainly not in the person who holds the highest office in the most powerful country in the world. As Trump’s chaotic presidency continues to unfold, one thing that we can know for sure is that any policy he introduces, and any action he takes, will occur against a backdrop of deep ignorance, and even meta-ignorance. Sadly, nothing could be more dangerous for the United States, other countries, or the planet. Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41097&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41095&lan=EN EIGE has recently taken over the European Commission’s database on women and men in decision-making. The data will complement other areas of gender statistics already covered by EIGE’s Gender Statistics Database, such as employment, education and health. The number of women holding decision-making positions has been gradually increasing over the last ten years, from politics to business and media. The latest figures on women and men in decision-making show that the EU is taking a slow but steady path towards gender balanced representation. Tue, 28 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41095&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/assad-and-the-rise-of-is-my-enemys-enemy Willing to co-operate with terrorists as and when it suits him, Assad has intentionally shaped the course of the Syrian conflict. Nor does IS have the monopoly on committing atrocities against civilians, as the regime's repeated use of chemical weapons, most recently near Idlib, reveals. Finding a link between Bashar Assad's regime and the rise of the so-called Islamic State will not come as a surprise to many Syrians. Unlike the image the regime has been trying to sell to world media that Assad is fighting IS, there is well-documented evidence of the Assad dictatorship's contributions to the IS tale of terror. Thu, 13 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/assad-and-the-rise-of-is-my-enemys-enemy http://www.iom.int/fr/news/loim-decouvre-des-marches-aux-esclaves-qui-mettent-en-peril-la-vie-des-migrants-en-afrique-du [...] Operations Officers with IOM’s office in Niger, reported on the rescue of a Senegalese migrant (referred to as SC to protect his identity) who this week was returning to his home after being held captive for months. [...] When his pick-up reached Sabha in southwestern Libya, the driver insisted that he hadn’t been paid by the trafficker, and that he was transporting the migrants to a parking area where SC witnessed a slave market taking place. �oeSub-Saharan migrants were being sold and bought by Libyans, with the support of Ghanaians and Nigerians who work for them,” IOM Niger staff reported this week. Tue, 11 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.iom.int/fr/news/loim-decouvre-des-marches-aux-esclaves-qui-mettent-en-peril-la-vie-des-migrants-en-afrique-du http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41086&lan=EN In recent years, building a historical memory that is both pluralistic and inclusive has become one of the main strategies for bringing the long armed conflict in Colombia to a close. Peace building endeavors have tried to promote a new narrative of the conflict that brings the victims of war to the foreground, makes visible their stories, dignifies them, and emphasizes their rights. [...] As Lucely Rivas, an Afro-Colombian displaced woman and member of the Memorias del Rio Atrato project, told Global Voices during an interview: "I think the website and the content we publish on the Internet make memory. We have made memory with our videos and stories." Sat, 08 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41086&lan=EN http://making-of.afp.com/des-belles-contre-la-bete When I photograph the women fighters fighting Daesh, it reassures me that there is justice in this world. Daesh, as the Islamic State group is known around here, has mercilessly killed and raped women, children and the elderly. And here you have girls leaving everything to go and fight them. It gives me faith that there is some justice in the fight between good and evil, between light and darkness. Sun, 02 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://making-of.afp.com/des-belles-contre-la-bete http://en.qantara.de/content/the-syrian-conflict-mendacious-diplomacy?nopaging=1 In the absence of any respect for previous commitments or any clear international assurances, when the legal and political framework is so ambiguous and Russia is imposing diktats, it was only natural that the negotiations in Astana and Geneva should turn out to be manoeuvrings, the main purpose of which was to weaken the position of the opposition and secure the positions of the regime and its allies. So instead of giving Syrians new hope that a political solution that meets their minimum aspirations can be reached, this round of sterile negotiations has added to their frustration. Scepticism is deepening that future negotiations in Astana or Geneva can ever produce the results Syrians are waiting for: an end to the war of aggression and the beginning of a real transition process, preparing for a new Syria where peace, brotherhood, justice and democracy ultimately prevail. Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/the-syrian-conflict-mendacious-diplomacy?nopaging=1 http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/04/what-will-healthcare-look-like-in-2030 What current trends are most significant? So many novel therapies are being developed, this is the most exciting time in history to be practicing medicine �" but the problem is that these new therapies are not yet necessarily translating into better outcomes, because we don’t have the real-world data that would allow us to stratify patients, help them understand their options and give them a roadmap for their treatment. In my own field, oncology, some studies suggest that about a third of everything we spend is either completely useless or does nothing more than extend a poor quality of life by a few months. We’re seeing new drugs approved that may be extremely effective for a subset of patients, but that are known not to work at all in some 30 to 70% of cases. Obviously, that means there’s huge potential to waste resources and patients’ time if we don’t get the diagnostics right. Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/04/what-will-healthcare-look-like-in-2030 http://www.pewforum.org/files/2015/03/PF_15.04.02_ProjectionsFullReport.pdf The religious profile of the world is rapidly changing, driven primarily by differences in fertility rates and the size of youth populations among the world’s major religions, as well as by people switching faiths. Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion. If current trends continue, by 2050… • The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world. • Atheists, agnostics and other people who do not affiliate with any religion �" though increasing in countries such as the United States and France �" will make up a declining share of the world’s total population. • The global Buddhist population will be about the same size it was in 2010, while the Hindu and Jewish populations will be larger than they are today. • In Europe, Muslims will make up 10% of the overall population. • India will retain a Hindu majority but also will have the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, surpassing Indonesia. • In the United States, Christians will decline from more than three-quarters of the population in 2010 to two-thirds in 2050, and Judaism will no longer be the largest non-Christian religion. Muslims will be more numerous in the U.S. than people who identify as Jewish on the basis of religion. • Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa. Thu, 02 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pewforum.org/files/2015/03/PF_15.04.02_ProjectionsFullReport.pdf http://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2017/april/cities-lead-the-way-on-clean-and-decentralized-energy-solutions.html With urban energy use growing rapidly, cities will be key to a sustainable energy transition. Stockholm, Frankfurt and Seoul, among others, show how this can be done. They all aim to increase their energy supply from renewables, increase the number of electric vehicles and provide renewable heating and cooling solutions for buildings. All three have set ambitious targets:, Stockholm aims to be fossil-fuel free by 2040, Frankfurt seeks to achieve 100% renewable energy supply by 2050, and Seoul aims to be 20% self-sufficient in sustainable electricity by 2020. Thu, 06 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2017/april/cities-lead-the-way-on-clean-and-decentralized-energy-solutions.html http://www.afp.com/fr/infos/336/londres-veut-sattaquer-la-pollution-mortelle-au-dioxyde-dazote Gone are the days of London's "pea souper" smogs, but like many European cities, the British capital is once again being choked by pollution -- and has road traffic firmly in its sights Sun, 09 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.afp.com/fr/infos/336/londres-veut-sattaquer-la-pollution-mortelle-au-dioxyde-dazote http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41070&lan=EN "Disinformation is a real threat to our society. We’re doing this because we want people on election day to make their decision on the basis of facts," [...] The election campaign of Donald Trump in the US was marked by wild allegations and conspiracy theories in partisan and often fringe media, prompting concern that people in Europe could also be made to vote one way or the other by being fed online nonsense. France, which holds its presidential election in April and May and parliamentary elections in June, and Germany, which has its general election in September, are especially worried. They have put pressure on social media companies to do something with the false stories that are widely shared on their networks. The threat of regulation has seen Facebook, in particular, dwell on its role in the rise of extremist views. "We thought that if we just connect people, good things will happen, but that view is now becoming more sophisticated," said Richard Allen, Facebook's director of policy in Europe, at a recent conference in the European Parliament. The social network says it takes down news stories if they break its rules, for instance if they contain hate speech or if they are posted by people using fake identities. The giant US firm does not take down stories just because they are not true, however. Mon, 03 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41070&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41068&lan=EN Freedom of expression is one of the pillars of modern democracy, and the right to the privacy of our communications is a part of it. During the last century it was said that, in some dictatorships, they opened letters with steam - so that the peeping could go unnoticed -, they read the contents �" to detect divergent thinking -, they closed the envelopes again, and let the letters reach their addressees - to avoid suspicions. Today, when we send a message from the simulated intimacy our electronic devices give us, it is traced by a complex communication intercepting system. The root cause of the problem is this: the internet is a network designed for sharing information which, at the time it was created, was not intended for its current use �" nor was the problem of privacy taken into account. Wed, 05 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41068&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41067&lan=EN The world was surprised by the travel ban that President Trump proclaimed for inhabitants or citizens of seven mostly Islamic countries. This is, however, only the first step of a much larger strategy, according to Reza Aslan, the famous Iranian-American author and TV-maker. He hopes that by 2018, the current protests will bring about a renewed Democratic party, needed to begin an impeachment procedure. Thu, 09 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41067&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41064&lan=EN Despite international efforts to address food insecurity, around 108 million people living in 48 food-crisis countries were at high risk of or already facing severe acute food insecurity in 2016, a dramatic increase compared with 80 million in 2015, according to a new global report on food crises released in Brussels today. Fri, 31 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41064&lan=EN http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2017/04/05/agir-filieres-mondialisees-de-matieres-premieres-levier-developpement-durable/ Palm oil production has demonstrable impacts in terms of environmental and social sustainability. The responsibility for these impacts lies as much with producer countries, especially in Southeast Asia, as with consumer countries, particularly in Europe, at the different levels of the associated value chain. [...] Over the last 12 months, French and European Members of Parliament have in turn addressed the issues linked to the social and environmental impacts of palm oil production. The amount of land dedicated to this crop has grown continuously over the last 20 years, driven by growing demand from Europe, India and Indonesia. Palm oil is now found in almost one in two consumer goods, and its use in biofuel production is steadily increasing. Wed, 05 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2017/04/05/agir-filieres-mondialisees-de-matieres-premieres-levier-developpement-durable/ http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/mar/20/china-100-cities-populations-bigger-liverpool#img-1 Government policy and a shift westward have fed the staggering scale of China’s urban ambitions �" 119 cities as big as Liverpool, and likely double that by 2025 China now has more than 100 cities of over 1 million residents, a number that is likely to double in the next decade. Mon, 20 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/mar/20/china-100-cities-populations-bigger-liverpool#img-1 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41055&lan=EN Sun, 22 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41055&lan=EN http://www.metropolitiques.eu/Villes-en-decroissance.html#top Brexit in the United Kingdom, the election of Donald Trump in the United States, the rise of extreme-right populist parties in France or more recently in Germany: these recent events have the common feature of being widely portrayed as the political consequences of the decline of old industrialized regions in Western countries. The question of the emergence of a �oetwo-tier society”�"characterized on the one hand by a tendency to concentrate the hopes of national economic prosperity in large metropolitan centers and, on the other, by growing territorial marginalization, �oeperipheralization”, or even irremediable decline�"is now entering the public debate. Mon, 27 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.metropolitiques.eu/Villes-en-decroissance.html#top http://www.alainet.org/en/articulo/184318 Thu, 23 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.alainet.org/en/articulo/184318 http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/03/slaves/ For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history. Slavery is, nevertheless, far from being just a chapter of the past�"it still there, with estimated 21 million victims of forced labour and extreme exploitation around the world�"nearly the equivalent to of the combined population of Scandinavian countries. According to the UN report 2016 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, issued in late-December, victims of trafficking are found in 106 of 193 countries. Many of these are in conflict areas, where the crimes are not prosecuted. Women and children are among the main victims. The legacy of slavery resounds down the ages, and the world has yet to overcome racism. While some forms of slavery may have been abolished, others have emerged to blight the world, including human trafficking and forced and bonded labour. Add to all the above, the crime of human trafficking, which once more affects millions of women, and girls, who fall prey to sexual exploitation, another form of slavery. �oe79 per cent of all detected human trafficking victims are women and children,” UN In fact, millions of women and girls are sold for sexual exploitation and slavery, according to this new report elaborated by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Mon, 27 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/03/slaves/ http://www.fao.org/zhc/detail-events/fr/c/846695/ 21 March is the International Day of Forests! Tue, 21 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.fao.org/zhc/detail-events/fr/c/846695/ http://www.alainet.org/es/articulo/184394 One element that has rapidly become globalized is the crisis of democracy. In Europe, which is proud of its political systems, austerity policies have brought about the generalized discredit of these systems centred around two major political parties. When they both adopted these anti-social economic policies, they rapidly went into crisis, with lost votes and a growing lack of interest in elections, given that both parties promote similar policies. Some alternatives have begun to emerge -- on the extreme right and on the left -- that put these systems into shock: from the right with an authoritarian formula, from the left looking to broaden and renew democracy. Mon, 27 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.alainet.org/es/articulo/184394 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41040&lan=EN Shell, Exxon, and most other major oil and gas companies knew decades ago that their products were fueling climate change. But instead of acting on that knowledge, and changing their business model, they embarked on a massive campaign to deceive the public and lure policymakers into complacency. Not surprisingly, Shell is one of 47 major hydrocarbon producers now being investigated by the Filipino government for its role in contributing to human-rights violations stemming from climate change. To sustain progress in the fight against climate change and corruption, environmental and anti-corruption movements will have to work together, and play to their respective strengths. If nothing else, Trump’s election, and the possibility of more populist victories in Europe this year, have given us a wake-up call. Thu, 23 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41040&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41037&lan=EN In conjunction with the Day, WMO today launched for the first time a primarily on-line digital edition of the International Cloud Atlas, which features hundreds of images and information about clouds, as well as meteorological marvels, such as rainbows and halos. The new Atlas �oecombines 19th century traditions with 21st century technology,” the UN agency said, noting that the International Cloud Atlas was first published some 200 years ago. Thu, 23 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41037&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41036&lan=EN Every year, hundreds of millions of people around the world switch off their lights for one designated hour to demonstrate a commitment to fighting climate change. This year, Earth Hour takes place at 8:30 p.m. local time on March 25. There’s never been a more critical moment for the world to show solidarity for and a strong commitment to fighting climate change. By going dark, local government, cities, companies, landmarks, and individuals send the message that we will remain steadfast as we deliver on the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Sat, 25 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41036&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41035&lan=EN �oeAmerica first,” thumps Donald Trump. �oeBritain first,” say the advocates of Brexit. �oeFrance first,” crows Marine Le Pen and her National Front. �oeRussia first,” proclaims Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin. With so much emphasis on national sovereignty nowadays, globalization appears doomed. It’s not. The struggle playing out today is not one of globalism versus anti-globalism. Rather, the world is poised between two models of integration: one is multilateral and internationalist; the other is bilateral and imperialist. Throughout the modern age, the world has seesawed between them. Thu, 23 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41035&lan=EN http://making-of.afp.com/pauvres-mais-chaleureux �oeWhy are you taking pictures here?” the curious boy asked me as I snapped photos in a small village just outside of Beijing. �oeYou should go to the Forbidden City or the Summer Palace. There, it’s beautiful. Here,” he motioned around him to the ramshackle structures of brick, corrugated iron and wood surrounding us, �oehere, it’s ugly. There is nothing to photograph here.” �oeI think this place is beautiful because of the people who live here,” I said. �oeI find it as beautiful as the Forbidden City, where noone lives anymore. Here, this place is full of life and energy and people. To me, this is beautiful.” He looked at me, perplexed, then shook his head from side to side. He didn’t understand. Tue, 14 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://making-of.afp.com/pauvres-mais-chaleureux http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41026&lan=EN Brazilian authorities should reform laws that have been used to impose disproportionate punishments on military police officers who speak out publicly to advocate reform or voice complaints, Human Rights Watch said today. [...] Brazil’s 436,000 military police officers patrol the country’s streets, a purely civilian task, but are subject to military law because they are technically considered to be auxiliary forces of the Army. Brazil’s military criminal code and various state disciplinary codes include broad restrictions on the officers’ free speech rights. Thu, 09 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41026&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41025&lan=EN Gender inequality is one of the oldest and most pervasive forms of inequality in the world. It denies women their voices, devalues their work and make women’s position unequal to men’s, from the household to the national and global levels. Despite some important progress to change this in recent years, in no country have women achieved economic equality with men, and women are still more likely than men to live in poverty. [...] Gender inequality in the economy costs women in developing countries $9 trillion a year �" a sum which would not only give new spending power to women and benefit their families and communities, but would also provide a massive boost to the economy as a whole. Thu, 02 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41025&lan=EN http://iwallerstein.com/the-falsity-of-false-consciousness/ People do not always behave the way we think they ought to behave. We often perceive others as behaving in ways we think is contrary to their self-interest. This seems crazy or foolish. We then accuse these persons of �oefalse consciousness.” The term itself was invented by Friedrich Engels in the late nineteenth century to explain why workers (or at least some workers) didn’t support workers’ parties at the polls or didn’t support strikes called by a union. The answer for Engels was that, for some reason, these workers misperceived their self-interest, suffering from �oefalse consciousness.” Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://iwallerstein.com/the-falsity-of-false-consciousness/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41019&lan=EN At first sight, Cameroon is the perfect example of an African country which has managed to merge diverse political, historical and cultural backgrounds into one united nation. However, recent tensions in the two Anglophone provinces of the north-west and south-west have exposed the fragility of the country’s political system and triggered a huge crisis. It originates from years of frustration and failed nation building. [...] The country adopted both French and English as official languages. Both Civil Law (inspired by the French system) and Common Law (inspired by the British system) are integral parts of its legal system. Nonetheless, the Anglophone population has always felt frustrated. The people concerned feel that their distinct origin, culture and history have been gradually assimilated by the Francophone majority in the name of national unity. Fri, 17 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41019&lan=EN http://geopoliticalfutures.com/the-geopolitics-of-2017-in-4-maps/ The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. Maps are worth many more. Our perspective on the world is rooted in an objective and unbiased approach to examining geography and power. Maps like these are foundational components for building that perspective. These four maps are especially helpful in thinking about the geopolitical forces that will shape the world in the year ahead. Mon, 23 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://geopoliticalfutures.com/the-geopolitics-of-2017-in-4-maps/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41008&lan=EN After living in the coastal cities of America for all of my life, I met rural white people for the first time in 1995. They were my sociology students at the University of Wisconsin, and I had assigned them the usual fare, heavy on the causes and consequences of urban poverty and racism. These students bristled, saying that their problems were just as bad. I was sure they must be wrong, of course: even if they were poor, they still had white privilege. But they persisted. They described empty towns without jobs from which everyone tried to leave as soon as they could; small farmers who worked so hard to compete against agro-businesses that they had to pass up on sleep; and small communities with big drug problems. Mon, 13 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41008&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41006&lan=EN That was the case at this year’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland. Beyond a mention of the Paris climate agreement by Chinese President Xi Jinping, topics like climate change and sustainable development didn’t even make it to the main stage. Instead, they were relegated to side meetings that rarely seemed to intersect with current political and economic events. The Year Ahead 2017 Cover Image Allowing environmental issues to fall by the wayside at this time of geopolitical and social instability is a mistake, and not just because this happens to be a critical moment in the fight to manage climate change. Environmental degradation and natural-resource insecurity are undermining our ability to tackle some of the biggest global issues we face. Thu, 02 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41006&lan=EN http://fas.org/issues/nuclear-weapons/status-world-nuclear-forces/ The number of nuclear weapons in the world has declined significantly since the Cold War: down from a peak of approximately 70,300 in 1986 to an estimated 14,900 in early-2017. Government officials often portray that accomplishment as a result of current arms control agreements, but the overwhelming portion of the reduction happened in the 1990s. Moreover, comparing today’s inventory with that of the 1950s is like comparing apples and oranges; today’s forces are vastly more capable. The pace of reduction has slowed significantly. Instead of planning for nuclear disarmament, the nuclear-armed states appear to plan to retain large arsenals for the indefinite future. Fri, 17 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://fas.org/issues/nuclear-weapons/status-world-nuclear-forces/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41003&lan=EN Around the world, rape and sexual abuse are everyday violent occurrences affecting close to a billion women and girls over their lifetimes. However, despite the pervasiveness of these crimes, laws are insufficient, inconsistent, not systematically enforced and, sometimes, promote violence. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence. According to UNICEF, around 120 million girls worldwide, just over 1 in 10, have experienced �oeforced intercourse or other forced sexual acts” at some point in their lives. By any measure, gender-based violence, including sexual violence, is being inflicted on women and girls in epidemic proportions. Equality Now’s new advocacy report examines laws relating to rape in numerous countries, and the research has identified serious failing in many laws that are meant to prevent sexual violence and allow survivors’ access to justice. Mon, 06 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=41003&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40999&lan=EN he UN Human Rights Office on Friday published a report detailing allegations of massive destruction, killings and numerous other serious human rights violations committed between July 2015 and December 2016 in southeast Turkey, during Government security operations that have affected more than 30 towns and neighbourhoods and displaced between 355,000 and half a million people, mostly of Kurdish origin. The report describes the extent of the destruction in the town of Nusaybin, in Mardin Province, where 1,786 buildings appear to have been destroyed or damaged, and the Sur district of Diyarbakir, where the local government estimates that 70 percent of the buildings in the eastern part of the district were systematically destroyed by shelling. The destruction apparently continued even after the security operations ended, reaching a peak during the month of August 2016. Before-and-after satellite images from Nusaybin and Sur show entire neighbourhoods razed to the ground. Fri, 10 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40999&lan=EN http://freemuse.org/artunderthreat2016 Freemuse registered 1,028 attacks on artists and violations of their rights in 2016 across 78 countries, continuing a worrying trend of artistic freedom increasingly coming under threat. The number of cases registered in 2016 more than doubled the amount in 2015, increasing by 119%, rising from 469 attacks. Of those more than one thousand cases, Freemuse documented 188 total serious violations of artistic freedom and 840 acts of censorship. Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://freemuse.org/artunderthreat2016 http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/womens-contribution While there are numerous works on the role of Muslim women in jurisprudence (fiqh) and literature and there are also studies on Muslim women in education and in medicine- although on a much smaller scale-, few sources mention the role of Muslim women in the development of science and technology. There are isolated references that mention some of the famous women who had a role in advancing science and who established charitable, educational and religious institutions. Some examples are: Zubayda who pioneered a most ambitious project of digging wells and building service stations all along the pilgrimage route from Baghdad to Mecca, Sutayta who was a mathematician and an expert witness in courts, Dhayfa Khatun who excelled in management and statesmanship, Fatima al-Fehri who founded the Qarawiyin mosque and university in Fez, and the astrolabe maker Al-'Ijliya, the rulers and queens Sitt al-Mulk, Shajarat al-Durr, Raziya of Delhi, and Amina of Zaria. In view of the growing importance of the subject of gender and women in society, this report presents what is currently known about some famous Muslim women, in the hope of initiating debate and starting the process of unearthing what could be a most significant find. Wed, 08 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/womens-contribution http://www.pewhispanic.org/2017/02/23/latinos-and-the-new-trump-administration/ Hispanics are divided about what a Donald Trump presidency means for their place in America, according to a Pew Research Center survey of Hispanic adults taken before his inauguration. The survey also finds that a rising share believes the situation of U.S. Hispanics is worsening and that about half of Hispanics are worried about the deportation of someone they know. Thu, 23 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pewhispanic.org/2017/02/23/latinos-and-the-new-trump-administration/ http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/03/women-in-the-changing-world-of-work-planet-5050-by-2030/ Only half of women participate in the labour force compared to three quarters of men, and in most developing countries it is as low as 25 percent. Women spend 2.5 times more time and effort than men on unpaid care work and household responsibilities. All of this results in women taking home 1/10 of the global income, while accounting for 2/3 of global working hours. These inequalities have devastating immediate and long-terms negative impacts on women who have a lower lifetime income, have saved less, and yet face higher overall retirement and healthcare costs due to a longer life expectancy. Women’s economic empowerment is about transforming the world of work, which is still very patriarchal and treats the equal voice, participation and leadership of women as an anomaly, tokenism, compartment or add on. Despite recognizing progress, structural barriers continue to hinder progress towards women’s economic empowerment globally. Women in all professions face what we call sticky floors, leaking pipelines and broken ladders, glass ceilings and glass walls! At the current pace, it may take 170 years to achieve economic equality among men and women �" according to estimates from the World Economic Forum’s latest Gender Gap Report. This is simply unacceptable. Fri, 03 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/03/women-in-the-changing-world-of-work-planet-5050-by-2030/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40977&lan=EN In a democracy, art can simply be ignored. Of course, one can appreciate culture, but that is a matter of choice, not necessity. Indifference is a luxury afforded to those whose freedoms are well protected. When those freedoms are threatened, however, art becomes a critical line of defense. The United States is learning that lesson today. Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40977&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40975&lan=EN [...] while the share of global migrants originating from developing countries has remained fairly stable at around 80% over the last 20 years, the share of developing country migrants heading to high-income countries has jumped from 36% to 51% of the world total. [...] Various factors influence today’s migration patterns. Notwithstanding rapid economic growth in many developing economies, the average per-capita income differential between developing and advanced economies has increased from around USD 20,000 in 1995 to more than USD 35,000 in 2015, making the latter even more attractive for migrants. While well-being in developing countries has improved in areas like life expectancy, security, health and education, the disparity with advanced countries remains high. The presence of migrant networks (family, friends and community) already living in destination countries facilitates migration, reinforcing the concentration in a few preferred destinations. Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40975&lan=EN http://content.knightfrank.com/research/83/documents/en/the-wealth-report-2017-4482.pdf Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://content.knightfrank.com/research/83/documents/en/the-wealth-report-2017-4482.pdf http://observers.france24.com/fr/20170208-finlande-start-enseigne-refugies-codage-integrify Most refugees and asylum seekers who arrive in Finland often get stuck waiting for months or years in reception centres for their claims to be processed. They are often cut off from Finnish society and have nothing to do. Two entrepreneurs saw wasted possibility. That’s why they started Integrify, a programme to train refugees and asylum seekers in coding, one of the most sought-after professions in Finland. Thu, 02 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://observers.france24.com/fr/20170208-finlande-start-enseigne-refugies-codage-integrify http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40968&lan=EN More than 1 in 4 deaths of children under 5 years of age are attributable to unhealthy environments. Every year, environmental risks �" such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, second-hand smoke, unsafe water, lack of sanitation, and inadequate hygiene �" take the lives of 1.7 million children under 5 years, say two new WHO reports. "A polluted environment is a deadly one �" particularly for young children," says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. "Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water." Mon, 06 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40968&lan=EN http://iwallerstein.com/resist-resist-why-and-how/ What Resist as a movement needs to keep in mind is the fact that we are in the midst of a historic structural transition from the capitalist world-system in which we have lived for some 500 years to one of two successor systems �" a non-capitalist system that preserves all of the worst features of capitalism (hierarchy, exploitation, and polarization) and its opposite, a system that is relatively democratic and egalitarian. I call this the struggle between the spirit of Davos and the spirit of Porto Alegre. We are living in the chaotic, confusing situation of transition. This has two implications for our collective strategy. In the short run (say, up to three years), we must remember that we all live in the short run. We all wish to survive. We all need food and shelter. Any movement that hopes to flourish must help people survive by supporting anything that minimizes the pain of those who are suffering. But in the middle run (say 20-40 years), minimizing the pain changes nothing. We need to concentrate on our struggle with those who represent the spirit of Davos. There is no compromise. There is no �oereformed” version of capitalism that can be constructed. Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://iwallerstein.com/resist-resist-why-and-how/ http://www.eurozine.com/european-others/ Against the background of an anxiety-ridden debate around threats to a European identity, Fatima El-Tayeb looks at how exclusionary spatio-temporal structures are being remixed throughout Europe to create a trans-local and trans-ethnic counter-discourse. Wed, 22 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eurozine.com/european-others/ http://www.dw.com/en/the-korean-divide/av-37753950 It is 4 kilometers wide, 250 kilometers long and divides Korea in two: the demilitarized zone, also referred to as the DMZ. Never before has a team of non-military observers been allowed to film inside the DMZ. Explore Korea’s north-south divide. Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.dw.com/en/the-korean-divide/av-37753950 http://making-of.afp.com/derniers-jours-alep Sometimes, I want to close my eyes and imagine that everything that happened was just a bad dream. I want to wake up in Aleppo, six years earlier. Usually, photographers and war reporters are dispatched to the front lines to cover a conflict, then return home once their mission is completed. Not me. I lived through hell, but I have not yet known respite. I live in the present but I am hurtling towards the unknown. I can no longer bear to see the pictures and videos that I shot in Aleppo for AFP. My chest tightens, and I’m flooded with memories both beautiful and painful. Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://making-of.afp.com/derniers-jours-alep http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40955&lan=EN More journalists are jailed around the world than at any time since the Committee to Protect Journalists began keeping detailed records in 1990, with Turkey accounting for nearly a third of the global total, CPJ found in its annual census of journalists imprisoned worldwide. Amid an ongoing crackdown that accelerated after a failed coup attempt in July, Turkey is jailing at least 81 journalists in relation to their work, the highest number in any one country at any time, according to CPJ’s records. Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40955&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40953&lan=EN �oeEven a bad high school student,” President Donald Trump told a gathering of law and order officers on 8 February, could understand the language and intent of his Executive Order 3769 that suspended entry of all refugees into the United States for 120 days, barred Syrian refugees indefinitely, and prohibited entry of citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries into the United States for 90 days. One day later, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals thought otherwise and refused to reinstate the Order in a carefully reasoned opinion. While the ultimate fate of the Muslim ban remains in limbo, it seems clear the Trump presidency is unlikely to be remembered for its vigorous championing of human rights. But it has already produced powerful forms of resistance that may put human rights center stage in the United States again. Why, again? Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40953&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40946&lan=EN A bumper crop of Earth-size planets huddled around an ultra-cool, red dwarf star could be little more than chunks of rock blasted by radiation, or cloud-covered worlds as broiling hot as Venus. Or they could harbor exotic lifeforms, thriving under skies of ruddy twilight. Scientists are pondering the possibilities after this week’s announcement: the discovery of seven worlds orbiting a small, cool star some 40 light-years away, all of them in the ballpark of our home planet in terms of their heft (mass) and size (diameter). Three of the planets reside in the �oehabitable zone” around their star, TRAPPIST-1, where calculations suggest that conditions might be right for liquid water to exist on their surfaces�"though follow-up observations are needed to be sure. Thu, 23 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40946&lan=EN http://ioppublishing.org/news/could-rudolph-and-friends-help-to-slow-down-our-warming-climate/ Reindeer may be best known for pulling Santa’s sleigh, but a new study suggests they may have a part to play in slowing down climate change too. A team of researchers, writing in the journal Environmental Research Letters, found that when reindeer reduce the height and abundance of shrubs on the Arctic tundra through grazing, the level of surface albedo �" the amount of solar energy (shortwave radiation) reflected by the Earth back into space �" is increased. Thu, 22 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://ioppublishing.org/news/could-rudolph-and-friends-help-to-slow-down-our-warming-climate/ http://roarmag.org/essays/zad-autonomous-zone-france/ In a heroic struggle of solidarity and resistance, locals and activists of the ZAD have been fighting against the construction of an airport for many years. Thu, 26 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://roarmag.org/essays/zad-autonomous-zone-france/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40942&lan=EN As Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, once said, �oeGlobalisation is another term for U.S. domination.” This phase ran from 1982 until the financial crisis of 2008, when the collapse of American banks, followed by contagion in Europe, forced the system to question the Washington Consensus as an undisputable theory. Doubts were also being voiced loudly through the growing mobilisation of civil society /the World Social Forum, for example, had been created in 1981) and by the offensive of many economists who had previously remained in silence. The latter began insisting that macroeconomics �" the preferred instrument of globalisation �" looked only at the big figures. If microeconomics was used instead, they argued, it would become clear that there was very unequal distribution of growth (not to be confused with development) and that delocalisation and other measures which ignored the social impact of globalisation, were having disastrous consequences. Tue, 21 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40942&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40941&lan=EN �oe2016 was the year when the cynical use of ‘us vs them’ narratives of blame, hate and fear took on a global prominence to a level not seen since the 1930s. Too many politicians are answering legitimate economic and security fears with a poisonous and divisive manipulation of identity politics in an attempt to win votes.” (...) �oeDivisive fear-mongering has become a dangerous force in world affairs. Whether it is Trump, Orban, Erdogan or Duterte, more and more politicians calling themselves anti-establishment are wielding a toxic agenda that hounds, scapegoats and dehumanizes entire groups of people.” Wed, 22 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40941&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/feb/27/sand-mining-global-environmental-crisis-never-heard Sand mining is causing environmental damage worldwide. The main driver of this crisis is our era’s unprecedented urban growth. Cities are expanding at a pace and on a scale far greater than at any time in human history. The number of people living in urban areas has more than quadrupled since 1950, to about 4 billion today. More than half of the world’s people now live in cities �" with another 2.5 billion to come in the next three decades, according to the UN. Dredging from river beds destroys the habitat of bottom-dwelling creatures and organisms. The churned-up sediment clouds the water, suffocating fish and blocking the sunlight that sustains underwater vegetation. Kenyan officials shut down all river sand mines in one part of the country a few years ago because of the environmental damage it was causing. India’s supreme court recently warned that �oethe alarming rate of unrestricted sand mining” is disrupting riparian ecosystems all over the country, with fatal consequences for fish and other aquatic organisms and �oedisaster” for many bird species. Sand extraction from rivers has also caused millions of dollars in damage to infrastructure. Mon, 27 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/feb/27/sand-mining-global-environmental-crisis-never-heard http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40939&lan=EN Co-presented by Max Forster, CNN, and Raquel Martínez, RTVE, the event underlined the immense socio-economic opportunities brought by the sector to all societies as well as its power to advocate for mutual understanding, peace and sustainable development worldwide. �oeEvery day, more than three million tourists cross international borders. Every year, almost 1.2 billion people travel abroad. Tourism has become a pillar of economies, a passport to prosperity, and a transformative force for improving millions of lives. The world can and must harness the power of tourism as we strive to carry out the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development�oe said United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, in his message on the occasion of the International Year. Thu, 19 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40939&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40934&lan=EN During the recent confirmation hearings of President Trump’s cabinet nominees, a familiar pattern has emerged. Many of them have acknowledged that climate change is happening, but each has then sowed doubt by either understating the connection between human activity and climate change or by suggesting that there’s too much uncertainty to act. The overall effect of these statements is to confuse or stall progress. The reality is that we know plenty about the role of people as a primary driver of climate change, and government officials certainly know more than enough to act. [...] Simply put, these views are not accurate and fly in the face of well-established science. The underlying research showing the connection between increasing CO2 concentrations and a warming planet was established more than 150 years ago. Tue, 31 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40934&lan=EN http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/02/23/us/americas-aging-dams-are-in-need-of-repair.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news After two weeks that saw evacuations near Oroville, Calif., and flooding in Elko County, Nev., America’s dams are showing their age. Nearly 2,000 state-regulated high-hazard dams in the United States were listed as being in need of repair in 2015, according to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. A dam is considered �oehigh hazard” based on the potential for the loss of life as a result of failure. By 2020, 70 percent of the dams in the United States will be more than 50 years old, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. Thu, 23 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/02/23/us/americas-aging-dams-are-in-need-of-repair.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news http://www.ethnologue.com/guides/how-many-languages 7,099 languages are spoken today. That number is constantly in flux, because we're learning more about the world's languages every day. And beyond that, the languages themselves are in flux. They’re living and dynamic, spoken by communities whose lives are shaped by our rapidly changing world. This is a fragile time: Roughly a third of languages are now endangered, often with less than 1,000 speakers remaining. Meanwhile, just 23 languages account for more than half the world’s population. Wed, 15 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ethnologue.com/guides/how-many-languages http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/09/us-metro-areas-unauthorized-immigrants/ Most of the United States’ 11.1 million unauthorized immigrants live in just 20 major metropolitan areas, with the largest populations in New York, Los Angeles and Houston, according to new Pew Research Center estimates based on government data. The analysis shows that the nation’s unauthorized immigrant population is highly concentrated, more so than the U.S. population overall. In 2014, the 20 metro areas with most unauthorized immigrants were home to 6.8 million of them, or 61% of the estimated nationwide total. By contrast, only 36% of the total U.S. population lived in those metro areas. Wed, 22 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/09/us-metro-areas-unauthorized-immigrants/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/01/25/big-us-city-mayors-vow-defy-trump-sanctuary-cities-order/97066272/ Several big city mayors across the U.S. vowed on Wednesday to defy President Trump’s executive order that threatens to cut off federal funding to cities that offer some sort of protection to undocumented immigrants in their communities. The pushback from the mayors came as Trump signed a long-anticipated executive order that directs the government to identify federal money it can withhold to punish so-called "sanctuary cities," a term for hundreds of communities that in some way limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents. Trump had pledged to take action against sanctuary cities on the campaign trail. Thu, 26 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/01/25/big-us-city-mayors-vow-defy-trump-sanctuary-cities-order/97066272/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40923&lan=EN MEPs ask the EU Commission to propose rules on robotics and artificial intelligence, in order to fully exploit their economic potential and to guarantee a standard level of safety and security. They note that regulatory standards for robots are being planned in several countries, and point out that the EU needs to take the lead on setting these standards, so as not to be forced to follow those set by third countries. Rapporteur Mady Delvaux (S&D, LU) said �oeAlthough I am pleased that the plenary adopted my report on robotics, I am also disappointed that the right-wing coalition of ALDE, EPP and ECR refused to take account of possible negative consequences on the job market. They rejected an open-minded and forward-looking debate and thus disregarded the concerns of our citizens.” Thu, 16 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40923&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40921&lan=EN Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40921&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40920&lan=EN For some years now, we have been witnessing the emergence of relational, crossover, participatory power. This is the territory that gives technopolitics its meaning and prominence, the basis on which a new vision of democracy �" more open, more direct, more interactive - is being developed and embraced. It is a framework that overcomes the closed architecture on which the praxis of governance - closed, hierarchical, one-way - has been cemented in almost all areas, resulting in high levels of disaffection towards traditional organizations: parties and institutions, unions and non-profit organizations, the media and the universities. What are the essential elements to understand this new scenario? How are power roles being reshaped? How do technology platforms contribute to this transformation? The answers to these questions are key to understanding this new ecosystem. Mon, 20 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40920&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40919&lan=EN War and a collapsing economy have left some 100,000 people facing starvation in parts of South Sudan where famine was declared today, three UN agencies warned. A further 1 million people are classified as being on the brink of famine. [...] The total number of food insecure people is expected to rise to 5.5 million at the height of the lean season in July if nothing is done to curb the severity and spread of the food crisis. Mon, 20 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40919&lan=EN http://www.opendemocracy.net/kareem-chehayeb/seeds-of-next-arab-spring The 2016 Arab Human Development Report (AHDR) by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was focused on the region’s youth �" those aged between 15 and 29 �" a significant group that keeps on growing. This is the first report of its kind to be released after the Arab Spring, and details how young people are more politically aware and motivated to achieve their civil and human rights. Yet they face considerable challenges, primarily economic and security-related. The poor economic planning by the existing regimes is only prolonging and worsening these problems, as a more politically-conscious population grows. Wed, 11 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.opendemocracy.net/kareem-chehayeb/seeds-of-next-arab-spring http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40917&lan=EN With growing awareness of the economic costs of land degradation, political leaders are adopting ambitious targets to restore degraded forests and agricultural land. Building on the interest in forest landscape restoration generated by the Bonn Challenge, in 2014, countries adopted the New York Declaration on Forests to restore 350 million hectares (865 million acres) of degraded forests and agricultural land by 2030. That’s an area bigger than the size of India. Wed, 15 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40917&lan=EN http://www.euractiv.fr/section/europe-sociale-emploi/news/parliament-plenary-rejects-universal-basic-income/ The European Parliament’s plenary session voted today (16 February) against a universal basic income to compensate for the impact of robots on the labour market. By a broad majority, the Parliament adopted a non-legally binding report with recommendations to the European Commission on rules on robotics. Arguably, the report represents the first effort by legislators worldwide to prepare the regulatory ground for the emerging sector of artificial intelligence and advanced robotics. Despite the fact that most groups supported the recommendations, the plenary rejected the most controversial proposals. These were the recommendations for setting up a universal basic income, a robot tax and allowing consumers to collectively claim compensation for damages generated by intelligent machines. Mon, 20 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.euractiv.fr/section/europe-sociale-emploi/news/parliament-plenary-rejects-universal-basic-income/ http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2017/60-me-anniversaire-du-trait-de-rome-5120698 As the anniversary of the signature of the EU's founding treaties is approaching, a group of over 300 European academics and personalities are endorsing this appeal to relaunch European integration and inviting civil society, academia, young people and citizens to participate to the March for Europe in Rome on March 25. 25 March 2017 is the day of the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties which have made the EU project the most successful experiment of peace and integration ever. This date may go down history as yet another self-praising, boring, closed-door party of 27 EU leaders or as the germ of a first conscious, popular and patriotic European manifestation. Mon, 20 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/2017/60-me-anniversaire-du-trait-de-rome-5120698 http://www.socialeurope.eu/2017/02/long-affair-working-class-intellectual-cultural-left/ The more than 150-year-old alliance between the industrial working class and what one might call the intellectual-cultural Left is over. The recent election results suggest that these two now have almost completely different views on key social and political issues. In general, the traditional working class favours protectionism, the re-establishment of a type of work that the development of technology inexorably has rendered outdated and production over environmental concerns; it is also a significant part of the basis for the recent surge in anti-immigrant and even xenophobic views. Support from the traditional working class for strengthening ethnic or sexual minorities’ rights is also pretty low. The intellectual-cultural Left is the exact opposite: these people are internationalists, free traders, environmentalists and strongly focused on supporting various minority groups’ rights via identity politics. And this group is positively disposed towards immigration and multiculturalism. Fri, 10 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.socialeurope.eu/2017/02/long-affair-working-class-intellectual-cultural-left/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40910&lan=EN Less populated and less hegemonic than Saudi Arabia, more discreet than Qatar, the United Arab Emirates has been not less active, especially since 2011, to fight political Islam in all its forms, with the Muslim Brotherhood as its main target. The federation is therefore in frontal opposition with Qatar and Saudi Arabia. [...] Abu Dhabi’s foreign policy has two principal goals: to protect itself against Iran and to combat political Islam in all its forms, with the Muslim Brotherhood as its main target. While the fear of Iran is shared on the whole by the other Gulf monarchies, the same is not true of political Islam, an area in which the Emirates are completely at odds with Qatar and also, though only recently, with Saudi Arabia. Thu, 16 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40910&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40909&lan=EN Thu, 16 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40909&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-syrian-dissident-yassin-al-haj-saleh-the-wests-lamentable-myopia Syrian intellectual Yassin al-Haj Saleh was a revolutionary from the very first. He remains harshly critical of all those political observers and experts in the West who claim that there is no alternative to Assad and that shoring up the regime would be the lesser of two evils. [...] Al-Haj Saleh: Bashar al-Assad's regime is by no means secular; it is sectarian. When it comes to Muslim-majority countries, many people in the West tend to adopt what I call Huntingtonian secularism, defining secularism in an oversimplified culturalist way as something that is basically against Islam. Wed, 15 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-syrian-dissident-yassin-al-haj-saleh-the-wests-lamentable-myopia http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40905&lan=EN Those who have been telling us that Islam, not just revolutionary Islamism, is a lethal threat to Western civilization should now feel satisfied: the President of the United States, and his main advisers, agree with them. In the tweeted words of Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser, General Mike Flynn: �oeFear of Muslims is rational.” Stephen Bannon, the former executive chairman of the alt-right Breitbart News who is Trump’s chief political strategist and a member of the National Security Council, has stated that the �oeJudeo-Christian” West is engaged in a global war with Islam. Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40905&lan=EN http://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-016-0051 The legacy and reach of anthropogenic influence is most clearly evidenced by its impact on the most remote and inaccessible habitats on Earth. Here we identify extraordinary levels of persistent organic pollutants in the endemic amphipod fauna from two of the deepest ocean trenches (>10,000 metres). Contaminant levels were considerably higher than documented for nearby regions of heavy industrialization, indicating bioaccumulation of anthropogenic contamination and inferring that these pollutants are pervasive across the world’s oceans and to full ocean depth. The oceans comprise the largest biome on the planet, with the deep ocean operating as a potential sink for the pollutants and litter that are discarded into the seas. The spatial and bathymetric expanse of the deep sea infers that there are still large areas untouched by anthropogenic activity, although the intrinsic linkages between the deep sea and surface waters 2 would suggest this inference is ill-conceived. Mon, 13 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-016-0051 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/17/zealandia-pieces-finally-falling-together-for-long-overlooked-continent Zealandia �" a new continent submerged in the southwest Pacific �" is a step closer to being recognised, the authors of a new scientific paper claim. A paper published in GSA Today, the journal of the Geological Society of America, contends that the vast, continuous expanse of continental crust, which centres on New Zealand, is distinct enough to constitute a separate continent. The paper’s authors argue that the incremental way in which it came to light goes to show that even �oethe large and the obvious in natural science can be overlooked”. Fri, 17 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/17/zealandia-pieces-finally-falling-together-for-long-overlooked-continent http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40895&lan=EN African philosophy is generally overlooked in the field of philosophy. The reasons for that are unclear. Some argue that it may be because African philosophy is closely tied to its oral traditions, making its extended history difficult to share to a larger audience. Others argue that its Afrocentric nature makes it less palatable to the rest of the world. Fri, 25 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40895&lan=EN http://saveliberaldemocracy.com/2017/02/10/the-philosophers-revolution/ If there is one good thing that has come from the turn of events of the past year, it is that the tyranny of pragmatism has been exposed; it no longer holds complete dominion over political discourse. Metaphorically, the doors of perception have been opened for anyone with the courage to change society in his or her own unconventional way. Now is the time for the idealist and the visionary to seize the moment, to pose fundamental questions on the nature of existence, the purpose of society, the meaning of human liberty, the value of the collective good, to construct new, utopian visions from the ashes of a fragmented world, to reclaim the reins of politics from the cynics and the inveterate pessimists. The time has come in politics to return to philosophy, to question our core values and what it means to be human, to pursue the good without compromise and propagate new ideals in the service of humanity. Fri, 10 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://saveliberaldemocracy.com/2017/02/10/the-philosophers-revolution/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40888&lan=EN Anticipating an announcement from the President-elect of the United States Donald Trump to either renegotiate or withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) -- as well as reactions from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto -- broad civil society networks from Mexico, the United States, Canada and Quebec are making clear to their governments that any renegotiation process must be transparent and participatory, and that the resulting NAFTA replacement must improve peoples’ lives and livelihoods and protect the environment in all three countries. Wed, 18 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40888&lan=EN http://www.pwc.fr/fr/publications/economie-generale/the-word-in-2050.html The long view: how will the global economic order change by 2050? This report sets out our latest long-term global growth projections to 2050 for 32 of the largest economies in the world, accounting for around 85% of world GDP. Fri, 10 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pwc.fr/fr/publications/economie-generale/the-word-in-2050.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40884&lan=EN A chilling new report by Amnesty International exposes the Syrian government’s calculated campaign of extrajudicial executions by mass hangings at Saydnaya Prison. Between 2011 and 2015, every week and often twice a week, groups of up to 50 people were taken out of their prison cells and hanged to death. In five years, as many as 13,000 people, most of them civilians believed to be opposed to the government, were hanged in secret at Saydnaya. [...] These practices, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, are authorized at the highest levels of the Syrian government. Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40884&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40880&lan=EN It is said that God is Brazilian. This is not the God of tenderness or the humble, but the Moloch of the Canaanite and Phoenicians, who devours his children. We are one of the most unequal, unjust and violent countries in the world. Theologically, we live in a situation of social and structural sin, contrary to God's design. It is enough to consider what happened in the jails of Manaus, Rondonia and Roraima. It’s pure barbarity: fury that beheads, pierces eyes and destroys the heart. There is not just violence in Brazil. We are grounded in violent socio-historical structures, based on the genocide of the Indigenous, humiliating colonialism and inhumane slavery. And these structures cannot be overcome without first overcoming this dreadful tradition. How to do that? It is a challenge that demands a colossal transformation of our social relationships. Is this still possible or are we condemned to be a pariah country? I see it as possible, on condition of following, among other things, these two paths developed by the grassroots: the creation of a people, beginning with the social movements, and the installation of a social-democracy, grounded in the people. Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40880&lan=EN http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2017/01/30/mondialisation-projet-leurope/ Today, globalisation is a disputed political project. Growing inequalities, the situation of �oelosers” and the �oedownwardly mobile”, and the lack of transparency in negotiations all cast doubt on the capacity of international trade to contribute to progress. Governments need to answer a question that is both simple and complex: what is the point of globalisation? Mon, 30 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2017/01/30/mondialisation-projet-leurope/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40877&lan=EN In justifying his policy, Trump said that he would �oenever forget the lessons of 9/11.” But that is exactly what he seems to have done. The 9/11 hijackers came from Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, all countries unaffected by the new rules. In contrast, a study by Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy analyst at the libertarian Cato Institute, concludes that in the 40 years up to the end of 2015, no one has been killed in the US in terrorist attacks by foreigners from any of the seven countries singled out in Trump’s executive order. Iranians, many of whom are legally resident in the US, are especially aggrieved. According to Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, the US itself has produced more Islamic State (ISIS) fighters than Iran �" not surprising, given that ISIS is a Sunni organization, and regards Shia, who comprise at least 90% of Iran’s people, as apostates who can justifiably be killed. Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40877&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/30/trump-travel-ban-starbucks-hire-10000-refugees Starbucks has promised to hire 10,000 refugees over five years in response to Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily barring refugees access to the US and banning entry for anyone from seven majority Muslim countries. The move came as leading US companies including Alphabet, Amazon, Ford, Goldman Sachs and Microsoft came out against the policy. Howard Schultz, the coffee chain’s chief executive, said he had �oedeep concern” about the president’s order and would be taking �oeresolute” action, starting with offering jobs to refugees. Mon, 30 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/30/trump-travel-ban-starbucks-hire-10000-refugees http://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/wef-2017_les-%C3%A9lites-r%C3%A9unies-%C3%A0-davos-face-%C3%A0-la-col%C3%A8re-des-classes-moyennes/42843920 These are nervous times for the world’s leaders gathering in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. Voters have spoken in Britain, the United States and Italy �" and their voice has been interpreted as a middle class challenge to the establishment. Elections are looming in the Netherlands, Germany and France. Several world leaders, including French President François Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have opted to address voter concerns at home rather than attend WEF. Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/wef-2017_les-%C3%A9lites-r%C3%A9unies-%C3%A0-davos-face-%C3%A0-la-col%C3%A8re-des-classes-moyennes/42843920 http://www.dw.com/en/what-does-the-future-hold-for-africas-farmers/a-37266478 Smallholder farmers, lack of equipment and meager harvests: Africa’s agricultural sector is widely seen as not being ready to face the future. Modernization can help increase production but that is easier said than done. If Africa is to be able to feed its growing population, it must increase food production by 60 percent in the next 15 years. Estimates say that the African population will double by 2050, from the present 1.2 to 2.4 billion people. [...] "We have an industry dominated by aging, traditionally oriented, poor smallholder farmers and the outlook for future farmers is bleak," Kanza said at the AGCO-Africa Summit in Berlin. Tue, 24 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.dw.com/en/what-does-the-future-hold-for-africas-farmers/a-37266478 http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2016/allday131216.html Arguably, no war has been more mediated by misunderstanding than the conflict currently taking place in Syria. This article will seek to correct some of the major fallacies in circulation, illuminate how dissenting voices are forced out of the mainstream debate through smears and intimidation, and unmask the ostensibly neutral stances of a number of prominent voices on the conflict. Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2016/allday131216.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40866&lan=EN In a corner of a cavernous abandoned warehouse in Belgrade, 11-year-old Ahmed is huddled around a small fire with four other boys. They are boiling potatoes, a meager meal that is likely to be the only food that they will eat today. Outside, the city is blanketed in snow. [...] They have been staying in the warehouse behind Belgrade’s central station for more than two months. The boys told me that no one from Serbia’s social or asylum services has offered them any support, shelter or protection. Mon, 23 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40866&lan=EN http://inroadsjournal.ca/trials-of-a-role-model/ Effectively, Sweden is no longer the role model it would like to be. This is difficult for Swedes to accept. A generous asylum system fits the Swedish narrative of being a humanitarian superpower. In recent years, its expression has taken the form of showing that an efficient welfare state is compatible with generosity towards refugees. Swedish leaders made it clear that they would not go down the path of Denmark and Norway and restrict the entry of refugees. Unlike them, Sweden would not give in to populist demands. Initially, this seemed to work. Both Denmark and Norway, but not Sweden, had anti-immigrant, right-wing populists in their parliaments.2 If the elite makes concessions to anti-immigration sentiments by implementing strict immigration policies, the argument went, the populists will get wind in their sails and appear respectable in the public eye. Swedes could be proud that they had a strong economy, a welcoming attitude toward refugees and no anti-immigrant parties in their parliament. Fri, 16 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://inroadsjournal.ca/trials-of-a-role-model/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40864&lan=EN Aja Babung Sidibeh, for example, was a female genital mutilator on her native island of Janjanbureh in the Gambia. Today, she is actively involved in the fight against the practice of genital mutilation. In April 2014, she told the Standard Newspaper: "If I had previously known what I know today, I would never have circumcised a single woman. We have caused much suffering to many daughters and wives. That's why I said if my grandparents had known what I know today, they never would have circumcised any women. Ignorance is the main issue." Wed, 18 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40864&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40863&lan=EN �oeAs a religious minority in Iraq, Yazidis are not accepted and not protected. What is happening to my community is a human rights crisis,” said Erivan Mahdi, 24, a Yazidi woman working in a camp in Iraq’s Kurdistan region that is sheltering displaced Yazidis who have fled attacks by the Islamic State (ISIS). Yazidis are a religious community of some 400,000 people who live in the Sinjar region of northern Iraq. ISIS militants attacked Sinjar in 2014, killing thousands of Yazidi men and taking thousands of women captive. A UN investigation in June 2016 denounced the atrocities as genocide and said ISIS has continued targeting Yazidis since 2014 with an aim to �oeerase their identity.” Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40863&lan=EN http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2017/01/24/singes-davos/ There have been two headlines in the news recently that should be viewed and analysed together. The first of these is the prediction that there will be a virtual extinction of nonhuman primates in 25 to 50 years. The second is the fear of an �oeend to globalization” expressed in Davos by various free trade supporters, the warning signs of which are Donald Trump’s protectionist intentions and the prospect of re-establishing obstacles to free trade between the United Kingdom and Europe. What is the connection between these two signals? It is in the nature and evolution of globalization. Tue, 24 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2017/01/24/singes-davos/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40861&lan=EN Scientists used to describe insects as not having a central brain. Rather, it was said, independent ganglia controlled different segments of the insect’s body. If this were the case, it would be difficult to imagine how insects could be conscious. But a recent article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences rejects this model. Macquarie University’s Andrew Barron, a cognitive scientist, and Colin Klein, a philosopher, argue that subjective experience could be more widespread in the animal kingdom �" and older, in evolutionary terms �" than we realize. Subjective experience is the most basic form of consciousness. If a being is capable of having subjective experiences, then there is something that it is like to be that being, and this �oesomething” could include having pleasant or painful experiences. In contrast, a driverless car has detectors capable of sensing obstacles that could collide with it, and of taking action to avoid such collisions, but there is nothing that it is like to be that car. In humans, subjective experience is distinguishable from higher levels of consciousness, such as self-awareness, which requires a functioning cortex. Subjective experience involves the midbrain rather than the cortex and can continue even after massive damage to the cortex. Thu, 12 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40861&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40860&lan=EN From May to December 2016, an average of 30 Filipinos were brutally murdered every day. The dead included toddlers, teenagers and mothers. Some were shot by the police, others by masked assassins. Populist President Rodrigo Duterte has encouraged the bloodshed. The death count is currently at 6,000 and still growing. Not one murderer has been brought to justice. Meanwhile, Congress is working on restoring the death penalty and lowering the age of criminal responsibility to nine years. There is talk of allowing security forces to detain people without judicial mandate, changing the constitution and giving the president emergency powers. Wed, 25 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40860&lan=EN http://www.leftvoice.org/10-Points-to-Understand-the-Gasolinazo-Protests-in-Mexico According to several analysts, the decision to increase gas prices is the worst mistake that Peña Nieto’s discredited government has made so far. Since the first day of this year, gas prices have increased by 14.4% for Magna gas, 20.1% for Premium and 16.5% for diesel. The current inflated prices will only increase after until February 3. This is yet another step in ending state control in the oil industry, which began with the nationalization of oil in 1938. Since then, steps have been taken to privatize the industry. The Mexican government has long subsidized gas prices to control against fluctuations. In order to attract privatize investors to Mexican oil, the Peña Nieto administration will allow gas prices to fluctuate according to the market by the end of the year. In this article we lay out some key elements to understanding the seemingly endless crisis of the Mexican administration. Mon, 09 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.leftvoice.org/10-Points-to-Understand-the-Gasolinazo-Protests-in-Mexico http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40856&lan=EN Over two-thirds of the 176 countries and territories in this year's index fall below the midpoint of our scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The global average score is a paltry 43, indicating endemic corruption in a country's public sector. Top-scoring countries (yellow in the map below) are far outnumbered by orange and red countries where citizens face the tangible impact of corruption on a daily basis. Wed, 25 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40856&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40855&lan=EN Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, with the end of ideologies, politics has lost vision and long-range strategy, to become a basically administrative fact, with a substantive increase in corruption. Citizens, and especially young people, do not feel part of the system. From being participatory mechanisms, political parties have become self-referential. And to political disaffection, we should add the discovery that the neo-liberal economic model of the free market has in no way led to the growth announced for all, but has instead increased to an unprecedented extent the gap between the rich (increasingly fewer) and the poor (increasingly more numerous). (...) But what will this new world order be, based on nationalism, fear and greed? What is certain is that a style of governing that belies the data of reality foments tension and hatred as political tools, fights against culture, intellectuals, the press, women, minorities, homosexuals and neighbours, and will have a profoundly negative impact on politics and society, ethics and democracy, in the world. Tue, 24 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40855&lan=EN http://www.metropolitiques.eu/Quels-modeles-pour-l-urbanisme.html#top Thinking about urban planning in terms of models, once decried, seems to be making a comeback among planners, especially as the importance of sustainable development becomes ever clearer? Whether they are �oemodelling” energy consumption, collecting �oebest practices” in urban planning or creating �oelabels” for sustainable neighbourhoods, experts in the field are calling, more or less directly, for regulatory �" or even standardised �" measures and instruments that can be used (and, ideally, reproduced) to build today’s cities. At this point, we should like to call into question the characteristics of the doctrines of sustainable urban planning. Wed, 25 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.metropolitiques.eu/Quels-modeles-pour-l-urbanisme.html#top http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40850&lan=EN As a society, our actions have violated human rights in a savagely violent way for the sake of development: the indiscriminate exploitation of resources, for the sake of development; the violation of rights, for the sake of development; whatever, for the sake of development. For us at FASOL it has been very important to understand our place in the world of development and conservation, and how we relate to other organizations. To date, we have supported more than seven hundred organizations. Some are very small indeed. As part of a pyramid, we deal with the groups at the basis of it, we support the groups at the bottom, which are not even formally constituted or even organized. FASOL is reproducing the model used by the Global Greengrants Fund, which is a model that has proved very successful - a model where you have a number of people in the field, in the territory, in different states. Mon, 23 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40850&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jan/14/aid-in-reverse-how-poor-countries-develop-rich-countries The US-based Global Financial Integrity (GFI) and the Centre for Applied Research at the Norwegian School of Economics recently published some fascinating data. They tallied up all of the financial resources that get transferred between rich countries and poor countries each year: not just aid, foreign investment and trade flows (as previous studies have done) but also non-financial transfers such as debt cancellation, unrequited transfers like workers’ remittances, and unrecorded capital flight (more of this later). What they discovered is that the flow of money from rich countries to poor countries pales in comparison to the flow that runs in the other direction. Sat, 14 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jan/14/aid-in-reverse-how-poor-countries-develop-rich-countries http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40846&lan=EN The changing of the guard on the 38th floor of the United Nations building in New York, with António Guterres taking over for Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary-General, has taken place at a time when notions about peace and conflict are undergoing a subtle change. In particular, the role of resources �" and especially water �" is getting the recognition it deserves. This has been a long time coming. Both Ban and his predecessor, Kofi Annan, have argued for some two decades that protecting and sharing natural resources, particularly water, is critical to peace and security. But it was not until last November that the issue gained widespread acknowledgement, with Senegal �" that month’s UN Security Council president �" holding the UN’s first-ever official debate on water, peace, and security. Wed, 11 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40846&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40844&lan=EN One out of four citizens in the European Union (EU) believes that reporting corruption is the most effective thing a person can do to fight it. Unfortunately only a small minority of them would speak up, according to our recent public survey, covering 22 out of the 28 EU member states. Why is this? Put simply, most fear the consequences: 35% of EU citizens said they are afraid of retaliation or a negative backlash such as losing their job. In France, The Netherlands and Portugal it is 50% who expressed this concern. At the same time, the majority of European citizens feels personally compelled to report an incidence of corruption. In France, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, UK and Portugal more than 80% said they would feel obliged to speak up if they would witness wrongdoing. Fri, 18 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40844&lan=EN http://roarmag.org/magazine/the-concept-of-the-wall/ As a constitutive aspect of political life, walls and politics are practically indistinct. Not only did the concept of politics as such emerge from the organization of social life in cities (the Greek polis), but from the development of the earliest city-states until well into modernity, these cities were nearly invariably surrounded by walls. Indeed, the very word city stems from citadel �" a structure that is nothing without its walls. Delimiting and regulating space and movement, walls are key to controlling and administering territory, comprising an elementary tool in the general administration of security. In contrast to neoliberalism’s ideology of freedom and openness, walls �" as well as their virtual analogs �" not only obstruct movement and intensify state control, but in enclosing rich and poor alike they also abet privatization and precarity the world over. Sat, 21 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://roarmag.org/magazine/the-concept-of-the-wall/ http://www.newmandala.org/indonesia-transparent-sex/ Conservative attacks on homosexuality and LGBT in Indonesia have branched out into a broader assault on feminism and the intrusion of the state into previously private spheres of life, Hendri Yulius writes. Mon, 16 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.newmandala.org/indonesia-transparent-sex/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40834&lan=EN For the first time in history humanity is facing potentially irreversible processes that could lead to points of non-return if corrective actions are not taken on time. It is essential to promote on a global scale awareness of the unacceptable irresponsibility we could be accused of if we don’t react vigorously to redress current trends. [...] Until very recently, �oeWe the Peoples...” -as lucidly referred at the beginning of the Charter of the United Nations- were unable to express themselves. Today, with the new digital technology, they can express ourselves freely. And we know what happens worldwide. Now, we must raise our voices. Otherwise, we would become accomplices. Accomplices of a crime of silence. Fri, 20 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40834&lan=EN http://www.neweasterneurope.eu/articles-and-commentary/2235-whatever-happened-to-russia-without-putin The mass protests in late 2011 and early 2012 changed Russia, but not in the ways the tens of thousands who protested that winter had hoped. Rather than a flowering of �oedemocracy” as many desired, Putin has only further consolidated his authoritarian dominance over the last five years. Though crisis continues to plague Russia, five years after the people imagined a �oeRussia without Putin”, many today struggle to foresee a viable alternative to him. The Kremlin ultimately crushed any opposition through a mixture of co-option and coercion. But the defeat of Russia’s protest movement is larger than this. The Kremlin skilfully morphed Russian demands for recognition and representation from expressions of revolutionary desire to the basis of reactionary consolidation. One could call this Putin’s �oeNixonian moment”, where Russia’s �oesilent majority” became the source for a new consensus. For what followed in Russia is a story about recognition and representation, a chronicle about who is and who is not a legitimate manifestation of the �oepeople.” Wed, 11 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.neweasterneurope.eu/articles-and-commentary/2235-whatever-happened-to-russia-without-putin http://agenceglobal.com/2017/01/15/china-and-the-united-states-partners/ When, in 1945, the United States had definitively defeated its great rival Germany, it was set to assume the role of hegemonic power in the world-system. The only obstacle was the military power of the Soviet Union. The way the United States dealt with this obstacle was to offer the Soviet Union the status of junior partner in the world-system. We refer to this tacit accord as the Yalta arrangements. Both sides denied that there was any deal, and both sides fully implemented it. The United States dreams of reproducing a Yalta-like arrangement with China. China scoffs at this idea. It considers the days of U.S. hegemony as over, believing that the United States no longer has the economic strength to underpin such a status. It also believes that internal disunity renders the United States impotent in the geopolitical arena. On the contrary, China seeks to impose a Yalta-like arrangement in which the United States would be the junior partner. The closest analogy would be the post-1945 relationship of Great Britain with the United States. Sun, 15 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://agenceglobal.com/2017/01/15/china-and-the-united-states-partners/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40826&lan=EN Demand for international tourism remained robust in 2016 despite challenges. International tourist arrivals grew by 3.9% to reach a total of 1,235 million, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Some 46 million more tourists (overnight visitors) travelled internationally last year compared to 2015. Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40826&lan=EN http://geopoliticalfutures.com/thinking-about-propaganda/ One characteristic of propaganda is that it is generally wielded for foreign policy goals more successfully by authoritarian regimes than by liberal democracies. There are two key reasons for this. First, authoritarian regimes control all of the state’s political bodies as well as the media. In a state where freedoms of the press and expression are significantly controlled, a top-level figure like Russian President Vladimir Putin or Chinese President Xi Jinping can carry out an information campaign for a specific purpose and expect that all the power of the state apparatus under control of the dictator or party will participate in disseminating the message. The Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian interference often avoids providing evidence to protect sources and methods, but one thing it does very clearly is identify various Russian media entities, their relationship to the government in Moscow, and how this shapes the content of their reportage. That is not how it works in the United States. The U.S. media is not monolithic, and though each source often engages in spin, a diversity of voices and agendas exists. Individuals can choose what media sources they consume and what kind of perspective they find convincing. Diversity of sources directly weakens propaganda’s potential effectiveness. Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://geopoliticalfutures.com/thinking-about-propaganda/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40817&lan=EN Eight men own the same wealth as the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity, according to a new report published by Oxfam today to mark the annual meeting of political and business leaders in Davos. Oxfam’s report, ‘An economy for the 99 percent’, shows that the gap between rich and poor is far greater than had been feared. It details how big business and the super-rich are fuelling the inequality crisis by dodging taxes, driving down wages and using their power to influence politics. It calls for a fundamental change in the way we manage our economies so that they work for all people, and not just a fortunate few. [...] Seven out of 10 people live in a country that has seen a rise in inequality in the last 30 years. Between 1988 and 2011 the incomes of the poorest 10 percent increased by just $65 per person, while the incomes of the richest 1 percent grew by $11,800 per person �" 182 times as much. Mon, 16 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40817&lan=EN http://intercontinentalcry.org/rights-nature-indigenous-philosophies-reframing-law/ The legal concept of rights of nature signal the influence of Indigenous Peoples as political actors in state-making, fundamentally reimagining law and how the natural world is conceived. These ideas present a revolutionary rupture in the conventional anthropocentric understanding of sovereignty, and a realignment of how the natural world is valued. In fact, they could chart the path forward for a new understanding of mankind’s relation to the natural world, even if they operate within the legal structures that are not conducive to indigenous philosophies. Fri, 06 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://intercontinentalcry.org/rights-nature-indigenous-philosophies-reframing-law/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40811&lan=EN The Brazilian government announced an unforeseen increase in deforestation last week, at a time when the nation has been seeking to eliminate deforestation in the Amazon as part of its plan to stop climate change, conserve biodiversity and protect indigenous rights. Minister for the Environment Jose Sarney Filho announced a 29 percent increase in deforestation rates in 2016 compared to the previous year in the Brazilian Amazon. That is the equivalent to 7,989 square kilometers (4,964 square miles), or an area bigger than Connecticut. Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40811&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/jihadism-debate-beyond-the-mediterranean Our image of Arab countries tends to be dominated by terror and violence. Yet many people across the region are working hard to defend their freedoms and fight for a decent life �" under difficult circumstances. Security agency failures, the dangers posed by refugees and migrants �" and the call for tougher laws in the fight against terror. Just as it was following the attacks in July 2016 and November 2015 in Paris, where I live, public debate in Germany has also been dominated by these issues in the wake of the terrible Berlin Christmas market attack. Yet as far as efforts to address jihadism are concerned, this debate merely scratches the surface. One aspect that politicians and the media rarely touch on is the fact that the confrontation with jihadism will continue for decades. Mon, 09 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/jihadism-debate-beyond-the-mediterranean http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40804&lan=EN Unintended consequences result from many new inventions. AI, however, is unique in that the decisions that give rise to these consequences are often made without human input. The most severe of these potential adverse outcomes arise from systems that are designed to cause harm from the outset, such as weapons systems. Long a staple of science fiction films, weapons incorporating varying degrees of autonomous functionality have in fact existed for some time, with landmines being one of the simplest�"and for human rights, most problematic�"examples of this technology. Today, however, the science of AI has advanced to the point that the construction of sophisticated fully autonomous robots is a possibility. In response to this, in 2012 the �oeCampaign to Stop Killer Robots” was launched by a coalition of NGOs seeking to ensure that life-or-death decisions remain firmly within human hands. Wed, 04 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40804&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40802&lan=EN The thick, colorful book titled, �oeEuropa: An Illustrated Introduction to Europe for Migrants and Refugees,” aims to broaden the perspectives of Europe's newest immigrants, with plenty of historical photos, maps and individual accounts and factual information. Sat, 07 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40802&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40798&lan=EN In his remarkable book, How Russia Sees the West: An Anthology of Russian Thought, from Karamzine to Putin, published last November, Michel Niqueux defined the tenets of the dominant Russian ideology, inspired by Eurasian intellectuals and turned into policies by Putin: Anti-West, moral and cultural conservatism, vertical power structure, assertion of military power, definition of a multipolar world as opposed to an unipolar power one headed by the USA, prize of Eurasian unity (Russia, Belorussia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia) after Ukraine’s defection. Although accurate, this description misses the key element of the ideology that has dominated Russia since 2000: a populism founded on a nihilistic view of the truth, state propaganda and a kleptocratic approach to power. Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40798&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40796&lan=EN The choice made by Mexican governments to sign and continue the Free Trade Agreement with the US and Canada, has not only been harmful for Mexico, but has distanced it from Latin America. It was an ideological option, founded on the false belief that being associated with economic powers would drive the Mexican economy to the levels of the more developed economies, pulling it out of poverty, inequality, misery and social exclusion. The balance of the 20 years of this Treaty is evident. Mexico has been the great loser. Entering the ring as a lightweight in the face of a heavyweight such as the US, Mexico had everything to lose and in fact that is what happened. Even when their economy grew, Mexico has been one of the few countries of the continent that has not bettered the social situation of its people in this century. Moreover, the choice of making her economy dependent on a single great market has been suicidal. Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40796&lan=EN http://theintercept.com/2016/12/23/virtual-reality-allows-the-most-detailed-intimate-digital-surveillance-yet/ Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://theintercept.com/2016/12/23/virtual-reality-allows-the-most-detailed-intimate-digital-surveillance-yet/ http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/universal-basic-income-and-radical-populism-making-link he idea goes all the way back to Thomas More's Utopia, published in 1516. And that is part of its problematic legacy: It seems so utopian. French philosopher Nicolas de Condorcet proposed a form of "social insurance" at the time of the French Revolution ... but he was imprisoned and sentenced to death. Thomas Paine, a political activist and a founding father of the United States, took up his friend's cause, writing in 1796 that payments should be made "to every person, rich or poor," "because it is in lieu of the natural inheritance, which, as a right, belongs to every man, over and above the property he may have created, or inherited from those who did." Wed, 04 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/universal-basic-income-and-radical-populism-making-link http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40785&lan=EN King Salman, Abdallah’s successor, had only just been crowned on January 23, 2015, when, discarding a foreign policy that had until then been quite cautious, not to say conservative, he determined to show the world that the kingdom was prepared to defend its vital interests. All the more so as the USA no longer seemed a dependable ally judging by their deal with Teheran on the nuclear issue or their passivity in Syria. And so, in March 2015, Riyadh led a coalition of some ten countries on a military expedition aimed at restoring the �oelegitimate” government in Sanaa, ousted from power by the Houthi rebels and their allies, accused of being manipulated by Teheran. However, the operation dubbed �oeDecisive Storm” was anything but �oedecisive” and shed a harsh light on the limitations of Saudi military (and political) strength. Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40785&lan=EN http://saveliberaldemocracy.com/2016/12/24/the-war-on-facts/ In the antiquities, a single-event evoked a fact; in modernity, a series of the same event does. This modern narrative of truthfulness and factuality through repetition is today under threat, not by religious claims but by feelings. Some claim we would be living in a post-factual world. What would the narrative of this be? As we have seen so far, after the Brexit referendum or the Trump election: sentiments become the base of argument. It lays the foundation for what becomes group identity in society �" a group of people perceives certain things they live through, experience, or endure as reality. In the post-factural camp Instincts and the reflexes deriving from feelings weigh heavier than a well pondered argument. The Greeks, however, would have despised this approach to reality. Doxa, plain opinion based on sentiment, was not revered highly. Its counterpart was episteme, knowledge. How do we make this distinction fruitful in a time where buffoons like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage exploit the fear of people, claiming doxa to be the new episteme by simply stating that people are fed up with facts? Sat, 24 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://saveliberaldemocracy.com/2016/12/24/the-war-on-facts/ http://fr.euronews.com/2016/12/30/roumanie-bulgarie-dix-ans-d-adhesion-a-l-ue-pour-quel-resultat Fri, 30 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://fr.euronews.com/2016/12/30/roumanie-bulgarie-dix-ans-d-adhesion-a-l-ue-pour-quel-resultat http://iwallerstein.com/the-world-in-the-era-of-trump-what-may-we-expect/ Let me start by saying that I think 95% of the policies Donald Trump will pursue in his first year or so in office will be absolutely terrible, worse than we anticipated. This can be seen already in the appointments to major office that he has announced. At the same time, he will probably run into major trouble. This contradictory result is the consequence of his political style. If we look back at how he has won the presidency of the United States, he did it against all odds with a certain deliberate rhetorical technique. On the one hand he has constantly made statements that responded to major fears of U.S. citizens by using coded language that the recipients interpreted as support for policies that they thought would alleviate their multiple pains. He did this most often either by brief twitters or in tightly-controlled public rallies. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://iwallerstein.com/the-world-in-the-era-of-trump-what-may-we-expect/ http://washingtonspectator.org/fernandez-bosnia-friedman/ Bosnian analyst Lana Pasic explained in a recent essay: Industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina was doing well before the war, but after [the] Dayton [Accords that ended the conflict], formerly state-owned and worker-managed companies were privatized, often for little money. The privatization phenomenon changed the rules of the game, and poor management also resulted in the failure of the factories to contribute to the pensions and health insurance for the workers, who have, due to legal requirements, remained in their jobs for years, but without pay. Thu, 13 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://washingtonspectator.org/fernandez-bosnia-friedman/ http://www.nytimes.com/es/2017/01/03/fascinacion-y-escepticismo-para-un-teleferico-en-las-afueras-de-ciudad-de-mexico/?em_pos=large&emc=edit_bn_20170103&nl=boletin&nlid=77942988&ref=headline&te=1 Tue, 03 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/es/2017/01/03/fascinacion-y-escepticismo-para-un-teleferico-en-las-afueras-de-ciudad-de-mexico/?em_pos=large&emc=edit_bn_20170103&nl=boletin&nlid=77942988&ref=headline&te=1 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40773&lan=EN In the coming weeks, the European Union will discuss the shaping of its climate package, which lays down the implementation of climate protection targets in the EU. On behalf of WWF Germany, Oeko-Institut has analyzed the impact of the EU Commission’s proposals for the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and for other economic sectors on achieving the EU's target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. The results of the calculations can be comprehensively and interactively explored with WWF’s online calculator. Sun, 04 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40773&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40767&lan=EN Independent institutions are the most important enemy of populism. Populist leaders are control freaks. For populists, it is liberal democracy that leads to chaos, which must be �oeput in order” by a �oeresponsible government.” Media pluralism leads to informational chaos. An independent judiciary means legal chaos. Independent public administration creates institutional chaos. And a robust civil society is a recipe for chronic bickering and conflict. But populists believe that such chaos does not emerge by itself. It is the work of perfidious foreign powers and their domestic puppets. To �oemake Poland great again,” the nation’s heroes must defeat its traitors, who are not equal contenders for power. Populist leaders are thus obliged to limit their opponents’ rights. Indeed, their political ideal is not order, but rather the subordination of all independent bases of power that could challenge them: courts, media, business, cultural institutions, NGOs, and so forth. Mon, 02 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40767&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/rla-winner-mozn-hassan-on-civil-repression-in-egypt-nows-the-time-to-be-creative Freedom of the press and freedom of assembly in Egypt have practically ceased to exist. Freedom of speech is under massive pressure �" even online. Meanwhile the Egyptian regime is continuing its campaign against civil society with a new law featuring unprecedented measures to control and monitor NGOs. [...] The state has been investigating several NGOs since 2011. Back then, the authorities carried out raids on both a number of international organisations as well as some local NGOs. Parts of that case were settled when the court issued a verdict that criminalised the international organisations. Since than, the case has switched its focus to local entities, yet it remains committed to trying NGOs for accepting foreign funding. We are accused of receiving donations from abroad for illegal purposes, thereby bringing shame on Egypt. Mon, 02 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/rla-winner-mozn-hassan-on-civil-repression-in-egypt-nows-the-time-to-be-creative http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40761&lan=EN Fossil fuel companies hold vast oil, gas and coal reserves that help determine their market value. These reserves are also the basis to understanding the potential climate risks of burning these fuels. Yet not a single fossil fuel company in the world discloses potential emissions from their reserves �" and that is a big problem. This emissions information is important for investors, as well as the broader public, to understand the risks to these companies and the planet. Research shows that a large portion of the world’s fossil fuel reserves will have to be left in the ground if we are to avert the most dangerous impacts of climate change. Wed, 14 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40761&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40760&lan=EN The most novel geopolitical fact of globalization is that the United States, after the attacks, has become an Asian power. The wars against Afghanistan and Iraq in the Middle East have allowed them an unprecedented geopolitical projection in a part of the world where they were influential (during the Cold War), but never territorially stable. The installation of military bases stretching from the heart of Central Asia to the Horn of Africa and the quest for control of the principal energy sources have given them the role of an Asian power. From the beginnings of the XX century, they had become a hemispheric power; after the Second World War, they became an Atlantic power; with the Cold War they became a Pacific power; with the post-Cold War their influence in Africa grew and now, with their expansion in Asia, Washington maintains the goal of the �oeimperial dream”. Wed, 21 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40760&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40759&lan=EN In Stockholm’s Nicolaigarden pre-school, the teachers do not read Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to the students. Rather, its library holds children’s books that show different types of heroes and a diversity of family models (including those with single parents, adoptive children, and same-sex parents). Titles include One More Giraffe, about two giraffes caring for an abandoned crocodile egg, and Kivi and Monsterdog, whose protagonist, Kivi, is a child of unspecified gender. The idea is to present a more diverse and realistic image of the world kids live in and to avoid representations that reproduce gender stereotypes. Wed, 21 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40759&lan=EN http://www.swissinfo.ch/democratiedirecte/dilemme-de-la-d%C3%A9mocratie-_quand-les-citoyens-disent--pas-dans-mon-jardin--/42787942 Switzerland’s system of direct democracy is strongly anchored at the local level. Occasionally, a small number of citizens can bring down a project of wider importance, such as a second national park. But is this a problem or a safeguard? Thu, 29 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.swissinfo.ch/democratiedirecte/dilemme-de-la-d%C3%A9mocratie-_quand-les-citoyens-disent--pas-dans-mon-jardin--/42787942 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40754&lan=EN Trump has just announced his agenda for the first 100 days of government. One of the outstanding points in the matter of commercial strategy is the abandonment of the Trans Pacific Treaty, or TPP. [...] One of the fundamental points of the campaign of Donald Trump was the sharp criticism of the Free Trade Agreements that the US signed in the past twenty years, including the one that was signed with Mexico and Canada in 1994 (NAFTA). Trump and his team identified the FTAs as the devil itself, for having been the causes of the loss of jobs in the country. In accord with official data from Washington, between 1997 and 2013 the US lost 5.4 million manufacturing jobs, as some 82,000 factories were closed. In effect, the FTAs legally guaranteed the rights of US businesses outside the country. In their form of Direct Foreign Investment, these companies were protagonists of the relocation of production to Southeast Asia and China, fleeing from the high cost of US labour. Why stay at home, if the exterior is so attractive for profits. Mon, 19 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40754&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40753&lan=EN For Dussel Peters, who coordinates the Latin America-China Academic Network (RED ALC-China) from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), understanding the makeup of China’s unique public sector is critical. And not just for those Mexican businesspeople and politicians left scratching their heads as to why three major infrastructure deals backed by the Chinese, including the infamous Mexico City-Querétaro bullet train, have fallen through in recent years. Other Latin American institutions underfunding research into China or approaching it from the study of manifold Asia-Latin America relations, would do well to look beyond grand �" and unhelpful �" narratives. Wed, 28 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40753&lan=EN http://www.courrierinternational.com/article/portugal-lisbonne-prochaine-capitale-des-nouvelles-technologies Sat, 29 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.courrierinternational.com/article/portugal-lisbonne-prochaine-capitale-des-nouvelles-technologies http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/sep/19/books-world-oldest-library-fez-morocco Mon, 19 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/sep/19/books-world-oldest-library-fez-morocco http://www.cafebabel.fr/societe/article/violences-de-genre-le-noir-au-bout-du-tunnel.html A study by the European Commission has found that 27% of Europeans think sex without consent is somehow justifiable. 1 in 3 women in the EU over the age of 15 has experienced physical or sexual violence. These everyday occurences of gender-based violences seem to be more deeply rooted than we think. If this isn't a sign that work has to be done, I don't know what is. Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.cafebabel.fr/societe/article/violences-de-genre-le-noir-au-bout-du-tunnel.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40748&lan=EN Of course, this is totally false news. But if you are reading this, It means that you’ve clicked and you may even have believed it… These days many rumors and misrepresentations circulate about migrants. For the International Migrants Day of 18 December, we wanted to shed light on this tendency to spread disinformation on this serious issue. European leaders and some media help convey received ideas about European migration policies and the situation of migrants arriving or living on European territory. Thu, 15 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40748&lan=EN http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2016/12/21/cop13-biodiversite-de-cancun-lelectrochoc-se-attendre/ Many attended this thirteenth edition of the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) with little hope that major decisions would be made. The contrast with the recent COP21 on climate, which has left its mark due to the dynamics of individual commitments by governments and companies, is not favourable to the CBD, the decisions of which, by design, require little commitment from signatories to the convention. Wed, 21 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2016/12/21/cop13-biodiversite-de-cancun-lelectrochoc-se-attendre/ http://en.qantara.de/content/berlin-christmas-market-attack-countering-the-horror Grief, sympathy, horror. Where will it lead? This is the question we ask ourselves following the attack on the Berlin Christmas market. For terrorists, the answer is clear: it will lead to fear and terror. [...] The spread of fear and terror is made much easier if the terrorists succeed in generating general mistrust in our society: mistrust of security forces; mistrust of our state; mistrust of our media; mistrust of anyone who is different to ourselves; mistrust of minorities. Mistrust thrives especially well in a hotbed of suspicions and rumours, so that in the end anything is deemed possible. More than ever it is therefore of paramount importance to desist from public speculation, which as security agencies repeatedly warn, also hampers their work. Wed, 21 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/berlin-christmas-market-attack-countering-the-horror http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40741&lan=EN Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the GTI is based on data from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) - the most comprehensive dataset on terrorist activity globally and has now codified over 150,000 terrorist incidents. This index is a comprehensive measure of the direct and indirect impact of terrorism in 163 countries in terms of lives lost, injuries, property damage and the physiological after effects of terrorism. It provides the public, civil society and policymakers with the evidence-base to better understand the patterns, drivers and tactics behind terrorist activity. By doing so, it aims to deepen our collective understanding of the social, economic and political conditions that lead to this form of violence. Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40741&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40740&lan=EN A new study by the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report shows how secondary school textbooks from the 1950s until 2011 missed or misrepresented key priorities now shown as crucial to achieve sustainable development. With textbooks only revised every 5-10 years, the analysis reveals the need for governments to urgently reassess their textbooks to ensure that they reflect core values for sustainable development, including human rights, gender equality, environmental concern, global citizenship and peace and conflict resolution. Thu, 15 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40740&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/12/israeli-palestinian-conflict-heads-for-50-years-of-un-failure/ Come 2017, the United Nations will mark the 50th anniversary of one of the world’s longstanding unresolved political problems firmly entrenched on the UN agenda: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dating back to the Six Day War in June 1967. When Antonio Guterres takes over as the new UN Secretary-General on January 1, he will inherit a rash of ongoing political and military conflicts, including the six-year-old civil war in Syria, the devastating bombings in Yemen, the Shia-Sunni killings in Iraq, the widespread political chaos in Libya, renewed violence in the Central African Republic, the continued atrocities in Darfur and South Sudan and the rise of global terrorism. (...) As Guterres told reporters December 12: �oeWe need a surge in diplomacy for peace when we see this multiplication of new conflicts �" and old conflicts that seem never to die”. Thu, 15 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/12/israeli-palestinian-conflict-heads-for-50-years-of-un-failure/ http://making-of.afp.com/la-route-vers-mossoul There are only about 80 kilometres (50 miles) between Arbil, the developing capital of the Iraqi Kurdish region, and Mosul, the last remaining Iraqi city held by the Islamic State group. But as I learned during two weeks covering the Mosul offensive, sometimes it only takes a few dozen kilometers to go from one universe to another, passing surreal worlds along the way. Wed, 21 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://making-of.afp.com/la-route-vers-mossoul http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40735&lan=EN Daniel Ortega, a Commander during the Sandinista revolution that overthrew a 50-year dynastic dictatorship, will hold office for a third consecutive term after being proclaimed the winner of Nicaragua's presidential election on 6 November. Ortega appointed Rosario Murillo, First Lady and manager of governmental communications, as his running mate and, by this move, ensured the concentration of power in his family's hands. For the past two terms of the Ortega administration, the separation of powers, respect for human rights and freedom of the press have steadily deteriorated in a worrying repetition of history. The electoral process on 6 November was characterised by massive abstention, the absence of major opposition parties from the ballot and a ban on independent international observers. Fri, 16 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40735&lan=EN http://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/solarstratos_un-avion-solaire-suisse-veut-atteindre-la-stratosph%C3%A8re/42739248 Swiss adventurer Rapha�"l Domjan, who sailed round the world on the PlanetSolar solar-powered boat, has unveiled a small two-seater solar aircraft with which he hopes to become the first pilot to fly in the stratosphere. Test flights will begin next February. Thu, 08 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/solarstratos_un-avion-solaire-suisse-veut-atteindre-la-stratosph%C3%A8re/42739248 http://saveliberaldemocracy.com/2016/12/12/for-a-complex-democracy/ These forms of behavior by the �oenegative sovereign” express profound disillusionment: instead of voting in order to solve problems, people are voting in order to express dissatisfaction. And, as a logical counterpart, those who prefer to lead protests against problems instead of getting to work to solve them are being elected. Therefore, a candidate’s competence or lack of competence is such a weak argument. The decisive factor is to represent dissatisfaction better than others. The element that most resembles hope is an empty appeal to a completely different world order, such as the one invoked by Zizek’s pop-Leninism. This new reality would be the result of a process of self-destruction of the existing order, without giving us the slightest indication of what the new reality could consist of, which social protagonist would be capable of causing changes of such dimensions, and which form of action would be the most appropriate. Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://saveliberaldemocracy.com/2016/12/12/for-a-complex-democracy/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40731&lan=EN Since the summer of 2015, Greece has (mostly) dropped out of the news, but not because its economic condition has stabilized. A prison is not newsworthy as long as the inmates suffer quietly. It is only when they stage a rebellion, and the authorities crack down, that the satellite trucks appear. In the interim, the focus in Europe has shifted to Brexit, xenophobic right-wing populism in Austria and Germany, and Italy’s constitutional referendum, which brought down Matteo Renzi’s government. Soon, attention will shift again, this time to France’s crumbling political center. But, lest we forget, the inane management of Europe’s debt crisis began in Greece. A minor country in the grand scheme of things in Europe became a test case for a strategy that could be likened to rolling a snowball uphill. The resulting avalanches have been undermining the EU’s legitimacy ever since. Tue, 20 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40731&lan=EN http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/12/speaking-truth-post-truth-era-161218111206262.html?utm_source=phplist235&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Political+Anticipation+-+A+LEAP+Press+review+%28GEAB+special%29 It is the age of post-truth. The prefix post does not so much mean a chronological state after the truth as its absence, its being downgraded to a level where it becomes irrelevant and secondary to the act of emotionally appealing to deep grievances and a sense of insecurity and loss. Mon, 19 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/12/speaking-truth-post-truth-era-161218111206262.html?utm_source=phplist235&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Political+Anticipation+-+A+LEAP+Press+review+%28GEAB+special%29 http://geopoliticalfutures.com/trumps-dilemma/ Donald Trump’s presidency will have geopolitical consequences. Most of the world wants to know what he will do. But that depends on what he can do. That, in turn, will be determined by the political dynamics within the United States as well as by counteractions of other nations. This is a case where politics rises to the level of geopolitics. Trump’s actions will be conditioned by the actions of other players, particularly in Congress. Trump, after all, will only be the president and his unilateral powers will be limited. For most of the things he wants to do, he needs Congress to go along. Therefore, the American stance toward the world will depend, for the moment, less on what Trump wishes than what Congress decides to do. Fri, 16 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://geopoliticalfutures.com/trumps-dilemma/ http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/06/mcdonalds-democracy-corporate-globalisation-trump-le-pen-farage I do not mean that the presence of the burger chain itself is the cause of the decline of open, democratic societies (though it has played its part in Britain, using our defamation laws against its critics). Nor do I mean that countries hosting McDonald’s will necessarily mutate into dictatorships. What I mean is that, under the onslaught of the placeless, transnational capital that McDonald’s exemplifies, democracy as a living system withers and dies. The old forms and forums still exist �" parliaments and congresses remain standing �" but the power they once contained seeps away, re-emerging where we can no longer reach it. The political power that should belong to us has flitted into confidential meetings with the lobbyists and donors who establish the limits of debate and action. It has slipped into the diktats of the IMF and the European Central Bank, which respond not to the people but to the financial sector. It has been transported, under armed guard, into the icy fastness of Davos, where Friedman finds so warm a welcome (even when he’s talking cobblers). Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/06/mcdonalds-democracy-corporate-globalisation-trump-le-pen-farage http://en.qantara.de/content/the-syrian-conflict-priority-revenge What happens if Assad falls? In discussions on this question, politicians and experts have occasionally raised the question of what an Islamist rebel victory might mean for Syria's ethnic and religious minorities and whether the Alawite minority �" President Assad has an Alawite background �" should then be protected from acts of vengeance. But unfortunately, the counter-question has been posed all too rarely: what about acts of vengeance carried out by the regime, should Assad win? Fri, 16 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/the-syrian-conflict-priority-revenge http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40718&lan=EN Over the years, I have had dozens of conversations on the question of whether Caribbean history �oereally matters” and for whom it matters. I’ve heard the region’s history dismissed due to the relative size of Caribbean societies, historians’ supposedly excessive preoccupation with slavery, and a questioning of what lessons can be learned from such allegedly dysfunctional societies. Sun, 16 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40718&lan=EN http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/25628/the-left-and-the-syria-debate The overwhelming majority of the Syrian rebel landscape represents a variety of Islamist�"both Salafist and Brotherhood�"politics, with a sprinkle of the non-Islamist gangs of the Free Syrian Army. None of these groups have a progressive agenda in terms social or economic issues. They are only united by their anti-regime position, not by their democratic, progressive, or leftist goals or practices. The various established Islamist political groups in the Arab world do not include progressive or leftist elements. This is not to say that Islamiste do not have the right to rebel or to call for the overthrow of oppressive regimes. But that is different than claiming such groups�"in opposition or in power�"represent leftist principles, interests, or identities. Leftists of all people should welcome open debate about Syria and should reject the intimidation tactics of Western supporters and cheerleaders for the Syrian rebels. Leftists more than others should engage in media deconstruction and in pointing out the impact of financial ownership of media in the West and in the Arab world. Fri, 16 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/25628/the-left-and-the-syria-debate http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/12/leave-no-one-behind-the-right-to-development/ �oeThe 30th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development must remind us that marginalized people �" including migrants, indigenous peoples, and other minorities, as well as persons with disabilities �" have a right to development, and that the true purpose of any economic endeavor is to improve the well-being of people.” Thu, 15 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/12/leave-no-one-behind-the-right-to-development/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40703&lan=EN As Trump’s inauguration draws near, Americans must confront three big questions. One, in a sense, is a take on a question that Trump raised about Clinton during the campaign: what happens if the FBI finds evidence of criminal conduct by the president? Or, perhaps more likely in Trump’s case, what happens if the president tries to shut down FBI investigations into his commercial activities involving Russia, or into the actions of cronies like Manafort? The second question, which the US Senate should ask before confirming Tillerson as Secretary of State, concerns the extent of his and ExxonMobil’s financial interests in Russia. The Senate should also probe how closely Tillerson has cooperated with Igor Sechin, the chairman of Rosneft and a notorious ex-KGB operative, particularly in renationalizing much of the Russian oil industry and placing it under Sechin’s personal control. (Similar questions should be asked about Flynn, though, because the National Security Adviser doesn’t need to be confirmed by the Senate, little can be done about his appointment.) Wed, 14 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40703&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5118809-il-faut-un-nouveau-contrat-social-l-chelle-de-l-europe For the French essayist, the only way for the EU to avoid destruction at the hands of populist and nationalist parties is to revive its democratic forces and create a vision able to �oespeak to Europeans’ hearts”. We are faced with a social crisis that can either be resolved well �" by renewing the social contract �" or badly. It is clear today that people calling for a good solution are having trouble making their voices heard. Meanwhile, those urging a bad solution �" through nationalism, xenophobia, fear �" are enjoying great success. Wed, 14 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5118809-il-faut-un-nouveau-contrat-social-l-chelle-de-l-europe http://www.cafebabel.fr/politique/article/politique-en-roumanie-nous-ne-faisons-aucun-progres.html December means it's time to look back over the past year and admit that maybe 2016 hasn't been all that great. International relations this year have the feel of a Jenga tower that could collapse with one seemingly insignificant move. The question is: what will that move be? The UK, US, Italy and Austria have all had their turns. Romania is up next... Sun, 11 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.cafebabel.fr/politique/article/politique-en-roumanie-nous-ne-faisons-aucun-progres.html http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/38682-socialism-for-the-rich-capitalism-for-the-poor-an-interview-with-noam-chomsky Concentration of wealth leads naturally to concentration of power, which in turn translates to legislation favoring the interests of the rich and powerful and thereby increasing even further the concentration of power and wealth. Various political measures, such as fiscal policy, deregulation, and rules for corporate governance are designed to increase the concentration of wealth and power. And that's what we've been seeing during the neoliberal era. It is a vicious cycle in constant progress. The state is there to provide security and support to the interests of the privileged and powerful sectors in society while the rest of the population is left to experience the brutal reality of capitalism. Socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor. Sun, 11 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/38682-socialism-for-the-rich-capitalism-for-the-poor-an-interview-with-noam-chomsky http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40695&lan=EN Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40695&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40693&lan=EN For the first time in history, more than 50 percent of the world’s population now lives in towns and cities. By 2050, this number is expected to increase to 66 percent. The shift from rural to urban areas, mainly in Africa and Asia, is due to poverty and related socio-economic factors. For the most part, the rapid expansion of cities takes place without any land use planning strategy and the resulting human pressure has highly damaging effects on forests, landscapes, as well as green areas in and around cities. The environmental impacts of urbanization are often intensified by climate change and include increased pollution, decreased availability of food and resources, as well as increased poverty and frequency of extreme climatic events. Urban trees can help to mitigate some of the negative impacts and social consequences of urbanization, and thus make cities more resilient to these changes. Here are nine ways in which urban trees and forests contribute to making cities socio-economically and environmentally more sustainable: Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40693&lan=EN http://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/google-zurich-_comment-les-femmes-investissent-le-secteur-des-technologies/42732912 They don’t have country-specific diversity statistics, but globally, only 19% of tech jobs at Google are taken by women. Wed, 07 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/google-zurich-_comment-les-femmes-investissent-le-secteur-des-technologies/42732912 http://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/12/trump-democrats-republicans-greens-stein-sanders/ The idea that neoliberalism is the result of a �oecorporate coup” echoes the classic �oepluralist” view of the American state which dominated mainstream scholarship from the 1960s until it was decisively refuted by neo-Marxist state theorists Ralph Miliband and Nicos Poulantzas in the 1970s. According to the pluralists, competing interest groups �" including business and labor �" organize themselves within �oecivil society” to influence a passive, neutral state. Power is polyarchic, with no one group dominating the �oepolitical system.” Populists assume that this system worked more or less as advertised until a few decades ago, when corporations’ superior organizational cohesion and command over resources allowed them to essentially take over the state, corrupting an otherwise ideal liberal democracy. This framework is a fantasy. The American state is a capitalist state whose function is and has been to organize the political hegemony of the capitalist class. Since individual capitalists are motivated by the pressures of competition rather than broad class-wide concerns, a relatively autonomous state is needed to secure the long-term interests of the system as a whole. Fri, 09 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/12/trump-democrats-republicans-greens-stein-sanders/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40683&lan=EN Now that Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States, the end of what was heretofore termed the �oeWest” has become all but certain. That term described a transatlantic world that emerged from the twentieth century’s two world wars, redefined the international order during the four-decade Cold War, and dominated the globe �" until now. Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40683&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40681&lan=EN But, as the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor explains, the real threat is not Islam itself, but �oeblock thinking.” Islamic extremists comprise less than 0.5% of the global Muslim population, yet their worldview dominates media coverage not just of Islam, but also of political developments in the Middle East. By erasing the huge differences among Muslims, such coverage reinforces a single, simplistic perception of Islam. That is block thinking. And, as Michael Griffin documents in his book Islamic State: Rewriting History, such thinking is gaining ground in the United States and Europe. As a result, many have embraced Samuel Huntington’s theory of a �oeclash of civilizations,” which assumes that Islam is at odds with modernity. But that assumption ignores the ideas and impact of Islam’s early reformers �" figures like Muhammad Abduh and Jamaleddin al-Afghani �" who continue to influence Muslims everywhere. Thu, 08 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40681&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5117914-une-victoire-pour-la-gauche-mais-pas-une-d-faite-de-l-extr-me-droite [...] Tired of yet again profiling Austria’s failure to confront its National-Socialist past; of yet again analyzing how the establishment parties over the last decades transformed Austrian politics into a dull series of sleep-walks, during which one governing grand coalition succeeds another one. But despite the low political significance of the presidency, and the relatively limited importance of Austria in European and international politics, Sunday’s vote didn’t loose its symbolism. [...] Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5117914-une-victoire-pour-la-gauche-mais-pas-une-d-faite-de-l-extr-me-droite http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40678&lan=EN Inequality has been rising all over the world in recent years. As US President Barack Obama pointed out some time ago, the reduction of economic inequality is the �oedefining challenge of our time”. This is true not only for the USA, but many countries. In the developing world, rising economic inequality has been a pervasive feature for decades. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) may have taken note. Complete equality of income and wealth is neither achievable nor desirable. However, extreme inequality is unhealthy for several reasons: Thu, 01 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40678&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40666&lan=EN Is the demise of Renzi really a local affair? There is no doubt that a referendum on a constitutional change can be a matter of confidence in him, having personalized the issue to a point that it became basically a vote on the young Prime Minister. But if you look at the sociology of the vote, you find that the No vote was again coming from the poorest parts of Italy. [...] Voters living in the centre voted Yes, and those in the periphery voted No. Is this not similar to what has happened in Brexit and in the US elections? [...] This is important. It shows how politicians, even those as brilliant as Renzi, do not realize that there is a tsunami of resentment that has been out there for some years, has been ignored by the establishment, by the media and by politics. Finally, everybody is linking the next elections in the Netherlands in March, in France in May and in Germany in August, as dates when the populist, nationalist and xenophobia tides will rise even more. Wed, 07 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40666&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/12/civil-society-on-aleppo-un-general-assembly-must-act/ Hundreds of civil society organisations from around the world have united to call on UN member states to step in and demand an end to unlawful attacks in Aleppo. A global coalition of 223 organisations from over 45 countries including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights have expressed deep concern over the ongoing crisis in Aleppo. �oeIt’s very hard to stand back and watch the slow motion destruction of an entire country and of its civilian population,” Human Rights Watch’s UN Director Louis Charbonneau told IPS. Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/12/civil-society-on-aleppo-un-general-assembly-must-act/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40663&lan=EN In her essay �oeThere is No Hierarchy of Oppressions,” black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde wrote: �oeI have learned that oppression and the intolerance of difference come in all shapes and sizes and colors and sexualities; and that among those of us who share the goals of liberation and a workable future for our children, there can be no hierarchies of oppression.” Around the world, women’s movements have long recognized the wisdom of that thought, which emphasizes the way social movements benefit by recognizing the intersections between different forms of oppression. Thu, 08 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40663&lan=EN http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/38612-the-dakota-access-pipeline-and-the-doctrine-of-native-genocide As professor Lorenzo Veracini describes it in Settler Colonial Studies journal, franchise colonialism differs from settler colonialism in that its "message to Native populations is 'You, work for me,'" while "the settler-colonial message is 'You, go away.'" Settler colonialism, as Wolfe puts it in the Journal of Genocide Research, "destroys to replace" by erecting "a new colonial society on the expropriated land base ... settler colonizers come to stay [and] invasion is a structure not an event ... to get in the way of settler colonization, all the native has to do is stay at home." While in some instances, white settlers in US settlements enslaved Indigenous peoples for their labor, the primary goal of the US settler state was to eliminate Native people altogether. Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/38612-the-dakota-access-pipeline-and-the-doctrine-of-native-genocide http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2016/12/05/reellement-integrer-biodiversite-leconomie/ Mainstreaming is the idea that biodiversity, rather than being strictly confined to environmental policies, should be taken into account in all sectoral policies, regulations, incentives and monitoring mechanisms in: agriculture, forestry, fisheries, mining, tourism, etc. In addition, it should also be included in climate and other inter-sectoral policies (poverty, health, etc.) and, more generally, throughout the sustainable development agenda. Such mainstreaming seems necessary, as it is difficult to stem the erosion of biodiversity. Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2016/12/05/reellement-integrer-biodiversite-leconomie/ http://geopoliticalfutures.com/nationalism-internationalism-and-new-politics/ The world is experiencing a shift from the old liberal-conservative model to an internationalist-nationalist model. Nationalist challenges against the internationalist model have moved from the margins of the political system to the center, winning victories in the United States and the United Kingdom, and rising in strength in other countries. The rise of nationalism is the decisive character of the day. Internationalism is on the defensive. Whatever the ultimate outcome, this struggle will politically define at least the next decade. The world that emerged from World War II was built on certain assumptions. First, that the origins of the war rested in the rise of nationalism in Germany and the inability of other countries to form an effective and proactive alliance to contain German and destroy the Nazi regime. Second, the economic crisis that preceded World War II was rooted in the collapse of international trade due to protectionism. In the U.S., this was represented by the Smoot-Hawley tariffs. Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://geopoliticalfutures.com/nationalism-internationalism-and-new-politics/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40650&lan=EN Every day of every year, in places like Standing Rock and Ferguson and Aleppo and Hong Kong, tens of thousands of people put their lives and livelihoods on the line in the struggle for human rights. If they are paid at all the amounts are very low and the risks are often high, so shared sacrifice is demanded from everyone involved. Opportunities for personal gain are subordinated to solidarity with colleagues and the cause in order to knit together a strong social fabric. Consistency between words and actions is essential in building mutual loyalty and trust. Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40650&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40641&lan=EN Castro has been hailed as one of the leading figures of the 20th century and father of the Cuban people in many of the thousands of messages that followed the announcement of his death. But behind the revolutionary’s romantic image lay one of the world’s worst press freedom predators. The persecution of dissidents was one of the distinguishing features of his 49 years in power, and constitutes the harshest aspect of his heritage. Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40641&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40640&lan=EN Beijing is successfully pushing consumers to adopt EVs but charging infrastructure remains a problem, writes Zhang Chun. [...] Beijing’s 2016 quota for EVs was 40% of its total new car license plate quota. This is likely to increase, with further cuts due in the quota for traditional-fuel vehicles, and EV buyers anxious to purchase before expected reductions in subsidies happen for domestically produced EVs. Thu, 24 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40640&lan=EN http://geopoliticalfutures.com/south-america-a-different-view-of-internationalism/ Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://geopoliticalfutures.com/south-america-a-different-view-of-internationalism/ http://www.swissinfo.ch/democratiedirecte/bilan-du-6e-forum-mondial-de-la-d%C3%A9mocratie-_la-d%C3%A9mocratie-directe-est-la-solution--pas-le-probl%C3%A8me/42612142 Meeting in San Sebastián last week, experts from more than 30 countries discussed ways to fend off attacks against participatory democracy. [...] Set against a series of ballot box upsets �" notably in the United States, Britain and Colombia �" activists, state representatives and academics exchanged ideas about granting citizens a direct say in political decisions. Wed, 23 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.swissinfo.ch/democratiedirecte/bilan-du-6e-forum-mondial-de-la-d%C3%A9mocratie-_la-d%C3%A9mocratie-directe-est-la-solution--pas-le-probl%C3%A8me/42612142 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40620&lan=EN The key reason that the epidemic can be ended is a scientific finding back in 2011 that showed that HIV-positive individuals receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment suppress the HIV virus in their bloodstreams so dramatically that they are very unlikely to transmit the virus to others through sex or shared needles. This finding confirmed the concept of �oetreatment as prevention.” If a high enough proportion of HIV-positive individuals receive ARV treatment, it is possible not only to save their lives, but also to break the transmission of the virus itself, thereby ending the epidemic. Building on this idea, AIDS specialists developed two crucial ideas: �oe90-90-90” and the �oecascade of AIDS care.” The 90-90-90 program aims to ensure that by the year 2020, 90% of all HIV-infected individuals know that they are infected (the first 90); 90% of all those who know they are infected are receiving ARV treatment (the second 90); and 90% of all those receiving ARV treatment successfully suppress the HIV virus in the blood. The idea of the cascade is that if each of the three �oe90s” is achieved, the proportion of all HIV-infected individuals with viral suppression would be 90% x 90% x 90%, which is equal to 72%. Tue, 29 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40620&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40617&lan=EN One of the major questions faced by the inheritors of the networked global uprisings of 2010--2011 is how to harness the demands and practices that emerged from these movements, and those that followed in their wake, to create new ways of doing electoral politics. A municipalist movement in Rosario, Argentina, may just have some of the answers Institutional politics is facing a crisis of legitimacy. [...] In this context, activists, social movements and new political organizations across the world are confronted with a common dilemma: how to engage electorally and politically within state institutions without being co-opted or corrupted by them. Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40617&lan=EN http://www.cafebabel.fr/culture/article/democracy-le-strip-tease-des-institutions-europeennes.html A black and white documentary that delves into the legal procedures of European institutions is not exactly the sexiest movie pitch ever made. Nonetheless, Swiss director David Bernet took on the daunting task, creating a beautiful and wistful movie on the mysteries of European power. Thu, 17 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.cafebabel.fr/culture/article/democracy-le-strip-tease-des-institutions-europeennes.html http://de.qantara.de/inhalt/der-iran-im-spiegel-westlicher-medien-unglaeubiges-staunen We apparently enjoy marvelling at how young people strive in the obscure theocracy to lead "a normal life". How nice it is to know that "our Western lifestyle" serves as a shining example for Iranian youth and as a "target of their desires". We convince ourselves that the young people will be able through the "power of subtle provocation" (Focus) to bring about the "end of the dictatorship" (Welt am Sonntag). [...] At any rate, Iran's leaders seem to be much more flexible and capable of learning than we like to think. Perhaps they have long since learned to accept raves and rock concerts as part of reality and even see some benefits in them. "The milder despotisms are the more permanent ones," wrote Peter Sloterdijk in a theoretical dissertation on "Stress and Freedom". This is because mild despotisms offer "subjects enough pleasant pastimes to compensate for existence under the yoke of subordination." Mon, 28 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://de.qantara.de/inhalt/der-iran-im-spiegel-westlicher-medien-unglaeubiges-staunen http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/focus-e15-mums-against-austerity-uk Groups like Sisters Uncut and Focus E15 Mothers are the vanguard of anti-austerity campaigning, refusing to accept cuts that affect women disproportionately. While upper-class feminists may have the option of �oeleaning in,” working-class women must confront a system that wants to kick them out entirely. These women’s housing occupations represent a struggle over our entire framework of reproductive labor: a rejection of society’s demand that women be good mothers and good workers simultaneously, all while staying out of sight. Instead of accepting the narratives of failure and shame served to them by government and society alike, they are intent on disrupting it. Tue, 01 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/focus-e15-mums-against-austerity-uk http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40601&lan=EN Mon, 28 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40601&lan=EN http://cat.elpais.com/cat/2016/11/22/internacional/1479854618_869834.html As Barcelona develops its plans for a future local currency, which is due to be launched next year, it is keeping a close eye on the example of Bristol, in the United Kingdom. It has been four years since the south-western English city launched the Bristol Pound, a currency that runs parallel to sterling, and seeks to promote the local business sector. Ciaran Mundy, the CEO of the Bristol Pound, has plenty of advice for the Catalan capital: �oeBe ambitious, and seek to include a great diversity of businesses,” he says. Wed, 23 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://cat.elpais.com/cat/2016/11/22/internacional/1479854618_869834.html http://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9-civile_des-apps-pour-r%C3%A9unir-r%C3%A9sidents-et-migrants/42597496 What’s the best way for newcomers to find a place in Swiss society? Help them to help themselves, according to a new generation of grassroots projects meant to integrate locals and immigrants that are finding support in high places. Fri, 18 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9-civile_des-apps-pour-r%C3%A9unir-r%C3%A9sidents-et-migrants/42597496 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/portuguese/2016/11/ultimas-noticias/aumenta-violencia-contra-a-mulher-negra/ �oeFor black women the situation has worsened,” Dr. Jurema Werneck, one of the coordinators of Criola, an NGO that promotes the rights of black women, told IPS. In 10 years gender-based murders of black women increased 54.2 per cent, reaching 2,875 in 2013, while murders of white women dropped 9.8 per cent, from 1,747 in 2003 to 1,576 in 2013, according to the Violence Map. �oeRacism lies beneath this contrast. Mechanisms to combat violence do not protect the life of everyone in the same way,” said Werneck. Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/portuguese/2016/11/ultimas-noticias/aumenta-violencia-contra-a-mulher-negra/ http://en.qantara.de/content/islam-and-enlightenment-beware-of-the-myth?nopaging=1 The current debate around Islam has led to repeated calls for Muslims to (finally) go through a phase of enlightenment. These calls usually combine two complementary assumptions: one diagnostic, which says that numerous problems in the Islamic world can be traced back to the fact that no enlightenment has taken place there yet; and one therapeutic, according to which "catching up with" the process of enlightenment will sooner or later provide solutions to these problems.These are both bold assumptions, resting as they do on a one-dimensional construction of history, entirely focused on the European model of epochs (Middle Ages; Renaissance; Reformation; Wars of Religion; Enlightenment etc.). [...] a discourse that is mythical rather than rational. Fri, 25 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/islam-and-enlightenment-beware-of-the-myth?nopaging=1 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40591&lan=EN Mon, 07 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40591&lan=EN http://correspondent.afp.com/delhi-chokes For weeks now, a gray fog has enveloped the capital of India. The smog is so intense on some mornings that you can almost touch it. Buildings disappear. Invisible cars speed through invisible streets. The smog seeps into homes through doors and windows. There is palpably less oxygen. You need to take deep breaths. Outside, the smell of something burning hits the nostrils. You get headaches. The eyes itch. Fri, 18 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://correspondent.afp.com/delhi-chokes http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5115262-l-europe-peut-elle-encore-soutenir-erdo The government has fiercely cracked down on those accused of being close to the alleged mastermind behind July’s attempted coup, and thisis slowly turning Turkey into an authoritarian regime. Complecent European leaders, starting with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, should stop supporting president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, says a Turkish academic based in Sweden. Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5115262-l-europe-peut-elle-encore-soutenir-erdo http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40583&lan=EN Although the digital is connected to social justice through its impact in specific sectors �" governance and democracy, education, health, labour rights, public services including welfare, gender equality, environment, and so on �" it cannot be understood and addressed from within each sector in isolation. In addition to a sector-specific understanding and response, it is important to address the phenomenon as a meta-level or infrastructural element as it envelops new and emerging social structures and dynamics as a whole. Most sectoral response has focused on practical applications (or, at best, specific adverse impacts) of the digital phenomenon, and not its structural constructs and directions, which in any case are difficult to articulate and address from within any one sector. Yet in its very form and the nature of its impact, the digital revolution calls for a holistic, cross-sectoral response. Tue, 08 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40583&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40581&lan=EN Thanks to Chinese energy companies, Latin America is increasingly exploiting its renewable energy potential as historic laggards like Argentina get on board with the region’s energy transition. New wind and solar projects are under construction across the region as partnerships with Chinese deliver affordable finance and materials to local governments and businesses. Along with Costa Rica, Uruguay is now running on almost 100% renewable energy. In 2015, the country installed more than 316 MW, meaning its total installed capacity is now 845 MW. Now several others are following in their footsteps. Chile generates the most power from solar energy, while neighboring Argentina has just completed the bidding process for 1,100 MW of renewable energy. Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40581&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40579&lan=EN At the end of the cold war, the Western block, commanded by the US, announced that history was coming to an end. There would be events, but nothing outside the capitalist market economy and liberal democracy. This was the end of history. Neoliberal globalization was charged with making these economic and political schemes universal. The Pax Americana was imposed. But the shift from a bipolar world to a unipolar one under US imperial hegemony, did not bring peace or economic development. On the contrary, the hotspots of war have multiplied and the economic recession has turned global. Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40579&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40575&lan=EN In Southern Africa, poachers and traffickers in illegal wildlife products avoid prosecution by violating national borders and moving from country to country. Cross-border cooperation of law-enforcement agencies can bring culprits to justice and support sustainable, region-wide wildlife management. Support from local communities is helpful too. Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40575&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/conscientious-objection-in-egypt-playing-the-system Military service is obligatory for young men in Egypt. But an increasing number of people attempt to evade the compulsory service by being signed off or exempted. For those with no other option, conscientious objection remains the last resort. Mon, 21 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/conscientious-objection-in-egypt-playing-the-system http://www.dw.com/en/my-europe-writing-from-a-state-of-emergency/a-36376714 Sun, 13 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.dw.com/en/my-europe-writing-from-a-state-of-emergency/a-36376714 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40571&lan=EN It has been five years since Egypt and Tunisia underwent regime change, and both countries are still suffering from low economic growth, large fiscal deficits, high unemployment, and rising public debts. Having failed to institute reforms on their own, both have turned to the International Monetary Fund, which entered into an arrangement with Tunisia in 2013 and has just approved a $12 billion loan program for Egypt �" the country’s first since 1991, and the largest ever for a Middle Eastern country. On the face of it, countries moving toward democracy seem as likely to experience poor economic performance as countries moving toward renewed dictatorship, because political instability and uncertainty of any kind naturally hurt investment and growth. But Tunisia has embraced political inclusion, and could soon find itself back on the path toward healthy economic growth, while Egypt’s closing society positions its economy for a downward spiral. Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40571&lan=EN http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-failure-of-facebook-democracy In December of 2007, the legal theorist Cass R. Sunstein wrote in The Chronicle of Higher Education about the filtering effects that frequently attend the spread of information on the Web. �oeAs a result of the Internet, we live increasingly in an era of enclaves and niches�"much of it voluntary, much of it produced by those who think they know, and often do know, what we’re likely to like,” Sunstein noted. In the piece, �oeThe Polarization of Extremes,” Sunstein argued that the trend promised ill effects for the direction�"or, more precisely, the misdirection�"of public opinion. �oeIf people are sorted into enclaves and niches, what will happen to their views?” he wondered. �oeWhat are the eventual effects on democracy?” Fri, 18 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-failure-of-facebook-democracy http://www.cafebabel.fr/style-de-vie/article/les-fantarous-grecs-soldats-de-bonne-fortune.html For many Greek young men, the compulsory military service is a waste of time, energy and money. But it also fosters strong ties of mutual cameraderie. Kostas, Spyros and Alexandros* recount what it means to be a fantaros in Greece today. Fri, 18 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.cafebabel.fr/style-de-vie/article/les-fantarous-grecs-soldats-de-bonne-fortune.html http://en.qantara.de/content/islam-and-violence-there-is-a-difference If responsible, enlightened voters can no longer distinguish between faithful Muslim democrats and religiously blinded Muslim extremists and as a consequence of which, all Muslims �" in the public discourse at least �" are tarred with the same brush, then we have a serious problem that is unsettling to many. For the numbers speak a far more alarming language here. The biggest victims of religious extremism are the Muslims themselves: anyone who refuses to believe that should take a look at the Middle East or simply at the refugees in their vicinity. This extremism cannot be tackled with repressive police measures, but also not with generalising, intimidating, Kulturkampf-style reporting, but instead with good integration work �" or in other words with political participation, equality before the law, social recognition, inclusion in the labour market, good educational work, the active combating of discrimination and religious information campaigns. Mon, 07 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/islam-and-violence-there-is-a-difference http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40557&lan=EN In the search for sustainability in Latin American megacities, a systemic approach should include public transport, participatory budgeting and ‘place making’. Thu, 10 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40557&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40556&lan=EN In the women’s movement in Central Europe, there are few moments to celebrate. Polish women successfully preventing a total ban on abortion from coming into law recently was one of them. While we may praise the success of Polish women’s �oeblack protest” �" where women across the country went on strike and dressed in black to mourn the loss of their reproductive rights �" one troubling question remains unanswered. Why did an EU member state even consider forcing women to carry deformed fetuses and imprisoning doctors for terminating pregnancies? Wed, 19 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40556&lan=EN http://time.com/4572079/best-inventions-2016/ Thu, 17 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://time.com/4572079/best-inventions-2016/ http://making-of.afp.com/marcher-sur-les-morts It was the purest form of survival instinct that I have ever seen. Undertaking a desperate, crazy journey to survive another day. Stepping on and over dead bodies -- as carefully as chaos would allow -- to save yourself. I’ve covered the refugee crisis for more than a year. But what I saw at sea off the Libyan coast was just crazy, surreal. Mon, 07 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://making-of.afp.com/marcher-sur-les-morts http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40546&lan=EN Bolivia drives in its own lane, with a GDP growth this year above 4.5%. At a time when the world economy is contracting, with unfavourable winds, the Andean country is sustaining its growth. Why? The reason is very simple. Evo Morales never trusted the cycles of the world economy. From the beginning of his mandate in 2006, Bolivia built its own economic order. By no means an autarchic one, nor disconnected from the world. On the contrary: an economic model connected to the outside, but in a sovereign and intelligent way. Fri, 11 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40546&lan=EN http://www.swissinfo.ch/democratiedirecte/saint-s%C3%A9bastien--la-mecque-de-la-d%C3%A9mocratie_-de-la-participation-locale-des-citoyens-%C3%A0-la-cohabitation-mondiale-/42592202 Political Culture from Local Participation to Global Coexistence is the theme of this year’s Global Forum on Modern Democracy in San Sebastián/Donostia. The city in Spain’s Basque Country hopes the event will help strengthen local democracy in a region plagued by decades of separatist violence. Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.swissinfo.ch/democratiedirecte/saint-s%C3%A9bastien--la-mecque-de-la-d%C3%A9mocratie_-de-la-participation-locale-des-citoyens-%C3%A0-la-cohabitation-mondiale-/42592202 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40540&lan=EN The Tohono O’odham reservation is one of the largest in the nation, and occupies area that includes 76 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. However, the tribe’s traditional lands extend deep into Mexico, and tribal members live on both sides of the border: With tribal identification, they cross regularly to visit family, receive medical services, and participate in ceremonial or religious services. The prospect of slicing their homelands in two? Not welcome. Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40540&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40536&lan=EN Many people have suddenly become very hesitant about using the term �oemulticultural society.” Or they hesitate to use it approvingly, as a desirable ideal that social reality should at least approximate. July’s terrorist attacks in London demonstrated both the strength and the weakness of the concept. Wed, 10 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40536&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/11/opposition-to-oil-pipeline-in-u-s-serves-as-example-for-indigenous-struggles-in-latin-america/ The Standing Rock Sioux tribe is fighting the construction of an oil pipeline across their land in North Dakota. The movement has gained international solidarity and has many things in common with indigenous struggles against megaprojects in Latin America. Wed, 09 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/11/opposition-to-oil-pipeline-in-u-s-serves-as-example-for-indigenous-struggles-in-latin-america/ http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2016/11/14/strategies-de-long-terme-outil-cle-laction-climatique/ The Paris Agreement laid the foundations for a new era of climate action, enabling the progressive convergence of nationally determined contributions towards an ambitious collective target for temperature rise. How can we ensure this convergence occurs as rapidly as possible? How can we make certain that short-term pressures do not prevent us from tackling the climate challenge? Mon, 14 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.iddri.org/fr/2016/11/14/strategies-de-long-terme-outil-cle-laction-climatique/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40523&lan=EN Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40523&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40522&lan=EN For those who have worked throughout their lives to create awareness and participation�"the civil society was the force that rebalanced the crisis of values and policies. If there is an issue that civil society has defended since its birth, this is gender. One difference between a young person today and my generation is that the issue of women did not exist then, while young people today are fully aware of it. It is an issue that is present in the media, in politics, in culture, in organisations, from industry to business, from politics to administrative and cultural. Well, after all what Trump has said and done on the issue of women, reactivating a machismo barracks that were already considered unacceptable… after the declarations and demonstrations of all women’s organisations in the artistic, cultural and economic sectors… 53 per cent of American women voted for Trump. Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40522&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40520&lan=EN Thu, 10 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40520&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40517&lan=EN �oeWhat we love will ruin us,” predicted Aldous Huxley in 1932. In Brave New World, he described a human race that, by 2540, has been destroyed by ignorance, a lust for constant entertainment, the dominance of technology, and an overabundance of material goods. With Donald Trump’s recent election as president, the United States seems to be fulfilling Huxley’s prediction more than 500 years ahead of schedule. America’s culture industry has long lent the country’s politics a tinge of Hollywood surrealism. Politicians are characters, from Jimmy Stewart’s morally incorruptible innocent in �oeMr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939) to Orson Welles’s Trumpian mogul in �oeCitizen Kane” (1941) and Robert Redford’s earnest crusader in �oeThe Candidate” (1972), not to mention John Wayne’s many cowboys and rangers. Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40517&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40516&lan=EN A groundbreaking map of restoration opportunities along Africa's Great Green Wall has been launched at the UN climate change conference, based on collection and analysis of crucial land-use information to boost action in Africa's drylands to increase the resilience of people and landscapes to climate change. "The Great Green Wall initiative is Africa's flagship programme to combat the effects of climate change and desertification," Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40516&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40514&lan=EN �oeThis is like Andrew Jackson’s victory,” quipped Rudy Giuliani, speaking to MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. The former New York City mayor was jovially referencing how Trump had appeared to beat the establishment in the way Jackson did in 1827. �oeThe people are rising up against a government they find to be dysfunctional,” he said. But the reference to Jackson could not have been more directly aimed at Standing Rock�"and all of Indian Country. Jackson’s presidential legacy was violently forcing Native peoples from their homelands. Wed, 09 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40514&lan=EN http://www.swissinfo.ch/democratiedirecte/forum-mondial-de-la-d%C3%A9mocratie-2016_les-villes-osent-le-renouveau-d%C3%A9mocratique/42585838 At the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy 2016, which starts in Basque Donostia / San Sebastián on November 16, some 200 experts are gathering to help push forward the development towards more local democracy. Reykjavik, Vienna, Seoul, Los Angeles and Bern: these are pioneering cities in terms of direct democracy. For several years now, increasing numbers of local and regional governments have committed themselves to citizen participation. Mon, 14 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.swissinfo.ch/democratiedirecte/forum-mondial-de-la-d%C3%A9mocratie-2016_les-villes-osent-le-renouveau-d%C3%A9mocratique/42585838 http://en.qantara.de/content/erdogans-turkey-spinning-out-of-control Turkey has witnessed another dramatic week, with police raids on an opposition newspaper, mass suspensions of academics and civil servants and the jailing of the leaders of the country′s main pro Kurdish HDP party. The government insists it is fighting to defend democracy against unprecedented threats, critics claim democracy itself is now at risk. Dorian Jones looks at the latest events Mon, 07 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/erdogans-turkey-spinning-out-of-control http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/fr/campagnes/Energies/sables-bitumineux/en-savoir-plus/Loleoduc-Energie-Est/ Mon, 10 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/fr/campagnes/Energies/sables-bitumineux/en-savoir-plus/Loleoduc-Energie-Est/ http://en.qantara.de/content/liberalism-in-the-arab-world-merely-treading-water Public opinion across the Islamic world is unanimous: since the 1990s, the Arabs have been experiencing what is possibly the worst crisis in their history, a crisis you could liken to the Biblical trials of Job. Top of the list is Iraq: between 1990 and 2015, it fell victim to US occupation, degenerating into a failed state over which violent groups are now fighting. [...] But this was not the only Arab crisis between 1990 and 2015. The southern part of Sudan also seceded from the North; to this day, civil war still rages in parts of the country. Somalia also collapsed and has been disintegrating as a nation state ever since. For its part, Libya is now nothing but a minefield of warring tribes from whose coast migrants set sail on overcrowded boats in an attempt to escape this hell. [...] Fri, 04 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/liberalism-in-the-arab-world-merely-treading-water http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40490&lan=EN At a time of unregulated plant exports, all it took was a suitcase full of seeds to damage livelihoods and even entire economies. Thanks to advances in genetics, it may soon take even less. [...] What if all it took to usurp the desired seeds was a simple email? What if, with only gene sequences, scientists could �oeanimate” the appropriate genetic material? Such Internet-facilitated exchanges of biodiversity would clearly be much harder to regulate. And, with gene sequencing becoming faster and cheaper than ever, and gene-editing technology advancing rapidly, such exchanges may be possible sooner than you think. Tue, 18 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40490&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40488&lan=EN �oeThe main element of any US policy towards the Soviet Union must be that of a long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment,” the US diplomat George Kennan wrote in 1947 in a Foreign Affairs article, famously signed �oeX.” Replace �oeSoviet Union” with �oeRussia,” and Kennan’s �oecontainment policy” makes perfect sense today. It is almost as if, in nearly 70 years, nothing has changed, even as everything has. Of course, the Soviet Union has been, one might say, permanently contained. But Russia is showing the same �oeexpansive tendencies” of which Kennan warned. Wed, 26 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40488&lan=EN http://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/redlining-black-lives-holc-mapping-inequality By laundering housing policy through the systematic and candid racism of local real-estate and finance interest, the HOLC also opened a gap between black and white ownership that has never closed. In the new world of home finance, white families bought homes at higher rates, they bought them earlier in life, they bought them on better terms, and they bought them in neighborhoods where housing value appreciated reliably. This yielded, of course, a widening of the racial wealth gap even as other disparities (wages, income) closed slowly in the civil rights era and after. Today, median African-American family wealth is less than one-tenth that of white families�"a gap largely attributable to disparate access to housing subsides such as the HOLC, and their impact across generations. Tue, 25 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/redlining-black-lives-holc-mapping-inequality http://www.ccamlr.org/fr/news/2016/la-ccamlr-cr%C3%A9e-la-plus-vaste-aire-marine-prot%C3%A9g%C3%A9e-du-monde The world's experts on Antarctic marine conservation have agreed to establish a marine protected area (MPA) in Antarctica's Ross Sea. This week at the Meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in Hobart, Australia, all Member countries have agreed to a joint USA/New Zealand proposal to establish a 1.55 million km2 area of the Ross Sea with special protection from human activities. Wed, 02 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ccamlr.org/fr/news/2016/la-ccamlr-cr%C3%A9e-la-plus-vaste-aire-marine-prot%C3%A9g%C3%A9e-du-monde http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40477&lan=EN The number of arranged marriages in the Middle East and North Africa is decreasing. Matrimony between cousins is still widespread, but matches of this kind now account for at most a quarter of all weddings. A growing number of young people find their partners without mediation; marriage for love is their ideal. It is still normal, however, for parents and grandparents to have a say in the choice of a spouse. Fri, 28 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40477&lan=EN http://www.liberation.fr/debats/2016/10/05/en-finir-avec-l-europe-anti-refugies_1519804 Wed, 05 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.liberation.fr/debats/2016/10/05/en-finir-avec-l-europe-anti-refugies_1519804 http://www.coredem.info/rubrique70.html When it comes to confronting corporate power, �oefighting by informing” is perhaps just as important as ensuring corporations submit to binding regulations and legal sanction. Not only because all these battles are ultimately inseparable, but also because information allows us to go even further, beyond a purely negative position, by highlighting alternatives to corporations. It is possible to take a different route, and we can do it without them. Tue, 11 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.coredem.info/rubrique70.html http://www.voxeurop.eu/es/content/article/5112837-en-polonia-se-han-creado-herramientas-para-preparar-un-estado-totalitario Since it came into power, the Law and Justice party has been slowly eroding the rule of law, says activist and president of the Committee for the Defence of Democracy Mateusz Kijowski. Last month he led anti-government and pro-European demonstrations in Poland and was recently awarded the European citizen's prize by the European Parliament. Fri, 21 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/es/content/article/5112837-en-polonia-se-han-creado-herramientas-para-preparar-un-estado-totalitario http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40465&lan=EN The Partnership Framework approach changes the way the EU, together with its Member States, manages mobility and migration with third countries of origin and transit. The aim of the so-called "migration compacts" with priority countries is to reduce flows of illegal migration by disrupting the business model of smugglers and opening legal channels of migration, increase return rates, and address root causes of irregular migration. Wed, 26 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40465&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40461&lan=EN Habitat III, the third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, officially began on Monday, October 17th in Quito. On the second day of the conference, governmental leaders from around the world gathered for two plenary sessions. Speakers addressed country-specific urban challenges and strove to unite the participants toward implementing a strong, robust and effective New Urban Agenda (NUA). Tue, 18 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40461&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/24/iceland-best-place-to-be-women-equal-gender-maternity?CMP=fb_gu What made Iceland’s day of protest on 24 October 1975 so effective was the number of women who participated. It was not just the impact of 25,000 women �" which, at the time, was a fifth of the female population �" that gathered on the streets of Reykjavik, but the 90% of Iceland’s female population who went on all-out professional and domestic strike. Teachers, nurses, office workers, housewives put down tools and didn’t go to work, provide childcare or even cook in their kitchens. All to prove how indispensable they were. Mon, 24 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/24/iceland-best-place-to-be-women-equal-gender-maternity?CMP=fb_gu http://en.qantara.de/content/azerbaijans-enlightenment-a-nation-at-odds-with-itself Azerbaijan aspires to a reputation of multiculturalism and tolerance, yet this sudden convergence of different cultures is proving a complicated issue, challenging even those who pride themselves on their openness. Social media discussions examined the cultural differences between the Arab Muslim tourists and Muslim Azerbaijanis in great depth. Mon, 17 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/azerbaijans-enlightenment-a-nation-at-odds-with-itself http://theconversation.com/la-guerre-dextermination-en-syrie-et-la-fin-du-sens-commun-66342 Many have justifiably drawn parallels with Guernica, including the French ambassador to the United Nations in a poignant speech. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy’s air forces blasted the Spanish city in 1937, while Franco’s troops attacked on the ground. [...] Many people (myself included) have said, time and time again, that Aleppo and Syria have to be saved, that we have a responsibility to protect, that our militaries need to enforce a no-fly zone (which is still a viable possibility). In short, that intervention is a necessity. [...] Is it still morally possible for me, for any of us, to say something? And, if so, must it be said with the terrible fear that our indignation is just a pathetic way of allaying our conscience? Sun, 02 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://theconversation.com/la-guerre-dextermination-en-syrie-et-la-fin-du-sens-commun-66342 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40450&lan=EN The soft creamy flesh of a ripe avocado makes an attractive and healthy addition to many of our shopping baskets. Smashed, crushed or sliced on toast for a celebrity chef breakfast, it is a fruit which is savoured across the world. But it seems that avocados may not be as green as they look. And their trendy status may be environmentally unsustainable. Their popularity has led to profitable opportunities for farmers, leading to major environmental concerns about production causing deforestation in Mexico ... Sun, 23 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40450&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40448&lan=EN Now that it has been ratified by India and the European Union, the Paris climate agreement is set to enter into force. But the hard part is yet to come: turning the agreement’s vague political commitments into concrete action to mitigate global warming. [...] If we are to have any chance of meeting our climate targets, we need to take strong action now to reduce emissions drastically �" action that goes beyond the Paris agreement. We must fundamentally transform the way we do business, with investors and companies abandoning their cautious approach to the low-carbon transition. Thu, 20 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40448&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/10/governments-and-social-movements-disagree-on-future-of-cities/ The Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development and the alternative forums held by social organisations ended in the Ecuadorean capital with opposing visions regarding the future of cities and the fulfillment of rights in urban areas. [...]The Habitat III accords �oecannot generate the urban reforms that we need, such as integral access to land with services. That can only be achieved through struggle. It is local political participation that makes it possible to press for urban reform,” Isabella Goncalves, an activist with the Brazilian NGO Brigadas Populares, told IPS. Fri, 21 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/10/governments-and-social-movements-disagree-on-future-of-cities/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40446&lan=EN Governments should rethink urban housing, transport, schooling and jobs strategies to ensure that cities do not become inequality traps, according to a new OECD report which shows that a majority of cities have higher inequality than their respective national average. Thu, 13 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40446&lan=EN http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/china-feminist-five Quoting Virginia Woolf, Lu Pin says, �oeAs a woman I have no country.” She believes that Chinese feminists�"whether in China, the United States, or elsewhere�"can form alliances that cross national boundaries. �oeIf we don’t set up this group in the U.S., China’s feminist movement will become too passive. The position of our core activists is extremely fragile and we don’t know when the police will come and arrest someone again�"it could be today or tomorrow,” she says. Mon, 03 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/china-feminist-five http://en.qantara.de/content/citizenship-law-reform-in-algeria-the-tug-of-war-over-identity On 26 July, the Algerian cabinet approved a law that activates Article 63 of the new constitution; in practice, only those with "exclusive Algerian nationality" can be appointed to the state's highest positions. What is primarily being targeted is dual Algerian-French nationality; a difficult problem to solve. Tue, 18 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/citizenship-law-reform-in-algeria-the-tug-of-war-over-identity http://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/border-barriers/global-illegal-immigration-prevention/ A generation ago, globalization shrank the world. Nations linked by trade and technology began to erase old boundaries. But now barriers are rising again, driven by waves of migration, spillover from wars and the growing threat of terrorism. Fri, 21 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/border-barriers/global-illegal-immigration-prevention/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40435&lan=EN EU countries are considering signing the free trade agreement with Canada this month, but the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) is far from the only deal the EU is working on. Various deals are being negotiated all over the globe, but they can only enter into force if the European Parliament approves them. Read on for an overview of negotiations in progress and a discussion of how it works. Wed, 19 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40435&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40429&lan=EN Thu, 21 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40429&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/10/private-interests-valued-over-human-lives-in-flint-michigan/ When the water in Flint, Michigan was found to be corroding cars at a General Motors’ (GM) factory, government officials agreed to change the factory’s water source, yet the same water source continued to poison the residents of Flint for another year. Sun, 16 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/10/private-interests-valued-over-human-lives-in-flint-michigan/ http://focus.afp.com/cuando-se-pierde-la-esperanza "The time after the American invasion was a time of great hope. The golden years. After the darkness of the Taliban rule, Afghanistan finally seemed to be on the road to a better life. But today, fifteen years later, that hope has vanished and life seems to be even harder than before." Fri, 14 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://focus.afp.com/cuando-se-pierde-la-esperanza http://geab.eu/en/us-isolation-when-global-finance-turns-away-from-the-dollar-system-it-means-the-cliff-is-near/?utm_source=phplist205&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Political+Anticipation+-+A+Press+Review+by+LEAP When in trouble, the US always uses the same method, which consists of hiding its own problems by bringing out into the open the problems of others. Europe is regularly the fall guy. So when the world, in total awe, learns about the record fine of $14 billion that the United States imposed on Deutsche Bank, one could certainly look horrified at the violations committed by this bank, but one must also see the interest which this sanction serves. [...] this is a quite convenient bogeyman to forget about the current US difficulties. Tue, 18 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://geab.eu/en/us-isolation-when-global-finance-turns-away-from-the-dollar-system-it-means-the-cliff-is-near/?utm_source=phplist205&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Political+Anticipation+-+A+Press+Review+by+LEAP http://www.cafebabel.fr/article/pourquoi-le-radicalisme-seduit-il-la-jeunesse-europeenne.html Voters all across Europe - young people included - are increasingly rejecting the established political parties in favour of more populist movements on both sides of the political spectrum. But what's making them turn away in such large numbers, and how can the centre try and tempt them back? Mon, 10 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.cafebabel.fr/article/pourquoi-le-radicalisme-seduit-il-la-jeunesse-europeenne.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40414&lan=EN It probably is too early to draw lessons from the questionable impeachment that has inaugurated a new paradigm of class coups by means of the Parliament. These first lessons could be of service to those who love democracy and respect the sovereignty of the people, expressed through free elections, as well as the Labor Party, PT, and its allies. Those who have the money, power and knowledge that undergirds the golpistas are characterized by their lack of appreciation for democracy and their willful ignorance of the blatant inequalities among the Brazilian people. Thu, 06 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40414&lan=EN http://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/acaparamiento-de-tierras_control-suizo-sobre-la-carrera-mundial-por-las-tierras-f%C3%A9rtiles/42511768 The worrying rise in foreign investors buying up land in poor countries is set to get worse in future, taking valuable resources from local populations. A report out later this month by a Bern database into ‘land grabbing’ should dig deeper into the problem. �oeThe grabbing of agricultural land is really a kind of neo-colonialism,” says Swiss entomologist and agriculturist Hans Rudolf Herren Fri, 14 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/acaparamiento-de-tierras_control-suizo-sobre-la-carrera-mundial-por-las-tierras-f%C3%A9rtiles/42511768 http://www.nytimes.com/es/2016/10/16/el-muro-es-una-fantasia-una-semana-en-la-frontera-sur-de-estados-unidos/ Fri, 14 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/es/2016/10/16/el-muro-es-una-fantasia-una-semana-en-la-frontera-sur-de-estados-unidos/ http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/10/la-inseguridad-alimentaria-en-africa-se-combate-con-legumbres/ �oePulses are the key to food security and nutrition in Africa, taking into consideration the climate crisis being faced on the continent,” Mpofu told IPS. �oePulses are providing a diversity of food for my family and also are important in improving soil health, especially in promoting an agroecology farming system.” Wed, 12 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/10/la-inseguridad-alimentaria-en-africa-se-combate-con-legumbres/ http://observatoriodasmetropoles.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1771:direito-%C3%A0-cidade-na-confer%C3%AAncia-habitat-iii&Itemid=164 The Quito conference will offer a major opportunity to reformulate life in human settlements, and the Right to the City can help ensure that all can live with dignity in sustainable, democratic and just territories. Thu, 13 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://observatoriodasmetropoles.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1771:direito-%C3%A0-cidade-na-confer%C3%AAncia-habitat-iii&Itemid=164 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/12/hong-kong-pro-democracy-oath-snub-china A new generation of pro-democracy politicians thumbed its nose at China’s authoritarian leaders, with a succession of lawmakers openly defying Beijing during an action-packed swearing-in ceremony for Hong Kong’s parliament. Wed, 12 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/12/hong-kong-pro-democracy-oath-snub-china http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40391&lan=EN Sunken coral islands, floating rainforests, giant undersea volcanoes or even spires of rock resembling sunken cities: none of these sites can be inscribed on the World Heritage List because they are found in the High Seas, outside of any national jurisdiction. A report launched today by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) explores the different ways the World Heritage Convention may one day apply to these wonders of the open ocean, which covers more than half the planet. Wed, 03 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40391&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40389&lan=EN "When the bombs rain down, the Syrian Civil Defense rush in. In the most dangerous place on earth these unarmed volunteers risk their lives to help anyone in need regardless of religion or politics." Fri, 07 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40389&lan=EN http://www.france24.com/fr/20161010-bangladesh-activiste-contre-mariage-precoce-filles-droits-enfants-femmes As the UN marks the International Day of the Girl Child on Tuesday, activist Radha Rani Sarker is meeting with European leaders to highlight the plight of girls in her native Bangladesh, where 73% are illegally married off while still in childhood. Tue, 11 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.france24.com/fr/20161010-bangladesh-activiste-contre-mariage-precoce-filles-droits-enfants-femmes http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40383&lan=EN Global economic growth will remain subdued this year following a slowdown in the United States and Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, the IMF said in its October 2016 World Economic Outlook. Tue, 04 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40383&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40374&lan=EN This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the economic consequences of outdoor air pollution in the coming decades, focusing on the impacts on mortality, morbidity, and changes in crop yields as caused by high concentrations of pollutants. Unless more stringent policies are adopted, findings point to a significant increase in global emissions and concentrations of air pollutants, with severe impacts on human health and the environment. The market impacts of outdoor air pollution are projected to lead to significant economic costs, which are illustrated at the regional and sectoral levels, and to substantial annual global welfare costs. Thu, 09 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40374&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40372&lan=EN On 19 September 2016 the United Nations (UN) General Assembly collectively, and spectacularly, failed the 21 million refugees of this world. [...] The UN Summit had a reasonable aim: to share responsibility for the world’s refugees among states. [...] Those who do not want to take a fair share will find objections and cite reasons why it is unworkable. But that is a failure of leadership. It is also morally bankrupt and intellectually shoddy to fail to face up to reality. Tue, 04 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40372&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40371&lan=EN We are standing above the new Sorek desalination plant, the largest reverse-osmosis desal facility in the world, and we are staring at Israel’s salvation. Just a few years ago, in the depths of its worst drought in at least 900 years, Israel was running out of water. Now it has a surplus. That remarkable turnaround was accomplished through national campaigns to conserve and reuse Israel’s meager water resources, but the biggest impact came from a new wave of desalination plants. Sun, 21 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40371&lan=EN http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20636&LangID=E The human rights calamity unfolding in Aleppo demands bold new initiatives, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Tuesday, �oeincluding proposals to limit the use of the veto by the permanent members of the Security Council. [...] Let us not forget that the destruction of cities like Warsaw, Stalingrad and Dresden, and the horror inflicted upon their civilians contributed to a great extent to the foundation of the United Nations. We cannot afford to fail Aleppo." Tue, 04 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20636&LangID=E http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40368&lan=EN The writ of habeas corpus is one of the first and oldest protections in Western legal systems, requiring jailers �" those who �oehave the body” �" to provide a reason for the prisoner’s detention. If a citizen disappears due to another citizen’s actions, the kidnapper or murderer must be brought to account. Mothers bring a direct, emotional, and personal component to this age-old struggle, insisting on their children’s existence as citizens and human beings whose rights must be upheld. Thu, 22 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40368&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40367&lan=EN It is morally unacceptable that every day over 20,000 people die of hunger while close to 5 billion dollars are invested in military expenditures and armament. A judicious reduction of these enormous and disproportionate figures would be enough to quickly and substantially increase endogenous, sustainable and human development worldwide; to take care of the environmental intergenerational legacy, ensuring that the irreversible deterioration of the habitability of Earth does not take place; to promote international cooperation in order to implement the major priorities of the United Nations (food, water, health, ecology, education, peace), and therefore make the �oenew beginning” advocated by the Earth Charter possible. Sat, 01 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40367&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40365&lan=EN The coups of 1964 and 2016 share a common structural nature. Both were class coups, by the holders of money and power: the first used the military, the second used the parliament. The means were different, but the results were the same: a coup that destroys democracy and violates popular sovereignty. [...] Besides this, Jesse emphasizes �"that all the coups, including the present one, are a fraud well perpetrated by the owners of money, who in fact are the true "owners of power”�". Wed, 07 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40365&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/05/building-way-to-hell-readers-tales-gentrification-around-world From community displacement in Mexico City to tourism-triggered evictions in Lisbon and crazy rent hikes in Silicon Valley, our readers shared stories of gentrification happening in their cities �" and the initiatives trying to tackle it Wed, 05 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/05/building-way-to-hell-readers-tales-gentrification-around-world http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40361&lan=EN When George Balfour, the first appointed British consul of Shanghai, envisaged the future of his British-only settlement at the end of 1843, he stood on a piece of marshland by the Huangpu River. Balfour could not have imagined in his wildest dreams the prosperous modern metropolis to come. The settlement was to be built, first and foremost, to house an influx of refugees from the Chinese hinterland. Thu, 14 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40361&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40360&lan=EN The aftermath of the United Kingdom’s unexpected vote in June to leave the European Union is being monitored closely. People all over the world �" and particularly in Europe �" want to know how Brexit will unfold, not just to manage its specific effects, but also to gain insight into what is likely to happen if other upcoming votes tip in favor of nationalist agendas. Mon, 26 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40360&lan=EN http://www.eurotopics.net/fr/167161/un-lundi-noir-pour-le-pis Thousands of people in Poland have protested against a total ban on abortion. Dressed all in black they took to the streets on Monday to demonstrate against the national conservative PiS government's planned ban. Commentators believe this could be the start of a major wave of protests. Wed, 05 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eurotopics.net/fr/167161/un-lundi-noir-pour-le-pis http://focus.afp.com/periodista-en-alepo-entre-hambre-y-miedo For Karam al-Masri, AFP's reporter, photographer and videojournalist in rebel-held Aleppo, the past five years have been a series of tragedies: detention by the regime, and then the Islamic State group, the death of his parents in an air strike, the siege of his hometown, hunger and bombardment. Though it all, he has continued to report, with unwavering courage, the story of his ravaged city. Herewith his story, in his own words and those by Rana Moussaoui, his colleague in Beirut who works with him daily. Mon, 26 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://focus.afp.com/periodista-en-alepo-entre-hambre-y-miedo http://www.ifpri.org/blog/how-microfinance-has-reduced-rural-poverty-bangladesh A new book shows that the growth of microfinance institutions over two decades in Bangladesh has helped the rural poor diversify their economic activities and boost incomes, lifting some 2.5 million people out of poverty. Tue, 20 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ifpri.org/blog/how-microfinance-has-reduced-rural-poverty-bangladesh http://www.nytimes.com/es/2016/09/30/violencia-policiaca-una-epidemia-estadounidense-con-consentimiento-estadounidense/?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Findex Another set of black men killed by the police �" one in Tulsa, Okla., another in Charlotte, N.C. Another set of protests, and even some rioting. Another television cycle in which the pornography of black death, pain and anguish are exploited for visual sensation and ratings gold. And yes, another moment of mistakenly focusing on individual cases and individual motives and individual protests instead of recognizing that what we are witnessing in a wave of actions rippling across the country is an exhaling �" a primal scream, I would venture �" of cumulative cultural injury and a frantic attempt to stanch the bleeding from multiplying wounds. We can no longer afford to buy into the delusion that this moment of turmoil is about discrete cases or their specific disposition under the law. The system of justice itself is under interrogation. The cultural mechanisms that produced that system are under interrogation. America as a whole is under interrogation. Mon, 26 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/es/2016/09/30/violencia-policiaca-una-epidemia-estadounidense-con-consentimiento-estadounidense/?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Findex http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40352&lan=EN More than 80% of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) limits. While all regions of the world are affected, populations in low-income cities are the most impacted. Tue, 27 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40352&lan=EN http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/09/la-dificil-meta-de-no-dejar-a-nadie-fuera-de-los-ods/ One year after UN member states adopted the ambitious 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda their repeated vow to �oeleave no one behind” seems almost as idealistic and impractical as ever. 2016 has so far proved a difficult year for the UN’s objective of including the world’s most vulnerable and marginalised in development efforts. [...] �oeIf we’re serious about finding and helping those who are furthest behind that’s not a technical exercise that’s a deeply political exercise,” said [Danny] Sriskandarajah [Secretary General of CIVICUS]. Mon, 26 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/09/la-dificil-meta-de-no-dejar-a-nadie-fuera-de-los-ods/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40347&lan=EN U.S. tribes not only share the same narrative with the world’s Indigenous Peoples struggling for land and life�"the Dakota Access standoff is amplifying the global movement. Fri, 30 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40347&lan=EN http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/September-2016/Affordable-Housing-in-New-York/ Affordable housing in New York is constantly invoked as an aspiration, rarely as a reality. This is despite the 178,000 units in government-owned or -operated buildings, and despite the hundreds of thousands in private, below-market-rate apartments. A recent book, Affordable Housing in New York: The People, Places, and Policies That Transformed a City, shines a spotlight on New York’s considerable existing, affordable construction, whose imprint is so large as to be unmistakably visible from an airplane or satellite. [...] While it certainly offers no instant cure for the present housing crisis, [this book] is an excellent primer on the many efforts that have been made toward tackling affordability, with lessons both cautionary and encouraging. Wed, 14 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/September-2016/Affordable-Housing-in-New-York/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40341&lan=EN A delegation comprising peasants, women and men, indigenous people and youth from various regions of the world will represent La Via Campesina at the Farmers' Rights Global Consultation, to be held between 27-30 of September in Bali, organized by the Government of Indonesia with support from The Government of Norway and The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). [...] In this regard, the delegation of rural peasants and indigenous people representing La Via Campesina will be calling upon the Treaty and the contracting parties (governments) to recognize and implement peasants' rights and to reject the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) legislations and patent laws that endanger food sovereignty. Fri, 30 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40341&lan=EN http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/politics/article/happy-as-a-dog-with-two-tails-hungarys-anti-hate-party.html The government's anti-migrant campaign has had its desired effect: xenophobia, hatred and misinformation are at an all-time high. However, while the opposition party has remained quiet on the issue, a pro-migrant campaign has sprung out of nowhere with boundless optimism and positivity. Wed, 28 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/politics/article/happy-as-a-dog-with-two-tails-hungarys-anti-hate-party.