By Eurasia Review

(CORDIS) — Galileo, the multi-billion euro global navigation satellite system funded by the EU, will soon provide highly accurate and precise position measurements on Europe’s roads. But the primary mode of international trade – the maritime industry, responsible for nearly 90 percent of world trade – still relies on outdated technology with limited precision capacity at a high cost and with low efficiency.

Eight research institutions from six European countries are involved in the DOCKINGASSIST project, which set out to remove the guess work from the docking and maneuvering of container ships, bulk carriers and other large vessels through the development of a novel wireless network relying on a differential global navigation satellite system.

Maneuvering large vessels is not an easy task, particularly for SMEs that represent the majority of the maritime sector. With sea transport expected to double over the next 15-20 years, operators will be put under significant pressure to increase their capacity and freight with larger, more frequent vessels as companies try to achieve economies of scale.

Large vessels usually enter the port with the assistance of trained pilots who are specialised in navigating in a particular port. In most cases, the pilot will use onboard equipment for navigating the vessel into a port which is comprised of either an Electronic Chart Display Information System (ECDIS) or paper charts in conjunction with a GPS receiver. This leaves the vessel at a distinct disadvantage as the errors on such systems may not be known to the pilot.

DOCKINGASSISTS’s solution consists of two main parts: a Base Station (BS) installed at the harbour and a Portable Pilot Unit (PPU) installed on the ship. The portable unit can be used by the pilot in charge of docking the vessels at the port without requiring any expensive berthing systems.

This system makes it possible to increase location and speed accuracy by means of a static base station that identifies errors and transmits them wirelessly to the receiver, permitting not only the ability to transmit the correction data but to also exchange other important information between the port and the vessels including weather information, position of other vessels and tidal levels.

DOCKINGASSIST’s technology will result in a reduction of transit time, therefore improving port traffic management. The team assert this is will lead to savings in time, fuel and operational expenses. Moreover, it will lead to a reduction in C02 emissions consequently lowering the environmental impact of shipping.

The partners have so far successfully proved the principal idea behind DOCKINGASSIST and transferred the technology from research and development activities to the consortium SMEs. The project has been disseminated by all partners nationally and internationally through workshops, exhibitions and various media.

The EU committed EUR 1 122 633 to the project. Launched in November 2011, DOCKINGASSIST is funded under the programme ‘Research for the benefit of SMEs’

The article Improved Port Accuracy And Safety Through Novel Technology appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

(CORDIS) — Despite making huge strides, women scientists seeking to climb the career ladder still face many barriers. Raising awareness of these issues within the scientific community is part of the steps needed to remove them – so that European research can attract the best minds to do science.

A team of EU-funded researchers got the ball rolling by launching a high-level dialogue on how gender impacts scientific excellence. They worked through the project GENSET (‘Increasing capacity for implementing gender action plans in science’), which established a forum bringing together scientific leaders, gender specialists, decision-makers, and scientific institutions.

The forum allowed them to debate five priority areas they believe are keeping women from becoming full members of the scientific community – science knowledge-making, research processes, recruitment and retention, assessment and recognition of abilities, and the scientific excellence value system.

The GENSET team developed a range of capacity-building activities encouraging scientific leaders and gender specialists to discuss and determine the strategies required to implement gender action plans within the current institutional framework.

The activities included interactive workshops on topics such as ‘advancing excellence in science through gender equality’ as well as consensus seminars, in which 14 European science leaders – including university chancellors, institute directors and esteemed professors – shared their knowledge and experiences.

This led to identifying four areas in need of attention:

- science knowledge-making (addressing sex and gender analysis in scientific research);
- management, organisation and promotion of human capital;
- institutional practices and processes, including assessment and recruitment;
- regulation and compliance with gender-related processes and practices.

The project team produced a list of 13 recommendations from the consultations. These address specific changes in research processes and methods and call on leaders to first accept the need to incorporate methods of sex and gender analysis into basic and applied research.

Those in positions of responsibility must then ensure research teams are gender diverse. For this to happen, transparent hiring practices are essential.

Assessment procedures must also be reviewed, so that the focus is on the quality rather than the quantity of individuals’ publications and research results. And to get more women applying for scientific positions in the first place, specific strategies are needed.

As part of the project, the first European summit on gender was organised to discuss gender in science. The summit discussed how to support and advance excellence and the effectiveness of research and innovation across the board through gender inclusion.

The event was an opportunity for research, industry and policy stakeholders to explore how initiatives on gender can stimulate innovation and advance scientific excellence.

Coordinated by the UK-based not-for-profit group Portia, which was established in 1997 by a group of women scientists at Imperial College in the UK, GENSET received more than EUR 1 million in EU funding.

Following the end of the project in 2012, Portia has continued to run GENSET as an independent programme.

The article Why Gender Diversity In Research Matters appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By RT

The governing council for Hawaii (or Big) Island Tuesday banned biotech companies from operating on the island while barring growth of genetically modified organisms.

The Hawaii County Council approved Bill 113 by a vote of 6-3, which would mandate a possible 30 days in jail and up to a $1,000 fine for any violator of the ban on growing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on Big Island, officially known as Hawaii Island, the largest and southernmost of the Hawaiian state.

The bill also keeps out biotech giants like Monsanto, Dow and BASF, which have operations on other Hawaiian islands. One of them, Kauai, recently advanced its own legislation that increases regulation of biotech companies there.

The large papaya industry, with around 200 farms on Big Island, would be exempt from the bill, which was supported over a competing bill that that would have subjected papayas to the rules.

Big Island Mayor Billy Kenoi has 10 days to decide whether to approve the council’s bill. The council could override a veto by Kenoi with a vote from six members.