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40339&lan=EN Wed, 28 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40339&lan=EN http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/kashmir-stories-munnu-malik-sajad-graphic-novel With neither international pressure nor national strategic imperative pushing a resolution to the issue, India’s illiberal hold over Kashmir continues, satisfying the irredentist tendencies of Modi’s party line. Both subsumed under the logic of the war on terror and cordoned off as an �oeinternal” affair, the battle for Kashmir continues largely unwatched by the rest of the world. Fri, 01 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/kashmir-stories-munnu-malik-sajad-graphic-novel http://en.qantara.de/content/russia-and-the-syrian-conflict-drop-the-dictator?nopaging=1 For there to be any hope of an end to the war in Syria, Moscow has to realise that an orderly handover of power in Damascus is in its own interest, Regardless of how one evaluates Russia's role in Syria �" to mercilessly and effectively bombard civilians so as to save an unscrupulous mass murderer, to take crude, bruising military action with a view to boxing through its regional interests, or to use clever tactics to position itself as an indispensable world power �" Vladimir Putin has certainly made sure of one thing: the road to peace in Syria leads through Moscow. Wed, 28 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/russia-and-the-syrian-conflict-drop-the-dictator?nopaging=1 http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/jul/08/calgary-versus-the-car-how-the-dallas-of-the-north-declared-war-on-urban-sprawl Calgary is like any other Canadian city that grew outwards, not upwards. But led by progressive mayor Naheed Nenshi, the oil-rich, car-friendly city has become an unlikely leader in the battle to limit urban sprawl Fri, 08 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/jul/08/calgary-versus-the-car-how-the-dallas-of-the-north-declared-war-on-urban-sprawl http://www.cafebabel.de/gesellschaft/artikel/czarnyprotest-streit-um-abtreibungsrecht-in-polen.html Three parallel protests took place in front of the Polish Parliament last Thursday. Two of them - one organised by the Razem party, another by the group Dziewuchy Dziewuchom - ardently objected the government's proposed abortion ban. Next to them, armed with posters with bloody foetuses, protested those who wish to criminalise women who terminate a pregnancy. Sat, 24 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.cafebabel.de/gesellschaft/artikel/czarnyprotest-streit-um-abtreibungsrecht-in-polen.html http://www.oecd.org/migration/international-migration-outlook-1999124x.htm The 2016 edition of the International Migration Outlook analyses recent developments in migration movements and policies in OECD countries and selected non-OECD countries, and looks at the evolution of the labour market outcomes of recent immigrants in OECD countries. The report includes two special chapters: �oeThe economic impact of migration: Why the local level matters” and "International migration following environmental and geopolitical shocks: How can OECD countries respond?", as well as country notes and a statistical annex. Mon, 19 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.oecd.org/migration/international-migration-outlook-1999124x.htm http://www.oecd.org/fr/migrations/les-gouvernements-doivent-lutter-contre-le-rejet-de-l-immigration.htm The share of the public holding anti-immigration views has grown, driven by concerns that borders are insecure, immigrants stretch local services and some do not want to integrate. The 2016 International Migration Outlook stresses that systematic and co-ordinated action is needed to vigorously address these concerns and tap into the many opportunities that migration offers to recipient economies and societies. Mon, 19 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.oecd.org/fr/migrations/les-gouvernements-doivent-lutter-contre-le-rejet-de-l-immigration.htm http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40311&lan=EN This summer, an electrical power auction in Chile attracted successful bids by wind generators willing to provide electricity at $0.04 per kilowatt hour and solar generators at $0.03 per kwh, easily beating fossil-fuel competitors. That success reflects dramatic cost reductions over the last six years, with the cost of solar power falling about 70% and wind-power costs down more than 30%. Further reductions are inevitable. [...] It is now certain that, within 20 years, many countries could get most of their electricity from renewable sources at an easily affordable price. Wed, 14 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40311&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/integration-in-germany-what-is-required-of-us Germany has a racism problem. And our country has to think seriously about what it can do about it. In addition to discussing this problem openly, we have to call to mind our democratic responsibilities, define them clearly and insist that every member of society fulfils them. The incessant debate about what we can and must require of minorities in this country is getting us nowhere. [...] What's more, as a society, we bear responsibility for the people seeking protection here in Germany. After all, we are not entirely innocent of the misery that prevails in many of their countries. Wed, 21 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/integration-in-germany-what-is-required-of-us http://observers.france24.com/fr/20160920-guide-supreme-interdit-velo-iraniennes-elles-pedalent-plus-belle No one really knows what's going to happen. There's never been a situation like this in Iran, with citizens deciding to ignore a decision by the Supreme Leader, and even openly defying him by doing the opposite of what's been decreed. It's a major 'no' to the conservatives in power from Iranian women, especially young ones. Tue, 20 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://observers.france24.com/fr/20160920-guide-supreme-interdit-velo-iraniennes-elles-pedalent-plus-belle http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/September-2016/When-It-Comes-to-Sustainability-Were-Ranking-Our-Cities-Wrong/ "When you think about it, part of the reason why wealthy cities are so wealthy is not that they removed themselves from global manufacturing, but that they occupy a very privileged position there. The banks are located in New York, the same banks that finance all the factories. It seems pretty unjust to say, "Look at how successful New York's been at reducing carbon emissions" when New York is the center of all the global activity that pollutes other parts of the world. New York has exported its pollution. That's partly why we say that a lot of sustainability gains actually turn out to be �oeregressive redistributions.” Fri, 23 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/September-2016/When-It-Comes-to-Sustainability-Were-Ranking-Our-Cities-Wrong/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40297&lan=EN Kenya’s repatriation program for Somali refugees, fueled by fear and misinformation, does not meet international standards for voluntary refugee return. Many refugees living in Kenya’s sprawling Dadaab camp, home to at least 263,000 Somalis, say they have agreed to return home because they fear Kenya will force them out if they stay. In May 2016, the Kenyan government announced plans to speed up the repatriation of Somali refugees and close the Dadaab camp in northeastern Kenya by November. Kenyan authorities, with officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), then stepped up a 2013 �oevoluntary” repatriation program. Thu, 15 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40297&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/de/content/article/5111788-warum-joseph-stiglitz-falsch-liegt Joseph Stiglitz, American economist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, has come out with a new book, The Euro : How a Common Currency Threatens the Future of Europe. [...] Still, he expects that ‘the end of the single currency does not mean the end of the European project.’ That position, however, betrays a deep misapprehension of the realities of Europe. Like most American economists, who hold strongly to the theory of ‘optimum currency areas’, Joseph Stiglitz has been sharply critical of the single currency project from the outset, back in the 1990s. The idea of optimum currency areas was first explored in the early 1960s by Canadian Robert Mundell, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1999 for his studies. Sat, 10 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/de/content/article/5111788-warum-joseph-stiglitz-falsch-liegt http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40292&lan=EN Pathogen and organic pollution rises in more than 50% of river stretches in Africa, Asia and Latin America . Asia hit hardest by rise in severe pathogen pollution with up to a half of all river stretches affected . Up to 323 million people on three continents at risk of infection from diseases caused by pathogens in water.[...] Population growth, increased economic activity, the expansion and intensification of agriculture, and an increase in the amount of untreated sewage discharged into rivers and lakes are the main reasons behind the troubling rise in surface water pollution in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Tue, 30 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40292&lan=EN http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Standing-Rock-Sioux-Takes-Fight-Against-Dakota-Pipeline-to-UN-20160920-0023.html The chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux nation took the fight against the Dakota Access pipeline to the United Nations in Geneva Tuesday, as he called on the organization to support his Native American people’s fight against the �oedestruction of our sacred places” by the pipeline. �oeThe world needs to know what is happening to the Indigenous peoples of the United States,” Tue, 20 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Standing-Rock-Sioux-Takes-Fight-Against-Dakota-Pipeline-to-UN-20160920-0023.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40289&lan=EN Over the last 30 years, consumers have reaped the benefits of dramatic technological advances. In many countries, most people now have in their pockets a personal computer more powerful than the mainframes of the 1980s. [...] Even with these massive gains, we can expect still faster progress as the entire planet �" people and things �" becomes connected. Already, five billion people have access to a mobile device, and more than three billion people can access the Internet. In the coming years, 50 billion things �" from light bulbs to refrigerators, roads, clothing, and more �" will be connected to the Internet as well. Tue, 13 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40289&lan=EN http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/September-2016/How-Inclusive-Cities-Manage-Migration/ "According to my experience, local authorities are key actors for migration management. All over Spain, migrants have access to city registers, irrespective of their status. That’s been of the utmost importance in recent Spanish migration history, when millions have arrived in a short period of time. Migrants immediately become city dwellers, and the city is their first space for interaction both with administration and neighbours. The quality of public spaces and public services are key points for newcomers’ integration, as it is for the rest of the city’s inhabitants. Inclusive cities keep public spaces open for all and promote citizen and neighbour interaction. I would see urban development as a powerful tool for that to be done. " Mon, 12 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/September-2016/How-Inclusive-Cities-Manage-Migration/ http://www.ipsnoticias.net/portuguese/2016/09/ultimas-noticias/sem-motivos-para-se-tranquilizar/ UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein cautioned against optimism, stating: [...]�oeThe bitter truth is that this summit was called because we have been largely failing…it is shameful the victims of abominable crimes should be made to suffer further by our failures to give them protection,” [...]The initial draft of the Declaration proposed a global compact with clear commitments including resettling 10 percent of the world’s refugees annually and providing refugee children with education within 30 days. Upon negotiations however, this language was stripped in the final document adopted on Monday, ridding states of any obligation to welcome and educate refugees. Additionally, the international community delayed any form of agreement to a Global Compact until 2018. Tue, 20 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/portuguese/2016/09/ultimas-noticias/sem-motivos-para-se-tranquilizar/ http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/how-sri-lanka-eradicated-malaria-health-system-who-3026438/ The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Sri Lanka malaria-free last week. Victory over the disease came after more than seven decades, during which the country also went through a crippling civil war. The long years of accumulated technical experience was bolstered by a solid public health system that provided an efficient network of reporting, information-gathering and surveillance, and almost full literacy, which made it easier for health workers to educate and mobilise the 22 million population against the disease. Mon, 12 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/how-sri-lanka-eradicated-malaria-health-system-who-3026438/ http://making-of.afp.com/une-semaine-dans-la-vie-de-shanghai "When Shanghai city authorities invited a dozen foreign photojournalists to spend a week shooting life in the busy port and financial hub, I jumped at the chance. Although it’s the world’s most populous city, with 24 million souls, Shanghai has retained the winding streets and trees that give it a more �oehuman” feeling than the capital Beijing where I’m based, and it’s been a long time that I’ve wanted to take a closer look." Thu, 15 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://making-of.afp.com/une-semaine-dans-la-vie-de-shanghai http://www.cafebabel.fr/culture/article/lespagne-contre-les-anglicismes-linevitable-guerre-des-mots.html English dominates the world of business, advertising and social media. Anglicisms are spreading like wildfire and pose a real threat to languages like Spanish, French and Italian. In the modern war of words, the English language has launched a full-scale linguistic offensive. Mon, 12 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.cafebabel.fr/culture/article/lespagne-contre-les-anglicismes-linevitable-guerre-des-mots.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40257&lan=EN �oeIt is morally unacceptable that every day over 20,000 people die of hunger while close to 5 billion dollars are invested in military expenditures and armament. A judicious reduction of these enormous and disproportionate figures would be enough to quickly and substantially increase endogenous, sustainable and human development worldwide; to take care of the environmental intergenerational legacy, ensuring that the irreversible deterioration of the habitability of Earth does not take place; to promote international cooperation in order to implement the major priorities of the United Nations (food, water, health, ecology, education, peace), and therefore make the �oenew beginning” advocated by the Earth Charter possible. Wed, 14 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40257&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/18/melbourne-wins-worlds-most-liveable-city-award-sixth-year-in-a-row Thu, 18 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/18/melbourne-wins-worlds-most-liveable-city-award-sixth-year-in-a-row http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40254&lan=EN Wed, 07 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40254&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/09/believe-it-or-not-pulses-reduce-gas-emissions/ Lentils, beans, chick peas, and other pulses often produce negative �oecollateral social effects” on people hanging around, just a couple of hours after eating them. But, believe it or not, they contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. How come? See the facts: it is estimated that globally, some 190 million hectares of pulses contribute to five to seven million tonnes of nitrogen in soils. As pulses can fix their own nitrogen in the soil, they need less fertilizer, both organic and synthetic and, in this way, they play a part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Wed, 07 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/09/believe-it-or-not-pulses-reduce-gas-emissions/ http://en.qantara.de/content/irans-stadium-ban-on-women-excluding-the-people Do those organisations also turn a blind eye to the situation in Iran? Safai: They simply evade the issue altogether. When asked about the stadium ban for women they always talk about "cultural paradigms", which they won't and can't take on. That is a very bad excuse, because these alleged "paradigms" do not exist. The stadium ban has neither a cultural or historical dimension. There were times when a third of the volleyball fans at a match at Tehran's Azadi Indoor Stadium �" which literally translates into "Freedom stadium" �" were female. There is not even an explicit law that prohibits women from visiting public sports events. So the ban exists for one reason only and that reason is neither cultural nor historical, but political. Mon, 12 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/irans-stadium-ban-on-women-excluding-the-people http://www.voxeurop.eu/en/content/article/5106007-good-lobbying European citizens feel disconnected from EU institutions, and NGOs and civil society’s influence on European decision-making process cannot compete with the well-organised corporate lobbies. A new movement aiming at filling this gap is emerging, tells one of its founders. Thu, 01 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/en/content/article/5106007-good-lobbying http://www.cafebabel.es/sociedad/articulo/abolicion-de-la-prostitucion-en-francia-la-mejor-noticia-del-ano.html On 14 April this year, a new law was passed with the aim of "strengthening the fight against the cycle of prostitution and supporting sex workers." This law marks a shift in France towards an abolitionist approach to prostitution. Much like models adopted in Sweden, Norway and Iceland, France has decided to criminalise clients rather than sex workers, instead offering them help and support to get out of prostitution, should they wish to do so. Thu, 08 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.cafebabel.es/sociedad/articulo/abolicion-de-la-prostitucion-en-francia-la-mejor-noticia-del-ano.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40242&lan=EN Thu, 08 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40242&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40239&lan=EN Fri, 17 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40239&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40238&lan=EN The peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reached this month by the country’s government has received much-deserved praise. It is a historic achievement, one that promises to end more than a half-century of kidnapping, forced displacement, indiscriminate attacks on villages, and violence that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. [...] This time, peace with the FARC finally seems possible. Nonetheless, the recent agreement must be approved in a plebiscite on October 2, and not everyone in Colombia is ready to accept it. Thu, 01 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40238&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/arab-theatre-at-the-zurich-theaterspektakel-between-coma-and-protest Political theatre from the Arab world five years after the Arabellion: from a country in a permanent vegetative state comes the piece "While I Was Waiting" by the Syrian playwright Mohammad Al Attar. And in "Zig Zig," an Egyptian theatre group headed by Laila Soliman tells the tale of a gang rape. Mon, 05 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/arab-theatre-at-the-zurich-theaterspektakel-between-coma-and-protest http://correspondent.afp.com/importance-being-there "When I got to Gabon to cover the recent election, I found myself the only photographer from a major global news organization in the country. People ask -- why bother covering yet another election and unrest in yet another African country? I tell them - how can we not? This is where Africa’s modern history is unfolding. If we are going to tell the story of Africa, of the narratives that are taking place on the continent, then we cannot back off from coming to places like these." Tue, 06 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://correspondent.afp.com/importance-being-there http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40202&lan=EN Mon, 15 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40202&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40201&lan=EN While voters like the freedoms and funding that membership brings, governments in central and eastern Europe have seized on the Brexit vote to drive the dagger into EU institutions and their leadership, portraying it as an existential turning point. (...] there are paradoxes. Polling by Pew Research in June this year found Poles and Hungarians still had the most favourable view of the EU of any member nations. [...] No former communist EU member would vote to leave, she says, unlike some western counterparts. But many citizens have been disappointed by membership. Tue, 30 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40201&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40193&lan=EN Even as corrosive political discourse impedes effective action at the national and international levels, at the municipal level, progressive and effective immigrant-integration initiatives are flourishing. Fri, 26 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40193&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/29/crises-shuttle-diplomacy-syria The ability of powerful figures to travel the world, ending wars and solving disputes has waned. But they must keep trying [...] In a darkening world, to persist in dialogue and reason is to rage �" politely and diplomatically �" against the dying of the light. Mon, 29 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/29/crises-shuttle-diplomacy-syria http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40191&lan=EN Air pollution takes years off people’s lives. It causes substantial pain and suffering, among adults and children alike. And it damages food production, at a time when we need to feed more people than ever. This is not just an economic issue; it is a moral one. [...] Cleaner technologies are available, with the potential to improve air quality considerably. But policymakers tend to focus myopically on the costs of action, rather than the costs of inaction. Mon, 15 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40191&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40188&lan=EN Whatever may be the immediate outcome of the deepest and longest crisis that the country has ever seen, Brazil will never be what it was. It will be better or worse but will never be the same. The crisis has wrecked the credibility of the whole political system, destroyed the legitimacy of Congress, provoked a loss of faith in the Legal System and brought the people to know that it is not enough to vote and win four elections for the presidential mandate to be respected. In a word, whatever one believed that the country had as a Republic has now come to an end. What was supposed to be a democratic political system, will no longer survive. Either Brazil will build a solid democracy �" in which case the present Congress, this Justice system, this media monopoly cannot continue to exist as they are now -- or the country will simply cease to live in democracy. Thu, 25 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40188&lan=EN http://www.blog-iddri.org/en/2016/07/05/transformation-pathways/ Last September, UN Member States committed to achieving 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While the new development agenda provides a useful guide for understanding the main challenges to be met by 2030, to induce action and to realize the ambition of this agenda, each country must now work to establish its own development path, especially for the food and agriculture sector, which will have a positive or negative impact on the achievement of at least eight of the 17 SDGs. Tue, 05 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.blog-iddri.org/en/2016/07/05/transformation-pathways/ http://en.qantara.de/content/refugees-and-german-crime-rates-zero-correlation There is no link between refugees and criminality. A new study shows that this connection cannot be empirically verified and thereby contradicts the slogans of populist firebrands. Mon, 22 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/refugees-and-german-crime-rates-zero-correlation http://www.unhcr.org/fr/news/stories/2016/8/57b47b7fa/tchad-projet-agricole-lautonomie-refugies-soudanais-communautes-locales.html In a large green field planted with vegetables in this village in eastern Chad, Achta Abdallah Biney was busy pulling up weeds from her plot and harvesting her best turnips for market the next day. She fled war at home in Sudan and today is one of nearly 500 refugees and locals who farm this land together as part of a project smoothing the integration of long-term refugees into host communities, and giving women more financial independence. Tue, 16 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.unhcr.org/fr/news/stories/2016/8/57b47b7fa/tchad-projet-agricole-lautonomie-refugies-soudanais-communautes-locales.html http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/08/es-el-momento-oportuno-de-actuar-contra-la-sequia-en-africa/ Africa could lead a proactive drought revolution. By investing in early warning systems and addressing their vulnerabilities head on, well-planned and coordinated drought action will have a positive ripple effect across sectors and across borders. Nelson Mandela once said, �oeWe must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right”. The time is ripe. Taking proactive action against drought is the right thing to do. Thu, 18 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/08/es-el-momento-oportuno-de-actuar-contra-la-sequia-en-africa/ http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/08/inclusion-de-las-mujeres-en-el-deporte-compite-en-juegos-de-rio/ �oeThe power of sport should never be underestimated. It can change lives, through increasing girls’ and young women’s beliefs in their own abilities, encouraging them to take initiative and aim high,” U.N. Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said at the Aug. 6 presentation of �oeOne Win Leads to Another” in Rio de Janeiro. Fri, 12 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/08/inclusion-de-las-mujeres-en-el-deporte-compite-en-juegos-de-rio/ http://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/islas-de-calor-en-la-ciudad_cuando-un-%C3%A1rbol-vale-m%C3%A1s-que-el-aire-acondicionado/42380070 Rising temperatures in summer affect daily life and the health of people who live in cities. So what can be done? swissinfo.ch heads to Sion, the Swiss city that has heated up the most, to see what a difference its anti-heat plan has made. Mon, 22 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/islas-de-calor-en-la-ciudad_cuando-un-%C3%A1rbol-vale-m%C3%A1s-que-el-aire-acondicionado/42380070 http://en.qantara.de/content/european-islamophobia-report-wake-up-to-the-danger Islamophobic images are fluid and vary in different contexts. They serve above all to construct an image of a "we", the majority society, versus the Muslims as a foreign counterpart, as the Other. It comes down to the power wielded by a dominant group of people in order to deprive a minority of their legitimate rights and participation in social resources. Fri, 19 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/european-islamophobia-report-wake-up-to-the-danger http://observatoriodasmetropoles.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1676%3Adossier-what-is-at-stake-in-these-games%3F&lang=en# "Olympic Games always have winners and losers. In the Games, there are always three winners in each event. In Rio de Janeiro, we know exactly who they are: the major construction companies �" part of them involved in Operation Lava Jato; real estate speculation �" which made a lot of money in recent years; and the political class and local elite �" who succeeded in building a network of power that will last for the next 50 years. In the Games, those who come in fourth or fifth are not remembered. It does not matter. That’s the Olympic spirit: winners and losers. And the population of Rio de Janeiro is part of those who are being forgotten." Thu, 04 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://observatoriodasmetropoles.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1676%3Adossier-what-is-at-stake-in-these-games%3F&lang=en# http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40155&lan=EN After centuries of study, you’d think we’d have at least a rough idea of how many different species of life exist on Earth. This is becoming even more pressing as biodiversity disappears at an increasing pace due to human impacts. Some species are going extinct even before we discover them. Scientists have named nearly 2 million species, but the estimated total number out there has ranged from 3 million to 100 million. Consensus recently congealed around the lower end of this range, with one widely touted study proposing a precise figure of 8.7 million species (excluding bacteria strains, which are too tricky to count). Wed, 20 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40155&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40154&lan=EN Migration continues to dominate political debate in many countries. Rightly so: the issue affects economies and societies worldwide. But public opinion on this crucial topic tends to be shaped by emotions, rather than facts. The result is a lack of open and effective dialogue about migration’s risks �" or its many benefits. [...] It is now up to rational political leaders and mass media to reintroduce facts into the debate. Sat, 06 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40154&lan=EN http://www.socialeurope.eu/2016/08/nansen-passport-solution-legal-statuses-refugees/ In times of crisis in the Middle East, in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, the ‘long summer of migration’ in 2015 will not be the end of migration flows to Europe. A humanitarian plan is necessary to show refugees solidarity and to deepen cooperation in EU refugee and migration policy. The EU-Nansen passport could be a first step in this direction. Fri, 05 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.socialeurope.eu/2016/08/nansen-passport-solution-legal-statuses-refugees/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40151&lan=EN In a recent report, the monitoring group Human Rights Watch documents repeated cases of individuals and communities affected by projects financed by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation who have stood up to defend their rights, only to suffer an array of abuses for doing so. These include threats, intimidation, detention, sexual harassment, and violent attacks by governments, corporations, security forces, or other third parties with a stake in where aid funds end up. Thu, 11 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40151&lan=EN http://www.ipsnoticias.net/portuguese/2016/08/ultimas-noticias/nao-a-mutilacao-genital-ganha-forca/ The buy-in of African political leadership is crucial if this latest move is to succeed, with up to 140 million women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa who’ve been forced to submit to the practice of cutting their genitals. The aim is to influence people on the ground as well as effect legislation banning the practice. Wed, 10 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/portuguese/2016/08/ultimas-noticias/nao-a-mutilacao-genital-ganha-forca/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40138&lan=EN Vulnerable communities face the brunt of climate change �" from rising sea levels and extreme weather events to prolonged severe droughts and flooding. According to the World Bank, without effective mitigation measures, climate change could push more than 100 million people into poverty by 2030. To help the most vulnerable communities become more resilient to the effects of climate change, financial institutions should support small and medium-size enterprises. Fri, 05 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40138&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40135&lan=EN The 2016 Olympics will happen in hard times for Brazilians. Interim trustee, Michel Temer has sat upon the presidential chair after a coup d’Etat endorsed by corporate media and the judicial system, removing Dilma Rousseff, who was elected president by the democratic choice of 54 million people. The coup also brought to power the most conservative forces in Brazilian politics. That’s the reason why the scenario of Rio-16 may be not only hot because of the Olympic flame, but also because of massive protests which should take place in Rio to denounce the situation. Fri, 05 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40135&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40134&lan=EN Tara Lighten Msiska: I've never considered what I write to be feminist journalism, in the sense that I don't have an agenda. I'm just interested in reporting the facts. That said, I'd consider feminist journalism to be journalism which exposse the truth about issues which disproportionately affect women (e.g. domestic violence) and which offers alternative theories to counter dominant views which promote sexism or denigrate women. For example, media explanations of women engaging in activities as diverse as casual sex and terrorism have a tendency to ascribe infantilising or pathologising narratives on female, but not male, participants ('promiscuous' men enjoy sex; 'promiscuous' women are troubled, at risk or using sex to feel wanted; male terrorists are politically motivated while female terrorists are exploited or mentally ill). Sat, 06 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40134&lan=EN http://www.cafebabel.fr/politique/article/lue-et-les-balkans-ni-avec-toi-ni-sans-toi.html "The EU needs countries with enthusiasm and a desire to be part of it. Some leave, others join. The EU has to change its strategies and take advantage of the fact that many states, such as the Balkan states, have not thrown in the towel" Thu, 28 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.cafebabel.fr/politique/article/lue-et-les-balkans-ni-avec-toi-ni-sans-toi.html http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/08/climate-smart-agriculture-for-drought-stricken-madagascar/ FAO estimates that a quarter of the population �" five million people �" live in high-risk disaster areas exposed to natural hazards and shocks such as droughts, floods and locust invasion. As an agronomist, Lee studies the numerous ways plants can be cultivated, genetically altered, and utilized even in the face of drastic and devastating weather patterns. Talla explains that the end goal is for farmers to embrace climate-smart agriculture by diversifying their crops, planting more drought-resistant crops, including cassava and sweet potatoes, and looking for alternative livelihoods such as fishing. Thu, 04 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/08/climate-smart-agriculture-for-drought-stricken-madagascar/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40125&lan=EN "The international legal order may not be reduced to an interventionist logic similar to that prevailing before the adoption of the United Nations Charter. The purpose of the Charter was to substitute a multilateral system grounded in cooperation and the enhanced role of law and institutions for unilateral military action. It would be tragic if, acting on emotion in the face of terrorism (understandable as this emotion may be), that purpose were lost" Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40125&lan=EN http://de.qantara.de/inhalt/debatte-islam-und-feminismus-schafft-vorbilderinnen In the suffocating atmosphere of the present day, we should be grateful to hear this from a mainstream political institution: "There is an Islamic tradition of fighting for women′s rights and there are Muslim women today who regard themselves as feminists." But this doesn′t answer the question of whether �" and how �" Islam and feminism are compatible. In the global activist community, people used to have long discussions on the implications of the various self-descriptions as Muslim or Islamic feminist. Thu, 04 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://de.qantara.de/inhalt/debatte-islam-und-feminismus-schafft-vorbilderinnen http://de.qantara.de/inhalt/demokratische-zukunft-der-tuerkei-am-seidenen-faden The thwarted coup of 15 July is being celebrated by the AKP as well as large sections of Turkish civil society as a victory for democracy. But the state of emergency and the mass arrests spotlight the authoritarian political tide in Turkey. Ceyda Nurtsch reports from Istanbul When on the evening of 15 July military jets circled over Istanbul and Ankara and troops from the Turkish army blocked central transport hubs with tanks and proclaimed the takeover of the country on the state-run television station TRT, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan played what is arguably his prime trump card: the support of his followers. In a live broadcast on the television station CNN Türk, he called on the people to take to the streets and confront the military. Thu, 04 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://de.qantara.de/inhalt/demokratische-zukunft-der-tuerkei-am-seidenen-faden http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40117&lan=EN Fifteen years ago, I wrote a little book, entitled Globalization and its Discontents, describing growing opposition in the developing world to globalizing reforms. It seemed a mystery: people in developing countries had been told that globalization would increase overall wellbeing. So why had so many people become so hostile to it? Now, globalization’s opponents in the emerging markets and developing countries have been joined by tens of millions in the advanced countries. [...] How can something that our political leaders �" and many an economist �" said would make everyone better off be so reviled? Fri, 05 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40117&lan=EN http://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/press-release-french/ By August 8, humanity has used up nature’s budget for the entire year, according to data from Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that is changing how the world manages its natural resources and responds to climate change. Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/press-release-french/ http://making-of.afp.com/en-afghanistan-la-detresse-muette-des-petits-esclaves-sexuels When I first stumbled upon this story through a well-connected source in Uruzgan, I didn’t believe it. Could the Taliban be infiltrating Western-funded Afghan police by exploiting their lust for boy sex slaves? The war tactic is redolent of the Middle Ages. But as I started digging around, multiple sources began corroborating the story Mon, 25 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://making-of.afp.com/en-afghanistan-la-detresse-muette-des-petits-esclaves-sexuels http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40109&lan=EN Those who lead Israel’s defense establishment often come to consider peace with the Palestinians a necessary condition for the country’s security. Being tasked with maintaining the territories Israel has occupied since the Six-Day War in 1967 evidently causes the military and security brass to support political measures that would end the occupation. And yet the government shows no interest in pursuing a permanent settlement. Wed, 03 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40109&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/08/olympic-games-end-decade-of-giant-mega-projects-in-brazil/ An era of mega-events and mega-projects is coming to a close in Brazil with the Olympic Games to be hosted Aug. 5-21 by Rio de Janeiro. But the country’s taste for massive construction undertakings helped fuel the economic and political crisis that has it in its grip. [...] Over the past decade, large-scale investment projects and public works, some not yet finished, others even abandoned, have driven the economy, triggered controversies, and fed the dreams and frustrations of Brazilians, mirroring and accelerating the rise and fall from power of the left-wing Workers’ Party (PT). Wed, 03 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/08/olympic-games-end-decade-of-giant-mega-projects-in-brazil/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40107&lan=EN By forcibly transferring refugees and people seeking asylum to Nauru, detaining them for prolonged periods in inhuman conditions, denying them appropriate medical care, and in other ways structuring its operations so that many experience a serious degradation of their mental health, the Australian government has violated the rights to be free from torture and other ill-treatment, and from arbitrary detention, as well as other fundamental protections Wed, 03 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40107&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/es/content/article/5092123-indignados-balcanicos Today it is impossible to travel in the Balkans and not run into Balkan indignados, the region’s new reality. [...] These are the Balkans inhabited by the Besas, Milicas, Vanyas and those even worse off, who have few future prospects unless they enter the circle of the �oeuntouchables”, or else emigrate. Mon, 04 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/es/content/article/5092123-indignados-balcanicos http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40103&lan=EN The final chapter of a story is being written with Brexit. It is the story of the EU as symbolic incarnation of Europe. Whatever the outcome of the impending negotiations between the EU and the British government, the political involution called Brexit puts an end to the Europe built by the founding fathers. It also delivers a painful message: the integration of societies in the Old Continent through the primacy of markets, economics, currency and geopolitical servitude to the United States will guarantee neither peace nor prosperity to these societies. And it won’t set them on the path to their union either [1]. Wed, 13 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40103&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40099&lan=EN Since the United Nations Development Program began work on the Arab Human Development Reports (AHDR) in 2001, the situation in many Arab countries has gone from bad to worse. [...] The 2015 report was finalized in May 2015. But it has lain in the drawers of the UNDP Arab Bureau in New York ever since, probably in no small part due to its harsh judgment of the Arab power elite. Wed, 13 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40099&lan=EN http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/07/saneamiento-sin-medalla-en-juegos-olimpicos-de-rio-de-janeiro/ The biggest frustration at the Olympic Games, to be inaugurated in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro on August 5, is the failure to meet environmental sanitation targets and promises in the city’s beaches, rivers, lakes and lagoons. [...] What happened confirms the national tradition of giving sanitation low priority on the government agenda. Sun, 24 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/07/saneamiento-sin-medalla-en-juegos-olimpicos-de-rio-de-janeiro/ http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/29/stephen-hawking-brexit-wealth-resources Does money matter? Does wealth make us rich any more? These might seem like odd questions for a physicist to try to answer, but Britain’s referendum decision is a reminder that everything is connected and that if we wish to understand the fundamental nature of the universe, we’d be very foolish to ignore the role that wealth does and doesn’t play in our society. Fri, 29 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/29/stephen-hawking-brexit-wealth-resources http://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-the-turkish-journalist-ahmet-sik-turkeys-coup-plotters-sold-each-other-out Journalist Ahmet Sik believes Turkey’s July 15 military coup attempt failed because the alliance between followers of cleric Fetullah Gulen and other segments of the military fell apart. Interview by Beklan Kulaksizoglu. Ahmet Sik: If we look at the information and documents coming out now�"and I must emphasize that their accuracy is debatable�"yes, the Gulen movement is behind the job. But I'm adding my own note: they weren't alone. I think that there was an alliance inside the military, but that members of this alliance sold each other out prior to the night of the coup attempt and in the ensuing process. Thu, 28 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-the-turkish-journalist-ahmet-sik-turkeys-coup-plotters-sold-each-other-out http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40090&lan=EN Recalling the 1932 agreement, Obama says in the Washington Post: "The world has changed. The rules change with it. The United States and not China should write them". Obama buried the multilateralism of the WTO with his phrase and is ready to define the rules unilaterally. Perhaps it should be baptized an "imperial agreement" like the 1932 agreement. In any event it points to the weakness of multilateralism. The manner in which the negotiations were held points to the privatization of global governance. It was negotiated privately. Mon, 25 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40090&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40082&lan=EN Climate change has claimed another victim. Almost one-quarter of the coral in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area �" one of the world’s richest and most complex ecosystems �" has died this year, in the worst mass coral bleaching in recorded history. Even in the far northern reaches of the Reef, long at a sufficient distance from human pressures like coastal development to preserve, to a large extent, coral health, a staggering 50% of the coral has died. Fri, 22 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40082&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/es/content/article/5102482-los-golpistas-han-regalado-erdogan-el-regimen-con-el-que-sonaba The day after the failed coup purges have begun among the military, the judiciary, the teachers and the press. The self-proclaimed ‘Hero of democracy’ seized the opportunity to bring the country to heel, says Turkish political scientist and columnist Cengiz Aktar. A coup d’etat was the only thing missing from the dark series of events that have rocked Turkey since last year, when the party of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country’s strongman, lost its absolute majority in the legislative elections on 7 June 2015. His party, the AKP (Justice and Development), could only regain its majority once the elections were repeated in November, under a cloud of damaging violence. Thu, 21 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/es/content/article/5102482-los-golpistas-han-regalado-erdogan-el-regimen-con-el-que-sonaba http://www.policyinnovations.org/ideas/innovations/data/00308 In 2015, NASA's satellite data revealed that 21 of the world's 37 large aquifers are severely water-stressed. With growing populations, and increased demands from agriculture and industry, researchers indicated that this crisis is only likely to worsen. Rajendra Singh, known as the "water man of India," believes that critically depleted aquifers around the world can be revived with community effort. For the past 32 years, through his NGO Tarun Bharat Sangh (Young India Organization), Singh has led community-based water harvesting and water management initiatives in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, an arid, semi-desert state in the northwest of India. Thu, 28 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.policyinnovations.org/ideas/innovations/data/00308 http://www.cetri.be/Union-europeenne-Haiti-un Tue, 05 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.cetri.be/Union-europeenne-Haiti-un http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40067&lan=EN Picture this. It is 1966. You are standing in a government office in Washington, DC, watching a uniformed official tell a man in business attire, �oeYour mission is to eradicate an enemy that has killed more people than both world wars combined. You will have a paltry budget, a small team, and should you fail, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.” It sounds like a scene from a Hollywood movie. And, indeed, it mirrors the opening scenes of the Mission: Impossible television series that premiered that year. But it really happened, if not in precisely those words. The official was Assistant Surgeon General James Watt; the man with the mission was Communicable Disease Center (CDC) scientist Donald Henderson; and the enemy was smallpox. Fri, 15 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40067&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/07/monster-el-nino-subsides-la-nina-hitting-soon/ As if human-made armed conflicts, wickedness, rights abuse, gender violence, cruel inequality and climate catastrophes were not enough, now the saying �oeGod Always Forgives, Men Sometimes, Nature Never” appear to be more true than ever. See what happens. Now that the 2015-2016 El Niño �"one of the strongest on record�" has subsided, La Niña �" El Niño’s ‘counterpart’�" could strike soon, further exacerbating a severe humanitarian crisis that is affecting millions of people in the most vulnerable communities in tens of countries worldwide, especially in Africa and Asia Pacific. Mon, 18 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/07/monster-el-nino-subsides-la-nina-hitting-soon/ http://en.qantara.de/content/putsch-aftermath-in-turkey-autocracy-or-military-dictatorship Turkey and Egypt have one thing in common: in both countries, there has been a military coup against an elected Islamist president. While the coup against Erdogan in Turkey failed, the coup d'etat under the leadership of the former Egyptian military leader and current president, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, in July 2013 was a success. The military managed to depose President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood who had been in office for just a year and throw him and his associates in jail. But both countries have another important thing in common. Both are deeply polarised societies in which the role of religion in politics and the state yet to be negotiated. Tue, 19 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/putsch-aftermath-in-turkey-autocracy-or-military-dictatorship http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40062&lan=EN In early March, in the hopes of finding a safe place to start a family, Mohanad left his home near the Syrian city of Homs and, like hundreds of thousands before him, made his way via Turkey, the Mediterranean and the island of Lesvos to mainland Greece. Today, he is one of roughly 800 people living at Katsikas camp, a military-administered refugee camp six kilometres outside the city of Ioannina in northwestern Greece, and one of roughly 40 such camps that have emerged across the country since late winter. Mon, 11 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40062&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40061&lan=EN When Merkel organized a meeting of the leaders of the six original founders of the EU, in Berlin, she invited Donald Tusk, the President of the Council, but not Jean-Claude Juncker, who is the President of the Commission. And Wolfgang Schauble, the German minister of Finance, has launched an appeal: �oeit is time to bring back Brussels under the control of the states. �oe It is curious that the debate on Brexit has completely ignored the creeping action to end the supranational character of the EU. What is in process, in fact, is something of extreme importance: the end of internationalism and return to the national. And that is one of the fruits of globalization…. Japan, China and Russia are at the peak of nationalism.. Thu, 07 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40061&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40059&lan=EN The huge numbers of refugees and displaced persons around the world today are sparking renewed debates in many countries. The situation is exacerbated by questions of social integration and the media narratives, which require concrete solutions to avoid divisions forming between people. Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40059&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40055&lan=EN Military coups �" successful or otherwise �" follow a predictable pattern in Turkey. Political groups �" typically Islamists �" deemed by soldiers to be antagonistic to Kemal Atatürk’s vision of a secular Turkey gain increasing power. Tensions rise, often accompanied by violence on the streets. Then the military steps in, exercising what the soldiers claim is their constitutional power to restore order and secular principles. This time, it was very different. Thanks to a series of sham trials targeting secularist officers, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had managed to reconfigure the military hierarchy and place his own people at the top. While the country has been rocked by a series of terrorist attacks and faces a souring economy, there was no inkling of unrest in the military or opposition to Erdogan. Sun, 17 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40055&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40052&lan=EN Providing a long-term supply of nutritionally rich foods is key to overcoming malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. Until recently, the focus of projects has been either on micronutrient supplementation or only on the food production side. However, long-term nutrition benefits can only be reached through a broader approach that connects nutrition with an agriculture that is imbedded in a social and economic frame. Fri, 08 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40052&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40051&lan=EN The 40th session of the World Heritage Committee opened today in Istanbul (Turkey) under the chairmanship of Lale �oelker, Ambassador, Director General of Cultural Affairs and Promotion Abroad of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The opening ceremony was an opportunity to stress that World Heritage, which is now, more than ever, the subject of numerous threats, must remain a vector of cohesion and dialogue at the international level. Sun, 10 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40051&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40047&lan=EN �oeI have a request for all Egyptians,” General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Egypt’s president, declared in 2013. Just three weeks after staging the most brutal military coup in Egypt’s history, he wanted �oeall honorable, decent Egyptians” to take to the streets to march for the military, thereby giving him and his army �oea mandate and an order to fight potential violence and terrorism.” Tens of thousands of Egyptians heeded his call. Yet, three years later, the violence and terrorism Sisi pledged to prevent remain a potent reality. Mon, 11 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40047&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/07/breaking-the-silence-on-gender-based-violence/ The Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is establishing and strengthening sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) recovery centres in the country. One such center was launched at the Kilifi County Hospital on 01 July 2016 in collaboration with the Kilifi County Government. It must rank as among the most confounding realities that SGBV, though acknowledged globally as one of the most pervasive violations of human rights in the world, is also one of the least prosecuted crimes. Fri, 01 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/07/breaking-the-silence-on-gender-based-violence/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40038&lan=EN Ever since the American computer scientist John McCarthy coined the term �oeArtificial Intelligence” in 1955, the public has imagined a future of sentient computers and robots that think and act like humans. But while such a future may indeed arrive, it remains, for the moment, a distant prospect. And yet the foreseeable frontier of computing is no less exciting. We have entered what we at IBM call the Cognitive Era. Breakthroughs in computing are enhancing our ability to make sense of large bodies of data, providing guidance in some of the world’s most important decisions, and potentially revolutionizing entire industries. Thu, 30 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40038&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40035&lan=EN From the beginning of time political leaders have followed the perverse adage �oesi vis pacem, para bellum”, that is, if you want peace, prepare for war. The absolute power of men has always been exercised from a position of imposition and dominance. At the end of World War II during which the most abominable methods of extermination were used, President Roosevelt devised a great plan for democratic multilateralism. His design of the United Nations System inceded a series of institutions to ensure its relevance in areas such as food (FAO), education, science and culture (UNESCO), health (WHO), employment (ILO)… funds for children (UNICEF) and development programs (UNPD)… The UN System would have undoubtedly ushered in a new era if it had been possible to implement the brilliant preamble of the United Nations Charter: �oeWe, the Peoples… are determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. Wed, 15 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40035&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40033&lan=EN Serious water crises have plagued Brazil’s major cities in recent years. Severe pollution in Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay is jeopardizing sailing and other water sports at the upcoming Olympic Games. A historic drought from 2013 to 2015 in São Paulo dramatically slowed farm and factory production, threatening the national economy. Residential water rationing forced people to stockpile water in canisters, which became breeding grounds for mosquito-borne dengue and may have contributed to the recent Zika outbreak. Some causes are familiar: inadequate enforcement of regulations, leaky water distribution systems, and population growth and urban development outstripping available water supplies. But looking outside the cities’ boundaries, a lesser-known cause emerges: degraded natural infrastructure. Tue, 05 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40033&lan=EN http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/06/norte-y-sur-enfrentados-por-el-derecho-a-la-ciudad/ The declaration that will be presented for approval at the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in October has again sparked conflict between the opposing positions taken by the industrial North and the developing South. The aim of the conference, to be held in Quito, Ecuador from October 17-20, is to reinvigorate the global commitment to sustainable urban development with a �oeNew Urban Agenda,” the outcome strategy of Habitat III. Developing countries want the declaration to include the right to the city, financing for the New Urban Agenda that will be agreed at the meeting, and restructuring of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to implement the agreed commitments. Thu, 30 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/06/norte-y-sur-enfrentados-por-el-derecho-a-la-ciudad/ http://en.qantara.de/content/syrian-conflict-everyone-against-everyone Rather than being concerned with the fate of the Syrian people, the Geneva peace talks mainly focus on the interests of the two superpowers Russia and the US, writes Islam scholar and sociologist Huda Zein Neither the suffering of the civilian population nor the political goals of the opposition, which are increasingly hamstrung, can be said to be dominating peace talks in Geneva. Yet who is responsible for the current chaotic state of affairs? Tue, 05 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/syrian-conflict-everyone-against-everyone http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40022&lan=EN Beyond the particular characteristics of each of our countries, the existence of monopolies or oligopolies -- that, far from diminishing, are growing with the processes of technological development and convergence -- produces well-known effects: single-track agendas, concentrated voices, insufficient spaces for the expression and representation of different social and political actors and sectors. Moreover, these media companies that seek to hoard for themselves the communication rights that belong to the whole of society, no longer even try to hide their motivations and strategies in the struggles for power. They openly intervene as a political actor, proposing ideas or projects, calling for participation or abstinence, denouncing or covering up political or business figures, promoting or stigmatizing candidates, pronouncing their judgement on social movements when they confront the established order and judging even justice herself, even though�" in many of our countries �" she is not precisely the equable blindfolded dame, but yet another instrument for the construction of inequity. Thu, 16 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40022&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40018&lan=EN US President Franklin D. Roosevelt once proclaimed that �oethe only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” The United Kingdom’s �oeBrexit” referendum, in which just over half of those who voted chose to leave the European Union, proved that he was not exactly right. We must also fear the people, like Britain’s populist leaders, who prey on public fears to bring about truly terrifying outcomes. In this case, the outcome may well lead to the EU’s disintegration. Sun, 26 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40018&lan=EN http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/06/avanzan-el-odio-y-la-xenofobia-advierte-jerarca-de-la-onu/ �oeHate is becoming mainstreamed. Walls �" which tormented previous generations, and have never yielded any sustainable solution to any problem �" are returning. Barriers of suspicion are rising, snaking through and between our societies �" and they are killers…” Hardly a statement could have portrayed more accurately the current wave of hatred invading humankind, like the one made by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. �oe… Clampdowns on public freedoms, and crackdowns on civil society activists and human rights defenders, are hacking away at the forces, which uphold the healthy functioning of societies. Judicial institutions, which act as checks on executive power, are being dismantled. Towering inequalities are hollowing out the sense that there are common goods.” Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein warned. Wed, 22 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnoticias.net/2016/06/avanzan-el-odio-y-la-xenofobia-advierte-jerarca-de-la-onu/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40015&lan=EN American voters are angry. But while the ill effects of globalization top their list of grievances, nobody is well served when complex economic issues are reduced to bumper-sticker slogans �" as they have been thus far in the presidential campaign. It is unfair to dismiss concerns about globalization as unfounded. America deserves to have an honest debate about its effects. In order to yield constructive solutions, however, all sides will need to concede some inconvenient truths �" and to recognize that globalization is not the same phenomenon it was 20 years ago. Fri, 24 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40015&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40011&lan=EN This year, the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will be the first ever to host a team comprised entirely of refugees. The team consists of six male and four female athletes who have fled South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria and Ethiopia. They will compete in the games as well as enter the opening ceremony in Maracana Stadium under the Olympics flag. Fri, 24 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40011&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40010&lan=EN Today, June 20, is World Refugee Day, when we honor the strength and courage of those who have been forced to flee their homes. Today I will be thinking of Mohammed, a Syrian refugee whom I met when I visited Istoc Primary School in Turkey last month. [...] Mohammed stopped to explain how his classmates had helped him learn their language, and how he was catching up on lessons after fleeing his war-torn country to settle in Istanbul. But his dream is to have the chance to return home one day, and he is determined to study hard now to gain the knowledge and skills needed to build a new future there. Mon, 20 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40010&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40009&lan=EN "Government officials say that human rights are honored and that we are all equal, that no-one is worth more than others. But this is not true, our lives, the lives of the migrants who leave because we have no choice and everything is against us, our lives have less value, almost none. Just look how many deaths and aggressions there are here on the border, and nothing is done about it. They are not interested in us, we are simply seen as problems and not as persons. We are treated as delinquents just because we leave in search of a better life". Central American migrant, December 2015. Wed, 15 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40009&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40005&lan=EN Although biologists and indigenous people have worked together for centuries, the relationship has tended toward friction. Scientists often looked askance at traditional knowledge, sometimes with harmful consequences for both science and indigenous livelihoods. [...] �oeThe hardest thing is to sit in a room with scientists who think they’ve discovered something, but their scientific discovery just confirms what our oral histories have talked about forever,” says William Housty, a member of British Columbia’s Heiltsuk First Nation and director of Coastwatch, a science and conservation program. Fri, 17 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=40005&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/06/what-if-turkey-drops-its-human-bomb-on-europe/ Will the rapid�"though silent escalation of political tensions between the European Union and Turkey, which has been taking a dangerous turn over the last few weeks, push Ankara to drop a �oehuman bomb” on Europe by opening its borders for refugees to enter Greece and other EU countries? The question is anything but trivial�"it is rather a source of deep concern among the many non-governmental humanitarian organisations and the United Nations, who are making relentless efforts to fill the huge relief gaps caused by the apparent indifference of those powers who greatly contributed to creating this unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Thu, 23 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/06/what-if-turkey-drops-its-human-bomb-on-europe/ http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/17/shattered-records-climate-change-emergency-today-scientists-warn May was the 13th month in a row to break temperature records according to figures published this week that are the latest in 2016’s string of incredible climate records which scientists have described as a bombshell and an emergency. The series of smashed global records, particularly the extraordinary heat in February and March, has provoked a stunned reaction from climate scientists, who are warning that climate change has reached unprecedented levels and is no longer only a threat for the future. Fri, 17 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/17/shattered-records-climate-change-emergency-today-scientists-warn http://en.qantara.de/content/transgender-activism-in-pakistan-the-dynamic-third-gender In times of increasing radicalisation, minorities and those who occupy society's niches and in-between realms can become prime targets, as the attack last weekend on a gay nightclub in Florida so painfully demonstrated. Recently, however, on the other side of the globe in South Asia, there have also been some astounding breakthroughs. Some say it was the Hindu god Rama who more than 2000 years ago gave the hijra the ability to confer blessings on others as a reward for their loyalty. Chosen by divine hand, and described in ancient texts as eunuchs or hermaphrodites, the hijra occupy a mythological and socio-biological grey area for which the collective term "transgender" doesn't really suffice. Tue, 14 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/transgender-activism-in-pakistan-the-dynamic-third-gender http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39985&lan=EN Bilinguals get all the perks. Better job prospects, a cognitive boost and even protection against dementia. Now new research shows that they can also view the world in different ways depending on the specific language they are operating in. Wed, 15 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39985&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39983&lan=EN Sandwiched between Angola and South Africa, Namibia suffered mightily during the long struggle against apartheid. Yet, since winning independence from South Africa in 1990, this country of 2.4 million people has achieved enormous gains, especially in the last couple of years. Tue, 14 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39983&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39982&lan=EN With a multitude of conflicts and crises causing record displacement around the world, resettlement has become an increasingly vital part of the UN Refugee Agency’s efforts to find solutions and advocate for fairer responsibility-sharing for refugees, a UNHCR report released today found. Mon, 13 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39982&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/news-brief/5092561-une-nouvelle-carte-d-europe-de-la-corruption Since 1995, when it was first calculated, Transparency Internationals’ Corruption Perception Index has established itself as the go-to reference on corruption levels. Norway comes in 5th in this index. The new ranking, in which Norway comes in first, is established according to a new Index of Public Integrity calculated by the ANTICORRP project, a EU-founded research group. The index, the researchers claim, measures corruption through objective variables, instead of relying on the perception of corruption levels in a country. Thu, 09 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/news-brief/5092561-une-nouvelle-carte-d-europe-de-la-corruption http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39975&lan=EN Tue, 07 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39975&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39974&lan=EN Dramatic gains in life expectancy have been made globally since 2000, but major inequalities persist within and among countries, according to this year’s �oeWorld Health Statistics: Monitoring Health for the SDGs”. Life expectancy increased by 5 years between 2000 and 2015, the fastest increase since the 1960s. Those gains reverse declines during the 1990s, when life expectancy fell in Africa because of the AIDS epidemic and in Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The increase was greatest in the African Region of WHO where life expectancy increased by 9.4 years to 60 years, driven mainly by improvements in child survival, progress in malaria control and expanded access to antiretrovirals for treatment of HIV. Fri, 10 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39974&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39972&lan=EN We seem to be living in an accelerated age of revolutionary technological breakthroughs. Barely a day passes without the announcement of some major new development in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, digitization, or automation. Yet those who are supposed to know where it is all taking us can’t make up their minds. Thu, 09 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39972&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39971&lan=EN This week’s negotiations over the UN’s Political Declaration Ending AIDS are rife with circular debates, and sex, gender and sexuality are flashpoints of polarization. Fri, 10 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39971&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/06/world-oceans-day-a-death-sea-called-mediterranean/ While the United Nations identifies 17 major regional seas in its planning, the Mediterranean is perhaps the most dramatic case as it has gone from being the so-called cradle of civilization to be a cemetery for thousands of asylum-seekers and migrants. And it is most probably also the most polluted water basin the whole world. [...] But it is also a sort of a huge salty lake, being a semi-enclosed sea with only two tiny points of contact with open oceans-the Suez Canal in the East and the Gibraltar Straits in the West. This implies that its waters need between 80 years and 150 years to be renewed [...] In other words, a drop of polluted water remains there, circulating for a whole century on average. Mon, 06 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/06/world-oceans-day-a-death-sea-called-mediterranean/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39962&lan=EN It was, of course, a century ago: Why does it still matter? What many call the Armenian �oegenocide” began on April 24, 1915, with the rounding up and subsequent �oedisappearance” of intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople, now Istanbul. Although this happened a century ago, remembrance of the destruction of over half of the Armenian people is more important than ever. The crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Turks by killing the major part of this ancient Christian race has never been requited, or, in the case of Turkey, been the subject of apology or reparation. Fri, 03 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39962&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39961&lan=EN On June 5, the Swiss voted on the proposal to provide a basic income sufficient to allow the people to live in a dignified manner and participate in public life. The proposal was voted down with 23.1% of the voters in favour and 76.9% against. With a participation rate of 46.3% that boils down to a little over 10% of the Swiss population supporting basic income. No doubt the Swiss campaigners as well as those watching the referendum closely will be conducting a post-mortem of what happened and how to interpret these results. Wed, 08 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39961&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39959&lan=EN From changes in government in Argentina and Brazil to mid-course policy corrections in Chile, Latin American politics appears to be undergoing a rightward shift. But rather than being �oepulled” by the attractiveness of the economic policies that the right is advocating, this complex phenomenon is predominantly a reflection of the �oepush” implied by anemic growth and the disappointing provision of public goods, especially social services. Tue, 07 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39959&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/06/lgbt-communities-silenced-in-hiv-reduction-efforts/ Treatment for HIV and AIDS has increased, but key populations including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities continue to be left behind and even excluded altogether. In a new report, published ahead of the upcoming High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) found immense gains in access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) across 160 countries. Thu, 02 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/06/lgbt-communities-silenced-in-hiv-reduction-efforts/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39954&lan=EN The window of opportunity to complete the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the United States and the European Union is closing quickly. National elections will be held this year and next in the US, France, and Germany, and the campaigns will play out in an environment that is increasingly hostile to international agreements in any form. The biggest risk might come from the least likely source: Germany, an export powerhouse. Mon, 06 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39954&lan=EN http://www.euractiv.fr/section/aide-au-developpement/news/le-parlement-europeen-soppose-au-colonialisme-agricole-en-afrique/ MEPs have called on the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition to radically alter its mission. The Alliance currently pushes African countries to replicate the intensive agricultural practices employed in many developed countries. Tue, 07 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.euractiv.fr/section/aide-au-developpement/news/le-parlement-europeen-soppose-au-colonialisme-agricole-en-afrique/ http://en.qantara.de/content/domestic-violence-against-women-in-turkey-dont-prevent-divorce-prevent-murder The past few years have seen a huge increase in the number of women murdered in Turkey. There are also increasing reports of domestic violence. Those victims who report violence to the authorities, however, are often treated badly. Recently there has been a huge increase in the number of women murdered. The platform "Kadin Cinayetlerini Durduracagiz" (We will stop the murder of women) is one of the independent women's organisations documenting murders perpetrated against women. According to its statistics, 303 women were killed in 2015; more than in previous years. Mon, 06 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/domestic-violence-against-women-in-turkey-dont-prevent-divorce-prevent-murder http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39946&lan=EN Tue, 07 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39946&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39944&lan=EN Education has long been a challenge in the Arab world, with inadequate access to high-quality schooling contributing to a widening skills gap that is leaving many young people, even graduates, unemployed and hopeless. In a region plagued by conflict and disorder, addressing these problems will not be easy. But, with a bold and innovative approach, it can be done. Tue, 07 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39944&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39940&lan=EN France’s initiative to hold an international conference to re-launch direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians, aimed at the ever elusive �oetwo-state solution,” is the child of a resilient fantasy. But after decades of failed negotiations, it’s time to start thinking like adults. Neither Israeli nor Palestinian society is primed for compromise. On the contrary, in Israel, surging nationalism has become a major obstacle to any negotiation. With Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu catering to ultra-nationalist elements, there is no possibility that he will produce the kinds of peace proposals pursued by his predecessors, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert. As for Palestine, its fragmented polity undermines any possibility of effective negotiation. Mon, 06 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39940&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39935&lan=EN Transnational marriage abandonment lies at the intersect of immigration and patriarchal control, allowing abusers and states to enjoy impunity for violations committed against women in transnational spaces. Mon, 06 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39935&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39933&lan=EN Week one of #ILC2016 has finished with workers and employers divided. What are the prospects for the all-important week two and any potential convention on decent work in supply chains? Mon, 06 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39933&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39924&lan=EN The global economy is stuck in a low-growth trap that will require more coordinated and comprehensive use of fiscal, monetary and structural policies to move to a higher growth path and ensure that promises are kept to both young and old, according to the OECD’s latest Global Economic Outlook. Wed, 01 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39924&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39920&lan=EN Thu, 26 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39920&lan=EN http://geab.eu/de/deflation-und-realwirtschaft-in-den-vereinigten-staaten-das-schwarze-loch/ The systemic crisis is spreading much faster in the real economy than in 2008-2009. This low dormancy is a sign that the economic protection dikes are severely lowered, the synergies are broken and the common strategies of global resilience have vanished. Within this statistical fog, not even fully lifted yet, our team needs once more to assess the health of the real economy, particularly in the United States. Thu, 02 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://geab.eu/de/deflation-und-realwirtschaft-in-den-vereinigten-staaten-das-schwarze-loch/ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indus-era-8000-years-old-not-5500-ended-because-of-weaker-monsoon/articleshow/52485332.cms It may be time to rewrite history textbooks. Scientists from IIT-Kharagpur and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have uncovered evidence that the Indus Valley Civilization is at least 8,000 years old, and not 5,500 years old, taking root well before the Egyptian (7000BC to 3000BC) and Mesopotamian (6500BC to 3100BC) civilizations. What's more, the researchers have found evidence of a pre-Harappan civilization that existed for at least 1,000 years before this. Sun, 29 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indus-era-8000-years-old-not-5500-ended-because-of-weaker-monsoon/articleshow/52485332.cms http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39911&lan=EN On a recent trip to the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, WITNESS met local journalist Habibulah Mohamed Lamin. This dispatch from Lamin is part of Watching Western Sahara, an initiative of the WITNESS Media Lab curating and contextualizing human rights videos of Sahrawi media activists. Thu, 26 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39911&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/es/content/blog/5079258-mas-medidas-no-suponen-mejores-resultados The promise for more security in the wake of the latest terrorist attacks led European countries to take individual action against civil liberties and basic freedoms, while citizens ask for a common European approach and to safeguard Europe's core values Wed, 01 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/es/content/blog/5079258-mas-medidas-no-suponen-mejores-resultados http://www.voxeurop.eu/es/content/article/5084194-se-puede-hablar-realmente-de-paises-corruptos Prime Minister Cameron shocked everyone by referring to Afghanistan and Nigeria as possibly some of the most corrupt countries of the world just a few days before this week’s anti-corruption summit in London. Many saw his statement as yet another instance of Western hypocrisy. Given London is famously a playground for the corrupt and Mr. Cameron’s family itself profited from stashing money overseas, it does seem odd that he is the one to point the finger. But is it justified to be politically correct about corruption? As a chair of Berlin’s Hertie School of Governance, which runs the EU’s largest policy research program on corruption and and author of the Dutch EU Presidency’s report on public integrity and trust in EU, I'm weighing up the evidence. Mon, 16 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/es/content/article/5084194-se-puede-hablar-realmente-de-paises-corruptos http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5088799-un-nouveau-chez-soi-en-turquie A few weeks into the EU-Turkey agreement on refugee resettlement, a report from Turkey’s Aegean coast shows that a growing number of migrants are choosing to stay. Sun, 29 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5088799-un-nouveau-chez-soi-en-turquie http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39903&lan=EN People with disabilities face added risks of abandonment, neglect, and do not enjoy equal access to food, health care, and other assistance during conflict, displacement, and reconstruction, [...] Fri, 20 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39903&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39901&lan=EN Pay revolts are nothing new. At the WPP advertising conglomerate, where chief executive Martin Sorrell received an eye-popping £70m last year, they are an annual pantomime that is swiftly disregarded by the board. The difference this year is that the rebellions reflect worries at the wealth gap between executives and Joe Average. This is a perplexing development for those who, like many in the private sector, consider that the social mission of business is to make decent profits and that investors should reward bosses accordingly. Fri, 27 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39901&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39898&lan=EN rgentina recently emerged from nearly 15 years of the most litigious sovereign default in modern times, if not ever. Now it has the opportunity to reenter the global financial system and build a more stable and prosperous future. It is a chance that the country must be careful not to squander. Mon, 30 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39898&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39894&lan=EN While male politicians occupy newspapers headlines, television and radio debates in Spain, at local and regional levels women for change are challenging austerity head on. Part of the Anti-Austerity and Media Activism series. Fri, 27 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39894&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39892&lan=EN Nearly half the world’s population �" some 3.5 billion people �" lives near coasts. As climate change exacerbates the effects of storms, flooding, and erosion, the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of those people will be at risk. In fact, the latest edition of the World Economic Forum’s World Risk Assessment Report names failure to adapt to the effects of climate change as the single greatest risk, in terms of impact, to societies and economies around the world. Thu, 26 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39892&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39886&lan=EN Wed, 25 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39886&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39882&lan=EN The �oeBrexiteers” �" those who want Britain to leave the European Union �" argue that their goal would be virtually cost-free and have no effect on the United Kingdom’s global trade. They are wrong. On June 23, when voters in Britain cast their ballots in the referendum on the question, they need to consider what is actually involved in leaving the EU �" and how the free-trade benefits they now enjoy (and take for granted) could be maintained after Brexit. Wed, 25 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39882&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39880&lan=EN A new spectre is haunting the world. It is not the spectre of communism, as Marx’s Manifesto famously proclaimed. It is the spectre of fear, which has increasingly become the rationale behind politics. And, as the old proverb says, fear is not a good counselor. Tue, 17 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39880&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39873&lan=EN At the United Nations in New York on April 22, world leaders ratified the global climate agreement reached in Paris last December. One hundred ninety-five countries, ranging from richest to poorest, have now agreed to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with the goal of not exceeding 1.5°C. They have also committed to �oeintended nationally determined contributions” (INDCs) to limit or reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030. This is a major achievement, but it is far from sufficient. Wed, 11 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39873&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/05/a-precarious-fate-for-climate-migrants-in-india/ The reasons for migration are familiar �" climate change, loss of livelihood due to disasters like cyclones, drought, ingress of the sea, and lack of fresh water for agriculture. In its report Climate Change and Migration in Asia and the Pacific, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has highlighted grave causes and ramifications of climate-induced displacement. As per ADB, roughly 37 million people from India, 22 million from China and 21 million from Indonesia will be at risk from sea levels rising by 2050. Fri, 20 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/05/a-precarious-fate-for-climate-migrants-in-india/ http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5086915-un-avertissement-pour-toute-l-europe It was a heartbeat finish. And in the end, a handful of absentee ballots gave victory to the independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen over the far-right's Norbert Hofer. The country is more polarized than ever and the decades-lasting system of big established parties might be over. Mon, 23 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5086915-un-avertissement-pour-toute-l-europe http://de.qantara.de/inhalt/debatte-ueber-reformislam-der-islam-braucht-keinen-martin-luther Calls for an Islamic Reformation are issued in the wake of every Islamist act of terrorism. But Muslims don't need a Martin Luther. What is needed is a reconciliation of Islam with the constitutional state, says Loay Mudhoon Mon, 23 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://de.qantara.de/inhalt/debatte-ueber-reformislam-der-islam-braucht-keinen-martin-luther http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39863&lan=EN Greece is again in the media, because a new negotiation is due between the embattled country and its creditors. The North-South divide of Europe is coming back with force (while the East-West relationship is increasingly looking as beyond repair). The German minister of Finance, Wolfgang Schäuble , has come back with his peculiar view of the economy as a branch of moral and ethical discipline, and not as a reading of reality. He has asked the Greeks �oeto not get distracted” by the refugees crisis, and not forget their primary task, which is to pay their debt. Thu, 12 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39863&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39860&lan=EN During the last century, the battle to secure equality for women and girls has been fought in the classroom, in the voting booth, and in the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies. But if gender inequality is ever to be abolished, we can no longer afford to neglect one of its major causes and consequences: malnutrition. Wed, 18 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39860&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39854&lan=EN Last December in Paris, 195 governments reached a consensus on how to curb climate change over the coming decades. But, as usual when it comes to the United Nations, the deal that was struck was big on stated ambition, but far more modest when it comes to commitments to concrete action. Wed, 18 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39854&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39853&lan=EN While in France young people are demonstrating against unemployment and flexibility and François Hollande has decided to abandon his baleful proposal of deprivation of nationality, in Greece tens of thousands of refugees have crammed into the country, waiting to be forcibly sent back to Turkey. Let there be no mistake: these different realities all demonstrate the same failure, namely Europe’s inability to confront the economic crisis and relaunch its model for creation of employment, integration and social progress. Sun, 22 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39853&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39849&lan=EN Technological innovation offers Africa huge possibilities. That is why I joined Africa’s movers and shakers last week at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. We were there to discuss how the digital economy can propel the kind of radical change the continent needs. Fri, 20 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39849&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39843&lan=EN Following the election of the city's new mayor Ada Colau in June 2015, Barcelona has reinvented itself amid a hive of social, cultural and political activism. Ann Marie Utratel explains how the city's transformation resonates with inspired efforts to realign collaborative economies with the commons paradigm. Fri, 13 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39843&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39842&lan=EN All too often in politics, the choice is between the very bad and the even worse. For the residents of Central and Eastern Europe, the June referendum in the United Kingdom over whether Britain should exit the European Union is just such a case. Thu, 19 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39842&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/sadiq-khans-london-democracy-wins-out Pakistani by origin, Muslim by faith and newly elected Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is the man of the hour in the United Kingdom, if not in Europe. As Bernard-Henri Levy argues, his victory sends a highly positive signal Wed, 18 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/sadiq-khans-london-democracy-wins-out http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39820&lan=EN Those campaigning for Britain to exit the European Union claim that doing so would make their country both freer and richer. They assert that after �oeBrexit”, the UK could quickly negotiate a bespoke agreement with the EU that offers all the benefits of free trade without the costs of EU membership; strike better trade deals with other countries; and reap huge benefits from scrapping burdensome EU regulations. But this is a delusion. Mon, 16 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39820&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39815&lan=EN In the past, droughts of this severity have led to conflict and even wars between neighboring communities and states. One of the first in recorded history erupted around 4,500 years ago, when the city-state of Lagash �" nestled between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq �" diverted water from its neighbor, Umma. Competition for water sparked violent incidents in ancient China and fueled political instability in Pharaonic Egypt. Today, actual wars between countries over water resources are uncommon, owing to improved dialogue and cross-border cooperation. But, within countries, competition for scarce water is becoming a more common source of instability and conflict, especially as climate change increases the severity and frequency of extreme weather events. Wed, 04 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39815&lan=EN http://www.alainet.org/en/articulo/177232 King Philip VI of Spain has announced that in the four months since the last elections, the elected members of parliament, and especially those representing the four main parties, were unable to make an agreement that would produce a viable government. He therefore announced new elections for June 26, 2016. Thu, 05 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.alainet.org/en/articulo/177232 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39809&lan=EN Amidst general indifference, uninterrupted string of victories of the extreme right-wing in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria Hungary, Italy and Greece, has being going on in the last years. The congress of AfD was infused, on the contrary, with the awareness that the tide of xenophobia, nationalism and populism is taking over Europe. And the language of the Congress was unthinkable a few years ago. Mon, 09 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39809&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/political-protests-in-egypt-sisis-falling-star Just days after the Egyptian regime seemed capable of tolerating protests critical of its policies, the authorities clamped down massively on a new wave of demonstrations to hit the country. The security apparatus' ambivalent response to the unrest has raised questions. Thousands of government opponents took to the streets on 15 April for the first time since a restrictive law on protests was adopted in November 2013. They were demonstrating not only against the transfer of two islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia, but also against President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi. [...] All attempts by demonstrators to initiate protests were nipped in the bud by the police, the secret service and undercover agents. Mon, 09 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/political-protests-in-egypt-sisis-falling-star http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39803&lan=EN Divorce is not an option these days. But nor is the kind of marriage that the Islam scholar Tariq Ramadan advocates. Ramadan, a grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, is a Swiss citizen and a resident of the United Kingdom who argues that Islamic ethics and values should be injected into the European system. Europe would then not just tolerate Islam, but actually embrace it as an integral part of itself. Thu, 05 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39803&lan=EN http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/04/a-human-extinction-isnt-that-unlikely/480444/ Nuclear war. Climate change. Pandemics that kill tens of millions. These are the most viable threats to globally organized civilization. They’re the stuff of nightmares and blockbusters�"but unlike sea monsters or zombie viruses, they’re real, part of the calculus that political leaders consider everyday. A new report from the U.K.-based Global Challenges Foundation urges us to take them seriously. Fri, 29 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/04/a-human-extinction-isnt-that-unlikely/480444/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39800&lan=EN New charges concerning several leading Russian officials reveal the greatest threat to the Kremlin's hold on power �" elite corruption. Will Putinism end not with a bang but a warrant? Hot on the heels of the Panama Papers’ revelations about multi-billion dollar slush funds, a Spanish court's decision to issue arrest orders for 12 Russian citizens, including senior law enforcement officials and a Duma deputy, demonstrates the new pressures faced by Russia’s elite, otherwise used to juggling the freedom to steal at home with the freedom to spend and save abroad. Tue, 10 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39800&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39799&lan=EN Last April, Nepal experienced a devastating earthquake, resulting in a tragic loss of life and damage. But the people of this small and beautiful country are pushing forward with remarkable resilience. They’ve also taken care to consider the environment during the rebuilding period. Mon, 25 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39799&lan=EN http://www.dw.com/en/opinion-a-culture-of-impunity-behind-bloggers-killings-in-bangladesh/a-19221963 A sense of insecurity is palpable in Bangladesh. According to press reports, at least 34 attacks have been perpetrated by militant groups in Bangladesh costing 35 lives and injuring 129 people in the past 14 months. Victims include members of religious and sectarian minorities, two foreign nationals, a Christian convert, a number of online social activists, bloggers, self-proclaimed atheists, publishers, an LGBT activist and a university professor. Thu, 28 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.dw.com/en/opinion-a-culture-of-impunity-behind-bloggers-killings-in-bangladesh/a-19221963 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5081286-sauvons-notre-europe Our Europe, the most impressive political construction of modern times, cannot stand by as national governments jeopardise its democratic, economic, social, cultural and environmental model. They have shown inertia and distrust when faced first with economic crisis, then with refugees and most recently with terrorism. Each successive threat has been worsened by a lack of cooperation and coordination between European governments. Mon, 09 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5081286-sauvons-notre-europe http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39789&lan=EN On both sides of the Atlantic, populism of the left and the right is on the rise. Its most visible standard-bearer in the United States is Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee. In Europe, there are many strands �" from Spain’s leftist Podemos party to France’s right-wing National Front �" but all share the same opposition to centrist parties, and to the establishment in general. What accounts for voters’ growing revolt against the status quo? Fri, 06 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39789&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39787&lan=EN Water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change, could cost some regions up to 6 percent of their GDP, spur migration, and spark conflict, according to a new World Bank report released today. Tue, 03 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39787&lan=EN http://www.peacebuilding.no/Regions/Africa/Publications/Stability-and-vulnerability-in-the-Sahel-the-regional-roles-and-internal-dynamics-of-Chad-and-Niger Chad and Niger are among the world’s least developed countries �" and deprivation and institutional weakness are potential drivers of instability. So it is important that external partners do not allow security imperatives to obscure the long-term necessity of a sustained focus on poverty reduction and good governance. Tue, 19 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.peacebuilding.no/Regions/Africa/Publications/Stability-and-vulnerability-in-the-Sahel-the-regional-roles-and-internal-dynamics-of-Chad-and-Niger http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39783&lan=EN On April 22, dignitaries representing no fewer than 175 parties signed the global climate change agreement concluded in Paris in December, setting a record for the adoption of an international accord. The show of support is heartening. It provides hope that the momentum that led to the breakthrough deal in December remains undiminished. But securing an agreement in Paris was just the first step on a long road towards protecting the global climate and the world’s most vulnerable countries. The signing ceremony was the second. Next comes the ratification process; 55 countries, representing at least 55% of global emissions, will need to ratify the agreement to enable it to enter into force. Fri, 06 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39783&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39780&lan=EN Earth Day 2016 was a momentous and historic celebration of international climate policy. The Paris Agreement, adopted last December, was signed by 175 countries, a record number of signers of an international agreement on a single day. Fifteen countries, most of them small island developing states, took the next step of formally joining the Agreement; others indicated their intention to do so this year. The UN signing ceremony showed growing momentum for climate action, underscored by the clear statement of many leaders, ministers and other officials that they are committed to a zero-carbon, climate-resilient future. Thu, 28 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39780&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39777&lan=EN The new Argentinian government will probably concentrate more on the economic, environmental and security challenges of the South Atlantic, than stressing the Malvinas issue as its main foreign policy priority. The central geopolitical issue for all Southern Cone countries is the singular relevance of the South Atlantic, because of increasing global demand for strategic natural resources during the last decade and the resurgence of South Atlantic routes as an important means of international communications and trade. The preoccupation that the South Atlantic might therefore become a zone of power projection by extra-regional international actors is shared not only by all Southern Cone countries but also by their African counterparts. Thu, 05 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39777&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39776&lan=EN When, in the second half of April, we received the news about a fire that had burnt down the GERM (Group for Study and Research on Globalisations) premises, we were appalled by the force of devastation that had completely destroyed the documentation, publications and archive of GERM, and its working equipment, including computers. Everything that had been so precious for the cooperation of GERM with numerous institutions in their scientific and research work, projects and networking was ravaged. Thu, 05 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39776&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39774&lan=EN The financial meltdown of 2008 prompted calls for a global financial system that curtails trade imbalances, moderates speculative capital flows, and prevents systemic contagion. That, of course, was the goal of the original Bretton Woods system. But such a system today would be both untenable and undesirable. So, what might an alternative look like? Wed, 04 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39774&lan=EN http://www.euractiv.fr/section/sante-modes-de-vie/news/lenjeu-du-prix-des-medicaments-concerne-aussi-les-pays-en-developpement/ The high price of medication places the health systems of many developed countries under great strain. Faced with an increasingly acute situation, France’s President François Hollande has called on world leaders to act. The French president signed an editorial published in the medical review The Lancet, in which he raised the issue of the exponential increase in the price of medicines over recent years, particularly for new treatments against cancer and hepatitis C. Wed, 04 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.euractiv.fr/section/sante-modes-de-vie/news/lenjeu-du-prix-des-medicaments-concerne-aussi-les-pays-en-developpement/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39770&lan=EN Much of the world’s attention is understandably focused on developments in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. These regions represent the vast majority of global population and wealth, [...] But an unintended consequence of this focus is that many governments, corporations, and people are missing much of what is going on in Latin America. And much of what is going on in Latin America right now happens to be good. Wed, 27 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39770&lan=EN http://www.destatis.de/EN/PressServices/Press/pr/2016/05/PE16_153_p001.html Migrants in Germany are 35.4 years old �" much younger than people without a migrant background (46.8 years). There are more singles, more people in education and training, and fewer of retirement age. However, immigrants in Germany also are less educated, more seldom in employment, they earn less and are more often threatened by poverty. In fact there are major differences between individual groups of migrants. The impact of education is quite obvious. For migrants, too, a higher level of education means better opportunities on the labour market, higher incomes and a falling risk of poverty. This is the situation depicted by the Data Report 2016, a social report for the Federal Republic of Germany released in Berlin today. Statisticians and social researchers have compiled figures and findings that relate to major areas of life, including migration and integration. The data report is edited by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb, the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) and the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin). Tue, 03 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.destatis.de/EN/PressServices/Press/pr/2016/05/PE16_153_p001.html http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5076350-ne-bougeons-plus EU circles had made a decision toward the end of last summer that �oeRefugees and asylum-seekers of Syrian and other origins are entering the EU territory via Turkey. This huge human displacement which has proved to be unmanageable for us can be only prevented by Turkey. Everything should be done to make this happen.” What does that �oeeverything” include? Sat, 23 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5076350-ne-bougeons-plus http://en.qantara.de/content/fashion-for-muslim-women-modesty-a-la-mode It's no secret in the fashion industry that the Middle East holds huge capital potential. [...] with a market that is expected to double by 2019, to nearly 443 billion euros (over $500 billion), designers need to seek out new ways to remain relevant in order to take in a share of those profits. Tue, 03 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/fashion-for-muslim-women-modesty-a-la-mode http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39759&lan=EN Obama reneged on his campaign promises to end the war(s) in the Middle East by increasing the US troop presence and expanding his drone-assassination warfare against Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Syria. Fri, 29 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39759&lan=EN http://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/05/02/the-role-of-global-solidarity-in-the-fight-for-democracy-in-hong-kong/ As an American writer and human rights activist based in Asia, I have observed and written about the democracy movement in Hong Kong for the past several years. I have written in support of that movement in all its forms from moderate pan-democrats to more �oeradical” elements such as Occupy Central and the new Hong Kong National Party (HKNP), and have tried to raise awareness and support for them among readers in the United States. As with the global anti-apartheid movement for South Africa in the 1980s, any liberation movement stands a better chance of winning with international support, because the forces of oppression are often also international. Mon, 02 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/05/02/the-role-of-global-solidarity-in-the-fight-for-democracy-in-hong-kong/ http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/04/29/197535/ Until recently, like many rural areas of the country, Cherán had experienced a rising tide of violence as unwelcome elements increasingly moved in to exploit its natural resources. [...] The community approached local and municipal authorities on repeated occasions asking for help�"all to no avail. Frustrated, several members of the community banded together and, under the leadership of a group of courageous women, they took matters into their own hands. Fri, 29 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/04/29/197535/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39749&lan=EN Aiming to limit growing electricity demand, the Indian government introduced the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE). One key component of this mission is an accelerated shift to energy efficient appliances. Sun, 01 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39749&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/combating-violent-extremism-could-sufi-islam-be-the-cure-all The world is in urgent need of a "soft" strategy when it comes to fighting radical Islamist ideology. Enter Sufi Islam which, argues Pakistan academic Syed Qamar Afzal Rizvi, can help us brave the challenges of curbing fanaticism, fundamentalism and violent extremism. [...] From its outset, Sufism has been concerned with building bridges between communities, fostering contact to the mutual benefit of all involved. In the West, people as diverse as Dag Hammarskjold, St Francis of Assisi, Sir Richard Burton, Cervantes and Winston Churchill have all been influenced by Sufism. Fri, 29 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/combating-violent-extremism-could-sufi-islam-be-the-cure-all http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39742&lan=EN If opinion polls are to be believed, France’s next president will not be François Hollande or Nicolas Sarkozy, the two most recent holders of the office. Hollande is the incumbent, but his performance has been disappointing on nearly all fronts, especially when it comes to tackling unemployment. Sarkozy’s chances are crippled by his unsavory character. The impact on Europe has been no less disappointing. Not since the end of François Mitterrand’s term in 1995 has there been a French president that is a match for a German chancellor. The resulting disequilibrium �" not enough France, and thus too much Germany �" has been one of the major political problems facing the European Union. Tue, 26 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39742&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39741&lan=EN The 1986 Chernobyl and 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents both share the notorious distinction of attaining the highest accident rating on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) scale of nuclear accidents. No other reactor incident has ever received this Level 7 �oemajor accident” designation in the history of nuclear power. Chernobyl and Fukushima earned it because both involved core meltdowns that released significant amounts of radioactivity to their surroundings. Mon, 25 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39741&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39739&lan=EN From the strict perspective of some investors, astute financial management by a company to bolster its share price is a good thing. By this narrow logic, when it comes to the pharmaceutical industry, we should be unconcerned if drug firms’ share prices are boosted not by new discoveries, but by financial maneuvers, such as share buybacks or tax inversion. Thu, 28 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39739&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39727&lan=EN The idea was that with further negotiations, the target of 2 degrees would finally emerge, also thanks to new technologies. Now, an equally crucial flaw is emerging. No control of implementation of the agreement will take place before 2030. Until then, each country is responsible for implementing its target, and also for checking the implementation of its commitment. Thu, 21 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39727&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39713&lan=EN From 1993 to 2012, 39 of the world’s 153 low and middle-income countries enacted restrictive laws on foreign funding to civil society organizations, both domestic and international. In some cases, these governments banned overseas funding for local actors outright, while in other instances, they imposed new rules restricting which locally-operating NGOs could receive aid, and for what purpose. Fri, 22 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39713&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39712&lan=EN With Greece's cash balances severely stressed, another round of contentious discussions with its creditors has begun. The only way to escape this vicious cycle, and enable Greece finally to leave its troubles behind, is to stop kicking the can down the road and agree to a credible debt-reduction program. Fri, 22 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39712&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39710&lan=EN Discussion of education in the Arab world has focused only rarely on the role of schooling in changing social and political mores. This is unfortunate, because educated citizens of Arab countries tend to be much less emancipated politically and socially, on average, than their peers in other parts of the world. If Arab societies are ever to become more open and economically dynamic, their education systems will have to embrace and promote values appropriate to that goal. Thu, 07 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39710&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/apr/21/drought-southern-africa-heavy-toll-students-fainting-malawi-zimbabwe Southern Africa is suffering the consequences of perhaps the worst drought in 35 years, and pupils at Chidyamakondo are bearing the brunt of it. Four of the football team’s best players have stopped coming to school because they need to help their families find food. The dropout rate fluctuates but is currently averaging 10%. Thu, 21 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/apr/21/drought-southern-africa-heavy-toll-students-fainting-malawi-zimbabwe http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39698&lan=EN Though much has been written about how a world on the move is changing national politics, there has been little consideration of its geopolitical effects. But the mass movement of people is already creating three types of migration superpowers: new colonialists, integrators, and go-betweens. Wed, 20 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39698&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39697&lan=EN Fri, 15 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39697&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39692&lan=EN From the rubble of two world wars, European countries came together to launch what would become the world’s largest experiment in unification and cooperative, shared sovereignty. But, despite its impressive achievements over the decades, the European project now risks disintegration. Mon, 11 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39692&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39690&lan=EN Even if ISIS does not currently have the capability to carry out cyber-attacks, it is unlikely to find it difficult to recruit followers with the requisite expertise; in the past, other terrorist and insurgent organizations, including Al Qaeda, have done just that. There are bound to be cyber mercenaries, sympathizers, and freelancers available if the price is right. Fri, 01 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39690&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39686&lan=EN For decades a multitude of civil society organisations throughout the country have been fighting for the rights of small and landless farmers, helping them to organize to demand their land titles, to improve their production and marketing of their products as well as to ensure basic health care and education where the state fails to provide it. Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39686&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5072982-une-guerre-imaginaire-et-suicidaire Has �oethe heart of Europe” been targeted with success, as so many opinion makers [...] insinuated after the most recent terrorist assault in Brussels? Or should we condemn and avoid this symbolism so appreciated by terrorists? That �oeheart” which the terrorists select, target and lean over backward to hit are those places in which TV cameras are plentiful, always around, and so are the press correspondents, forever thirsty for new shocking sensation guaranteeing high ratings for a few days. [...] That has been the major principle of global terrorists’ strategy from the very start: given the mediocrity of their own highly limited resources, they count on soliciting/mobilizing the by comparison unlimited, but in fact hugely vulnerable and by no means infinite resources of their declared enemies. Thu, 14 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5072982-une-guerre-imaginaire-et-suicidaire http://en.qantara.de/content/gaddafi-and-the-wests-military-intervention-a-nation-forsworn-forsaken-forgotten There are important lessons to be learnt from what went wrong with the NATO-led military intervention in Libya in 2011. US President Barack Obama was right about that in his recent wonderfully frank interview in "The Atlantic". But if we are not to compound the world's misery, we have to take away the right lessons from that intervention. We can agree that Libya is now a mess, with Islamic State forces holding significant ground, the United Nations-facilitated peace process faltering and atrocities continuing on all sides. Indeed, human security is generally in worse shape than it was under Muammar Gaddafi. Tue, 12 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/gaddafi-and-the-wests-military-intervention-a-nation-forsworn-forsaken-forgotten http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39675&lan=EN Unfortunately, no statesman is currently in the offing. That is someone who would risk votes, to educate electors to unpopular truths, like the simple fact that Europe is not viable without a large immigration. The statistics are clear. [...] The difference between past European statesmen, the likes of Konrad Adenauer, Alcide De Gasperi and Robert Schuman, with a clear vision and ability to communicate to their citizens (like abandoning nationalism for a European dream), are dramatically absent today. Wed, 13 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39675&lan=EN http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/life-after-nuclear-security-summits-are-we-safe A series of Nuclear Security Summits since President Barack Obama took office in 2009 have raised global awareness and tightened security of the world’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium and plutonium. Thu, 14 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/life-after-nuclear-security-summits-are-we-safe http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/world/americas/canadian-prime-minister-seeks-to-legalize-physician-assistedsuicide.html?ref=health&_r=0 The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced legislation on Thursday to legalize physician-assisted suicide for Canadians with a �oeserious and incurable illness,” which has brought them �oeenduring physical or psychological suffering.” Thu, 14 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/world/americas/canadian-prime-minister-seeks-to-legalize-physician-assistedsuicide.html?ref=health&_r=0 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/04/what-the-panama-papers-mean-for-global-development-2/ The financial secrecy and tax evasion revealed by the Panama Papers has an extraordinary human cost in developing countries and threatens the realisation of the UN’s ambitious Sustainable Development Goals. The ongoing leak �" made public by media outlets including German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) �" has already prompted protests and investigations around the world. The papers connect thousands of prominent figures to secretive offshore companies in 21 tax havens and reveal the inner workings of the offshore finance industry. Tue, 12 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/04/what-the-panama-papers-mean-for-global-development-2/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39647&lan=EN Mon, 11 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39647&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39646&lan=EN In the quarter-century since the publication in 1990 of the first Human Development Report, the world has made astounding strides in reducing poverty and improving the health, education, and living conditions of hundreds of millions of people. And yet, as impressive as these gains may be, they have not been distributed equally. Both between countries and within them, deep disparities in human development remain. Tue, 05 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39646&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39638&lan=EN The EU member states are required to put in place a significant transformation towards a low-carbon economy in order to meet the 2030 EU emission targets. Poland faces specific challenges due to its high reliance on domestic coal. The efforts undertaken by other coal intensive economies�"like China�"to reduce emissions could provide Poland with valuable lessons learned. Wed, 23 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39638&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39637&lan=EN The conviction by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) of Radovan Karadžic, the former Bosnian Serb leader, for crimes against humanity and genocide filled many, including me, with a sense of deep satisfaction. The verdict has not only brought some semblance of closure to the most brutal European conflict since World War II; it has also demonstrated the international community’s commitment to ensuring justice and accountability in such matters. Tue, 05 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39637&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39631&lan=EN The rise of anti-trade populism in the 2016 US election campaign portends a dangerous retreat from the United States’ role in world affairs. In the name of reducing US inequality, presidential candidates in both parties would stymie the aspirations of hundreds of millions of desperately poor people in the developing world to join the middle class. If the political appeal of anti-trade policies proves durable, it will mark a historic turning point in global economic affairs, one that bodes ill for the future of American leadership. Thu, 07 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39631&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/palmyra-post-is-a-pawn-in-assads-game I'm relieved that the jihadists have been pushed out. They did terrible damage to the World Heritage site in Palmyra. But I'm also not relieved. The memories of what Bashar al-Assad did with the Palmyra ruins are still very much alive. When his army occupied Palmyra Castle during the revolution from 2012 to 2015, he did a great deal of damage. He launched grenades and rockets onto the World Heritage site and destroyed the pillars and walls. His troops plundered graves, looted artefacts and sold them illegally. As long as Bashar al-Assad is in Palmyra, I'm afraid that he could cause further damage and that his people will plunder again. Wed, 06 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/palmyra-post-is-a-pawn-in-assads-game http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39610&lan=EN If trade in global goods has indeed peaked relative to global GDP, it will be harder for poor countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia to develop by becoming the world’s next workshops. But globalization itself is not in retreat. While global goods trade has stalled and cross-border financial flows have fallen sharply since 2007, flows of digital information have surged: Cross-border bandwidth use has grown 45-fold over the past decade, circulating ideas, intellectual content, and innovation around the world. Fri, 25 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39610&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39609&lan=EN The excited mood of the political parties and society makes it hard to discern what is actually at play: what kind of Brazil do we want? A just country or just a rich one? Logically, the ideal would be to have a country that is both just and rich. But we must choose among different paths towards this goal. Some preclude it, others make it possible. If we want a just country we must opt for the path of republican democracy, this is, to put the general wellbeing above individual good. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39609&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39601&lan=EN After the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris that left 130 dead, I wrote a commentary entitled �oeWe Are At War” �" and faced considerable criticism from readers, Europeans and non-Europeans alike. [...] It is time for the European Union to recognize the reality �" it is at war, whether it likes it or not �" and respond accordingly. If there was ever a moment since the end of World War II when Europe needed to take charge of its security, it is now. Wed, 30 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39601&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39600&lan=EN Migrant workers building Khalifa International Stadium in Doha for the 2022 World Cup have suffered systematic abuses, in some cases forced labour, Amnesty International reveals in a new report published today. The report, The ugly side of the beautiful game: Exploitation on a Qatar 2022 World Cup site, blasts FIFA’s shocking indifference to appalling treatment of migrant workers. Thu, 31 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39600&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39598&lan=EN Mon, 28 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39598&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-french-extremism-researcher-olivier-roy-radicalisation-is-not-the-result-of After the attacks in Brussels, Olivier Roy cautions against rashly linking Islam with terrorism. In interview with Michaela Wiegel, the Islam researcher explains the real problem with jihadism. Tue, 29 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-french-extremism-researcher-olivier-roy-radicalisation-is-not-the-result-of http://euromaidanpress.com/2016/03/29/deportation-autonomy-and-occupation-in-the-story-of-one-crimean-tatar/ Tue, 29 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://euromaidanpress.com/2016/03/29/deportation-autonomy-and-occupation-in-the-story-of-one-crimean-tatar/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39586&lan=EN The European Central Bank’s latest policy moves have shocked many observers. While the goal �" to prevent deflation and spur growth �" is clear, the policies themselves are setting the stage for severe instability. These policies are, in essence, the latest in a string of attempts by the ECB to address the fallout of the collapse of the massive bubble that formed in southern Europe in the early years of the euro. Mon, 28 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39586&lan=EN http://www.solidarites.org/fr/je-reste-informe/actualites-siege/1386-bien-des-etats-souffrent-plus-d-un-manque-criant-d-investissement-dans-le-domaine-de-l-eau-que-d-une-penurie-physique Wed, 02 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.solidarites.org/fr/je-reste-informe/actualites-siege/1386-bien-des-etats-souffrent-plus-d-un-manque-criant-d-investissement-dans-le-domaine-de-l-eau-que-d-une-penurie-physique http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39579&lan=EN One of the saddest ironies of this year’s commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union is that Hungary and Poland, always the most restless of the Soviet empire’s captured nations, are now led by men mimicking Russian President Vladimir Putin’s governing style. They, too, are hollowing out independent democratic institutions and suppressing citizens’ fundamental freedoms. As the old saying goes, we become what we hate. After the fall of communism, Poland and Hungary declared that they were Eastern European countries no more. Instead, they were part of Central Europe �" Europa Srodkowa, the Poles called it �" or even of Western Europe, on par with Austria. Today, however, they are embracing Putin-style authoritarianism, to the point that the European Union may impose sanctions against them. Such reprimands are fully deserved. Mon, 28 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39579&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39573&lan=EN No terrorists have come from the Arab world. All those involved until now, were Europeans, born and raised in Europe. Most were petty criminals or marginalized people, not at all observant, who become indoctrinated while serving prison terms for their crimes or through social networking. They were in fact nihilist, who found in ISIS dignity and escape from a life without work and a future. Europe has found 6 billion dollars to keep the refugees at bay, after spending more than 7 billion in military expenses in the Middle East. If that money would have been invested in the ghettos were Muslims live in Belgium, France and Great Britain, probably terrorism today would have been far less. Polarization is never helpful for democracy and tolerance. A group of 50.000 militants (in a world of 1.3 billion Muslims), is able to change our lives, reduce our individual privacy and freedom, and increase militarism and surveillance. If we do not get out of this trap of a clash of civilizations, Europe will change deeply and forever, because the phenomenon of terrorism is here to stay with us for generations… It took nearly two centuries for Europe to get rid of the wars of religion. In the 30 years war (1618-1648), 8 million out of a total population of 110 million, the majority of them civilians lost their lives. Will history help us to face the present? Mon, 28 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39573&lan=EN http://euromaidanpress.com/2016/03/17/entire-indigenous-population-of-crimea-endangered-with-looming-mejlis-ban/#arvlbdata Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://euromaidanpress.com/2016/03/17/entire-indigenous-population-of-crimea-endangered-with-looming-mejlis-ban/#arvlbdata http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39566&lan=EN OECD countries have strengthened their determination to work towards greater gender equality in public life �" including in governments, parliaments and judiciaries �" with concrete measures to improve women’s access to leadership and decision-making roles and integrate more of a gender perspective into public policies. Tue, 08 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39566&lan=EN http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2016/03/daily-chart-15 The blasts that ripped through a Brussels airport and metro station on March 22nd killed at least 30 people and injured hundreds of others. The attacks will stir anxiety in Europe over the compatibility of Islam with secular-minded, liberal European values. The increasing frequency of attacks will also further strain relations between Muslims in Europe and their compatriots, particularly against the backdrop of the refugee crisis and growing support for anti-immigrant parties. Europeans regard Islam as more threatening to their national cultures than other faiths (or indeed atheism), according to a 2013 poll by the Bertelsmann Foundation, a non-profit organisation in Germany. Wed, 23 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2016/03/daily-chart-15 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39552&lan=EN This year’s World Water Day, on March 22, provides an opportunity to highlight what in many countries has become a grim reality: The availability of fresh water is increasingly a defining strategic factor in regional and global affairs. Unless water resources are managed with extraordinary care, the consequences could be devastating. Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39552&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39547&lan=EN The attacks that took place in mid-March at Grand-Bassam, C�\'te d’Ivoire, provoked the familiar knee-jerk reactions from 24-hour news outlets whose take on these events is often questionable. Due to their strictly Western perspective, these reports sometimes border on the grotesque. Unsurprisingly, Fox News was the most outlandish. The network claimed the attacks targeted Americans, and characterised the crisis that has rocked the country over the last years as a �oereligious war”. French media outlets hardly fared better, with many repeatedly stating that France had been targeted. Mon, 21 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39547&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39529&lan=EN The rise of billionaire Donald Trump in the US presidential race has been met with a mixture of horror and fascination. As his campaign, once regarded with derision, continues to rack up successes �" most recently, in the Michigan and Mississippi primaries and the Hawaii caucus �" pundits are scrambling for some historical or foreign analogue that can shed light on the phenomenon. While no comparison is perfect, the most apt comparison is with Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian media mogul who has served three terms as his country’s prime minister. It is not a reassuring model. Mon, 14 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39529&lan=EN http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/03/20/196245/ �oeYou can't love what you don't know” is the premise of ‘68 tongues, 68 hearts’, an animated project aimed at preserving and sharing the indigenous languages of Mexico. The project aims to promote pride, respect, and encourage the use of the indigenous languages of Mexico, through a series of animated stories narrated in these languages and subtitled in Spanish. Sun, 20 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/03/20/196245/ http://www.konbini.com/fr/tendances-2/etudier-erasmus-villes-moins-cheres-europe/ The Erasmus Programme allows students to study in a foreign land, broaden their horizons, build life skills, learn a new language, get a change of scene and discover a different culture. But physical and spiritual independence comes with a price tag. Student accommodation site Uniplaces has offered its own rating of some of the continent’s least expensive towns, combining average prices of rent, public transport, internet access and two meals per day. The final result gives you an idea of living costs in a total of 39 European towns, reports Le Monde. Mon, 07 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.konbini.com/fr/tendances-2/etudier-erasmus-villes-moins-cheres-europe/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39522&lan=EN There are many reasons to be concerned about water resource challenges around the world, but three in particular hit with force over the past year: The first alarm bell sounded in Africa, where multiple countries are suffering some of the worst drought-related food shortages in more than a decade, driven by one of the strongest El Niño’s on record. International aid groups project that one million children in southern and eastern Africa are suffering severe malnutrition, and 2.5 million people across southern Africa are in crisis stages of food insecurity. While this crisis was driven by weather, it spotlights the kind of human misery that results from drought combined with often poorly managed water resources, such as inefficient irrigation practices and infiltration practices during droughts. It’s also a harbinger of disruptions that climate change will likely bring more of, particularly in parts of Latin America, Africa and Asia where poor populations are especially vulnerable. Mon, 21 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39522&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39521&lan=EN Sat, 19 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39521&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39520&lan=EN Fri, 18 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39520&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/the-crisis-of-the-arab-nation-state-reconstructed-reality The far more significant challenge to the Sykes-Picot system instead appears within individual nation states. Over the preceding century these went through three main phases: the ″colonial states″ established in the wake of World War One, post-independence states that assumed sovereign functions after World War Two and authoritarian states that emerged in the course of military coups d′etat in the 1950s and 1960s and that stabilised from 1970 until the Arab Spring of 2010-2011. Particular modes of political rule varied from one phase to another and from one state to another, along with their associated constitutional frameworks, governing institutions and administrative measures �" as did their systems for the redistribution of social and economic wealth. Mon, 21 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/the-crisis-of-the-arab-nation-state-reconstructed-reality http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39516&lan=EN One of the many games pundits and politicians are playing these days is to spell out why and how the European Union (EU) is going to collapse, is already collapsing. Anyone who follows the news worldwide knows all the standard explanations: Grexit and Brexit will only lead to other exits; nobody wants more migrants (refugees) in their country; Germany has too much power, or not enough; ultra-rightwing forces/parties are rising almost everywhere; the Schengen Agreement providing visa-less movement is being suspended in most countries that had adopted it; unemployment is unstoppably growing. I am not here giving my views about whether the EU is good or bad, should or should not be supported or undermined. Rather, I wish to analyze what I think will actually happen. Will the institutions that now make up the European Union continue to exist ten or twenty years from now? I suspect they will. To see why I think so, let us review together what may make Europeans �" both the sophisticated and the "ignorant" �" hesitate about taking the fatal step of dismantling what they have been working so hard to create for the last seventy years or so. There are some reasons that one might call economic, others that are geopolitical, and finally still others that might be called cultural. Tue, 15 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39516&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39510&lan=EN Let’s not confuse desperation for legality when it comes to Europe’s proposed refugee deal with Turkey. No one should be under any illusion - the very principle of international protection for those fleeing war and persecution is at stake. Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39510&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39503&lan=EN Thu, 07 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39503&lan=EN http://euromaidanpress.com/2016/03/14/lenincrash-ukrainian-performance-art/ Mon, 14 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://euromaidanpress.com/2016/03/14/lenincrash-ukrainian-performance-art/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39501&lan=EN The question thus becomes not when China will peak its emissions but rather, how? Will we see a serious and wide ranging reform of the Chinese economy in the next five years, enabling a much cleaner, more efficient model? Or will the temptations and challenges be too much, with a middle-of-road strategy adopted of moderate reforms? Will China continue its clean energy push, and at the same time manage to retire dirty, surplus infrastructure? The answer to these questions will determine what is really at stake: not when China peaks, but rather whether the peak allows significant reductions thereafter. That is the question. Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39501&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/eu-turkey-deal-the-alternative-is-idomeni EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called the outcome of the EU summit with Turkey on 7 March a "game changer". But Juncker is largely alone in his enthusiasm. In Germany especially, there is very little euphoria over the ambitious plan that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is reported to have hammered out with Chancellor Angela Merkel. This timidity is regrettable, because Germany has a key role to play in the process. Mon, 14 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/eu-turkey-deal-the-alternative-is-idomeni http://politicalcritique.org/world/eu/2016/stokfiszewski-the-demand-for-democratization-is-a-reaction-to-the-eus-original-sin-interview/# The division emerging between societies and their governments, in which key economic and social issues are resolved without any participation of the people, is the most important development of the last few years - Agata Mazepus in conversation with Igor Stokfiszewski. Thu, 17 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://politicalcritique.org/world/eu/2016/stokfiszewski-the-demand-for-democratization-is-a-reaction-to-the-eus-original-sin-interview/# http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5062546-l-europe-est-paralysee-par-la-peur Instead of selling its soul in a deal with Turkey that stops migrants from entering Europe, the EU would do better to help member states who virtually have to deal with the wave of refugees alone. �oeI want a reference to press freedoms, otherwise I will not sign.” Italian Prime minister Matteo Renzi was right to point the spotlight on freedom of expression in Turkey before signing an agreement on refugees with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Tue, 15 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5062546-l-europe-est-paralysee-par-la-peur http://www.medelu.org/Au-Honduras-simulacre-de-mesures In Honduras, protests erupted when a local journalist revealed that millions of dollars of public funds from the country’s health care system had been funneled to the ruling National Party and the election campaign of President Juan Orlando Hernández. A handful of administrators and business executives have been indicted for other corruption in the health system, but no charges have been brought against Mr. Hernández or other top party officials over the diversion of funds to the party. Thousands of torch-bearing protesters demanded Mr. Hernández’s resignation and a United Nations-backed commission like Guatemala’s. Mon, 15 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.medelu.org/Au-Honduras-simulacre-de-mesures http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/internet-security-and-privacy-in-the-age-of-the-islamic-state Facebook has long sought to ensure that its site is safe and that people are not exploiting it to promote terrorism. This is a challenge given the size of its community: currently 1.6 billion regular users, the vast majority of them outside the United States. To meet this challenge, Facebook established a set of "community standards" barring certain activities, and it enforces these standards through a content policy team based in five offices around the world. Team members have many different backgrounds (lawyers, NGO workers, etc.), but the company also realizes the necessity of consulting with outside experts. For example, it frequently reaches out to other organizations for their interpretation of terrorism-related events, including The Washington Institute. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/internet-security-and-privacy-in-the-age-of-the-islamic-state http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/03/16/196212/ Today marks the fifth anniversary of the start of the Syrian revolution, which has turned into a bloody civil war estimated to have claimed the lives of up to a quarter of a million people. And while the number of those killed since the protests started in Syria are disputed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says more than 270,000 people have been killed in Syria's five years of conflict. The observatory provides other staggering figures of the toll on Syrians this revolution-turned-civil war has had so far: 2 million people have been injured, many with permanent disabilities, and 11 million Syrians have been internally displaced or forced to flee the war-torn country altogether. Wed, 16 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/03/16/196212/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39469&lan=EN It isn’t as if these young people didn’t work hard: these hardships affect those who spent long hours studying, excelled in school, and did everything �oeright.” The sense of social injustice �" that the economic game is rigged �" is enhanced as they see the bankers who brought on the financial crisis, the cause of the economy’s continuing malaise, walk away with mega-bonuses, with almost no one being held accountable for their wrongdoing. Massive fraud was committed, but somehow, no one actually perpetrated it. Political elites promised that �oereforms” would bring unprecedented prosperity. And they did, but only for the top 1%. Everyone else, including the young, got unprecedented insecurity. These three realities �" social injustice on an unprecedented scale, massive inequities, and a loss of trust in elites �" define our political moment, and rightly so. Wed, 16 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39469&lan=EN http://neweasterneurope.eu/articles-and-commentary/1905-wake-up-europe-you-may-get-trumped In January 2017, a new US president will take office. Thus, with the US presidential election well underway, the most important questions for the Europeans are: What role will Europe play in America’s strategy after the next president is inaugurated? Will the US continue to be Europe’s security provider? Will Washington offer substantial help on the unfolding refugee crisis in Europe? Increasingly, the fight for the US presidency has become a contest between Donald Trump, on the Republican side, and, Hillary Clinton, on the Democratic side. So, Europe, here is what the two contenders say they will do for you. Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://neweasterneurope.eu/articles-and-commentary/1905-wake-up-europe-you-may-get-trumped http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39464&lan=EN The past two years have seen huge advances in the global movement to restore degraded and deforested land. Regional restoration programs like Initiative 20x20, a country-led initiative to restore 20 million hectares of degraded land in Latin America and the Caribbean by 2020, and AFR100, an analogous effort to restore 100 million hectares in Africa by 2030, have drawn tremendous political support. But, as the movement transitions from inspiring political commitments to implementing restoration activities on the ground, some difficult questions must be asked, like: What do we mean by forest and landscape restoration? What counts as restoration? And can plantation forests play a role? Tue, 15 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39464&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39457&lan=EN An estimated 12.6 million people died as a result of living or working in an unhealthy environment in 2012 �" nearly 1 in 4 of total global deaths, according to new estimates from WHO. Environmental risk factors, such as air, water and soil pollution, chemical exposures, climate change, and ultraviolet radiation, contribute to more than 100 diseases and injuries. Tue, 15 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39457&lan=EN http://www.rt.com/news/335619-syria-unesco-heritage-damage/ Tue, 15 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.rt.com/news/335619-syria-unesco-heritage-damage/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39455&lan=EN Colombians are close to bringing to an end the oldest and only remaining armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere. After more than five years of negotiations with the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), we can say that we have reached an irreversible phase that will put an end to more than 50 years of a cruel and costly war. We started secret negotiations almost four years ago to establish a limited and focused agenda and clear rules of procedure (the absence of which was a major stumbling block in previous negotiations) that would allow us �" assuming we reach an agreement �" to end the conflict. This was the first time that the FARC had agreed to such a process. The outcome of this phase was a five-point agenda: Rural development, political participation, drug trafficking, victims and transitional justice, and lastly the end of the conflict, which includes disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration �" commonly known as DDR. Mon, 14 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39455&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/afro-iran-photo-book-the-persian-gulfs-forgotten-minority Iran′s colourful blend of peoples is a direct consequence of Persia′s checkered history. Among the ethnic groups scattered over an area four and a half times the size of Germany there is one little-known minority in Iran′s south: its Afro-Iranian community. Iranians of African origin are mostly descendants of slaves who were used in Persia over the centuries, but can sometimes also trace their origins back to itinerant sailors and craftsmen. Today, they have Iranian names and live in the provinces of Hormozgan, Sistan, Balochistan and Khuzestan as well as in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Abadan. Some of them have integrated with other Gulf populations; others live within their own communities. Mon, 14 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/afro-iran-photo-book-the-persian-gulfs-forgotten-minority http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39453&lan=EN Africa’s rise is in danger of faltering. After years during which the continent’s economy grew at an average annual rate of 5%, global uncertainty, depressed commodity prices, and jittery external conditions are threatening to undermine decades of much-needed progress. Ensuring the wealth and wellbeing of the continent’s residents will not be easy; but there is much that policymakers can do to put Africa back on an upward trajectory. Mon, 14 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39453&lan=EN http://www.blog-iddri.org/2016/03/14/securite-dapprovisionnement-electrique-en-france-faisons-nous-le-tour-de-la-question/ Mon, 14 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.blog-iddri.org/2016/03/14/securite-dapprovisionnement-electrique-en-france-faisons-nous-le-tour-de-la-question/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39440&lan=EN But Europe is facing three internal horses of the apocalypse, and a fourth external one, which is even more ominous. All this is coming together, and all the odds are against the dream of an integrated Europe. The first is the divide between Eastern and Western Europe, which comes just after the North-South divide. The North-South divide was over the austerity that Germany and other protestant countries wanted to impose over the catholic and orthodox south. The chosen battleground was Greece, and the South lost. A very inflexible German Minister of Finance, Schauble, even went so far as to veto any program for growth at the last G20, and has just declared that Greece, flooded with refugees, �oeshould not get distracted from its task of reforming its economy”. Sun, 13 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39440&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/turkeys-media-crackdown-no-freedom-no-press Prosecutors are also increasingly using the law forbidding insults against the president to silence critical reporting. Nearly 2000 cases have been filed, with many aimed at the public, including school children. Journalists remain the main target, however. ″All the developments of the last months show that Turkey is on a trajectory towards authoritarianism,″ declared Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey′s chief researcher with the US-based organisation Human Rights Watch. ″Basically Erdogan and the AKP want to get rid of all the checks on the power of the executive.″ With much of mainstream media under government control or cowed by ″self censorship″, there has been an explosion in alternative media sites, along with social media. ″Mediascope″ has become a popular political discussion programme on the net, with many journalists and writers contributing who have lost favour with the government and thus disappeared from mainstream media. But even in cyberspace, there is increasingly little protection. Fri, 11 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/turkeys-media-crackdown-no-freedom-no-press http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39430&lan=EN A new report from Save the Children reveals that barrel bombs, air strikes and shelling are the biggest issues for the more than a quarter of a million children estimated to be living in besieged areas in Syria. Parents testify to the horror of family life under siege, not only dealing with the psychological impact on children terrified of explosions, but the dire consequences of being deprived of food, basic medicine and clean water. Wed, 09 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39430&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39424&lan=EN A number of seemingly unrelated controversies in India actually have one important element in common: They all relate to criminal offenses codified by India’s British imperial rulers in the mid-nineteenth century that India has proved unable or unwilling to outgrow. The problematic features of the British-drafted Indian Penal Code include the prohibition of �oesedition,” defined loosely as speech or actions promoting �oedisaffection against the government established by law”; the criminalization of homosexual acts; and the uneven prosecution of adultery. The first two, in particular, have lately been the source of considerable public outrage �" and rightly so. Wed, 09 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39424&lan=EN http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/03/08/196051/ The civil war in South Sudan, an ongoing conflict between government and opposition forces, has often been understood as a conflict between two warring tribes. President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, and opposition leader Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer, act as symbols for the escalating ethnic tensions that have characterised the violence throughout the country. Tue, 08 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/03/08/196051/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39419&lan=EN Recent gains by pro-government reformist candidates in Iran’s parliamentary elections have given President Hassan Rouhani a welcome midterm boost. But huge economic challenges remain. And in the coming months, these challenges are what will determine the battle lines between the president and his hardline adversaries inside and outside the parliament. Mon, 07 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39419&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39416&lan=EN Which countries have proven the most successful in minimising waste going to landfill through effective recycling? In OECD countries at least, Germany is a shining example with 65 percent of all municipal waste composted or recycled. Wed, 09 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39416&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39414&lan=EN Two types of political cleavage are exacerbated in the process: an identity cleavage, revolving around nationhood, ethnicity, or religion, and an income cleavage, revolving around social class. Populists derive their appeal from one or the other of these cleavages. Right-wing populists such as Trump engage in identity politics. Left-wing populists such as Bernie Sanders emphasize the gulf between the rich and the poor. In both cases, there is a clear �oeother” toward which anger can be directed. You can barely make ends meet? It is the Chinese who have been stealing your jobs. Upset by crime? It is the Mexicans and other immigrants who bring their gang warfare into the country. Terrorism? Why, Muslims, of course. Political corruption? What do you expect when the big banks are bankrolling our political system? Unlike mainstream political elites, populists can easily point to the culprits responsible for the masses’ ills. Wed, 09 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39414&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39413&lan=EN Rather than teaching students historical solutions to past problems, schools should show them how to find new solutions for the future, argues François Taddéi, director of the Centre for Research and Interdisciplinarity (CRI) in Paris. According to this specialist in innovative education, the education system is conservative because teachers train their students the way they themselves were trained. Since technology and the working environment evolve more rapidly than schools, these teaching practices are out-of-date �" which is why a different approach is required. Mon, 07 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39413&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39412&lan=EN Tue, 08 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39412&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39410&lan=EN More than half the world’s population does not have access to regular trash collection Unregulated or illegal dump sites serve about 4 billion people and hold over 40% of the world’s waste The World Bank is helping countries and municipal governments all across the world build sustainable solid waste management programs to collect, dispose, recycle, reuse, and reduce waste Thu, 03 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39410&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39408&lan=EN As the turmoil in the Middle East worsens, the fate of the Palestinians seems to have been put on the diplomatic back burner. Indeed, the two-state solution has been on life-support since Israel’s 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, despite US Secretary of State John Kerry’s heroic efforts to revive it. Many in the region, and elsewhere, now believe that it is dead. How can the emerging order become more inclusive and legitimate? Thu, 03 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39408&lan=EN http://www.dw.com/en/indias-red-brigade/a-19100226 Since it first began operations, the Red Brigade has trained 35,000 women in self defense measures and according to Usha, their mission is to train at least a million women over the next few years. Over the last year, the group has expanded to Benares, another city in Uttar Pradesh and has also set up a micro-financing scheme called "Women's Bank". Tue, 08 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.dw.com/en/indias-red-brigade/a-19100226 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/05/europe-vladimir-putin-russia-social-media-trolls?utm_source=phplist102&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Political+Anticipation+-+LEAP+Press+review Last week the centre of excellence in Riga unveiled the results of research into what it claims is a �oepreparatory information war” in Latvia but with, it emerges, much wider repercussions. One project examined 200,000 comments posted on Latvia’s three main online news portals between 29 July and 5 August 2014. It found 1.45% of those comments were from �oehybrid trolls”, a phenomenon that came to light recently when it emerged that Russia had set up warehouses in which an army of bloggers sat day and night, charged with flooding the internet with comments favourable to Russian interests. But in some stories, more than half of the comments were by Russian trolls �" identified partly by their poor grammar, repetition of content and IP address. Sat, 05 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/05/europe-vladimir-putin-russia-social-media-trolls?utm_source=phplist102&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Political+Anticipation+-+LEAP+Press+review http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39390&lan=EN After the Cold War, the West imposed an international order that defined geopolitics worldwide. When that order was threatened, Western leaders felt authorized to intervene in the affairs of whatever �oerogue state” was causing the problem. But now that order is being challenged on several fronts simultaneously �" globally by Russia and China, and at the regional level by increasingly assertive players in the Middle East, Latin America, and even Europe. As a new order takes shape, the roles countries have played for the last 25 years are likely to be reversed. In the West, the concept of sovereignty and the limited use of power is likely to make a comeback, while national leaders who have traditionally called for restraint will become increasingly bold in unleashing their troops. Mon, 07 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39390&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39386&lan=EN The financial and economic crisis has severely affected middle-income groups �" mainly defined in the report as those groups in the income range between 60 to 200 per cent of the median income. Almost all of the EU countries studied have experienced a decrease in the size of their middle class, and the share of total income going to the middle class. �oeA weaker middle class leads to lower aggregate demand, puts a break on long-term growth and may cause social and political instability,” said Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead, co-author and editor of the report. Mon, 29 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39386&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39385&lan=EN Neoliberal ideology has dominated world discourse for the first fifteen years of the twenty-first century. The mantra has been that the only viable policy for governments and social movements was to give priority to something called the market. Resistance to this belief became minimal, as even parties and movements that called themselves left or at least left-of-center abandoned their traditional emphasis on welfare-state measures and accepted the validity of this market-oriented position. They argued that at most one could soften its impact by retaining some small part of the historic safety nets that states had built over more than 150 years. Is that day over? Is there what a recent article in Le Monde called a "timid" return by Establishment institutions to concern about sustaining demand? There are at least two signs of this, both of considerable weight. Sun, 06 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39385&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39380&lan=EN The title of the show is "Tunaweza," translated simply as "We Can." It presents the arc of refugees' journey from the harrowing violence that drove them from their homes, through to their lives remade in exile in Uganda, which currently hosts around half-a-million refugees and asylum-seekers from strife-torn countries in eastern Africa and the Great Lakes region. Thu, 18 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39380&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39378&lan=EN �oeTrapping asylum seekers in Greece is an unconscionable and short-sighted non-solution that is causing suffering and violence,” said Eva Cossé, Greece specialist at Human Rights Watch. �oeIt demonstrates once again the European Union’s utter failure to respond collectively and compassionately to refugee flows.” Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39378&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39372&lan=EN With the International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCC) seeking patents in Europe for a technology that produces stem cell lines from the parthenogenetic activation of an unfertilized ovum, the time has come to answer that question. The question is how. Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39372&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39371&lan=EN Yet even China’s most favored beneficiaries remain dubious about its model and motives, largely because Chinese aid remains primarily a business proposition. According to a 2013 study by the RAND Corporation, more than 80% of Chinese aid and official financing underwrites raw material extraction and the construction of the roads, bridges, and ports needed to transport these resources to China. The terms of Chinese aid also differ considerably from those of traditional donors. Assistance from the US, Europe, and Japan comes primarily in the form of grants; by contrast, two-thirds of Chinese aid is issued in the form of loans to finance projects and material, with China’s export-import and development banks and its state-owned enterprises providing the lion’s share of the funds. More than half of these loans also are �oetied,” meaning that they must be used for procurement from Chinese companies. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39371&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39370&lan=EN On 15th May 2014 the European Union adopted an implementing directive that meant to define the rules for the application of directive 96/71 concerning posted workers[1]. This text is supposed to prevent the risk of fraud in a context that is marked by an increasing use of this arrangement[2]. The new text is notably being completed by national initiatives in Germany and France. The European Commission is drafting a new text to be published on 8th March, a further reform of the 1996 directive[3]. Mon, 29 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39370&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39368&lan=EN Community-based forestry has shown itself to be a potent vehicle for promoting sustainable forest management, reducing poverty and generating jobs and income for rural communities, but unlocking its true potential will require greater support by governments through policy reforms and other measures. Tue, 23 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39368&lan=EN http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/03/03/195644/ It started, as many things do, with a rumor. In 2013, Matt Finer, a researcher with the Amazon Conservation Association, heard from locals that someone was cutting down rainforest deep in the Peruvian Amazon, far from prying eyes. So Finer and colleagues did something that would have been unheard of 10 years before: Using high resolution satellite imagery, they found a couple hectares of felled trees in a seemingly impenetrable sea of forest. Thu, 03 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/03/03/195644/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39362&lan=EN The Global Ocean Commission’s report, From Decline to Recovery: A Rescue Package for the Global Ocean, was released in June 2014. In it we identified the main drivers of global ocean decline and mapped out a set of eight practical proposals for action to achieve global ocean recovery; these provide an economically and politically feasible roadmap for reversing the deteriorating health of the ocean within five years. Eighteen months after putting forward the proposals, it is time to take stock of how far we have come, and where we are headed. Mon, 15 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39362&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39359&lan=EN It could be said that there are two Left-wings in Latin America, each facing a crisis in its own way. One of them came to government and began a process of democratization of their societies and of departure from the neoliberal model, but today is encountering difficulties �" of different kinds, from outside and from within �" to ensure continuity of these processes. The other is that which, living in countries still under neoliberal governments, cannot yet manage to constitute forces capable of winning elections, acceding to government and beginning to overcome neoliberalism. Mon, 29 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39359&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39358&lan=EN Infrastructure is a powerful driver of economic growth and inclusive development, capable of boosting aggregate demand today and laying the foundations for future growth. It is also a key element of the climate-change agenda. Done badly, infrastructure is a major part of the problem; done right, it is a major part of the solution. Wed, 24 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39358&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39350&lan=EN But what was thoroughly relegated to the margins and even defamed was the heart, the organ of the sensibility and of the universe of emotions, with the pretext that from the scientific point of view, it would spoil "clear and distinctive ideas” (Descartes). Thus arose a knowledge without heart, but functional to the goal of modernity, that was, and still is, of making knowledge a power, a power as a means of dominating nature, peoples, and cultures. That was the metaphysics (the understanding of reality) underlying all of colonialism, slavery, and eventually, the destruction of the different, such as the rich cultures of the original peoples of Latin America (remember Bartolome de las Casas with his History of the Destruction of the Indies). Curiously, all modern epistemology that incorporates quantum mechanics, the new astrology, the phenomenological philosophy and analytical psychology have shown that all knowledge comes impregnated with the emotions of the subject, and that subject and object are indissolubly linked, sometimes by hidden interests (J. Habermas). Mon, 29 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39350&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39347&lan=EN Good pay, labour market security and a decent working environment can go hand in hand with high employment, according to new OECD findings on the quality of jobs in 45 countries. The measures released today in a new database on job quality (key findings) look at the individual experience of people at work. Rather than concentrating on the drivers of job quality such as compliance with standards and regulations, the OECD focuses on the outcomes for workers in three broad areas that are most important for their well-being: Tue, 09 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39347&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39334&lan=EN First they called it �oewhite marriage”. Now it’s �oeblack coupling.” But no matter how Iranian officials choose to label the growing trend of young unmarried couples living together, it’s becoming more and more common. Wed, 17 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39334&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39317&lan=EN Within one month, the Bolivian democratic and cultural revolution will live transcendental moments of its recent history. First, on January 21 and 22, the anniversary of the Plurinational State and ten years of the change process are commemorated, and a month later, on February 21, there will be a historic vote which will symbolize the strength of the new Bolivian democracy against the fossilized neoliberal democracy. Thu, 21 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39317&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39316&lan=EN In recent years, notably 2012 and 2013, Burkina Faso was confronted with food shocks and refugee crises. Investments in agricultural productivity and food production systems has reduced food insecurity. An innovative warehouse receipt system, known as warrantage, is allowing farmers to use their harvests as collateral to obtain credit. Wed, 10 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39316&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39314&lan=EN Few women work in male-dominated industries in Africa and globally. Women in typically male sectors earn as much as their male peers and three times more than other women, according to a study in Uganda. They are 3.5 times more likely to have been introduced to their work by a male family member and 80% more likely to have had a male role model than other women. Fri, 19 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39314&lan=EN http://www.amnesty.org/fr/latest/research/2016/02/annual-report-201516/ Thu, 25 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.amnesty.org/fr/latest/research/2016/02/annual-report-201516/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39300&lan=EN Moroccan authorities often fail to prevent domestic violence, protect survivors, and punish abusers. We want the Moroccan Minister of Women to strengthen and adopt laws to improve protection for victims of domestic violence. We are asking for your support to back women’s calls for a strong law! Jihan is a domestic violence survivor who wants the government to help women like her. Here is her story. Jihan (name changed to protect her privacy), 18, told Human Rights Watch that she married a man more than 10 years her senior when she was 15 or 16, and lived with him in a village in El Jadida province, Morocco. She said she married him to escape her father’s violence against her. They had a son who was 2 years old at the time of the interview. Wed, 24 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39300&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/02/elections-in-iran-a-test-for-the-regime/ Iran will hold two crucial elections on February 26, 2016, which could decide the fate of the Islamic Republic for many years to come. Earlier this month, Iranians celebrated the 37th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution. During that period, the country experienced revolutionary upheavals, a disastrous eight-year war with Iraq that killed and wounded nearly a million Iranians, eight years of populist rule by a hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and crippling Western sanctions. Yet, despite all these crises and upheavals, not only has the Islamic Republic survived, it could be argued that Iran is now the most stable country in the region. Mon, 22 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/02/elections-in-iran-a-test-for-the-regime/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39298&lan=EN Refugees and migrants crossing the seas of Southeast Asia died at a rate three times higher than those in the Mediterranean last year, a new United Nations report has found, highlighting the urgency of greater life-saving cooperation among the affected States. The report, Mixed Maritime Movements in South-East Asia, from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), states that those movements had been �oethree times more deadly” than in the Mediterranean last year, due largely to mistreatment by smugglers and disease on the boats. Tue, 23 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39298&lan=EN http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/02/22/195483/ An amazing video has emerged showing ‘sand animator’ and 2009 winner of Ukraine's Got Talent Kseniya Simonova's depiction of Kazakh nationhood. The sand narration commissioned by the Central Asian country's government was to mark anniversary celebrations for the capital Astana and shows Kazakhs making the journey from their past as nomads through snowy steppes and starlit skies into their present. Mon, 22 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/02/22/195483/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39287&lan=EN Mon, 22 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39287&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39285&lan=EN Sun, 10 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39285&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39281&lan=EN Fri, 19 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39281&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39280&lan=EN A new paper by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report) reports that 40% of the global population does not access education in a language they understand. The policy paper, ‘If you don’t understand, how can you learn?’ released for International Mother Language Day (21 February), argues that being taught in a language other than their own can negatively impact children’s learning, especially for those living in poverty. Fri, 19 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39280&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/irans-image-in-the-arab-world-conservative-regime-and-open-minded-society The real strength of Iran in both the medium and long term, however, lies in its society, which is much more emancipated than the regime and more open-minded than the ruling mullahs. Iran is an ancient civilisation, but Iranian society is today not only young but also more secular than any Arab society. People believe in reforms and gradual change and they want a more transparent and less ideological state. Iran is therefore poised at an oddly contradictory juncture between religious ideology coupled with a ponderous bureaucracy, a difficult economic situation and limited development, versus a pragmatic, emancipated public that wants more openness. Mon, 22 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/irans-image-in-the-arab-world-conservative-regime-and-open-minded-society http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39278&lan=EN UNESCO and the European Commission are launching a project to develop cultural routes that would benefit from the power of World Heritage sites to attract tourists to promote other cultural assets such as museums and festivals, for example, along selected European itineraries. The first Heritage Routes will be offered to travelers by late 2017. The project foresees that visitors to UNESCO World Heritage sites will be able to use consumer-friendly platforms and mobile applications to get maps and information concerning cultural places and, where appropriate, visits to intangible cultural heritage events that they can include in their trip. Mon, 22 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39278&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39277&lan=EN The issue however is why states create nations, and what should be the attitude of the "left" to the concept of the nation. For some on the left, the concept of the nation is the great equalizer. It is an assertion that everyone (or almost everyone) has the right to full and equal participation in the decision-making of the state, as opposed to the rights of only a minority (for example, the aristocracy) to full participation. Today, we often call this a Jacobin view of the nation. Jacobinism gives rise to the category of a citizen. Persons are citizens by birthright and not because they have a particular "ethnic" origin or a particular religion or any other characteristic that is attributed to them, either by themselves or by others. Citizens have votes (as of a certain age). Each citizen has one vote. All citizens are therefore equal before the law. Fri, 19 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39277&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39275&lan=EN Refugees spend an average of ten years away from their homes. Without intervention, many of the children displaced by Syria’s civil war �" not to mention the other 24 million children worldwide who are out of school because of conflict �" would never enter a classroom during their school-age years. As adults, they would remember childhoods spent in shacks, hovels, or the streets, deprived of the fulfillment and hope that comes with an education. But the costs of a lost education extend far beyond feelings and emotions. When an education stops �" or is stolen �" children lose the protection of schools. Many are exploited. Young girls are targeted by traffickers and vanish into an abyss of unimaginable depravity. Young boys are forced into factories or the front lines of war. With adults often banned from working in their country of refuge, those children lucky enough to have living parents are pushed into labor �" wherever they can find it �" to provide their families with some miniscule income. But no amount of stitching, shoveling, or fighting can secure a future the way an education can. Fri, 05 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39275&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5052369-une-aubaine-pour-l-europe �oeA drama… an irreversible dismembering” of Europe, says Manuel Valls, French Prime Minister. But would enlargement. The UK always encouraged this policy, seeing it as an effective way of diluting the Franco-German partnership that has called the shots on the continent. Fri, 19 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5052369-une-aubaine-pour-l-europe http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/02/18/195228/ Global Voices spoke to Vladimir Lucien, whose debut collection �oeSounding Ground” (Peepal Tree Press) won the 2015 OCM Bocas Caribbean Prize for Literature. Lucien is the first non-Jamaican to take up the post of writer in residence at the University of the West Indies (UWI) campus in Mona. He will be reading at the Kingston Book Festival's �oeLove Affair with Literature” event on March 6 at the university's Faculty of Humanities, alongside esteemed Jamaican writer Olive Senior. He spoke to us about his inspiration and philosophy, as well as Caribbean culture and literature. Thu, 18 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/02/18/195228/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39262&lan=EN Today’s turmoil reflects a clash of worldviews that is both theological and political. Conservative Sunnis, such as those who adhere to fundamentalist Wahhabism, favor theocratic authoritarian rule, whereas more moderate Sufi Sunnis would prefer liberal and inclusive political systems. The same is true of the Shia. Iran has long stuck to theocratic rule, but now seems to be looking toward reform. Whether the sectarian divide can ever be bridged most likely depends on whether reformists can gain sufficient influence in both camps. If not, the conflict will continue to rage, accelerating the breakdown of regional order we now see. Thu, 18 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39262&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/president-bouteflika-and-algerias-future-the-sick-man-of-the-mediterranean En esta nota no nos referiremos a la esclavitud con las características con que predominó en la antigüedad, pero que todavía subsiste, legalmente, como por ejemplo en Mauritania y en la India, o de hecho en otros lugares y afecta, según estimaciones, a unas 20 millones de personas �"hombres, mujeres y niños- en todo el mundo, sino que nos referiremos a la esclavitud contemporánea, inherente a la etapa actual del sistema capitalista y que involucra a la mayor parte de la humanidad. Mon, 08 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/president-bouteflika-and-algerias-future-the-sick-man-of-the-mediterranean http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39258&lan=EN He died right at the moment of clashes between the fundamentalists of Islam and the others. He tried to draw attention to this problem that he had clearly seen coming, and he leaves a world where his ideas and his views have become too noble for a world where nationalism, xenophobia and conflict have become the main actors in international relations. It is time now to look more closely at those ideas and ideals, and less at Boutros Boutros-Ghali as a human being, with its inevitable flaws and shortcoming which is also as he would want to be remembered. With him, we lived through what looks to have been the last great moment of the United Nations, with international law as e basis for cooperation and action. Thu, 18 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39258&lan=EN http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-16/first-silk-road-train-arrives-in-iran-from-china/7170540?utm_source=phplist94&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Political+Anticipation+-+LEAP+Press+review Mon, 15 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-16/first-silk-road-train-arrives-in-iran-from-china/7170540?utm_source=phplist94&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Political+Anticipation+-+LEAP+Press+review http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39252&lan=EN Terrorism continues to rise, with over 32,000 people killed in terrorist attacks in 2014, the highest number recorded. Despite being highly concentrated in five countries, terrorism is spreading, with more countries recording attacks and deaths. Now in its third year, the Global Terrorism Index provides a detailed analysis of the changing trends in terrorism across 162 countries, over the last 15 years. It investigates the patterns of terrorism by geographic activity, methods of attack, organisations involved and the national economic and political context. Tue, 17 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39252&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-martin-kobler-un-special-representative-on-libya-libya-must-not-become-the Between January 2015 and January 2016, IS greatly increased its presence in Libya. The jihadists are currently trying to gain control of the oil terminals at Ras Lanuf. Of course it would be catastrophic, if the little oil that Libya still produces were to fall into the hands of IS. We're observing clear IS expansion to the east. But there have also been terror attacks in the west in recent weeks. Of greatest concern is the jihadist expansion to the south, one that is advancing by the day. The strategic goal is probably a co-operation with extremist groups such as Boko Haram and terror groups in Chad and Niger. The Libyans must prevent this from happening. Wed, 17 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/interview-with-martin-kobler-un-special-representative-on-libya-libya-must-not-become-the http://www.fidh.org/fr/regions/afrique/burundi/chronologie-comprendre-la-crise-au-burundi Since April 2015, a bloody conflict has been underway in Burundi: 700 people have allegedly been killed, 4 300 have been arbitrarily detained, hundreds have disappeared and 250 000 have fled to neighbouring countries. The repression by forces loyal to President Pierre Nkurunziza is of an increasingly genocidal nature. To explain the context and the dynamics of this crisis, FIDH in association with the Mail & Guardian brings you this interactive chronology of the main events from the 1993 civil war to this day. This chronology will be updated regularly. Mon, 15 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.fidh.org/fr/regions/afrique/burundi/chronologie-comprendre-la-crise-au-burundi http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39241&lan=EN The most severe refugee crisis since the Second World War, with over 60 million refugees or internally displaced people across the globe, requires a radical strengthening of the EU migration system and a coordinated European response. Over the last six months, the European Commission has worked for a swift, coordinated European response, tabling a series of proposals designed to equip Member States with the tools necessary to better manage the large number of arrivals. Wed, 10 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39241&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39240&lan=EN Latin America’s abortion laws are among the world’s most restrictive. El Salvador, for example, bans abortion in all circumstances and has incarcerated women who have gone to emergency rooms after miscarriages, charging them with seeking illegal abortions. Contraception can also be expensive or difficult to access across the region, despite high rates of teenage rape and pregnancy. The result, especially with the addition of the Zika virus, is a recipe for tragedy. Brazil, the Latin American country hit hardest by the virus so far, is emblematic of the problem: Abortion is allowed only in cases of rape, danger to the woman’s life, or in the case of fetal anencephaly (the absence of a major portion of the brain). In response to the Zika crisis, Brazil should immediately allow abortion in cases of suspected microcephaly as well. Tue, 16 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39240&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39239&lan=EN Scientists estimate that almost 75 percent of new (and re-emerging) diseases affecting humans at the beginning of the 21st Century were transmitted through animals. Among these so-called �oezoonotic” diseases are AIDS, SARS, H5N2 avian flu and H1N1, or swine flu. Barbara Han, from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, describes bats, pigs, and birds as �oemixing vats” for viruses like Ebola, Hendra, Nipah, avian and swine flus that can spread to humans. As wild animals lose their habitats through deforestation, they come into closer contact with domestic animals and people. Extreme weather events and a warmer climate are also disrupting animal habitats, breeding cycles, and migration patterns. Fri, 06 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39239&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39238&lan=EN The Government of Colombia and the European Commission announced today the start of negotiations towards a bilateral agreement on trade in organic products between the European Union and Colombia. Both sides confirmed their interest to swiftly conclude, at the end of the negotiations, an agreement that would allow a larger market for organic farmers, reduced burden for companies and more organic products available to consumers. Although not part of the Trade Agreement in force since 2013 between the EU and Colombia and Peru, this new agreement will be earmarked in the privileged relationship of cooperation and trade facilitation that has been established since then. Mon, 08 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39238&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39236&lan=EN Increasingly complex and widening conflicts have taken a huge toll on children in much of the Middle East in 2015, with parts of Africa and Asia facing protracted and relapsing wars that show no signs of abating, wrote Leila Zerrougui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, in her annual report to the Human Rights Council. The Report covers the period from December 2014 to December 2015. �oeChildren were disproportionately affected, displaced and often the direct targets of acts of violence intended to cause maximum civilian casualties and terrorize entire communities,” she said in the report, describing how extreme violence affected countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Syria. �oeGroups perpetrating extreme violence also particularly targeted children pursuing their right to an education.” Mon, 15 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39236&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5049575-pourquoi-les-tensions-politiques-devraient-s-aggraver The refugee crisis has already polarised German politics to an extent many people �" including myself �" would not have believed possible only a few months ago. Within the conservative party (CDU/CSU) there are thinly concealed discussions about getting rid of Angela Merkel and the right-wing populist party AfD is riding high in the polls. What worries me most is that the political pressure is likely to become even fiercer because a European solution is clearly not on offer (as more and more countries are trying to close their borders one way or another) and the statistics in Germany suggest that there is a delay in the real impact of the refugee crisis. Thu, 11 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5049575-pourquoi-les-tensions-politiques-devraient-s-aggraver http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39229&lan=EN The economic transition underway in China is desirable, even if it contains significant risks and new challenges for Chinese climate policies. China will indeed soon be reaching (or has already reached) peak coal. Yet drivers of strong investment in coal power continue. In the long term, the policy challenge in China will shift from stopping new coal to closing existing coal, and addressing the social, economic and political challenges that go with this. Fri, 12 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39229&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39226&lan=EN Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court paused implementation of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) to allow an appeals court to consider a legal challenge from a number of states, corporations and industry groups. That case is being expedited, and a decision is expected by the fall. Importantly, the Supreme Court’s decision to grant a temporary stay was not based on the legal merits of the CPP, which calls for emissions reductions throughout states’ power sectors. Experts agree that the CPP is on solid legal ground and will prevail. Indeed, previously the Supreme Court not only upheld the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act (which the Clean Power Plan builds upon), the Court found the agency had the obligation to do so to protect Americans’ health. Mon, 15 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39226&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39221&lan=EN Not so long ago, the trend was toward peace, not war. In 1989, with the collapse of communism, Francis Fukuyama announced �oethe end of history,” and two years later President George H. W. Bush celebrated a �oenew world order” of cooperation between the world’s powers. At the time, they were right. World War II, with a death toll of at least 55 million, had been the high point of mankind’s collective savagery. But from 1950 to 1989 �" the Korean War through the Vietnam War and on to the end of the Cold War �" deaths from violent conflict averaged 180,000 a year. In the 1990s, the toll fell to 100,000 a year. And in the first decade of this century, it fell still more, to around 55,000 a year �" the lowest rate in any decade in the previous 100 years and equivalent to just over 1,000 a year for the �oeaverage armed conflict.” Sadly, as I note in my new book The World in Conflict, the trend is now turning upward. Fri, 12 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39221&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39213&lan=EN More than three years after a major rebel offensive was defeated by UN and government forces in Democratic Republic of the Congo's North Kivu province, the area remains extremely volatile and producing displacement. Since November, waves of violence by Mai Mai militias and rebel groups including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, FDLR, and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) of Uganda, have forced large numbers of people to flee. Fri, 29 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39213&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39211&lan=EN The Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO) presented its final report to the WHO Director-General today, culminating a two-year process to address the alarming levels of childhood obesity and overweight globally. The ECHO report proposes a range of recommendations for governments aimed at reversing the rising trend of children aged under 5 years becoming overweight and obese. At least 41 million children in this age group are obese or overweight, with the greatest rise in the number of children being obese or overweight coming from low- and middle-income countries. Mon, 25 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39211&lan=EN http://www.historyandpolicy.org/opinion-articles/articles/how-history-can-help-us-think-about-corruption-and-anticorruption?utm_source=hootsuite Yet, sixty or seventy years ago, when corruption first became an independent research subject, there were reasons to be hopeful. For most Western scholars writing about it in the 1950s and 60s, corruption was either a problem of the past or someone else’s problem. The prevailing view was that corruption was typical of traditional societies, where clientelism and patronage were dominant. Corruption in these societies, found mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, was thus a consequence of their failure to modernise and to adopt liberal democracy and develop a rational bureaucracy and a market economy. In the twenty years that followed, this interpretation of corruption was gradually replaced by a more economically-oriented and individualistic approach, according to which corruption was mainly the result of self-interested individuals trying to maximise their benefits by exploring the opportunities for misuse of public money created by large bureaucracies. The solution to this problem would be simply to ‘roll back the frontiers of the state’, liberalise the economy and create tough new laws targeting specific practices such as bribery. Legal and economic reform have since been regarded as imperative conditions for successful anticorruption policies. But in the 1990s corruption scholars and policy makers added three important new strings to their bow: good government, democratisation and social equality. Wed, 09 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.historyandpolicy.org/opinion-articles/articles/how-history-can-help-us-think-about-corruption-and-anticorruption?utm_source=hootsuite http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39207&lan=EN People with access to real-time transit information have been shown to spend 15 percent less time waiting at bus stops than people without this information. Additionally, a study of Chicago’s bus routes found that access to real-time transit information increased average daily ridership by 2 percent. And astudy on New York City’s bus system found that this information also led to an increase in ridership, resulting in $5 million per year in additional fare revenue. The widening use of smartphones, high urbanization rates, and the rapid evolution of technologies are driving the potential for real-time passenger information in many cities worldwide. But so far, very few cities in developing countries have RTPI systems. Thu, 04 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39207&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39206&lan=EN Chemical pollution is an issue. The cut-flower industry is a short-cycle production process that requires the extensive use of agrochemicals which have a negative effect on the air, soil and water supply. The industry has loose regulatory status because flowers are not edible crops and are exempt from regulations on pesticide residues, although they carry significantly more pesticides than allowed on foods. It is estimated that one-fifth of the chemicals used in the floriculture industry in developing countries are banned or untested in the US. In 2015, the Montreal Protocol (signed in 1987 to prevent the depletion of the ozone layer) deadline for changing floricultural chemical use of Methyl Bromide came into effect in all developing countries. Already 100 per cent phased out in the US since 2005, Methyl Bromide is a toxic chemical hazardous to humans, five times more potent than Carbon Dioxide and destructive to the ozone layer with an Ozone Depletion Potential of 0.6 (with CFCs classified as 1). Tue, 09 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39206&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/02/violence-is-a-preventable-disease/ I believe Europe (and indeed the world) must now ask the tough questions and make hard, brave and courageous choices: ‘Do we continue down the road of re-arming Europe and the World, and building a culture of militarism and war, creating enemy images and demonizing other countries and their leaders, implementing ‘regime change’ through bogus ‘right to protect’ military intervention, or do we choose to start disarming our conscience, hearts and minds, dismantling our weapons, ending militarism and war and implementing International law?’ Europe and the world needs a New Vision of Unity and Demilitarization of Regions, with power devolved to communities where people feel empowered and true democracy can be established. A demilitarized world is something we can all work together to build. Tue, 09 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/02/violence-is-a-preventable-disease/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39189&lan=EN De Tocqueville’s nightmare is not yet the reality in the US, but it is close to what we see in Russia, Turkey, Hungary, and perhaps Poland. Even Israel, which, despite its many obvious problems, has always had a robust democracy, is moving in this direction, with government ministers demanding proof of �oestate loyalty” from writers, artists, and journalists. It is hard to see how traditional elites are going to regain any authority. And yet I think de Tocqueville was right. Without editors, there can be no serious journalism. Without parties led by experienced politicians, the borders between show business and politics will disappear. Without limits placed on the appetites and prejudices of the majority, intolerance will rule. Tue, 09 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39189&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/02/microcephaly-revives-battle-for-legal-abortion-in-brazil/ The Zika virus epidemic and a rise in the number of cases of microcephaly in newborns have revived the debate on legalising abortion in Brazil. However, the timing is difficult as conservative and religious groups are growing in strength, especially in parliament. In Brazil, a 1940 law makes abortion illegal with two exceptions: when it is necessary to save the mother’s life or if the pregnancy is the result of rape. A third exception, in cases of anencephalic fetuses -which have no brain �" was legalised in 2012 as the result of a Supreme Court ruling based on the fact that they cannot survive outside the womb. Mon, 08 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/02/microcephaly-revives-battle-for-legal-abortion-in-brazil/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39186&lan=EN Floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, mass nuclear or pollution incidents, health epidemics… according to the 2015 edition of the World Disaster Report, published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the world is facing an increasing number of disasters that affect a growing number of people. Radio has demonstrated its power in situations of immediate post-disaster, but also in times of preparedness and recovery. Mon, 08 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39186&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39184&lan=EN Faced with a global shortage of oral cholera vaccines (OCV), the United Nations health agency announced today that supply should double this year to six million doses, with further increases later, after it approved a third producer to fight a disease that kills up to 142,000 people annually. Last year, Sudan and Haiti asked the UN World Health Organization (WHO) for supplies to conduct pre-emptive vaccination campaigns, but the requests could not be filled because of the global shortfall. Fri, 08 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39184&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39182&lan=EN Mon, 08 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39182&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39181&lan=EN Many economically advanced countries are failing to fully enforce regulations on political party funding and campaign donations or are leaving loopholes that can be exploited by powerful private interest groups, according to a new OECD report. Financing Democracy: Funding of Political Parties and Election Campaigns and the Risk of Policy Capture says that private donors frequently use loans, membership fees and third-party funding to circumvent spending limits or to conceal donations. Tightening regulation and applying sanctions more rigorously would help to restore public trust at a time when voters in advanced economies are showing disillusionment with political parties and fear that democratic processes can be captured by private interest groups. Thu, 04 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39181&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39180&lan=EN Rich countries meeting in London this week must commit to real changes that will improve the lives of millions of Syrians, said Oxfam. The aid funding and resettlement places offered so far have often been so low as to be little more than token gestures. Syrians in need are waiting for actions not just kind words and promises. While some world powers have led by example when it comes to assisting Syrians - who are still being killed, displaced, and impoverished in their hundreds of thousands - most countries still fall far short according to Oxfam's new fair share analysis. In 2015, just over half the money to fund the appeals designed to help people in Syria and surrounding countries was given. Mon, 01 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39180&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39177&lan=EN At least 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation in 30 countries, according to a new statistical report published by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A Global Concern notes that half of the girls and women who have been cut live in three countries - Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia - and refers to smaller studies and anecdotal accounts that provide evidence FGM is a global human rights issue affecting girls and women in every region of the world. Fri, 05 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39177&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/mother-tongue-instruction-in-multi-ethnic-iran-linguistic-diversity-as-opportunity Iran is a state of many ethnicities where over a dozen languages are spoken, including, among others, Persian, Baluchi, Luri, Arabic, and Turkish. Unfortunately, the country’s education policy does not take account of this linguistic diversity. By Manutschehr Amirpur The Islamic Republic of Iran has continued the policy of the old regime in that it only permits the learning of the country′s official language (Persian), even though this contradicts the obligations set out in the constitution. The widespread tradition of ′one country, one language′, which lives on across the Middle East despite the fact that reality is very different, is also alive and well in Iran. Fri, 29 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/mother-tongue-instruction-in-multi-ethnic-iran-linguistic-diversity-as-opportunity http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39167&lan=EN Therefore, there is no doubt that at this moment a referendum for Europe would never pass. Citizens do not feel that this is ‘their’ Europe. This is a serious problem for a democratic Europe. Will the European Union survive? Probably, but it will be more a kind of common market for finance and business rather than a citizen’s project. It will also hasten the reduction of European power in the world, and the loss of European identity, once the most revolutionary project in modern history. Fri, 05 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39167&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39163&lan=EN The process is as universal as it gets: when a baby is born, a doctor, parent, or birth attendant announces the arrival of a �oegirl” or �oeboy.” That split-second assignment dictates multiple aspects of our lives. It is also something that most of us never question. But some people do. Their gender evolves differently from their girl/boy birth assignment and might not fit rigid traditional notions of female or male. Gender development should have no bearing on whether someone can enjoy fundamental rights, like the ability to be recognized by their government or to access health care, education, or employment. But for transgender people, it does�"to a humiliating, violent, and sometimes lethal degree. Wed, 27 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39163&lan=EN http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/inequality-is-getting-worse-in-latin-america-here-s-how-to-fix-it Global leaders will meet at the Annual Meeting in Davos this week to discuss how to improve the state of the world and address its most pressing challenges. There is much to talk about - not least the global inequality crisis, which has come to the fore in recent years in the wake of the economic and financial crisis of 2008-2009. Inequality is growing at an alarming pace and poses a serious risk to economic growth, the fight against poverty and social stability. For evidence of the destructive impact that extreme inequality has on sustainable patterns of growth and social cohesion, we need look no further than Latin America and the Caribbean. Although the region achieved considerable success in reducing extreme poverty over the last decade, its still-high levels of income and wealth inequality have stymied sustainable growth and social inclusion. In Latin America and the Caribbean, inequality is preventing a return to an inclusive growth trajectory in the face of daunting external conditions. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) projects the region’s growth to be 0.2% for 2016. Sun, 17 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/inequality-is-getting-worse-in-latin-america-here-s-how-to-fix-it http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39160&lan=EN It took only four weeks for the film �oeOde to My Father” to attract one in every five Koreans to the nearest movie theater. This mega-hit has been called the �oeKorean version of Forrest Gump” by some critics, as it depicts important events in modern Korean history from 1950 till present. What distinguishes �oeOde” from the famous American film, however, is that while Forrest Gump is a one-of-a-kind figure, the two protagonists in the Korean film have at least 18,000 replicas. They closely represent symbolic migrant figures in ROK: coal miners and nurses to Germany during Korea’s development in the 60s and 70s. Thu, 22 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39160&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39158&lan=EN Thu, 31 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39158&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39157&lan=EN Sat, 11 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39157&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39156&lan=EN As part of continuing efforts to boost transparency by multinational enterprises (MNEs), 31 countries[1] signed today the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) for the automatic exchange of Country-by-Country reports. The signing ceremony marks an important milestone towards implementation of the OECD/G20 BEPS Project and a significant increase in cross-border cooperation on tax matters. The MCAA will enable consistent and swift implementation of new transfer pricing reporting standards developed under Action 13 of the BEPS Action Plan. Wed, 27 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39156&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39144&lan=EN The Paris Agreement adopted by 195 countries on December 12, 2015 has been rightly praised as an undeniable historic landmark in international efforts to address climate change. Indeed, it sets an ambitious target to combat climate change, and establishes a universal, fair, and durable framework for effective global cooperative action on this topic. Governments, civil society, and companies must now seize this framework to maintain the political momentum on climate action and operationalize the principles of action. Fri, 29 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39144&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39143&lan=EN Today at the World Economic Forum’s annual summit in Davos, Switzerland, a coalition of 30 leaders launched Champions 12.3, an effort to create political, business and social momentum to reduce food loss and waste around the world. Champions 12.3 is a voluntary coalition of executives from governments, businesses, international organizations, research institutions, farmer groups and civil society (Box 1) dedicated to inspiring ambition, mobilizing action and accelerating progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 12.3. The target aims to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels, as well as reduce food losses along production and supply chains by 2030. Thu, 21 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39143&lan=EN http://www.france24.com/fr/20160131-france-cuba-visite-officielle-raul-castro-business-economie-diplomatie-etats-unis Cuba's Communist President Raul Castro will be welcomed under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris during a rare state visit Monday to showcase his island's warming ties with big world powers. The Cuban leader arrived in Paris on Saturday, two days ahead of the start of the official programme, sources at Orly airport south of Paris said. Castro's visit is an indication of his island's improved ties with major powers following last year's restoration of relations with longtime foe, the United States. On the back of that rapprochement the 84-year-old leader is now paying court to France, one of his most powerful European allies Mon, 01 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.france24.com/fr/20160131-france-cuba-visite-officielle-raul-castro-business-economie-diplomatie-etats-unis http://en.qantara.de/content/fighting-jihadism-the-fatal-attraction-of-is Since the attacks in Paris and the blowing up of a Russian passenger aircraft over the Sinai �" and also on the heels of attacks in southern Beirut �" there is once again much talk of security vulnerabilities, with various governments accusing each other of shortcomings on this front. But very few politicians have raised a far more important question: how can it be that such nihilistic, vengeful and bloody discourse as that promoted by Daesh (IS) is immune to all enlightenment, to the massive media machine and to all of the intensive international efforts to put a stop to it? Why are so many young Muslims taken in by IS propaganda, which seems to be more successful than that of any other Islamist or terrorist group before it? Mon, 01 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/fighting-jihadism-the-fatal-attraction-of-is http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39137&lan=EN The two characters that comprise the Chinese word for crisis mean, individually, �oedanger” and �oeopportunity”. That is precisely what China sees in today’s Middle East. Of course, China’s success in the Middle East requires progress on mitigating the region’s tensions, cooling its hotspots, and stabilizing weak countries �" all of which will require smart diplomacy by many actors. But peace and development are inextricably linked. To turn the tide against extremism, Middle Eastern countries must be able to provide economic opportunities to their people, and these can only be secured through trade, investment, and jobs. In this fundamental respect, China has a lot to offer the Middle East �" and President Xi has once again shown his determination to offer it. Fri, 29 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39137&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39136&lan=EN Today's migrations, as macro international displacements of hundreds of thousands of people with or without documents -- in many cases in precarious conditions of transit -- have been and are one of the social processes that characterize what is happening in different latitudes of the earth since in the new century, in the global context of neoliberal economic restructuring directed by transnational enterprises and the capitalist countries of the first world. This affirmation has its correlation in the statistics of international bodies and shows how the drastic and substantive spatial re-accommodations of human populations are tied to globalization, both due to the complex socioeconomic processes of accumulation and concentration of capital in the developed nation States -- which attract migrants as workers -- as well as the dynamics of pillage, exploitation and conflict in developing countries -- that expel their inhabitants and condemn them to exile. Thu, 28 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39136&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39135&lan=EN Last autumn, UNEP named South Africa's Black Mambas anti-poaching squad as Champions of the Earth. They won this most prestigious award along with the PM of Bangladesh and the CEO of Unilever. Ms Siphiwe Sithole, one of this amazing mainly female team, has a great saying about: "Starting to protect whatever you have in your yard...then you will know how to fight for other things as well." Your Excellency, Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak here today - because I don't think that anybody in this room would disagree that Africa has the best "yard" on the planet or that we must do more to protect it. Nowhere on earth can touch this amazing continent for the scale and diversity of natural resources, with: 10% of the world's freshwater reserves,17% of its forests, and almost a quarter of its plant and mammal species 10% of known global oil reserves and Africa's mineral potential remains grossly under-explored. So this should be an unrivaled natural treasure chest for the people of Africa. Wed, 27 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39135&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39134&lan=EN Two leading international organizations, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today called on governments to step up efforts to help refugees integrate and contribute to the societies and economies of Europe. Both organizations stressed it made economic sense to help the millions of refugees living in OECD countries to develop the skills they need to work productively and safely in the jobs of tomorrow. "Refugees have skills. They deserve our efforts. Einstein was a refugee. We should not forget that," UNHCR head Filippo Grandi told a press conference during a joint high-level Conference on the integration of beneficiaries of international protection in Paris. " Thu, 28 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39134&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39129&lan=EN Turkey was certainly in a strong position to make a difference. With its functioning democracy, booming market economy, and rich cultural history, Turkey seemed to offer an attractive economic, social, and political model for the region. Like Indonesia, it was living proof that Islam is, in fact, compatible with both democracy and modernity �" an observation that was not lost on the demonstrators in, say, Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Even then, however, there was cause for concern. Erdogan was already giving the impression that he might seek to concentrate power in his own hands, thereby undermining Turkey’s democracy and, in turn, its regional leadership ambitions. Unfortunately, that is precisely what has happened. Mon, 25 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39129&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39127&lan=EN �oeFear of terrorist attacks and mass refugee flows are driving many Western governments to roll back human rights protections,” Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, said. �oeThese backward steps threaten the rights of all without any demonstrated effectiveness in protecting ordinary people.” (...) �oeThe wisdom enshrined in international human rights law provides indispensable guidance to governments that seek to keep their nation safe and serve their people most effectively,” Roth said. �oeWe abandon it at our peril.” Wed, 27 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39127&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39126&lan=EN So, let us agree on the lesson from Davos. The rich and powerful had all the necessary data for focusing on existential issues for the planet and its inhabitants. Yet they failed to do so. This is a powerful example of the disconnection between the concern of citizens and their elite. The political and financial system is more and more self reverent: but is also fast losing legitimacy in the eyes of many people. Alternative candidates like Donald Trump or Matteo Salvini in Italy, or governments like those of Hungary and Poland, would have never been possible without a massive discontent. What is increasingly at stage is democracy itself? Are we entering in a Weimar stage of the world? Thu, 28 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39126&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/en/content/article/5038069-adaptation-key-preventing-displacement The hundreds of thousands of refugees who came to Europe lately have been fleeing wars and persecutions in Syria, Afghanistan or Erythrea. But an even greater wave provoked by climate change might soon pose a bigger challenge. Mon, 25 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/en/content/article/5038069-adaptation-key-preventing-displacement http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39103&lan=EN Thu, 21 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39103&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39099&lan=EN Within four months only (August and November 2015) there were at least 340 unresolved cases of enforced disappearance of citizens, with an average of three cases a day. The quasi-governmental National Council for Human Rights NCHR has confirmed that it is working on cases of enforced disappearance. At least 41,000 people were detained, charged, or sentenced between July 2013 and May 2014, however unconfirmed reports suggest that the numberfigure has now reached over 100,000 detainees. The Interior Ministry claims that 11,877 people have been arrested on alleged terrorism-related charges since the beginning of 2015. In February 2015, President Abdelfatah al-Sisi acknowledged in a speech that there are innocent youth in prisons. At least 470 death sentences were handed down by Egyptian courts for alleged violence and terrorism related charges in 2015 alone and many more were sentenced to life imprisonment for alleged political violence or activism. The sentences came through mass trials that lacked due process in what was described earlier by a group of UN experts as a �oemockery of justice”. Fri, 22 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39099&lan=EN http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/01/09/193527/ Art is a powerful language that can resonate across countries and cultures, and as such, artists picked up their paintbrushes and pointed their cameras in acts of solidarity, protest and reflection throughout 2015. Global Voices authors took you around the world this year covering these inspiring stories of creativity. As the New Year approaches, let's take a look back at 16 of them. Sat, 09 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/01/09/193527/ http://en.qantara.de/content/higher-education-in-tunisia-the-vestiges-of-spring And the youth are supposed to be the driving force for the development of the nation: so says Article 8 of the new Tunisian constitution. The reality looks rather different. President Beji Caid Essebsi is 89 and during his election campaign he said repeatedly: "youth is a mental, not a physical state." He wants to get Tunisia on the right path and then hand it over to the youth. Only the youth don’t believe in that, they don’t feel they are being taken seriously and they can’t get a foothold in the established political parties. They stay away from the polling booths: only 12.5 percent of 18-21-year-olds voted in the parliamentary elections a year ago. According to a study by the World Bank, in Tunisian cities, only just under a third of young people have faith in the political system; in rural areas that figure is less than ten percent. Mon, 25 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/higher-education-in-tunisia-the-vestiges-of-spring http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/01/24/194254/ There's a big, wide world of film out there, but we don't often see that diversity represented on our local theater marquees, and it can be a little daunting to break out of the mainstream and explore the vastness of world cinema on your own. So we've done the work for you. We crowdsourced movie suggestions from the Global Voices community of authors, editors and translators around the world, and came up with a list of 16 films from five different regions, ranging from the old to the new, from the internationally praised to the completely obscure. Movies are a great way to get a glimpse into a place or a time you know little about. Ready for some armchair travel? Read on. Sun, 24 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://fr.globalvoices.org/2016/01/24/194254/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39090&lan=EN The elections in Haiti have this in common with the post-earthquake reconstruction process, in which the USA, the EU and the international actors played the primary role ; at the same time as donors, as arbiters and as main recipients. While refusing to draw lessons from the past, persisting to deny their responsibility in introducing cholera to the country, they tend to isolate the evils which hit Haiti in the delays of Progress, the misunderstandings of Haitian culture, the DNA of a people or the fate of history. Finally, for the international community the main problem of the elections, like with the reconstruction process, are the Haitians themselves. They remain outside, sidelined or a surplus. In reality, one should reverse the equation : today as yesterday, the hope for change comes from the Haitian people, while the international community is more the problem than the solution for Haiti. Mon, 25 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39090&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39087&lan=EN In today’s interconnected world, individuals and non-state groups motivated by extremist ideologies can use the power of new technologies to shape attitudes and beliefs, and incite violence on a global scale. Since 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) has disseminated more than 700 propaganda videos, tailored to various audiences, in all major languages, to maximize the reach and impact of its message. Nearly 50,000 Twitter accounts are propagating these vehicles of hatred, seeking to exploit ignorance, intolerance, and divisions within societies. Young people are being targeted for recruitment. Within the territories it controls, ISIS persecutes and kills individuals on religious and cultural grounds, with a recent USHMM report concluding that the group has committed acts of genocide against the Yazidi minority population under its control. Mon, 25 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39087&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39085&lan=EN Today, the European Commission proposed to facilitate the exchange of criminal records of non-EU citizens in the EU by upgrading the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS). This is a key action of the European Agenda on Security, which aims to improve cooperation between national authorities in the fight against terrorism and other forms of serious cross-border crime. This initiative will ensure that ECRIS, which is already widely used for exchange of criminal records of EU citizens, will be used to its full potential. Tue, 19 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39085&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39084&lan=EN The drastic fall in global oil prices has received a fair amount of attention of late. However, while oil has been capturing the headlines, other carbon intensive fuels have also been experiencing equivalently impressive price falls. What might this mean for climate policy in Europe, especially this year when the EU will revise its policy framework for the promotion of renewable energy technologies? These price trends matter for climate policy because they are key determinants of the wholesale prices of energy for power, heating and cooling, and transportation. To be sure, they are not the only determinants of these prices�"for instance, falling electricity prices also reflect production overcapacity, which is in turn linked to slowing demand, overbuilding during the boom, and a short-run consequence of needing to inject renewables into the system before other plants are ready to retire. Nevertheless, lower fossil fuel prices compound these effects. Mon, 25 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39084&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39083&lan=EN Commissioner Marianne Thyssen has presented the Commission's 'Employment and Social Developments in Europe' (ESDE) report for 2015 which gives a review of the latest employment and social trends, reflecting on upcoming challenges and possible policy responses. This year's review reveals further positive employment and social developments in the EU. However, despite recent improvements, huge disparities still exist between Member States, in terms of economic growth, employment and other key social and labour market indicators. Many of these disparities are linked to an underutilisation of human capital on several fronts. The 2015 ESDE report looks at ways of tackling these disparities, focusing in particular on job creation, labour market efficiency, social protection modernisation and investment in people. Thu, 21 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39083&lan=EN http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/01/seven-top-challenges-facing-african-women/ Economic exclusion; financial systems that perpetuate their discrimination; limited participation in political and public life; lack of access to education and poor retention of girls in schools; gender-based violence; harmful cultural practices, and exclusion of women from peace tables, are the major standing barriers to achieving gender equality in Africa. Mon, 18 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/01/seven-top-challenges-facing-african-women/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39077&lan=EN Seoul and many other large Asian cities have seen huge growth levels in their foreign-born residents in recent years. Even though the number of foreigners living in the South Korean capital has doubled in the last decade, it still doesn't rank among the very top cities worldwide for residents born abroad. 2015's World Migration Report compiled by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) found that 83 percent of people living in Dubai were born in other countries. Brussels hosts a number of key EU institutions as well as the NATO headquarters. Approximately six out of every 10 residents in the Belgian capital comes from another country. Fri, 22 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39077&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/five-years-of-arab-spring-the-butterfly-effect On 17 December 2011, the Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire. In a figurative sense, the vegetable seller's act of desperation was the flap that initiated the Arab Spring with all its consequences. With his famous question "can the flap of a butterfly wing in Brazil trigger a tornado in Texas?" the US mathematician and meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz established the theory of the "butterfly effect". In a sensitive, unstable system, small variations in the status quo can result in momentous consequences. And the Arab system was unstable. Indeed, the toppling of the Arab dictators has also triggered a tornado in Europe, with the refugee crisis and the attacks in Paris and other places. There are evidently no limits to the effect of flapping butterfly wings, as must be apparent �" even to those in Europe who continue to hope that they can shut themselves away from it all. Wed, 20 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/five-years-of-arab-spring-the-butterfly-effect http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39075&lan=EN The objective of this Congress is to review implementation of the Madrid Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves 2008-2013, the Seville Strategy and the Statutory Framework of 1995. The Congress will assess lessons learned and new challenges faced by the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and will develop and launch an Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves for 2016-2025. Organized by the Secretariat of the Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB), the Ministry of Environment of Peru (MINAM) and its National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP), and the MAB National Committee of Peru, the 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves will take place in the city of Lima, Peru, on 14-17 March 2016. Mon, 14 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39075&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39073&lan=EN One of the toughest nuts to crack in the peace negotiations is the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his henchmen. The Assad regime is responsible for the highest number of civilian casualties by far, having carried out indiscriminate attacks in populated opposition-held areas, besieged entire populations, blocked the delivery of humanitarian aid, and tortured and executed prisoners. And yet, while Assad’s opponents insist that he relinquish power, that clearly will not be a precondition for the talks. As a practical matter, Assad leads one of the conflict’s most powerful factions, one that must be represented at the negotiating table if peace is to be achieved. Thu, 21 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39073&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5039518-une-europe-plusieurs-vitesses The Dutch Presidency of the European Union released on Thursday 21 January at the European Commission in Brussels a new ranking of public integrity for the 28 EU member states. The ranking represents the first objective measurement of public integrity in the EU. It is part of a report on trust and integrity commissioned to a group of research institutes collaborating on the EU FP7 ANTICORRP project led by Professor Alina Mungiu-Pippidi at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. The ranking, shown in the table, lists Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands firmly on top, with Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia competing for the bottom of the ranking. Thu, 21 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5039518-une-europe-plusieurs-vitesses http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39061&lan=EN A UN report released today details the severe and extensive impact on civilians of the ongoing conflict in Iraq, with at least 18,802 civilians killed and another 36,245 wounded between 1 January 2014 and 31 October 2015. Another 3.2 million people have been internally displaced since January 2014, including more than a million children of school age. Of the total number of casualties, at least 3,855 civilians were killed and 7,056 wounded between 1 May and 31 October last year �" the period covered by the report, although the actual figures could be much higher than those documented. Tue, 19 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39061&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39059&lan=EN According to the paper, Every Child Should Have a Textbook, centralized financing mechanisms could allow for a US$3 reduction in the price of each textbook and save almost US$1 billion a year from the cost of learning materials in sub-Saharan Africa alone. Kenya, for example, could save $US64 million from its textbook bill, Malawi US$33 million. The report argues that improved financial models could help triple the number of textbooks available for children worldwide, thereby improving educational achievements, particularly in poor countries hampered by the high cost of textbooks today. According to the study, providing textbooks to all students could increase literacy scores by 5-20%. Tue, 19 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39059&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39058&lan=EN Concluded at the WTO’s 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference, the TFA contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. It also sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues. It further contains provisions for technical assistance and capacity building in this area. The TFA will enter into force once two-thirds of the WTO membership has formally accepted the Agreement. Mon, 11 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39058&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39055&lan=EN In my understanding, the best definition of peace was that given by the Earth Charter, that affirmed: �"peace is the plenitude that results from correct relationships with oneself, with other persons, other cultures, other forms of life, with the Earth and with the Whole of which we form a part�" (n.16, f). Here it is clear that peace is not something that exists by itself. Peace is the result of proper relationships with the different realities that surround us. Without these correct relationships (this is justice) we will never enjoy peace.. - See more at: http://www.alainet.org/en/articulo/174792#sthash.r9QWeTod.dpuf Mon, 11 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39055&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39053&lan=EN This clash between the UN’s secular human-rights standards and Muslim religious doctrine mirrors the broader conflict between Islam and modernity �" a conflict that has left some citizens of Muslim countries, including women and non-Muslims, highly vulnerable. Fortunately, an emerging school of Muslim thought addresses the question in a new way, emphasizing that the Quran, like any religious text, must be interpreted �" and that those interpretations can change over time. Mon, 18 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39053&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39052&lan=EN A new World Bank report says that while the internet, mobile phones and other digital technologies are spreading rapidly throughout the developing world, the anticipated digital dividends of higher growth, more jobs, and better public services have fallen short of expectations, and 60 percent of the world’s population remains excluded from the ever-expanding digital economy. According to the new ‘World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends,’ authored by Co-Directors, Deepak Mishra and Uwe Deichmann and team, the benefits of rapid digital expansion have been skewed towards the wealthy, skilled, and influential around the world, who are better positioned to take advantage of the new technologies. In addition, though the number of internet users worldwide has more than tripled since 2005, four billion people still lack access to the internet. Wed, 13 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39052&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39045&lan=EN Lebanese authorities are imposing regulations that effectively bar many Syrian refugees from renewing their residency permits, heightening risks of exploitation and abuse among people who fled persecution and war, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 35-page report, �oe‘I Just Wanted to be Treated like a Person’: How Lebanon’s Residency Rules Facilitate Abuse of Syrian Refugees,” is based on interviews with more than 60 Syrian refugees, lawyers, and humanitarian workers assisting refugees in Lebanon. Human Rights Watch found that residency regulations adopted in January 2015 have resulted in most Syrians losing their legal status. Only two out of the 40 refugees interviewed said they had been able to renew their residencies. Lebanese authorities should immediately revise the renewal regulations, including by waiving renewal fees and ending requirements for many refugees to find a sponsor. Tue, 12 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39045&lan=EN http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/01/05/5-facts-about-sunnis-and-shiites-that-help-makes-sense-of-the-saudi-iran-crisis/ The execution of Shiite cleric Nimr Baqr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia has sparked a furor in the Middle East along sectarian lines. In Iran, the regional Shiite superpower, the Saudi Embassy was ransacked and burned. The Saudi kingdom and a number of its Sunni allies have cut or downgraded diplomatic relations with Tehran. In a number of Sunni-majority states, members of the Shiite minority have taken to the streets to protest Nimr's death. The events seem to be a worrying escalation of the sectarian rhetoric that has blighted the Muslim world in recent years and helped worsen conflicts in places like Syria, Iraq and Yemen. While it would be very wrong to lay all the blame on the religious schism that split the Sunni and the Shiite Muslims nearly 14 centuries ago, it's hard to deny that the current divide reinforces a lot of other rivalries and disputes �" and is perhaps even exploited by some to further other aims. Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/01/05/5-facts-about-sunnis-and-shiites-that-help-makes-sense-of-the-saudi-iran-crisis/ http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/what-are-the-top-global-risks-for-2016 From the environment to international security and the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution, the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2016 finds risks on the rise in 2016. In this year’s annual survey, almost 750 experts assessed 29 separate global risks for both impact and likelihood over a 10-year time horizon. The risk with the greatest potential impact in 2016 was found to be a failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation. This is the first time since the report was published in 2006 that an environmental risk has topped the ranking. This year, it was considered to have greater potential damage than weapons of mass destruction (2nd), water crises (3rd), large-scale involuntary migration (4th) and severe energy price shock (5th). Thu, 14 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/what-are-the-top-global-risks-for-2016 http://en.qantara.de/content/civil-war-in-syria-assad-is-starving-his-own-people-with-impunity Starving civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited �" as is clearly set out in the Geneva Convention. A contravention of this constitutes a war crime, even in internal state conflicts. In Syria however, this has been common practice. For years. And as time has gone by, on all sides of the war. This profoundly gruesome and inhuman tactic is being employed by the rebels and the Islamic State terror militia. However, no side deploys the besieging of civilian areas, indiscriminate bombardment and starvation as a weapon in as systematic a fashion as the regime of Bashar al-Assad and its allied militia, such as the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. If they lose control of territory, they then try to unleash all the means at their disposal to make life hell for the people living in those areas. Fri, 15 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/civil-war-in-syria-assad-is-starving-his-own-people-with-impunity http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39036&lan=EN Systemic incompetence and a complete lack of will by State and Federal authorities in Mexico to properly search for and investigate the disappearance of thousands of people are fueling a human rights crisis of epidemic proportions, said Amnesty International in a new report published today. �oeThe relentless wave of disappearances that is taking over Chihuahua and the utterly reckless way in which the investigation into the enforced disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa students is being handled show the Mexican authorities’ total disregard for human rights and human dignity,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International. �oeTragically, disappearances have become such a common occurrence across Mexico that they have almost become part of ordinary life. In the rare occasions when investigations actually take place, they are little more than a mere formality to pretend something is being done.” Fri, 15 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39036&lan=EN http://www.euractiv.com/section/science-policymaking/news/france-debates-future-of-bee-killing-neonicotinoid-pesticides/ Thu, 14 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.euractiv.com/section/science-policymaking/news/france-debates-future-of-bee-killing-neonicotinoid-pesticides/ http://opendemocracy.net/democraciaabierta/fernando-betancor/fragmentaci-n-la-espa-ola Spain celebrated general elections on Sunday the 20th of December and the result was an even worse than predicted fragmentation of the political landscape. Although the governing Partido Popular of Mariano Rajoy won the greatest number of seats, the scandal-ridden party fell well short of the majority of 173 seats needed to form a government. To make matters worse, the centrist Ciudadanos party of Albert Rivera did considerably worse than expected after climbing steadily in the polls in the run-up to the election. This means that a Populares+Ciudadanos coalition would still far short of the majority needed to govern and gives the Spanish Left a powerful blocking position, which they have promised to exercise. Mon, 11 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://opendemocracy.net/democraciaabierta/fernando-betancor/fragmentaci-n-la-espa-ola http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/34377-the-oil-pricequake-political-turmoil-in-a-time-of-low-energy-prices As 2015 drew to a close, many in the global energy industry were praying that the price of oil would bounce back from the abyss, restoring the petroleum-centric world of the past half-century. All evidence, however, points to a continuing depression in oil prices in 2016 - one that may, in fact, stretch into the 2020s and beyond. Given the centrality of oil (and oil revenues) in the global power equation, this is bound to translate into a profound shakeup in the political order, with petroleum-producing states from Saudi Arabia to Russia losing both prominence and geopolitical clout. Tue, 12 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/34377-the-oil-pricequake-political-turmoil-in-a-time-of-low-energy-prices http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39028&lan=EN In 22 countries affected by conflict, nearly 24 million children living in crisis zones are out of school, UNICEF said today. The analysis highlights that nearly one in four of the 109.2 million children of primary and lower secondary school age - typically between six and 15 years �" living in conflict areas are missing out on their education. Tue, 12 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39028&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39026&lan=EN Today, the United Nations Security Council has more sanctions regimes in place than at any time in its history. During the 1990s, the maximum was eight; in the 2000s, the peak rose to 12; now it stands at 16. And these totals do not include sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States. Judging by this escalation, one might conclude that sanctions have proved a remarkably effective tool in promoting international peace and security. Unfortunately, that is far from being the case. In fact, academic studies suggest that sanctions have had limited success. Thomas Biersteker of the Graduate Institute in Geneva estimates that sanctions are effective only about 20% of the time. Mon, 11 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39026&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39023&lan=EN The breach in diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia is a dangerous watershed in an already unstable, war-torn region. The trigger was the execution by Saudi Arabia of Nimr al-Nimr, a firebrand Shia sheikh who had called for the end of the country’s monarchy. But the rupture has its roots in a strategic rivalry that stretches across the Middle East. Fri, 08 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39023&lan=EN http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/08/opinion/president-barack-obama-guns-are-our-shared-responsibility.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FObama%2C%20Barack&action=click&contentCollection=politics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=12& THE epidemic of gun violence in our country is a crisis. Gun deaths and injuries constitute one of the greatest threats to public health and to the safety of the American people. Every year, more than 30,000 Americans have their lives cut short by guns. Suicides. Domestic violence. Gang shootouts. Accidents. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost brothers and sisters, or buried their own children. We’re the only advanced nation on earth that sees this kind of mass violence with this frequency. A national crisis like this demands a national response. Reducing gun violence will be hard. It’s clear that common-sense gun reform won’t happen during this Congress. It won’t happen during my presidency. Still, there are steps we can take now to save lives. And all of us �" at every level of government, in the private sector and as citizens �" have to do our part. We all have a responsibility. Thu, 07 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/08/opinion/president-barack-obama-guns-are-our-shared-responsibility.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FObama%2C%20Barack&action=click&contentCollection=politics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=12& http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39018&lan=EN The United Nations defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life." • Violence against women - particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence - are major public health problems and violations of women's human rights. • Recent global prevalence figures indicate that about 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. • Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30%) of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner. • Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner. • Violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health, and may increase vulnerability to HIV. Wed, 30 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39018&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39017&lan=EN This has been a bad year for parties in power faced with elections. They have been losing them, if not absolutely then relatively. Attention has been focusing on a series of elections where so-called rightwing parties have been performing better, sometimes much better, than parties in power considered to be leftwing. Notable examples are Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, and Denmark. And one might add the United States. What is less commented on has been the reverse situation �" parties in power that are "rightwing" losing to forces on the left, or at least losing in percentages and numbers of seats they have obtained at the national and/or provincial levels. This has been true, in often quite different ways, of Canada, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, and India. Wed, 06 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39017&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/iran-and-saudi-arabia-the-impending-storm It should be noted that this Iranian-Saudi rivalry is not confessional in nature, the continuation of an "age-old enmity" (Sueddeutsche Zeitung) between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam. It is much more a case of this interpretation, as it always has been, being part of an imperial divide and rule policy, one that flourished in particular most recently in the first decade of the 21st century. The violent US-led removal of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003 and the crushing of the Iraqi state prepared the ground for Iran's power consolidation, a process that reached its climax in the mid-2000s. Saudi Arabia reacted to this with an increasingly aggressive anti-Iranian, anti-Shia discourse, which has polluted the regional climate ever since. Riyadh has also failed to exert political influence in Iraq �" its embassy in Baghdad only just reopened this January after 25 years. Wed, 06 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/iran-and-saudi-arabia-the-impending-storm http://theconversation.com/arabie-saoudite-iran-de-la-guerre-par-procuration-a-la-guerre-des-mots-52776 Ever since Saudi Arabia executed Shia Cleric Nimr al-Nimr for terrorist offences, tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been escalating by the day. After the execution, the Saudi embassy was stormed by protesters in Tehran. Riyadh has now severed diplomatic relations with Tehran �" and the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan, staunch Saudi allies, have followed suit, spurred on by Iran’s portentous prediction of �oedivine vengeance” for the execution. Wed, 06 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://theconversation.com/arabie-saoudite-iran-de-la-guerre-par-procuration-a-la-guerre-des-mots-52776 http://www.iom.int/fr/news/loim-recense-3-771-deces-de-migrants-dans-la-mediterranee-en-2015 With 3,771 deaths, 2015 was the deadliest year on record for migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe, reports IOM in a year-end summary. By comparison 3,279 deaths were recorded in the Mediterranean in 2014. Globally, IOM estimates that over 5,350 migrants died in 2015. IOM also recorded total sea arrivals to Europe in 2015 at 1,004,356 or almost five times the previous year’s total of 219,000. �oeMigration has been the major theme of 2015, with record numbers of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe, fleeing from conflict and acute poverty. Throughout the year, we have been reminded that much of human mobility is not voluntary and tragically we have seen so many who felt they had no option but to leave their beloved homelands and were lost at sea, in the deserts or trapped in the back of lorries they had hoped would carry them to a safer and better life,” Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.iom.int/fr/news/loim-recense-3-771-deces-de-migrants-dans-la-mediterranee-en-2015 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39010&lan=EN It is too bad that we have so far been unable to furnish another label with the toxic power of fascism for these abhorrent people and movements. We will have to make do with more ordinary words: religious fanaticism for the Islamic State, reactionary anarchism for the Tea Party, and self-indulgent demagoguery on behalf of oligarchy for Donald Trump. There are fringe movements today, such as Aryan Nations in the United States and Golden Dawn in Greece, that draw openly upon Nazi symbolism and employ physical violence. The term �oefascist” is better left to them. Read more at https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/is-fascism-back-by-robert-o--paxton-2016-01#cd6ppgdEsOvAHXWC.99 Thu, 07 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39010&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39007&lan=EN The future of the left is no more difficult to predict than any other social fact. The best way to address it is by way of what I term the sociology of emergences, which consists in paying special attention to signs from the present that can be read as trends or the harbinger of whatever will be decisive in the future. At present I propose to draw special attention to a fact that, given its uncommon nature, could portend something new and important. I allude to recent pacts signed by various parties on the left. Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39007&lan=EN http://www.euractiv.fr/sections/euro-finances/est-ce-la-fin-de-la-rigueur-en-europe-320709 The European Commission has been quietly relaxing its approach to member states that break the budgetary rules, in order to avoid harming the bloc's fragile economic growth. This approach could not be more different from the years 2011-2013, when countries in deficit were subjected to severe "adjustments", to borrow the technocratic term, which pushed the eurozone to the brink of the recession from which it is still struggling to recover. Wed, 06 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.euractiv.fr/sections/euro-finances/est-ce-la-fin-de-la-rigueur-en-europe-320709 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39005&lan=EN The year 2015 that just ended deserves this Latin characterization: annus nefastus. Others call it annus horribilis. There were so many calamities that, besides fright, they cause concern. The first concern is the Earth Over-Reach Day that occurred on September 13th. It means that on that day, the required supplies to maintain the life-system and the Earth-system had surpassed the Earth's capabilities. The Earth lost her biocapacity. She is the basis for all our projects. Since the Earth is a super-living being, the signals she sends us that she has reached her limit are droughts, floods, typhoons and increased violence all over the world. Everything is inter-connected, as Pope Francis insistently repeats in his encyclical letter. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39005&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39002&lan=EN Political realignments are to be expected in democracies; indeed, democratic institutions are designed to make them possible. Generally, the constitution does not change, or changes only slowly, whereas a new party or coalition redefines the policy agenda and reforms the legislation. This combination of rigidity and plasticity enables democratic regimes to adapt to shifts in citizens’ preferences. The same does not apply to Europe, however. First, political change is not synchronized. At any given moment, some countries may have voted for radical parties, while others have not (or simply have not held elections). This clash of legitimacy is what the Greek government initially failed to understand last spring when it sought to ease austerity measures: Syriza had received a mandate for change from Greek voters, but other countries’ representatives had not received such a mandate. Thu, 31 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39002&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/human-rights-violations-in-morocco-city-of-roses-city-of-torture Almost a quarter of a century has gone by since this era, recorded in the history of Morocco as the "years of lead" (from the 1960s until the early 1990s), a time characterised by the excessive repression, persecution and torture of political dissidents �" rebels, Western Sahara activists, leftists, teachers and students. A "truth commission" has now been in place for more than 10 years, aimed at processing and making amends for the innumerable human rights violations dating from the period. More than 20,000 applications for compensation have been received by the commission, as its concluding report makes clear. But not a single historical perpetrator has since been called to account. Wed, 06 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/human-rights-violations-in-morocco-city-of-roses-city-of-torture http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39000&lan=EN 2015 featured some of the most significant climate milestones in human history. From record-high temperatures, to atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide not seen in a million years or more, to a landmark international agreement to limit global warming, no other year has seen such a stark contrast of climate indicators. Each milestone provides perspective on how far we’ve come, where we are today and what the future might hold. Wed, 30 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=39000&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38999&lan=EN Latin America isn’t the same as it was at the beginning of the millennium. The commodities boom was the engine behind significant achievements in employment, salaries and poverty levels across the region, which ended up changing the economic landscape. A reality promoted, without a doubt, by the rise of China. But after over a decade of growth, the tides have changed for Latin America. It’s anticipated that the region will have to adapt to a new reality of low growth in 2016, precisely because of the slowdown in the Asian giant, among other reasons. However, while the adverse effects of the global economic slowdown are making themselves felt �" higher levels of informal employment, lower salaries �" Augusto de la Torre, Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean for the World Bank says it is key that Latin American countries don’t lose sight of the social gains won over the past 15 years. Mon, 04 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38999&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38998&lan=EN The effects of a super El Niño are set to put the world’s humanitarian system under an unprecedented level of strain in 2016 as it already struggles to cope with the fallout from conflicts in Syria, South Sudan, Yemen and elsewhere. It’s already too late for some regions to avoid a major emergency. In Ethiopia, the government estimates that 10.2 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2016, at a cost of $1.4 billion, due to a drought that's been exacerbated by El Niño. Oxfam is planning to reach 777,000 people there to make sure they have access to clean water, sanitation facilities and emergency food and livelihood support but faces a funding gap of $25 million. Elsewhere, the situation is serious and deteriorating, and urgent early action is required to prevent a slide into crisis that would put the humanitarian system under enormous strain. Wed, 30 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38998&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38996&lan=EN Putting all of this together, global growth in 2016 will be disappointing and uneven. The global economy’s medium-term growth prospects have weakened as well, because potential growth is being held back by low productivity, aging populations, and the legacies of the global financial crisis. High debt, low investment, and weak banks continue to burden some advanced economies, especially in Europe; and many emerging economies continue to face adjustments after their post-crisis credit and investment boom. This outlook is heavily affected by some major economic transitions that are creating global spillovers and spillbacks, particularly China’s transition to a new growth model and the normalization of US monetary policy. Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38996&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38987&lan=EN At this time, we all wish �oe a very good year”. While the wish is always a positive thing, we should also realize that we cannot expect too much from the new born year. He is loaded by so many handicaps, that we should have lot of sympathy for him…He is part of a negative circle that started with the financial crisis of 2008, and that will probably conclude in 2017, a cathartic year in which elections in several key countries and other crucial appointments could open a new cycle. Thu, 31 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38987&lan=EN http:// Most of the unsolved issues of 2015 �" be it the migrants’ crisis, the high unemployment or terrorism �" will still be running in the coming year. But the British referendum over EU membership, probably due in June, will outweigh them all, says the co-founder of Wake Up Europe! Bill Emmott Thu, 31 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http:// http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38985&lan=EN The takeaway from all this is that the United States can never be second to anyone, and has nothing to learn from others, when the opposite is really the truth. Americans have a great belief in their own exceptionalism or manifest destiny �" only Israel has a similar belief in itself. So the Republican majority in Congress can easily disregard the fact that almost 200 nations met in Paris recently to unanimously agree that the planet faces a serious threat from the use of fossil fuels, and to make an (insufficient) effort to change that trend. Wed, 30 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38985&lan=EN http://www.opendemocracy.net/democraciaabierta/carlos-march/fictiocracy-democracy-as-illusion In the past three decades, Latin America has managed to give continuity to its democratic systems of government. However, some data show that what is being consolidated in the region is an illusion of democracy which is not substantiated by a democratic institutional framework guaranteeing the welfare and indeed the life of Latin Americans. This is an illusory democracy which is upheld by governmental narratives but is not backed up by the kind of state policies that would be expected from consolidated democracies. Thus arises Ficciocracia (Fictiocracy), a string of scenarios that fictionalize the virtues of democracy while reality is being dominated by power factions that transform the democratic system, by way of their management of crime and poverty, into an illusion. Fri, 25 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.opendemocracy.net/democraciaabierta/carlos-march/fictiocracy-democracy-as-illusion http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38981&lan=EN Like Catherine, Putin, hopes to trade off his invasions. Ukraine clearly remains Russia’s top priority. By intervening in Syria �" a conflict of primary concern to Europe and the US �" the Kremlin feels it has acquired leverage over Ukraine’s Western partners. The consequences �" including military casualties and the threat of retaliation by the Islamic State �" pale in comparison to the possibility of a grand bargain that secures his gains closer to home. Putin is so confident that he holds all the cards that he made a point of toning down his usual anti-American bluster. He said he supported US Secretary of State John Kerry’s efforts to address jointly issues �oethat can be resolved only together,” and that he was ready to �oework with any president voted in by the American people.” There is little question, however, about which US candidate Putin would like to see in the White House. In remarks following the press conference, he praised Trump as �oea very colorful, talented person” and the �oeabsolute leader of the presidential race.” Wed, 30 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38981&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38979&lan=EN It would be helpful �" in fact, necessary �" to read with a bifocal lens the outcome of the UN Conference on Climate Change that took place recently in Paris. This would allow us a closer look at a negotiating process that went on for years, and that spawned many other processes. A pair of bifocals would help us de-code what happened in Paris and what the future will offer us. These lenses are made of other materials, you will never find them mentioned in studies of climatology, and you will not find them in the drawers of government leaders, businesspeople or non-governmental experts. Putting ourselves on the side of the sky �" which is nowadays darkened by a thick suffocating cloud of smog and disturbed by extreme weather events and altered migratory cycles �" means assuming the feminine perspective of a mother who is rapidly being consumed by an unhealthy obsession with never-ending growth. Tue, 29 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38979&lan=EN http://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/cas-mudde/2015-and-struggle-for-europe-s-core Devastating terrorist attacks, months of insecurity about the Eurozone, huge electoral victories for populist parties, an unprecedented refugees crisis... there is no doubt that 2015 was Europe’s annus horribilis. Sure, European integration and liberal democracy had been challenged before. The 1992 Maastricht Treaty did not only create the foundations of the current European Union, but also gave birth to a slow but steady growing Euroscepticism. Populist parties have been stable features of some European countries since the late 1980s. And counter-terrorism has undermined liberal democracy at least since 9/11. Mon, 28 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/cas-mudde/2015-and-struggle-for-europe-s-core http://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/fr/retrospective-2015-banque-mondiale-en-12-graphiques Now that we've reached the end of 2015, it's clear this was a year of major milestones, emerging trends, and new beginnings. Among other things, 2015 marked a historic drop in poverty, a major climate change agreement, and record low child and maternal mortality rates. Take a look at what the data show. Thu, 24 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/fr/retrospective-2015-banque-mondiale-en-12-graphiques http://de.qantara.de/inhalt/repression-und-legitimation-in-aegypten-die-welt-wie-sie-al-sisi-gefaellt A policy formula that only recognises two distinctions �" those who are "for the regime" and those who are "against the regime", with the latter arguably grouped under the heading "potential terrorists" �" is leading to widespread human rights violations and the persecution of those who hold different political views. A commentary by Thomas Demmelhuber Mon, 28 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://de.qantara.de/inhalt/repression-und-legitimation-in-aegypten-die-welt-wie-sie-al-sisi-gefaellt http://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2015/12/23/rwanda-le-tribunal-penal-international-ferme-ses-portes The formal closure of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on December 31, 2015, makes it especially important for governments around the world to intensify efforts to bring remaining suspects to justice. The ICTR was created by the United Nations Security Council in 1994 in response to the genocide in Rwanda. Its mission was to prosecute those responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in Rwanda or by Rwandan citizens in neighboring countries between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 1994. It was expected to try mostly high-level suspects and those who played a leading role in the genocide. Wed, 23 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2015/12/23/rwanda-le-tribunal-penal-international-ferme-ses-portes http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38970&lan=EN There is an alarming political shift to the right occurring on both sides of the Atlantic, linked to the growing force of openly chauvinist political parties and figures: Donald Trump in the United States, Marine Le Pen in France. Other names could be added to the list: Hungary’s prime minister, Victor �"rban, who advocates �oeilliberal democracy,” or Jaros�"aw Kaczy�"ski and his quasi-authoritarian Law and Justice party, which now rules Poland. The reasons for such parties’ rise and success vary greatly at the national level. But their basic positions are similar. All of them are raging against the �oesystem,” the �oepolitical establishment,” and the EU. Worse, they are not just xenophobic (and, in particular, Islamophobic); they also more or less unashamedly embrace an ethnic definition of the nation. The political community is not a product of its citizens’ commitment to a common constitutional and legal order; instead, as in the 1930s, membership in the nation is derived from common descent and religion. Mon, 28 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38970&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38969&lan=EN The grotesquely violent videos that Daesh produces have shock appeal. But what really attracts disaffected young people is the invitation to be part of something that seems larger than themselves and the societies in which they live. Shiraz Maher of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization (ICSR) at King’s College London identifies a common thread of sentiment among recruits: �oerighteous indignation, defiance, a sense of persecution, and a refusal to conform.” As a recent Quilliam Foundation report concludes, Daesh plays on the youthful desire to be part of something worthwhile; it is the organization’s utopian appeal that is most alluring to new recruits. Wed, 23 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38969&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38964&lan=EN In the ‘Northern Triangle’ countries of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, both internal migration and migration across borders is taking place on a staggering scale. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, extreme gang violence �" including rape, kidnapping, murder, extortion, land expropriation, natural resource extraction, and the illegal trade in narcotics �" is resulting in mass deaths, casualties and forced displacement comparable with conflicts elsewhere in the world. For example, in 2014 in El Salvador, some five percent of the entire population was displaced. Tue, 22 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38964&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38960&lan=EN Saudi Arabia has been bankrolling Islamist terrorism since the oil-price boom of the 1970s dramatically boosted the country’s wealth. According to a 2013 European Parliament report, some of the $10 billion invested by Saudi Arabia for �oeits Wahhabi agenda” in South and Southeast Asia was �oediverted” to terrorist groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Tue, 22 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38960&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38959&lan=EN Since the early 2000s, effective retirement ages have continued to increase steadily, especially for women. Employment rates of people aged 55 to 64 years have increased sharply in many countries: from 45 to 66% in Germany, for example, from 31 to 46% in Italy and from 52 to 57% on average across the OECD. However, significant challenges remain, with population ageing accelerating in many countries partly as a result of changing labour market trends. Many of today’s retirees, at least men, worked for most of their lives often in rather stable jobs. But a job for life or even an intermittant career might not be the norm for people starting out today. Unemployment rates, especially among younger people, remain very high in many countries, as do long-term unemployment rates among older workers. A decline in jobs with open-ended contracts and the parallel rise in temporary and often precarious jobs are also reducing the continuity of contributions to pensions that workers can claim in retirement Tue, 22 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38959&lan=EN http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/opinion/a-medieval-antidote-to-isis.html?_r=0 Unless you have some knowledge of medieval Islamic theology you probably have no idea what irja means. The word translates literally as �oepostponing.” It was a theological principle put forward by some Muslim scholars during the very first century of Islam. At the time, the Muslim world was going through a major civil war, as proto-Sunnis and proto-Shiites fought for power, and a third group called Khawarij (dissenters) were excommunicating and slaughtering both sides. In the face of this bloody chaos, the proponents of irja said that the burning question of who is a true Muslim should be �oepostponed” until the afterlife. Even a Muslim who abandoned all religious practice and committed many sins, they reasoned, could not be denounced as an �oeapostate.” Faith was a matter of the heart, something only God �" not other human beings �" could evaluate. Mon, 21 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/opinion/a-medieval-antidote-to-isis.html?