“We are at a juncture,” Councilwoman Margaret Wille, who introduced the bill, said to Honolulu Civil Beat of the Big Island. “Do we move forward in the direction of the agro-chemical monoculture model of agriculture, or do we move toward eco-friendly, diversified farming?”

Civil Beat reported extensive public testimony on the bill in September, marked by passionate statements by several residents.

“Forcing genes of one species into another and changing the DNA of plants is not natural and could turn out to be a huge danger, similar to nuclear disasters, for our planet that we can’t put out,” one woman testified.

Supporters of the ban linked cancer, birth deformities, tumors, sterility and other conditions to GMO consumption.

Yet small farmers worry the measure, aimed at much larger companies, will leave them without access to new technologies that could aid their operations, Civil Beat reported.

“How can you say you can only farm what you are farming now?” Dean Okimoto, president of the Hawaii Farm Bureau, said. “You may be putting guys out of business by restricting what they can and cannot use going forward. The cattle guys are depending on trying to develop a drought resistant grass.”

Supporters of GMOs say adverse effects of food that comes from the manipulation of an organism’s genetic material are unproven at this point. The US Department of Agriculture says over 80 percent of corn and over 90 percent of soy in the US, for instance, are GMOs.

Yet science is also inconclusive on whether genetically engineered products cannot cause long-term harm to human health. At least, that is the consensus held by the several dozen countries which have banned or severely restricted their use worldwide.

“While risk assessments are conducted as part of GE product approval, the data are generally supplied by the company seeking approval, and GE companies use their patent rights to exercise tight control over research on their products,” the Union of Concerned Scientists says about GMOs. “In short, there is a lot we don’t know about the risks of GE – which is no reason for panic, but a good reason for caution.”

The organization – a broad coalition of scientists and citizens dedicated to “rigorous, independent science” without “political calculations or corporate hype” – adds there are concerns about GMOs beyond basic health problems that have been linked to their consumption.

“Rather than supporting a more sustainable agriculture and food system with broad societal benefits, the technology has been employed in ways that reinforce problematic industrial approaches to agriculture,” the Union states. “Policy decisions about the use of GE have too often been driven by biotech industry PR campaigns, rather than by what science tells us about the most cost-effective ways to produce abundant food and preserve the health of our farmland.”

Citizens of Washington State recently defeated – by a small margin – a referendum that would have required the labeling of genetically altered foods. The anti-labeling campaign was supported by a flood of overwhelming donations from titans like Monsanto, PepsiCo and Grocery Manufacturers Association, a major lobbying group for the food industry.

Los Angeles is also considering a ban on the cultivation, sale and distribution of genetically modified organisms.

In July, widespread opposition to GMOs led Monsanto to largely cease pushing them in the European market, where they face substantial government oversight.

The article Hawaii’s Big Island Bans Biotech Companies, GMO Crops appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Observer Research Foundation

By Jayshree Sengupta

Recently Sonia Gandhi reportedly expressed her unhappiness at the steady migration flows from rural areas to urban centres despite the MNREGA scheme which guarantees 100 days of paid work to any member of a rural family. Today one should not be surprised at the fast pace of urbanisation because rapid urbanisation is a global trend. Yet in India, most problems of human deprivation can be seen in urban areas. Housing for the poor is a gap that needs to be filled in every metro city.

The growth of slums is the ugly underbelly of urbanisation and it is quite unbelievable that 62 per cent of Mumbai’s population lives in the slums. The lack of basic amenities and the squalor make many slums unfit for human life. Yet some slums are quite livable with electricity and proper toilets. Urban slums are a contrast to the idyllic countryside where the rural poor live. At least they have a small plot of land and open spaces and even though they may be poorer than their urban brethren, their poverty is not so visible.

Urbanisation, however, is a trend of the future and no one can stop it unless villages become industrialised and can provide sufficient employment to the growing population. Most villagers who are forced to come to urban areas are looking for manual work and due to lack of proper housing are forced to live in slums. It is also a fact that cities are becoming less and less friendly to the migrant poor and with gated communities and their RWAs, the poor have no place to live other than slums that are far away from the city.

The beautification and gentrification drive in many cities, including New Delhi, has led to the removal of slums to the outskirts of the city. The slum dwellers have to spend time and money to go to their work. Many migrants from villages are therefore going to smaller towns to live and find work as there are not so many rules and regulations about living spaces.

One of the worst aspects of the growth of metro cities and rapid urbanisation is the rise in air pollution. Traffic congestion is also part of the urban landscape. Delhi for example is becoming increasingly congested and during office hours, there are traffic snarls in various parts of the city. In Dhaka, these traffic jams last for hours while drivers patiently switch off engines and wait.

The UPA government tried to encourage rural employment with its MNREGA scheme by offering work for 100 days to the rural poor, but it is not enough to keep the poor in villages. The rural-urban migration happened in China too and they clamped it down by introducing the Hukou system in which people from one part of China could not migrate to another part without a permit and if they did so, they would lose their welfare benefits which they were entitled to in their natal village. China has transformed the whole country into a veritable township with only a few authentic villages in between. Every day many villages disappear.

Chinese villages, however, have the same facilities in housing, water, drainage, medical care as in towns. If the government of India wishes to reduce the migratory flows, then each village has to be transformed to a small town — at least in infrastructure.

It would be good to have several small scale manufacturing units in villages and also have training centres for the youth so that they could be absorbed in the village itself. Otherwise, the youth will move to the cities with their low level of education and skills that will lead them to informal sector employment with low wages and no job security. There is a mismatch between the availability of labour and the demand for unskilled labour and too many people in the market push down wages. Thus attention ought to be given to skill development in villages to enable the youth to acquire some skills before they migrate.

People with low incomes in villages are lured by cities because all aspire to have their children better educated and all want a higher standard of living. The urban wages are much higher in India and that is what attracts migrants. In the near future, urbanization will reach 50 per cent and by 2030, around 75 per cent of India would be living in cities. Right now it is 31 per cent and urban contribution to the GDP is far higher than rural at 43 per cent.

With around 52 per cent of the people engaged in farming, the contribution of agriculture is only 14 per cent of the GDP which goes to show that the productivity of farming is very low. In developed countries with around 70 to 80 per cent urban population, only 4 to 5 per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture, yet their productivity is so high that they are able to export agricultural products.

The main reason for low productivity is the small size of land holdings which makes farming a subsistence activity. Distribution of land and land acquisition are thus the most important questions that need to be addressed. Many tribal farmers have lost their land to commercial businesses and have been forced to become farm labourers. They are potential migrants to towns and cities.

Already city infrastructures are under pressure and there is going to be a huge water scarcity in the future as well as problems with solid waste disposal and increase in air and water pollution. More diseases will occur — both non-communicable and communicable or infectious diseases. Already there is terrible congestion in public hospitals and healthcare remains a problem area in all major cities.

For rural population to become stabilised, there will have to be better healthcare, especially in primary health care centres. Similarly, village schools will have to have better quality of education. One of the main reasons for people wanting to earn more by migrating to cities is to give their children better education. Literacy in urban areas is 85 per cent whereas in rural areas it is 69 per cent.

Rural women also need to earn money in their spare time. A lot of village enterprises have been started and are employing women in garment making and embroidery. Such ventures will make their incomes grow. Villages can be a hub of activity if effort is made by industrial houses to open centres in Indian villages. But the problem is always about finding skilled labour and high transportation costs for transferring goods to the market. If this happens, it will make villages more attractive and there could be a reverse migration flow.

(The writer is a Senior Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, Delhi)

The article Can We Reverse Migratory Flows To Urban Centres? – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Radio Zamaneh

Nuclear negotiations between Iran and the 5+1 resumed today in Geneva with both sides optimistic about the potential for a preliminary agreement on rolling back Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for some easing of sanctions.

The Iranian foreign minister and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton began talks over lunch.

The Mehr News Agency reports that the head of the Iranian Parliament, Ali Larijani, confirmed that Iran will not move toward the development of nuclear weapons.

This is the third time meeting between the new Iranian delegation and the 5+1 in Geneva.

Iran’s foreign minister told reporters on Tuesday night: “We will make every effort to reach an agreement in these talks; however, it will also depend on how much the other party is willing to recognize the rights of the Iranian people and approach the negotiations on equal footing.”

In a video message, Mohammad Javad Zarif said: “There is a way ahead… Last summer our people opted for constructive interaction through the ballot box and in this way they gave the world a historic chance to change directions.”

Reuters also reports that the Chinese president spoke to his Iranian counterpart on the phone, expressing every hope that Iran would take advantage of the opportunity to improve relations with world powers. The report indicates that Rohani responded to the Chinese leader, saying Iran expects China to use “its weight and credibility as a great country to reign in the excessive demands of some countries.”

The article Optimism Reigns As Iran’s Nuclear Talks Resume appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Radio Zamaneh

Iran’s Supreme Leader spoke in support of the Iranian nuclear negotiators today, stressing that red lines protecting the rights of the Iranian people must not be crossed.

IRNA reports that Ayatollah Khamenei addressed the Basij leaders today, November 20, 2013, speaking out against Israeli claims about Iran. He insisted that Iran is not looking for conflict and that Israel is the real threat to world peace.

Israel has been actively trying to stop world powers from reaching any agreement with Iran over its nuclear activities. The Iranian leader singled out France for its close alliance to Israel.

Some reports indicate that France introduced last-minute changes to the proposals discussed in the last round of talks in Geneva, which reportedly caused the negotiations to end without any concrete agreements.

The Iranian leader added that Iran wants to have relations with all nations including the United States. He stressed, however, that the Islamic Republic has fought against “the World Arrogance with the US government as its head.”

Diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States have been severed since the 1979 Revolution in Iran.

The article Iran: Supreme Leader ‘Supports’ Nuclear Talks appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

The Russian government has used a law requiring some advocacy groups to register as “foreign agents” to marginalize and silence independent groups. November 21, 2013, is one year since the law came into force.

The “foreign agents” law is at the core of the Kremlin’s 18-month crackdown on independent groups and activists, the worst period for human rights in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Human Rights Watch said.

“Courageous Russian groups have not buckled under tremendous government pressure to register as ‘foreign agents,’” said Tanya Lokshina, Russia program director at Human Rights Watch. “For months now, they have been fighting through the courts. In many cases they are winning, but these are battles they shouldn’t have to face.”

The “foreign agents” law, rammed through parliament several months after Vladimir Putin’s return to the Kremlin, requires groups that accept foreign funding and engage in “political activities” to register as “foreign agents.” Russian authorities should repeal those provisions, Human Rights Watch said.

The term “foreign agents,” popular in Russia during the Cold War and beyond, demonizes groups in the public eye as foreign spies and traitors, Human Rights Watch said.

Beginning in March, after human rights and other groups made clear they would not comply with the registration requirement, Russian authorities began a punitive inspection campaign to identify “foreign agent” organizations and order them to register.

According to the prosecutor general’s office, which led the inspection campaign, over 1,000 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) were inspected throughout the country. Dozens of groups received warnings or direct orders from the prosecutors to register as “foreign agents” within 30 days. Failure to abide by the prosecutors’ orders can result in the organizations being suspended, and their leaders can face prison terms of up to two years.