_r=0 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38955&lan=EN A proposed change to France’s Constitution would put many people at even greater risk of human rights violations by giving security services carte blanche to close down organizations, conduct unwarranted house raids, shut down mosques and restrict people’s freedom of movement, said Amnesty International. The amendment, which if approved as an official government proposal by the French Council of Ministers during discussions set for tomorrow, would allow authorities to continue using state of emergency measures for a further six months after the end of a state of emergency. Under the current state of emergency, authorities have carried out 2,700 house searches without warrant and imposed assigned residency on hundreds of people, restricting their freedom of movement, since the November 13 Paris attacks. Tue, 22 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38955&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38953&lan=EN The terrorist actions perpetrated in Paris on November 13th, by terrorist groups of Islamic extraction, were certainly abominable and totally worthy of condemnation. Such nefarious acts do not fall from the sky. They have a prehistory of rage, humiliation and the desire of revenge. The old paradigm answered war with war. The new paradigm, of the global phase of the Earth and of humanity, responds with a paradigm of comprehension, hospitality of all for all, of dialogue without boundaries, of inter-exchanges without borders, of the win-win and of alliances among all. Otherwise, with war becoming ever more destructive, we could put an end to our species, or make our Common Home uninhabitable. Mon, 21 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38953&lan=EN http://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/pia-oberoi/what%E2%80%99s-in-name-complex-reality-of-migration-and-human-rights-in-twenty Raisa Abdul Azim was eight months old and Aylan Kurdi was three when their families boarded unseaworthy boats within days of each other, seeking a future for their children in Europe. In their uprooted lives, and in their tragic, heart-breaking deaths at sea, they were very similar. But Raisa was the daughter of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Libya, while Aylan was the son of Syrian refugees in Turkey. We are told that these are fundamentally different kinds of people. But are they? Thu, 15 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/pia-oberoi/what%E2%80%99s-in-name-complex-reality-of-migration-and-human-rights-in-twenty http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38951&lan=EN Migrant workers account for 150.3 million of the world’s approximately 232 million international migrants, according to a new study by the International Labour Organization (ILO). Labour migration is a phenomenon that concerns all regions of the world, however almost half (48.5 per cent) of migrant workers are concentrated in two broad regions: Northern America, and Northern, Southern and Western Europe. The Arab States have the highest proportion of migrant workers as a share of all workers with 35.6 per cent. Wed, 16 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38951&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38949&lan=EN So, when Western leaders ask Arabs and others in the region why they can’t govern themselves, they should be prepared for the answer: �oeFor a full century, your interventions have undermined democratic institutions (by rejecting the results of the ballot box in Algeria, Palestine, Egypt, and elsewhere); stoked repeated and now chronic wars; armed the most violent jihadists for your cynical bidding; and created a killing field that today stretches from Bamako to Kabul.” What, then, should be done to bring about a new Middle East? I would propose five principles. Sat, 19 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38949&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38948&lan=EN • The WHO Constitution enshrines �oe…the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right of every human being.” • The right to health includes access to timely, acceptable, and affordable health care of appropriate quality. • Yet, about 100 million people globally are pushed below the poverty line as a result of health care expenditure ever year. • Vulnerable and marginalized groups in societies tend to bear an undue proportion of health problems. • Universal health coverage is a means to promote the right to health. Sun, 13 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38948&lan=EN http://www.politico.eu/article/spanish-general-elections-primer-ciudadanos-popular-party-socialists-podemos-eurozone-austerity-economy-eu/?utm_source=phplist62&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Political+Anticipation+-+LEAP+Press+review On December 20, Spain will hold the most open general election of its democratic era. The recent arrival of two new parties, Ciudadanos and Podemos, as national forces has blown open an electoral landscape that the governing Popular Party (PP) and the Socialists (PSOE) had dominated without interruption since the early 1980s. Meanwhile, the country is in the midst of a territorial crisis, as separatists in the north-eastern region of Catalonia attempt to create an independent state, while corruption and inefficiency have undermined the credibility of many of the country’s institutions. For the first time since Francisco Franco’s dictatorship made way for parliamentary democracy, Spain’s mainstream politicians are seriously discussing major reforms to, or even an overhaul of, the constitution drawn up in 1978. �oeThe general election to be held on December 20 is special and different to any of the elections Spain has held since 1977,” says Público newspaper. Fri, 18 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.politico.eu/article/spanish-general-elections-primer-ciudadanos-popular-party-socialists-podemos-eurozone-austerity-economy-eu/?utm_source=phplist62&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Political+Anticipation+-+LEAP+Press+review http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38943&lan=EN More than 16 million babies were born in conflict zones in 2015 �" 1 in 8 of all births worldwide this year �" UNICEF said today, a figure that underscores the vulnerability faced by increasing numbers of children. �oeEvery two seconds, a newborn takes its first breath in the midst of conflict, often in terrifying circumstances and without access to medical care,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. �oeToo many children are now starting their lives in extreme circumstances �" from conflict to natural disasters, poverty, disease or malnutrition. Can there be a worse start in life?” Thu, 17 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38943&lan=EN http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-t-klare/a-new-world-beckons_b_8801842.html Historically, the transition from one energy system to another, as from wood to coal or coal to oil, has proven an enormously complicated process, requiring decades to complete. In similar fashion, it will undoubtedly be many years before renewable forms of energy -- wind, solar, tidal, geothermal, and others still in development -- replace fossil fuels as the world’s leading energy providers. Nonetheless, 2015 can be viewed as the year in which the epochal transition from one set of fuels to another took off, with renewables making such significant strides that, for the first time in centuries, the beginning of the end of the Fossil Fuel Era has come into sight. Sun, 13 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-t-klare/a-new-world-beckons_b_8801842.html http://en.qantara.de/content/the-islam-debate-the-dual-consciousness-of-muslims Muslims today can no longer think, or ultimately exist, outside the widespread lore about Islam, which links them to discussions about terror, violence and the separation of religion and society. They can never be free of the neverending stream of projections about Islam. An essay by Farid Hafez Fri, 18 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/the-islam-debate-the-dual-consciousness-of-muslims http://www.opendemocracy.net/democraciaabierta/arianne-sved/podemos-el-trayecto-esquizofr-nico-desde-las-plazas-hasta-las-institu And herein lies the sense of schizophrenia I have felt all along regarding Podemos. How many compromises should Podemos be willing to make? If they are not going to win anyway, as seems to be the case, would it not have been better to compromise less and work toward a more profound political change as an opposition? Thu, 17 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.opendemocracy.net/democraciaabierta/arianne-sved/podemos-el-trayecto-esquizofr-nico-desde-las-plazas-hasta-las-institu http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38931&lan=EN According to figures recently released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), food loss and waste accounts for about 4.4 gigatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (4.4 Gt CO2e) per year. To put this in perspective, if food loss and waste were its own country, it would be the world’s third-largest emitter�"surpassed only by China and the United States. In fact, food loss and waste generates more than four times as much annual greenhouse gas emissions as aviation, and is comparable to emissions from road transport. Fri, 11 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38931&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38924&lan=EN �oeCommanders have deliberately and brutally recruited and used children to fight, in total disregard for their safety and South Sudan’s law,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. �oeSouth Sudan authorities should call a halt to the massive recruitment and use of children in this conflict, which deepens the decades-old patterns of abuse.” The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that 15,000 to 16,000 children may have been used by armed forces and groups in the conflict. South Sudan’s civil war began in December 2013, when soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar, now the rebel leader, fought in Juba, the capital. As the fighting spread, both sides targeted and killed civilians, including in gruesome massacres, often based on their ethnicity. Some 2.2 million people have been displaced, many from villages or towns that were burned and pillaged. Mon, 14 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38924&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38921&lan=EN But it is time to consider that the right wing in Europe (as well as in the United States), is going beyond nostalgia and xenophobia. Its growth in every European country is due to an expanding number of disaffected citizens, many of whom come from the working class and the poorest sections of society. They are citizens who once vote for the left, but have become frustrated with the decline of welfare structures, unemployment for them or their children, a state in retreat in favour of the market, growing social injustice, immigration felt as a threat, loss of national identity and strident corruption. This has created a new category of what could be called �oeeconomic nationalism” which wants to combat all forms of foreign intrusion, whether it be the European Union, immigrants, NATO or multinationals. The traditional parties are looked on as a self-referent mechanism of unaccountable elites, who are interested in perpetuation in power and do not deliver what citizens need. It is mix of xenophobia, nationalism, nostalgia for a past that was better, a call for an economy that enhances the nation without giving any space to foreign forces and institutions �" it is a container large enough to accommodate a growing part of the electorate. Tue, 15 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38921&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38920&lan=EN The global agreement reached in Paris last week is actually the third climate agreement reached in the past month. The first happened at the end of November, when a group of billionaires led by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos announced the creation of a $20 billion fund to back clean-energy research. On the same day, a group of 20 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, China, and Brazil, agreed to double their investment in green energy, to a total of $20 billion a year. Of the two pre-Paris announcements, it was that of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition (BEC) �" Gates and his fellow entrepreneurs �" that grabbed most of the headlines. This is not surprising, given the strong association in the popular imagination between innovation and the private sector. If a technological breakthrough is needed in the fight against climate change, whom should we expect to provide it, if not the wizards of Silicon Valley and other hubs of free-market innovation? Mon, 14 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38920&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38918&lan=EN The roots of the Middle East’s many conflicts lie in the unraveling of the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the twentieth century and the failure since then to forge a stable regional order. As the international community works toward securing a durable peace in the region, its leaders would be wise to remember the lessons of history. Mon, 30 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38918&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38916&lan=EN The world has reached an historic agreement on climate change. The deal concluded at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris commits countries to take steps to limit warming to �oewell below” 2º Celsius relative to pre-industrial levels and to pursue �oeefforts” to limit warming to 1.5ºC. It also obliges developed countries to provide $100 billion per year in assistance to developing countries. But, unfortunately, the final negotiations dropped the one number that truly matters for the future of our planet: zero. That is the net amount of carbon dioxide we can emit if we are ever to stabilize the planet’s temperature at any level. Zero, none, nada. The Earth’s atmosphere-ocean system is like a bathtub filling up with CO2 and other greenhouse gases: The higher the level, the warmer the planet will be. Mon, 14 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38916&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38913&lan=EN A historic climate agreement was struck on Saturday the 12th of December in Paris. After four years of talks and two weeks of negotiations in Paris, the agreement represents a decisive reinforcement of the foundation for international climate policy. This article presents an analysis of the Paris Agreement and its negotiation, and of what should come next. Rather than analysing in detail its individual elements, it takes a step back to look at the bigger picture. Mon, 14 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38913&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38912&lan=EN The rise of radical populist, eurosceptic and even europhobic trends, on the right and the left, highlights an economic and political crisis in European liberal democracy. The economic liberalism has not only been linked to an excess of neo-liberal reforms but also to the disaster of the financial crisis. The crisis in economic liberalism is reflected in a political crisis, a sufficiently clear symptom of which is the resurgence of populism and extremism in many European States. The basic principles of our regimes of freedom have to be revived and reasserted urgently, as the terrorist attacks in France have reminded us, since these have undermined the vital fundaments of liberal democracy: the right to safety and security, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of thought etc ... Mon, 14 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38912&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38907&lan=EN Sat, 12 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38907&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38906&lan=EN More than 190 countries have for the first time committed to climate action and the summit has created momentum throughout the year, with countries and parts of the business community making announcements toward tackling climate change. But the ambitious speeches from world leaders opening the summit were not sustained to the end game. �oeGovernments across the world have now come together in the global fight against climate change but must play catch up. We will be holding them to account with the millions of people who marched in cities all around the world so that dangerous warming is averted and the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities get the support that they need.” Sat, 12 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38906&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38905&lan=EN Cultural networks always work towards integration and social cohesion. They stand for a world without walls, both in a symbolic and the real meaning. Acting to the benefit of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue is never enough: today, intercultural dialogue lies at the core of international activities, and is, as UNESCO emphasizes, one of the key challenges facing humanity. It is an essential process in building new social and cultural models in a changing world, a world that should be much more open-ended and open-minded than the actually existing one, a world for all of us who want to live in peace and harmony with all the others who want the same, regardless of what they eat, to whom they pray for peace and understanding, what languages they speak or how they express their hopes, who play, dance, paint or act whether as hosts or as guests. After all, we all are both hosts and guests to each other at the same time. Fri, 11 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38905&lan=EN http://www.euractiv.fr/sections/climat-environnement/les-partenaires-pas-tres-verts-du-fonds-vert-pour-le-climat-320366 Some 20 institutions have already been accredited by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and 60 others have requested accreditation, according to Hela Cheikhrouhou, the Fund’s executive director. A further 29 institutions have been recommended for examination by the GCF’s board. This mechanism will allow financial institutions to access funds to launch climate-friendly projects in developing countries. Fri, 11 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.euractiv.fr/sections/climat-environnement/les-partenaires-pas-tres-verts-du-fonds-vert-pour-le-climat-320366 http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/33983-whose-lives-matter-a-crisis-of-solidarity-at-the-climate-talks-in-paris The medical anthropologist Paul Farmer once wrote that "the idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world." For many in the United Nations climate negotiations in Paris this week, this idea is at the heart of disagreement on a pathway forward. Climate change is not primarily an institutional, technological or scientific problem; it is a crisis of solidarity between nations and peoples globally. It is the belief that major polluting countries and wealthy people have more of a right to fill the atmosphere with carbon. It is the idea that the flooding of Miami under rising seas represents more of a catastrophe than that of Dhaka. It is the lack of a shared historical memory that links the suffering of the economically marginal and climate vulnerable to the imperialist actions of wealthy countries and corporations. It is the fact that some lives, and largely those of people of color, women and Indigenous peoples around the world, are treated as mattering less. Thu, 10 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/33983-whose-lives-matter-a-crisis-of-solidarity-at-the-climate-talks-in-paris http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38901&lan=EN The principle of �oecommon but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities” (CBDR), which has been enshrined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change since 1992 (the Rio Earth Summit and the creation of the UNFCCC), refers to the issue of equity within a goal of universality: all countries must contribute to the protection of the environment and to the construction of sustainable development; but in order to achieve this goal, consideration must be given to the fact that some countries have played a greater part in environmental degradation and that disparities exist in the resources available to countries for the pursuit of this goal. Thu, 10 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38901&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38898&lan=EN At UN Headquarters in New York, the world body marked its first-ever commemoration of the International Day, designated as 9 December by the UN General Assembly, with a performance by the UN symphony orchestra and a minute of silence in honour of all those people around the world who have perished through the crime of genocide. Mr. Eliasson went on to underscore that intolerance, discrimination and xenophobia are on the rise and that the ‘us versus them’ dynamic is taking hold, fed by systematic fear-mongering from terrorists and violent extremists. �oeIt is also important that democratic societies do not fall in the trap of such provocations to divide us as human beings. The social fabric in many of our societies is fraying. Polarization and division are growing. This is how the seeds of uncontrollable violence are sown,” he added. Wed, 09 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38898&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38897&lan=EN The world's soils are rapidly deteriorating due to soil erosion, nutrient depletion, loss of soil organic carbon, soil sealing and other threats, but this trend can be reversed provided countries take the lead in promoting sustainable management practices and the use of appropriate technologies, according to a new UN report released today. The Status of the World's Soil Resources produced by FAO's Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils brings together the work of some 200 soil scientists from 60 countries. Its publication coincides with World Soil Day which is celebrated on 4 December and also the end of the UN International Year of Soils 2015 an initiative which has served to raise global awareness on what has been described as "humanity's silent ally". "Further loss of productive soils would severely damage food production and food security, amplify food-price volatility, and potentially plunge millions of people into hunger and poverty. But the report also offers evidence that this loss of soil resources and functions can be avoided," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva. Fri, 04 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38897&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38896&lan=EN In the days ahead, ministers need to craft constructive, ambitious solutions to a number of key issues for a strong climate agreement, including: SHORT-TERM SIGNAL: Countries are moving toward an agreement to assess the state of climate action every five years, and to put forward updated commitments every five years. But major questions remain, including whether they commit to increase ambition every cycle and about whether countries would start that process in 2020 or 2025. Given the rapid changes in technology, science and policy, and the need to cut emissions further, the world needs to return to the table five years from now, in 2020, not wait 10 years to increase their efforts. Ministers also need to settle whether climate finance and adaptation plans would need similar five-year check-ins and updated plans. LONG-TERM GOAL: Countries will decide what kind of signal they will send to investors, companies and governments about the pace and scale of change for decades to come. The options in the text for this signal include a goal to decarbonize the global economy over the course of this century; to reduce global GHG emissions to zero by 2060-2080, or to achieve climate neutrality. Sun, 06 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38896&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38895&lan=EN "The pace and extent of change are surprising and encouraging. People want the energy transition. We need an ambitious climate deal here in Paris and strong political support of the global energy transition. By reinforcing the current trends we can speed up solar and wind. But also we need to send the strong message to investors that the fossil fuel investments have to decline rapidly" says Stephan Singer, Director Global Energy Policy of WWF International. The assessment �oeMegatrends in the global energy transition” shows that Germany, the largest European economy, is no longer a sole pioneer in renewables among the big economies. The current economically, socially and environmentally beneficial roll out of renewables has the power to showcase the various options for a global energy transformation. Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38895&lan=EN http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2015-11-27-ahmed-en.html ISIS recognizes that it has only marginal support amongst Muslims around the world. The only way it can accelerate recruitment and strengthen its territorial ambitions is twofold: firstly, demonstrating to Islamist jihadist networks that there is now only one credible terror game in town capable of pulling off spectacular terrorist attacks in the heart of the West and, secondly, by deteriorating conditions of life for Muslims all over the world to draw them into joining or supporting ISIS. Fri, 27 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2015-11-27-ahmed-en.html http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2015-10-14-ditchev-en.html Mass migration is not merely the result of geopolitical and economic factors, but of cultural triggers too. Moreover, says Ivaylo Ditchev, borders themselves must be subject to a public debate about what kind of borders we want where, rather than arbitrary decisions made by the powers that be. People are less attached to the places, religions and cultures in which they were brought up. The theatre of group identities is still performed by some "righteous" parties and religious organizations, but in general we are becoming more and more singular. The contemporary individual has a culture instead of being part of a culture. Culture has become a possession, like a car or a music track, and it follows you wherever you go. That is why we can choose places more easily, as if we lived in a marketplace of belongings. Wed, 14 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2015-10-14-ditchev-en.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38892&lan=EN What do the Pyrenean ibex, St. Helena olive, Baiji dolphin, Liverpool pigeon, Eastern cougar, West African black rhinoceros, Formosan clouded leopard, Chinese Paddlefish, the Golden Toad and the Rockland grass skipper butterfly all have in common but which is different from the Dodo? The answer is that these species all became extinct since the year 2000, that is, in the last fifteen years. The Dodo became extinct in 1662. The one thing that all of these species have in common is that the cause of their extinction was human beings. The real tragedy is that the few species mentioned above do not begin to tell the story. Recent estimates indicate that 200 species of life (plants, birds, animals, fish, amphibians, insects, reptiles) are driven to extinction each day. Every day. This rate exceeds that during the last mass extinction event, when the dinosaurs vanished 65 million years ago. In short, planet Earth is now experiencing its sixth mass extinction event and we are the cause. How so? Tue, 08 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38892&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38891&lan=EN If current levels persist, the total number of child brides in Africa will rise from 125 million to 310 million by 2050, according to a UNICEF report released at the African Union Girls Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, today. When children get married, their prospects for a healthy, successful life decline drastically, often setting off an intergenerational cycle of poverty. Child brides are less likely to finish school, more likely to be victims of violence and become infected with HIV. Children born to teenage mothers have a higher risk of being stillborn, dying soon after birth and having low birth weight. Child brides often lack the skills needed for employment. Thu, 26 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38891&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38890&lan=EN Just after the half way mark in the Paris COP21, where do we stand and what are the prospects for a successful outcome? This blog post looks at three positive factors in play today, and then discusses the substantive issues. Firstly, the shift from a technical to a political mode of work has succeeded, in a transparent and consensual manner. Secondly, the mode of work for the final week’s political work has been agreed and appears to be working smoothly. The third positive factor is the degree of capital and confidence that has been accumulated by the French Presidency. Tue, 08 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38890&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38889&lan=EN Even as world leaders were meeting in Paris to address climate change, the city of Chennai (formerly Madras), the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, reeled under the onslaught of the heaviest rainfall in 104 years. The city, home to five million people, has virtually shut down, with roads flooded and nearly 5,000 homes under water. More than 450 people have died. Air and rail services have been suspended, power and phone lines have been disrupted, and hospital patients are succumbing as life-support equipment fails. Victims had to be rescued in boats by India’s army and air force. Inevitably, many linked the flooding in Chennai to the talks in Paris, seeing the devastating rains as proof of the catastrophic consequences of human action on the world’s weather. More such disasters, they suggested, are inescapable unless world leaders in Paris take decisive action to limit global climate change. �oeWe are feeling climate change’s fast-growing impact now,” said India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pointing to Chennai and calling upon industrialized countries to do more to mitigate global warming. But another factor arguably offers a more proximate explanation for what went wrong. It is normal for India’s east coast around Chennai to suffer heavy monsoon rains at this time of year. And, although this is the most severe precipitation to hit the region since 1911, the flooding was also the result of human error: the irresponsible and unplanned urbanization that has transformed India in recent decades. Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38889&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38887&lan=EN A new data brief produced by IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre and UNICEF shows that children make up at least one in five of the 870,000 refugees and migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean Sea so far this year. The share is greatest along the Eastern Mediterranean route from Turkey to Greece and through the Western Balkans, where children make up over one quarter of arrivals. About 10 per cent of arrivals to Italy are children, with nearly three quarters unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. Children are among the most vulnerable of the migrants and refugees travelling to Europe. More than one third of all deaths in the Aegean Sea this year have been of children, many of them infants. Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38887&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38884&lan=EN A handful of countries were blocking human rights references in important parts of the climate change agreement as ministers gathered in Paris on December 7, 2015, to continue climate change negotiations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the United States have been criticized by some countries and nongovernmental organizations for seeking to eliminate key references to rights in the document. Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the Philippines have advocated including human rights language. The important role of respecting, protecting, and fulfilling human rights in relation to the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations has been increasingly recognized in international climate change negotiations. At the negotiations, groups including trade unions and coalitions representing indigenous peoples, women, youth, and people in small island nations have been particularly vocal in calling for strong rights language in the treaty. Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38884&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38881&lan=EN Nearly all of the world’s countries�" about 186 to date�" have promised to reduce emissions. The official report of these promises, when seen as a global plan, constitutes an announcement of disaster. The challenge set in 2009 in Copenhagen was to avoid exceeding 2 degrees Celsius of global warming. The official report would mean an increase in global temperature of between 2.7 and 3.9 degrees Celsius. In other words, actual warming could reach double of what was established as the maximum limit. �oeAnd 2 degrees Celsius was the roof of the roof, because many countries have warned that even with a 1.5 degree warming their countries could disappear, especially many island nations. With the Paris agreement, warming is going to reach more than double that figure.” Thu, 03 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38881&lan=EN http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-tapscott/governing-the-climate-sta_b_8697596.html It's the first week of the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference (COP21). A defiant and resilient Paris, France - still under security lockdown following the horrific November 13 terrorist attacks - is proceeding as planned and hosting the leaders of 150 nations, along with 40,000 participants from 195 countries, to discuss solutions for global climate change. This is an exciting time in climate collaboration: U.N. Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon told leaders: "A political moment like this may not come again. We have never faced such a test. But neither have we encountered such great opportunity." However, all the discussion about a possible agreement among states overlooks a much bigger opportunity that is not on the table for discussion. To turn back the tide on climate change a new approach is needed that goes beyond national governments and engages all facets of society. To be sure countries are critical, as we need laws to price carbon and achieve reduction targets. But the overall battle can only be won if businesses, local and regional governments, power providers, transportation systems, corporations, other institutions and billions of citizens get involved. We need to mobilize of the resources of humanity, not dissimilar in scope to the two great world wars, but this time we will all be fighting for the same cause. Wed, 02 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-tapscott/governing-the-climate-sta_b_8697596.html http://www.euractiv.fr/sections/climat-environnement/700-villes-sengagent-vers-le-tout-renouvelable-en-2050-320151 While national negotiators struggle to agree on climate action at the COP21, the mayors of 700 cities have committed to generating 100% of their energy from renewable sources by 2050. EurActiv France reports. Concretely, the mayors committed to a combined reduction in CO2 emissions of 3.7 gigatons per year in urban areas by 2030. If they succeed, this will close 30% of the gap between the national commitments and the +2°C objective. Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.euractiv.fr/sections/climat-environnement/700-villes-sengagent-vers-le-tout-renouvelable-en-2050-320151 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38872&lan=EN It is becoming increasingly clear that ensuring economic opportunities for refugees should be high on the EU’s agenda. Europe should take a page from the Syrian business community’s efforts to relocate some of their country’s enterprises to the Gaziantep Free Economic Zone in Turkey. Where possible, the EU should work with countries currently hosting refugees to establish development zones where displaced Syrians are allowed to work legally. The lack of opportunities on offer in Syria’s neighbors is exacerbating the underlying economic problem. Young people are being forced to interrupt their education, and refugees are fully or partly barred from legal labor markets, owing to fears that they will compete for jobs with local inhabitants. They thus face a bleak choice: life in the camps, attempting to eke out a living in the informal sector, or the hope of a future in Europe. Many choose the latter. The longer refugees remain in poor living conditions, with inadequate educational facilities for the young and no real employment opportunities, the more likely the camps are to turn into centers of disenchantment, boredom, and radicalization. As the fighting back home drags on, the risk that refugees will never be able to integrate into a stable society is growing. Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38872&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38868&lan=EN With Ethiopia battling its worst drought in 30 years due to the El Niño weather pattern, with 8.2 million people already in urgent need of food aid, the United Nations has sent an emergency health team to help support the Government’s response to a crisis that is expected to become even worse over the next eight months. �oeThe food security emergency is coming against a background of multiple ongoing epidemics in the country,” the interim Director of Emergency Risk Management and Humanitarian Response at the UN World Health Organization (WHO), Michelle Gayer, said today. Fri, 04 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38868&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/terrorism-debate-imagine-theres-a-war-and-nobody-notices "The people sleep; only when they die do they wake up," is a well-known saying by Ali Ibn Abi Talib, son-in-law of the Prophet and the fourth Caliph of Islam. Popular among the Sufis, the Islamic mystics, this quote is part of an intellectual echo-chamber that dates back to pre-Islamic times, one in which the suicide bombers of Paris also operated: life is ultimately worth nothing, all that matters is salvation in the hereafter. Admittedly, those who do not believe in life after death might be inclined after the terrorism in Paris to view Ali's aphorism a bit differently: how many more murders will it take to rouse Europe? Certainly, having being shaken awake by the attacks against Charlie Hebdo, we expressed outrage at the disturbance; but then we pressed the snooze button again, as if we didn't know full well that the alarm would go off again at ever-shorter intervals. The Europeans are asleep. And even when they die, they don't wake up. Fri, 04 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/terrorism-debate-imagine-theres-a-war-and-nobody-notices http://en.qantara.de/content/after-the-paris-attacks-the-emotional-helplessness-of-muslims While hundreds of thousands of voices joined in with the strident chorus of solidarity for France, Islamic communities were grappling with a question that has been a pretty much constant feature of their discourse culture since 9/11. How to deal with terrorists who exploit your own religion and use it to whitewash a remorseless series of murders? Should you once more take steps to openly distance yourself from their actions? And if so, how should this be done without corroborating a general suspicion that exists anyway? We Muslims seem weary. Weary of the compulsion to justify, sapped by phrases intended to distance �" in the full knowledge that without expression of these, we will find no peace. After all, as many Muslims make it clear how appalled they are by the unsettling echo of protestations, they are once more distancing themselves. If they do not, this could possibly result not only in an increase in Islamophobic attacks, but also in a sense of guilt �" as a consequence of silence gaining the upper hand in the religious discourse. Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/after-the-paris-attacks-the-emotional-helplessness-of-muslims http://geab.eu/etats-unis-russie-syrie-attentats-de-paris-leurope-broyee-dans-le-mouvement-des-plaques-tectoniques-de-la-grande-reconfiguration-geopolitique-mondiale-2/ The global systemic crisis we have been experiencing for at least eight years is challenging a world order which we have often compared to the one going back not only to the end of the Second World War, but more broadly to the Renaissance and the great discoveries of late fifteenth century. 500 years ago, Europe put itself at the heart of the planet, launching an extensive programme of exploration, followed by exploitation, then colonization, and finally cooperation with the rest of the world. 500 years ago, Europe became the heart of the world. Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://geab.eu/etats-unis-russie-syrie-attentats-de-paris-leurope-broyee-dans-le-mouvement-des-plaques-tectoniques-de-la-grande-reconfiguration-geopolitique-mondiale-2/ http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38863&lan=EN Not since the Algerian War more than a half-century ago has France imposed such sweeping emergency powers. In little more than two weeks since the Paris attacks, French police have carried out well over 1,000 raids nationwide, busting open doors, hauling away scores of suspects without warrants�"and even using their new counterterror laws to clamp down on climate-change protesters. Responses to the Paris attacks, whether based on the rule of law or sinking to the lowest common denominator�"such as Donald Trump’s call to reinstate the form of torture known as waterboarding�"will be test cases for leading democracies. Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38863&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38861&lan=EN Country delegates to the climate change meeting in Paris have overwhelmingly supported integrating human rights into the emerging international agreement, Human Rights Watch said today. The United Nations Conference on Climate Change, attended by more than 190 world leaders, continues through December 11. Many country delegates have emphasized that effectively addressing climate change requires the protection of human rights, including the rights of indigenous peoples, women and girls, people with disabilities, and migrants and refugees. The current draft also emphasizes ensuring gender equality, food security, intergenerational equity, the integrity of natural ecosystems, and a just transition of the workforce. �oeClimate change disproportionately affects people who are already vulnerable, especially in countries with limited resources and fragile ecosystems,” said Joe Amon, health and human rights director at Human Rights Watch. �oeIn the global response to climate change, we need to ensure that human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled.” Thu, 03 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38861&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38860&lan=EN A straight-A student rejected from high school, a promising baseball player unable to pursue a successful career, a seriously ill woman prevented from seeing a doctor, a human rights activist virtually imprisoned in his own country. The thing they all have in common is what they do not have: a small piece of paper with their identification data printed on it. The multi-coloured card may be small, but it makes the difference between poverty and marginalization and a secure job, access to medical facilities, a school place and a chance in life. It is a card that has split a country into a thousand pieces. One that now threatens to turn tens of thousands of people into virtual ‘ghosts’, without a country to call home. Mon, 23 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38860&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38859&lan=EN The poorest half of the world’s population - 3.5 billion people - is responsible for just 10 percent of carbon emissions, despite being the most threatened by the catastrophic storms, droughts, and other severe weather shocks linked to climate change. These are the findings of a new Oxfam report, released during the ongoing climate talks in Paris, which also shows the world’s richest 10 percent produce around half of all emissions. Wed, 02 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38859&lan=EN http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2015-12-01-stonebridge-en.html The twentieth century unleashed the spectre of statelessness into the world. Lyndsey Stonebridge explores how the modern history of refugees has shaped not only the lives of the stateless but also the lives, rights and securities of those who think of themselves as happily at home. Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2015-12-01-stonebridge-en.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38851&lan=EN In the run-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, more than 150 governments submitted plans to reduce carbon emissions by 2030. Many observers are asking whether these reductions are deep enough. But there is an even more important question: Will the chosen path to 2030 provide the basis for ending greenhouse-gas emissions later in the century? According to the scientific consensus, climate stabilization requires full decarbonization of our energy systems and zero net greenhouse-gas emissions by around 2070. The G-7 has recognized that decarbonization �" the only safe haven from disastrous climate change �" is the ultimate goal this century. And many heads of state from the G-20 and other countries have publicly declared their intention to pursue this path. Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38851&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38848&lan=EN Moving the global economy to an environmentally sustainable footing will be a �oeturbulent” experience. It will have profound implications both for the planet and the future of work. Many questions arise when discussing this topic, such as: how we can manage the transition so that it will work for all? What should be done to ensure that companies, workers and societies benefit from the move towards a green economy? How can the transition bring decent work and social justice to all? The change in policies at global and national level is critical. But the need to act is on all of us �" collectively and individually. The real success of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference will depend on the contribution from each of us, wherever we work and live. Thu, 26 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38848&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38847&lan=EN Four European countries - Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland - today announced a new $500 million initiative that will find new ways to create incentives aimed at large scale cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries to combat climate change. The World Bank Group worked with the countries to develop the initiative. The Transformative Carbon Asset Facility will help developing countries implement their plans to cut emissions by working with them to create new classes of carbon assets associated with reduced greenhouse gas emission reductions, including those achieved through policy actions. The facility will measure and pay for emission cuts in large scale programs in areas like renewable energy, transport, energy efficiency, solid waste management, and low carbon cities. For example, it could make payments for emission reductions to countries that remove fossil fuel subsidies or embark on other reforms like simplifying regulations for renewable energy. Mon, 30 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38847&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38841&lan=EN Six heads of state and government and the leaders of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund today called on companies and countries to follow up on their ambitions for Paris by putting a price on carbon to drive investment for a cleaner, greener future. In a remarkable show of unity on the first day of the climate talks in Paris, heads of state and government from a number of countries called on the world to start pricing carbon pollution as a key to combatting climate change and transforming the global economy. The heads of state and government included the leaders of France, Chile, Ethiopia, Germany, Mexico and Canada. Mon, 30 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38841&lan=EN http://www.euractiv.com/sections/energy/cop21-could-trigger-cleantech-arms-race-319947 Paris should be a turning point in climate policy, as the international community meets to negotiate an ambitious climate policy. Whether the phase out of fossil fuels by 2050 is possible, and whether the nations of the world will be able to usher in a new era of energy, remains a controversial debate. "We must end CO2 emissions by 2050, otherwise, climate change will be unstoppable," said MEP Rebecca Harms (Greens). This will only be possible if the EU commits to long-term ambitious goals. "The EU cannot hide behind the inadequate G7 targets," Harms added. The G7 agreed to reduce emissions by between 40 and 70% by 2050. Many experts believe that this is totally inadequate though. Harms is convinced that if the EU wants to achieve the two degrees target, then the member states and Commission must both set higher targets for themselves at Paris. Mon, 30 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.euractiv.com/sections/energy/cop21-could-trigger-cleantech-arms-race-319947 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38839&lan=EN The world operates with different prices for many goods and services�"capital, exchange rates, labour, and so on. These prices respond to national economic conditions and also to international demand and supply conditions. The tensions that exist in international policy discussions around national exchange rates and monetary policy should give us pause for thought: coordination is hard, countries rightly want to keep sovereignty over key areas of national policy, but at the same time there are international spill-overs to domestic policy. There is no reason why things should be easier or the tension between sovereignty and coordination any weaker in the case of climate change and carbon pricing. In this context, what is the role of the COP21 with regard to carbon pricing? Fri, 27 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38839&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38838&lan=EN It’s complicated to take more than 150 INDCs and compare them because they are so diverse in form and content. Each organization approached this task slightly differently. For some countries, estimating future emissions is straightforward, and results in relatively little difference across studies. For others, analysts have to make more assumptions. Either way, the emissions covered by INDCs are then aggregated with projected future emissions from countries, sectors and gases not covered by INDCs. The latter are taken from projections of what future emissions will be under �oebusiness as usual” or under current policies. Three factors are largely responsible for the differences among studies: Wed, 18 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38838&lan=EN http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/nov/30/climate-talks-five-reasons-cheerful-fearful-paris-summit Reasons to be cheerful 1 The world really wants a strong deal and this time will get it 2 A green economy makes financial sense 3 Nations are ready to commit to real change 4 What can go wrong? 5 We’re all in it together Reasons to be fearful 1 Countries may not make the necessary compromises 2 It’s failed already 3 Who will bear the biggest burden? 4 Where’s the money? 5 We want a deal but not at any price Mon, 30 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/nov/30/climate-talks-five-reasons-cheerful-fearful-paris-summit http://elpais.com/elpais/2015/11/27/opinion/1448648428_275412.html For the nearly nine years that I have been Secretary-General, I have travelled the world to the front-lines of climate change, and I have spoken repeatedly with world leaders, business people and citizens about the need for an urgent global response. Why do I care so much about this issue? As His Holiness Pope Francis and other faith leaders have reminded us, we have a moral responsibility to act in solidarity with the poor and most vulnerable who have done least to cause climate change and will suffer first and worst from its effects. The sooner we act, the greater the benefits for all: increased stability and security; stronger, more sustainable economic growth; enhanced resilience to shocks; cleaner air and water; improved health. Wed, 25 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://elpais.com/elpais/2015/11/27/opinion/1448648428_275412.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38834&lan=EN Achieving a decline in greenhouse-gas emissions at the lowest possible cost requires a revolution in energy use and production. Gradual, predictable, and reliable increases in energy prices would provide strong incentives for consumers to reduce their energy bills. At the same time, the right carbon price would enable a smooth transition away from fossil fuels by encouraging investments in technological innovation. That is why the International Monetary Fund’s staff have recommended a three-part strategy on carbon fuel: �oeprice it right, tax it smart, and do it now.” Each component is essential. Mon, 30 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38834&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38832&lan=EN Although ecosystems are often presented essentially as suffering the impacts of climate change, they are also increasingly seen as part of the solution, in terms of both adaptation and mitigation.[2] At this stage of the process, the format of INDCs is relatively flexible, and therefore differs considerably from one country to another in terms of precision and implementation. However, despite this haziness and the large degree of freedom given to the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, or Climate Convention) when specifying their commitments, some have spontaneously given a prominent role to nature-based solutions (NBS) in their INDCs. What exactly is the role given to ecosystems, nature and biodiversity in the INDCs that mention them? What synergies are planned between nature protection and restoration policies and climate policies? In what way is �oenature” harnessed, and by the same token, how are climate policies utilised as a means of increasing the protection of natural resources? How are the different countries positioned in relation to this question, and which approaches have been adopted? Fri, 27 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38832&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38829&lan=EN he unparalleled numbers of refugees reaching Europe in an irregular way and with the assistance of migrant smugglers give rise to a set of questions. Does it make sense to invest in the fight against migrant smugglers when �" at least partly �" states themselves cannot uphold their obligations and are forced to admit large contingents of refugees as well as irregular migrants outside of existing legal regimes or transport them through their territory towards other destinations? Are migrant smugglers a �oenecessary evil” to provide refugees with access to protection? Would a more successful fight against smugglers not also imply that refugees were deprived of the possibility to reach safe countries and had to remain in situations threatening their lives and security? Finally, are there ways to tackle migrant smuggling more successfully or have states already lost the battle? Thu, 26 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38829&lan=EN http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2015-11-26-korablyova-en.html Hannah Arendt once remarked that the rights of man proved to be unenforceable in postwar Europe. Currently, observes Valeria Korablyova, the refugee crisis looks like proving the idea of Europe itself to be unenforceable. So what will remain if equality and solidarity finally fail to become the principles of cooperation between EU member states now riven by common fears? The refugee crisis burst onto the scene in Europe this year in a way that surprised many. Paradoxically enough, the influx of refugees �" manageable in terms of numbers and existing facilities �" activated a chain of serious consequences. It challenged not only the effectiveness of the European Union's institutional structure but also the viability of the European project itself. The lack of trust between member states, the division between "Old" and "New" Europe that had never ceased to exist, the absence of shared EU policies and strategies: this is to name but a few sensitive issues that the crisis exposed. Thu, 26 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2015-11-26-korablyova-en.html http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38825&lan=EN The diplomatic effort to forge an international agreement to mitigate climate change is undergoing a fundamental shift. The top-down approach that has guided the effort since 1992 is slowly being replaced by a bottom-up model. Rather than attempting to craft an accord based on legally binding restrictions on greenhouse-gas emissions, the new approach relies on voluntary commitments by individual countries to rein in their contributions to climate change. This is, in one sense, an admission of failure; such an approach is unlikely to limit the rise in global temperatures to less than 2° Celsius, the target set by the United Nations in 2010. But given the slow pace of progress so far, small pragmatic steps by individual countries may be far more productive than attempts to strike a grand bargain that remains forever out of reach. Mon, 23 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38825&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38824&lan=EN The U.S. Congress, under the valiant leadership of Republicans, has vetoed the entry of Syrian refugees, including women and children, into the United States against Obama’s intention to accept 10,000 �" a symbolic amount in a country which accepts over 50.000 refugees every year �" while Germany is accepting at least 800,000 Syrians. What is frightening is the total ignorance of the world which is behind that veto. The Syrian war is no longer a war made by Syrians. It is a war in which many foreign powers are ready to fight to the last Syrian. And now along comes the U.S. Congress which equates being Syrian with being a terrorist, while the Syrian people are actually the victims of everyone! Tue, 24 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38824&lan=EN http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5015944-la-force-vient-de-l-action-collective Why have corruption scandals become so salient in the news? In countries like Brazil, India, Ukraine or the Balkans, many rounds of elections in the past decades have sometimes changed rulers, but never an entrenched system of spoiling public resources that new office winners inherit in full. The Arab spring’s hopes of clearing away corrupt dictators seem to be on the wane �" in Iraq, after many years of American administration, corruption remains the number one problem. And nobody should be beyond suspicion, as the world is mostly corrupt, and few governments and societies are constrained by their societies to stay clean and fair, argues Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, a Berlin based academic, in a brand new book recently released by Cambridge University Press, The Quest for Good Governance. How Societies Build Control of Corruption. Rather than the usual moralising normative approach, her book oscillates from history to social psychology to argue that governance, which she defines as the rules of the game determining who gets what from public resources in a given society, is far more difficult to change than political regimes as it results from a balance of power between a society and its rulers. Wed, 25 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/5015944-la-force-vient-de-l-action-collective http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38813&lan=EN Climate change is already preventing people from escaping poverty, and without rapid, inclusive and climate-smart development, together with emissions-reductions efforts that protect the poor, there could be more than 100 million additional people in poverty by 2030, according to a new World Bank Group report released before the international climate conference in Paris. The report, Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty, finds that poor people are already at high risk from climate-related shocks, including crop failures from reduced rainfall, spikes in food prices after extreme weather events, and increased incidence of diseases after heat waves and floods. It says such shocks could wipe out hard-won gains, leading to irreversible losses, driving people back into poverty, particularly in Africa and South Asia. Sun, 08 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38813&lan=EN http://en.qantara.de/content/islamism-in-the-paris-aftermath-the-allah-generation-figment-of-the-collective-imagination There has been much debate in recent weeks over current refugee flows and their associated problems and dangers. As might be expected, the discussion has also revolved around Islam and the threat potentially posed by Islamists. The debate focuses on two principle scenarios. The first presumes that a number of die-hard "Islamic State" (IS) terrorists could infiltrate Germany or other Western European nations with the influx of refugees from Syria and Iraq. The devastating attacks in Paris appear to have confirmed exactly that. The second scenario presumes an indirect danger. It is based on a fear that Muslims who come to Germany as refugees from regions affected by civil war could constitute a fertile breeding ground for Salafists who advocate violence and who are already settled in the country. Mon, 23 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://en.qantara.de/content/islamism-in-the-paris-aftermath-the-allah-generation-figment-of-the-collective-imagination http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38807&lan=EN The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris later this month is being billed as an opportunity to save the planet. It is no such thing. As I show in a new peer-reviewed paper, even if successful, the agreement reached in Paris would cut temperatures in 2100 by just 0.05° Celsius. The rise in sea level would be reduced by only 1.3 centimeters. This may seem surprising: we constantly hear how every country has made important commitments to reduce CO2 emissions �" the so-called �oeIntended Nationally Determined Contributions,” or INDCs. According to the UN’s climate chief, Christiana Figueres, �oethe INDCs have the capability of limiting the forecast temperature rise to around 2.7ºC by 2100, by no means enough but a lot lower than the estimated four, five, or more degrees of warming projected by many prior.” Figueres suggested that the Paris agreement will cut almost 2°C of warming, from 4.5°C to 2.7°C. Though her wording was crafted to avoid actually saying this, it was, predictably, what most people heard. But the reduction consists almost entirely of made-up numbers and wishful thinking. Tue, 17 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38807&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38806&lan=EN Everything that is healthy can get sick, including religions and churches. Particularly today that we are afflicted by the disease of fundamentalism, that contaminates important sectors of virtually all religions and churches, including the Roman Catholic Church. Sometimes there is a true religious war. One need only follow some religious programs, especially those on television of a neo-Pentecostal tendency, but also some conservative sectors of the Roman Catholic Church, in order to hear how they condemn people or groups of certain theological tendencies, or demonize the Afro-Brazilian religions. The main expression of this war-like and exterminating fundamentalism is the Islamic State, ISIS, that turns violence and the murder of those who are different into expressions of their identity. But there is also another religious vice, found in the mass media, especially on radio and television: the use of religion to recruit people, to preach the gospel of material prosperity, to extract money from the faithful to enrich their pastors and their self proclaimed bishops. We have to deal with commercial religions that obey the logic of the market, namely, competition and recruitment of the greatest possible number of people, with the greatest possible accumulation of cash. Mon, 23 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38806&lan=EN http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38803&lan=EN A new report issued today by the UN, �oeThe Human Cost of Weather Related Disasters”, shows that over the last twenty years, 90% of major disasters have been caused by 6,457 recorded floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts and other weather-related events. The five countries hit by the highest number of disasters are the United States (472), China (441), India (288), Philippines (274), and Indonesia, (163). The report and analysis compiled by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the Belgian-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) demonstrates that since the first Climate Change Conference (COP1) in 1995, 606,000 lives have been lost and 4.1 billion people have been injured, left homeless or in need of emergency assistance as a result of weather-related disasters. Mon, 23 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38803&lan=EN http://globalvoices.org/2015/11/20/more-than-100-ex-political-prisoners-win-parliament-seats-in-historic-myanmar-election/ Myanmar’s November 8 election saw a landslide victory by the NLD, but the result is historic for many reasons. Although technically Myanmar's second general election, many considered the vote to be the country's first free and fair election following decades of authoritarian rule and political turmoil. And of the 1,139 candidates declared winners so far, 110�"or around 10 percent�"have spent years behind bars as political prisoners. Fri, 20 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://globalvoices.org/2015/11/20/more-than-100-ex-political-prisoners-win-parliament-seats-in-historic-myanmar-election/ http://www.euractiv.com/sections/climate-change-and-food-chain/food-industry-focuses-sustainable-sourcing-mitigate-climate The global population is expected to rise from 7.3 billion today to 9.7 billion in 2050, according to UN projections. As a consequence, according to a survey published in July by FoodDrinkEurope, this will require a 60% increase in food supplies globally, as well as a 30% rise in global demand for water for agriculture. A report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for 2014 has warned that the climate change will eventually affect �oeall aspects of the food security”, including food production and price stability. �oeGlobal temperature increases of 4°C or more above late-20th-century levels, combined with increasing food demand, would pose large risks to food security globally and regionally,” the report warns. In the light of the industry risk due to climate change and increasing pressure on natural resources, the food and drink industry is increasingly focusing on the primary stages of the supply chain. Fri, 20 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.euractiv.com/sections/climate-change-and-food-chain/food-industry-focuses-sustainable-sourcing-mitigate-climate http://www.euractiv.com/sections/cities-and-regions-against-climate-change/regions-push-greater-influence-climate Regions are beginning to be acknowledged as important actors in the international climate change negotiations. Towns and regions have long been instrumental in implementing international climate commitments, but they want greater recognition for their efforts. In a resolution adopted unanimously last Monday (16 November), French senators called for "states to recognise the fundamental role of the territories and communities they represent in the success of the Paris agreement". For the senators, regions are "the most important level where national commitments to mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects are enacted". Senator Jér�\'me Bignon, the author of a resolution on the importance of regions for the success of the COP 21, said, "According to the United Nations Environment Programme, 70% of climate action should be taken at local level." Mon, 23 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.euractiv.com/sections/cities-and-regions-against-climate-change/regions-push-greater-influence-climate http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38795&lan=EN Governments should not allow the recent attacks in Paris and similar mass casualty attacks elsewhere to undermine the responsibility to protect refugees around the world, Human Rights Watch said today. Concern that a small number of militant extremists may seek to take advantage of the movement of large numbers of refugees should not divert governments from their responsibility to protect refugees. �oeSowing fear of refugees is exactly the kind of response groups like ISIS are seeking,” said Iain Levine, deputy executive director for program at Human Rights Watch. �oeYes, governments need to bring order to refugee processing and weed out militant extremists, but now more than ever they also need to stand with people uprooted from their homes by ideologies of hatred and help them find real protection.” Thu, 19 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.mondialisations.org/php/public/art.php?id=38795&lan=EN