In the wake of the inspections, the Justice Ministry and various prosecutors’ offices around Russia have filed administrative cases against nine groups and an additional five administrative cases against leaders of these groups for failing to register under the “foreign agents” law. The authorities lost nine of the fourteen cases in courts and won the other five. As a result, the Justice Ministry suspended the activities of two election watchdog groups, both from the Golos network. At least three other groups chose to wind up operations to avoid further repressive legal action.

Local prosecutors also brought civil law suits against three groups. The civil suit brought against the Anti-Discrimination Center (ADC) “Memorial” in St. Petersburg was nearly identical to the administrative case that the local prosecutor’s office had filed against it and lost.

“The example of ADC ‘Memorial’ demonstrates the authorities’ persistence in trying to silence certain government critics,” Lokshina said. “If they lose a case, they look for other ways to target the same group.”

Local prosecutors also filed at least 12 administrative cases against NGOs for refusing to provide documents during the inspection campaign, and have lost two of them.

At least 11 groups filed cases challenging prosecutors’ written notices ordering them to register as “foreign agents,” which the groups had received in the wake of the inspections. By late November, at least three had won their cases.

Human Rights Watch is also aware of at least three groups in various regions of Russia that succeeded in getting prosecutors’ warnings annulled by a court. In at least two more cases, prosecutors’ offices annulled their own warnings.

“It’s only as a result of their perseverance and staunch international support that several groups have won their cases,” Lokshina said. “But at what cost? Had it not been for the ‘foreign agents’ law, the time and resources groups had to spend on legal battles could have been spent on doing their work to help people in Russia.”

The “foreign agents” law contradicts Russia’s international human rights obligations to protect freedom of association and expression, and the law’s definition of political activities is so broad that it could include any organized activity relating to public life, Human Rights Watch said. Officials from the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the European Union, and other agencies have spoken out against it.

Thirteen Russian rights groups jointly filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights challenging the “foreign agents” law. The application is currently under review.

In August Russia’s ombudsman, Vladimir Lukin, filed an appeal with the country’s Constitutional Court on behalf of four organizations challenging warnings from the prosecutors’ offices to register and fines that the groups had incurred for failing to register. Two other groups filed separate petitions with the Constitutional Court challenging the “foreign agents” measure’s compliance with the Russian constitution.

In July and again in September President Putin pledged to have the “foreign agents” law revised but to date, the law remains unchanged.

Sustained international pressure on the Kremlin to repeal the provisions requiring organizations that accept foreign funding and engage in “political activities” to register as “foreign agents” is crucial for the survival of Russia’s independent groups, Human Rights Watch said. Some observers have attributed Putin’s pledge to the spotlight the upcoming Olympic Games in Sochi is shining on Russia’s abusive practices.

“There is a major window of opportunity that Russia’s international partners should not miss,” Lokshina said. “Now is the time to urge President Putin to repeal the abusive provisions in the ‘foreign agents’ law once and for all.”

The article Calls For Russia To Repeal ‘Foreign Agents’ Measure appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

B’nai B’rith members and supporters from across the United States and the world gathered in Washington, D.C., Nov. 16 to 18 to celebrate and reflect on 170 years as an organization, as well as to examine pressing issues facing the global Jewish community, Israel and the United States.

B’nai B’rith hosted speakers E.J. Dionne, Jr., journalist and political commentator; Ira Forman, U.S. State Department special envoy for monitoring and combating anti-Semitism; and David Cohen, U.S. Treasury Department under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, among other speakers.

“How Do We Govern in an Era of Shutdown Politics”

E.J. Dionne, Jr., a political commentator and a columnist for the Washington Post, was the Policy Forum’s keynote speaker, addressing attendees over lunch on the gridlock on Capitol Hill. Dionne said we’re seeing a period of asymmetric polarization in the United States, with Americans torn between beliefs of individualism versus community building. Though, he noted, whichever side of the fence you’re on, people don’t like the government shutting down.

“It’s dangerous we can’t resolve issues without shutting down or defaulting,” Dionne said.

Dionne also discussed problems facing both political parties and the talk of “American decline,” to which he said the only way to ensure American decline is to continue conducting politics as we are at the moment.

“The United States and the Fight Against Global Anti-Semitism”

Ira Forman, the State Department special envoy for monitoring and combating anti-Semitism, expressed alarm at the growing levels of anti-Semitism around the world, while stressing the need to understand the particulars and uniqueness of anti-Semitism in each region.

Forman said that some Jewish leaders around the world have compared anti-Semitism today to the 1930s, noting, for instance, the rise of openly anti-Semitic European parliamentary parties with street militias.

Forman also pointed to the increasing secularization of Europe as a key factor in the ascent of anti-Semitism, highlighting the growing movement to ban ritual circumcision as one particular manifestation. He fears that if current trends continue, vulnerable Jewish communities could be lost.

“The Prospects for Immigration Reform in a Divided Washington”

A group of immigration experts joined the B’nai B’rith Policy Forum for a panel discussion on the key aspects, intricacies and history of comprehensive immigration reform. The panel consisted of Mark Hetfield, president and CEO of HIAS, Esther Olavarria, director of immigration reform for the National Security Staff, Jennifer Rejeske, health policy analyst at the National Immigration Law Center, and Rachel Goldberg, B’nai B’rith International director of aging policy. Eric Fusfield, B’nai B’rith International director of legislative affairs, moderated the panel.

Olavarria started the discussion off by outlining the four legs of comprehensive immigration reform and insisting there is muscle behind it, even in the House of Representatives, saying “It’s there, it could be done, but for the gridlock.”

Hetfield spoke at the 2006 B’nai B’rith Policy Conference and since then he said, “Everything more or less remains eerily the same.” Hetfield agreed with Olavarria that a House of Representatives immigration bill is very close to being passed and described what the immigration bill passed in the Senate would accomplish.

Rejeske discussed her issues with the current immigration system, the plight of low income immigrant workers and what policy changes should be made to integrate this marginalized population into American society.

“We cannot be detaining and deporting 1,100 immigrants a day,” Rejeske said. “It’s absolutely terrorizing immigrant communities.”

U.S. Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence

David S. Cohen, the U.S. Treasury Department’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, gave the Policy Forum’s final address.

Cohen, who oversees U.S. sanctions against Iran, spoke about ongoing multilateral efforts to stop the Iran’s nuclear weapons program. He also talked about Iran’s financing of its terrorist proxy Hezbollah.

B’nai B’rith Honorary Presidents Roundtable

B’nai B’rith was honored to have six honorary B’nai B’rith International presidents speak to the Policy Forum in a roundtable discussion on their times overseeing the organization. All of them shared anecdotes, reflected on their important work and brought up the most moving episodes of their tenures. The former presidents taking part were Seymour D. Reich, Kent E. Schiner, Tommy P. Baer, Richard D. Heideman, Joel S. Kaplan and Moishe Smith. Current President Allan J. Jacobs sat in on the discussion and Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin was the moderator.

B’nai B’rith at 170: “Making and Witnessing 17 Decades of History”

Pamela Nadell, chair of the department of history and director of the Jewish studies program at American University, spoke about the history and founding of B’nai B’rith. She linked the commemoration of B’nai B’rith’s 170th anniversary year to the 150th anniversary of many pivotal events during the Civil War.

Nadell noted two war-time cases in particular where B’nai B’rith played an active role “that advanced Jewish rights in America.”

“State of the Organization”

To kick off the 2013 B’nai B’rith Policy Forum, President Allan J. Jacobs delivered the annual “State of the Organization” address. Jacobs reflected on the longevity of the organization, citing The New York Times, Major League Baseball and the Red Cross as B’nai B’rith’s juniors.

Jacobs also listed some of B’nai B’rith’s highlights for 2013, including a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, attending the first interfaith meeting with Pope Francis and the organization’s ongoing disaster relief work, among other things.

“The Five Major Challenges Facing the Global Jewish Community”

B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin addressed policy forum attendees by outlining five of the most pressing issues confronting the global Jewish community as well as the continuing Iranian nuclear threat.

The five issues include improving Jewish literacy and Zionist education, addressing the boycotts, divestment and sanctions and the demonization and delegitimization groups that threaten the peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and supporting international Jewish communities, Holocaust-era assets restitution efforts and aging Jewish populations. “These issues are going to get more and more pronounced, and B’nai B’rith is well positioned to deal with [them].”

B’nai B’rith Israel: “Pre-State and Post-State Independence”

B’nai B’rith World Center Director Alan Schneider traveled from Jerusalem to give Policy Forum attendees a history of B’nai B’rith in Israel and noted the 125th anniversary of the organization in the Jewish State as an equally as significant a milestone to the 170th anniversary.

Schneider spoke about the amazing people who led B’nai B’rith and Israel in the early days, highlighting their remarkable “daring, commitment and dedication” to creating Israel. He said the early B’nai B’rith leaders in Israel were laying a social and economic foundation for the Jewish state and that B’nai B’rith members wished to “popularize the notion of Jewish nationalism.”

Presentation of the Sidney H. Closter Outstanding New Professional Award

The Sidney H. Closter Outstanding New Professional Award was presented during lunch by Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin to United Nations Affairs Program Officer Oren Drori. The award is given to an outstanding young professional within the ranks of B’nai B’rith and is in remembrance of Closter, a B’nai B’rith fundraising staffer for 50 years.

Closter’s widow, Rose, was in attendance and spoke about Sidney’s legacy, saying, “In addition to Sidney’s demanding work, he derived much pleasure from nurturing young people to develop careers in non-profit organizations and expanding the goals of B’nai B’rith.”

The article B’nai B’rith Celebrates 170 Years; Discusses Issues Facing Jews, Israel, US At Forum appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

Results from a DNA study of a young boy’s skeletal remains believed to be 24,000 years old could turn the archaeological world upside down – it’s been proven that nearly 30 percent of modern Native American’s ancestry came from this youngster’s gene pool, suggesting First Americans came directly from Siberia, according to a research team that includes a Texas A&M University professor.

Kelly Graf, assistant professor in the Center for the Study of First Americans and Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M, is part of an international team spearheaded by Eske Willerslev and Maanasa Raghaven from the Centre for GeoGenetics at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and additional researchers from Sweden, Russia, United Kingdom, University of Chicago and University of California-Berkeley. Their work, funded by the Danish National Science Foundation, Lundbeck Foundation, and the National Science Foundation, is published in the current issue of Nature magazine.

Graf and Willerslev conceived the project and traveled to the Hermitage State Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the remains are now housed to collect samples for ancient DNA. The skeleton was first discovered in the late 1920s near the village of Mal’ta in south-central Siberia, and since then it has been referred to as “the Mal’ta child” because until this DNA study the biological sex of the skeleton was unknown.

“Now we can say with confidence that this individual was a male” says Graf.

Graf helped extract DNA material from the boy’s upper arm and “the results surprised all of us quite a bit,” she explains.

“It shows he had close genetic ties to today’s Native Americans and some western Eurasians, specifically some groups living in central Asia, South Asia, and Europe. Also, he shared close genetic ties with other Ice-Age western Eurasians living in European Russia, Czech Republic and even Germany. We think these Ice-Age people were quite mobile and capable of maintaining a far-reaching gene pool that extended from central Siberia all the way west to central Europe.”

Another significant result of the study is that the Mal’ta boy’s people were also ancestors of Native Americans, explaining why some early Native American skeletons such as Kennewick Man were interpreted to have some European traits.

“Our study proves that Native Americans ancestors migrated to the Americas from Siberia and not directly from Europe as some have recently suggested,” Graf explains.

The DNA work performed on the boy is the oldest complete genome of a human sequenced so far, the study shows. Also found near the boy’s remains were flint tools, a beaded necklace and what appears to be pendant-like items, all apparently placed in the burial as grave goods.

The discovery raises new questions about the timing of human entry in Alaska and ultimately North America, a topic hotly debated in First Americans studies.

“Though our results cannot speak directly to this debate, they do indicate Native American ancestors could have been in Beringia—extreme northeastern Russia and Alaska—any time after 24,000 years ago and therefore could have colonized Alaska and the Americas much earlier than 14,500 years ago, the age suggested by the archaeological record.”

“What we need to do is continue searching for earlier sites and additional clues to piece together this very big puzzle.”

The article Boy’s Skeleton In Siberia Raises New Questions About First Americans appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

The Lithuanian EU Council Presidency congratulated the positive vote by the European Parliament on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform package and transitional arrangements for 2014 at its plenary session in Strasbourg today, which is a very important step towards the finalization of the legislative work on the CAP reform.

“The affirmative vote by the European Parliament approaches us to a more sustainable, effective and inclusive growth of the whole agricultural sector of the EU. The final step to take – official approval of the texts of CAP reform by Ministers of Agriculture during the last Council under Lithuanian Presidency in December. This will allow us at the end of our Presidency to confirm to our farmers the certain agricultural policy rules for the period of 2014–2020,” noted Lithuanian Minister of Agriculture prof. Vigilijus Jukna.

The revised CAP will ensure more targeted support to EU farmers and the sustainable development of rural areas, help create new jobs, ensure the constant supply of high-quality food and viable food production, sustainable management of natural resources by developing greening policy framework.

The article Positive Vote By European Parliament Important Step Towards Finalization Of CAP Reform appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Trend News Agency

By Umid Niayesh

Iran’s misery index has reached near 50.5 per cent, during the first half of the Iranian calendar year (started on March 21), Iranian Shargh newspaper reported on Nov. 18.

The misery index is an economic indicator, which counted by adding the unemployment rate to the inflation rate. It is assumed that both a higher rate of unemployment and a worsening of inflation create economic and social costs for a country.

According to the report, Iran’s unemployment rate reached 10.4 per cent during the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year.

The misery index has grown sharply during the ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad`s administration (2005-2013).

The figure was 21.9 per cent during the calendar year which ended in March 21, 2006, while reached 42.7 percent by the end of last Iranian calendar year (ended on March 21).

During Ahmadinejad’s presidency, all of government incomes reached $864 billion from petroleum sales, taxes, privatization, issuing bonds, etc.

The Parliament Research Center said that during 2006-2011, about 300,000 job opportunities have been lost, namely, number of the demands for labor force decreased from 20.84 million to 20.51 million.

These statistics are completely in contrast with Ahmadijenad’s claims about 5.6 percent GDP growth or created 7 million new jobs during his 8 years presidency.

Now, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has to manage and recover the economy, while Iran’s oil exports have decreased from 2.2 million barrels per day (mbpd) to below one mbpd during last two years.

The article Iran’s Misery Index Reaches 50.5 Percent appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Civil.Ge

(Civil.Ge) — 31-year-old Irakli Garibashvili was confirmed by the Parliament on November 20 as Georgia’s new Prime Minister with 93 votes to 19.

The vote marked the end of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s tenure as PM; he has voluntarily departed from office after serving for one year and twenty five days.

Ivanishvili’s long-time close associate Garibashvili became holder of the most powerful political office in the country as the new constitution shifted power from president to PM and the government.

The only newcomer in the government is Alexandre Tchikaidze, 28, who will replace Garibashvili on the post of interior minister.

Other ministers retained their posts:

• Minister of Finance – Nodar Khaduri;
• Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development – Giorgi Kvirikashvili;
• Minister for Labor, Healthcare and Social Affairs – Davit Sergeenko
• Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development – Davit Narmania;
• Energy Minister – Kakha Kaladze;
• Minister of Justice – Tea Tsulukiani;
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Maia Panjikidze;
• Education Minister – Tamar Sanikidze (she replaced previous education minister Giorgi Margvelashvili, who is now the president, in July 2013);
• Minister in charge of IDPs issues – Davit Darakhvelidze;
• Minister of Environmental Protection – Khatuna Gogoladze;
• Minister of Defense – Irakli Alasania;
• Minister of Agriculture – Shalva Pipia (he replaced previous minister Davit Kirvalidze in spring, 2013);
• Minister in charge of penitentiary system – Sozar Subari;
• Minister of Culture and Monument Protection – Guram Odisharia;
• Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs – Levan Kipiani;
• State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration – Alexi Petriashvili;
• State Minister for Reintegration – Paata Zakareishvili;
• State Minister on the Diaspora Issues – Kote Surguladze;

Garibashvili started his speech at the parliamentary session before the vote by thanking Ivanishvili for “playing an important role in Georgia’s political life and for peaceful change of government through elections” and for “carrying out fundamental changes in the country.”

“Batoni Bidzina has kept his word: he set the country free from regime and has quit the politics in dignity,” Garibashvili said.

Ivanishvili made his last public appearance in his capacity of prime minister on November 20 when he attended jointly with Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava opening of a monument of a Georgian actor Ramaz Chkikvadze in the capital city.

On November 24 Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia, party founded by Ivanishvili will hold a congress, which is expected to elect Garibashvili as its chairman.

“He quit the post, but he has not quit the politics – these are [President] Margvelashvili’s words; we should pursue policies in a way that will not make him go into opposition, otherwise we have all seen very well what does it mean when he’s in the opposition,” MP Davit Saganelidze, the leader of the Georgian Dream parliamentary majority group, said in his speech during cabinet confirmation hearing.

Parliamentary chairman, Davit Usupashvili, said that departure of Ivanishvili from the PM’s post means increased responsibilities for GD coalition and each cabinet member.

“From now on we are assuming special responsibility, because we – parliamentary majority members and each cabinet member – are assuming responsibility before the people actually from today,” Usupashvili said.

UNM lawmakers, who voted against, said the government is “self-satisfied, although it has no reason for that” because of shortfall in tax revenues and economic slowdown.

Before the vote and debates, question and answer session was held, which was different from what was a day before when Garibashvili appeared before UNM parliamentary minority group, when the hearing turned into heated debate dominated by mutual accusations. UNM lawmakers were asking without even voicing any criticism very specific, issue-based questions from government’s program, which Garibashvili read out in his presentation at the parliamentary session. But in his answers Garibashvili was often pointing finger at UNM, accusing, although not as sharply as a day earlier, previous government of various misdeeds.

Most of the questions asked by UNM lawmakers were about economy, among them about main challenges to microeconomic stability; what should be share of government spending in overall GDP to achieve government’s declared goal of having “small and efficient government”; what specific legislative amendments the government plans to introduce to “improve investment climate” as stated in the program; what state assets government plans to privatize and how much it plans to receive from privatization in next few years; what might be Georgia’s comparative advantage in regional and global economy.

Garibashvili started responding to these questions by saying: “As far as your alarm and concern about ‘economic decline’ is concerned, I think that we don’t have any disastrous situation. IMF… assessed that there is revitalization in economy in recent months, so there is no disastrous situation.”

“I am not here to criticize you,” he told UNM lawmakers, “but I remember very well how you were saying that crime is on rise and everything is being ruined, but in fact there is nothing disastrous. There was certain slowdown in economy, but it is easily rectifiable.”

“Our team is so efficient that we will resolve these problems very easily,” he said, adding that one of the main reasons of economic slowdown was tense political cohabitation.

He then called on UNM lawmakers “not to scare off investors” by portraying situation in a negative light.

“There was a slight downward [trend], but it is rectifiable. Situation was much worse after and before [the August, 2008] war, but you were borrowing external debt, whether through Eurobonds or other means, but we are not talking about it now, we do not want to be focused on the past, we want to think about the future; we do not want to permanently criticize you. Now you are in a very uncomfortable situation, because whatever you ask we can give you a comprehensive answer,” Garibashvili told UNM lawmakers.

He said that while the previous government was delaying bilateral investment protection treaty with about 30 countries, the current one is in the process of signing those agreements.

He said that questions about specifics and details of laws “are not serious.” He said if such specific questions aim at testing his knowledge of details of certain laws, “it’s not serious.”

On share of government spending in overall economy, Garibashvili said it should not exceed 30%.

On a question which country he thinks might be a model for Georgia’s economic development, he said: “There are many countries whose examples might be followed, but we are not going to go down the Singaporization path.”

Asked by UNM about his stance over Parliament’s decision suspending sale of agriculture land to foreign nationals till the end of 2014, Garibashvili responded that this moratorium would soon be removed.

UNM MP Petre Tsiskarishvili asked about the foreign policy in the context of Russia’s “pressure and blackmail” on Ukraine ahead of the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius. He said that after Georgia initials the Association Agreement at the summit next week, Russia is expected to mount its pressure on Georgia to force Tbilisi to give up its European aspiration.

Garibashvili responded: “Our foreign policy course is a choice of our people… We believe that it is the only right path and Georgia future is only in the EU and NATO aspiration. Of course it might not happen today or tomorrow, but we should move towards this goal consistently… We should strengthen democratic institutions and prove to the civilized world that we really deserve to be EU and NATO member country.”

“I do not see any risks. You mentioned example of Ukraine and Moldova. They depend on Russia more than we do… But I have to remind you once again that it would have been better if you had been more critical towards your own team in its time, when you were selling lots of strategic facilities to Russian companies,” Garibashvili said. “So there is no change in the foreign policy and we will firmly continue moving towards the EU and NATO.”

During the debates senior UNM lawmaker Giorgi Gabashvili said that Garibashvili’s “self-opinionated” stance, downplaying obvious problems and blaming everything on predecessors is a way into “spiral of unsuccessfulness.”

“You will fail to be successful with such stance; you remain hostages of myths created by you and fail to face the truth, claiming that everything is ok; not everything is ok,” he added.

In his speech parliamentary chairman, Davit Usupashvili, stressed about the need of keeping the government under parliament’s scrutiny. He also spoke about the need of unity within the society regardless of political views.

Referring to the UNM party, Usupashvili told GD parliamentary majority: “We should get rid of an opinion that it is our duty to educate someone and to put someone on the right track. That’s mission impossible. That’s not the right task. But on the other hand just look how much progress has been made in one year; I think our colleagues [from the UNM parliamentary minority group] are sincere when saying that the opposition rights should not be violated, that it is inadmissible to terrorize business, that media and the judiciary should be free. This is enough progress and do not expect more.”

“If we promised to the people that we will be unifying [force] for the nation, then we should also agree that unity means union of both those who are ‘right’ and those who are ‘wrong’ – depending from where you look. The nation is one whole and if we start unifying only those whom we think are right that will mean going down the same wrong path, which we want to avoid. The right criteria are: rule of law, irreversibility of punishment [for crimes] and presumption of innocence. By observing these principles we will be able to unite and also to tackle all the problems,” Usupashvili said.

But in his speech GD parliamentary majority leader, Davit Saganelidze, struck his usual radical tone by telling parliament speaker it was early to speak about progress in respect of UNM.

“I do not want to speak about the past, but before you [referring to UNM MPs] don’t bow your head before the society and don’t apologize before the society for what you have done over the past nine years, we will probably have to speak about the past often,” MP Saganelidze said.

The article Georgia: New PM Wins Confidence Vote appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By New Civilisation

By Muhammad Jilani

The Caliphate system has left its mark on history, but contrary to a basic view of history, the Caliphate did not just leave one mark but several.

It was able to adapt to different cultures and people and moved from one seat of power to another. The Ummayad Caliphs, for example, were responsible for amazingly beautiful design and inventions, including the first computer. This great civilisation managed to dominate all of Spain (except the troublesome Catalan region).

Despite its close proximity to France and Britain, it is another incarnation of the Caliphate that haunts Europe to this day, namely the Ottoman Caliphate. European historians still refer to it as the “sick man of Europe” to this day and deny its greatness, despite some of its Caliphs being unanimously regarded as the most powerful men in the world during their day. Its rule was uninterrupted for over 600 years and is comparable to any civilization throughout history. It is still a scar on the psyche of Europe and to this day breeds resentment and hatred towards Islam and Muslims.

This paper aims to address many of the misconceptions about the Ottoman Caliphate, since they are likely to be repeated time and again. The aims of this paper are three things:

1) Ensure that there is a strong case for Caliphate, by understanding Islamic heritage.

2) Address the propaganda leveled against it by a plethora of other European historians and orientalists over previous decades and centuries.

3) Ensure we don’t succumb for the age old propaganda aimed at weakening the intellectual value of the Ottoman Caliphate by labeling it the ”sick man of Europe”

Since this is a vast topic, I will address the following areas:

a) The motivations of the Ottoman Caliphs

b) Was the system adopted by the Ottoman state Islamic?

c) Alleged brutality of the Ottomans

d) Political impact of the Ottoman Caliphate

The motivations of the Ottoman Caliphs

The Islamic motivations of the Ottoman Caliphs have come under scrutiny. The BBC in a recent documentary specifically cited the example that over several hundred years no Ottoman Caliph made hajj to exemplify their so-called Machiavellian tendencies. In fact Orientalists have often explained their conduct, honour, kindness, valour and justice were all accredited to their own personal character, while their misdemeanors were put down to Islam.

One of the problems with secular historians and commentators is that they embody an implicit arrogance that the only world view is their own one. Motivating factors such as altruism, spirituality or social justice are generally viewed skeptically.

The reality is that Islam makes no division between religious motivation and political aims. So to see it through a Machiavellian/Spiritual dialectic will never lead to the truth. Rather it should be viewed from a perspective of the standards that Islam set in rulers, which are well documented.

The Islamic motivations of the Ottoman Caliphs are very clear. For example, the second Ottoman Sultan, Orhan (the son of Osman) specifically adopted the Hanafi school of thought as the official state madhab (legal school of thought). He took care in understanding it, familiarizing himself and then implementing its practices. In 1324 he passed a law granting land for the building of Masjid’s as part of official policy. This law was enacted in every newly conquered land thenceforth and is the prime reason for the proliferation of Masajid across Eastern Europe[1]

Such care to expand Islamic learning demonstrates their deep Islamic inclinations at a time when they were becoming the dominant force in their region.

In fact the Ottoman Caliphs saw themselves as divinely chosen to carry the banner of Islam. Osman I (from whom the Ottoman caliphs descend) saw himself as the “glory of Islam” and Orhan as “Champion of Islam”.[2]

They wanted to demonstrate their noble stock by commissioning genealogical experts to trace their heritage back to the Prophet Nuh (as) so as to ensure that their Islamic legacy endures[3]. They were able to clarify that the land from which they emanated from was given to Nuh’s son, Japeth, from whom they descend. This gave them an Islamic sense of mission.

This view disseminated down, one caliph after another. For example, the famous Caliph Muhamamd at-Fatih was well versed with the hadith of the Prophet (saw), when he stated ”One day Constantinople will be conquered, a good army and a good amir will achieve it”. This particular hadith acted as a motivation for the fathers of Mohammad al-fatih.

He was particularly honoured by his achievement as none other than the Prophet (SAW) himself endorsed it, and it was the 13th attempt by a Muslim army to conquer the city. When he achieved his success, he offered salah (prayers) at the Hagi Sofia as an act of gratitude.[4]

Mohammad al-Fatih was particularly spiritual. In one reverse against the Italian fleet he turned to the Sheikh of Islam, Sheikh Aksemuddin, who reassured him with classical texts and prophecies of his great achievements. This soothed his heart and gave him tranquility. [5]. His sons all vied with each other to be the “good amir” to conquer Rome, as foreseen by the Prophet (SAW)!

There are many examples abound to demonstrate the Islamic motivations, but the quote below from Albert Hourani (the pre-eminent Arab historian) is clear enough:

“The most fundamental duty of a Muslim ruler….was to maintain the Shariah. In the Ottoman period, the institutions by which the Shariah was preserved were drawn into closer union…than ever before. The school of law favoured by the Ottomans was the hanafi school, and the judges who administered it were paid for directly by the government. They created a special corps of ulema and ranked and graded them. They created a new military court (kadikaser)…” to curb the excesses of previous caliphs.[6]

It is explicitly clear from this that the Ottoman caliphs were motivated by Islam and saw themselves as the carriers of the Islam.

Was the system adopted by the Ottomans Islamic?

The hanafi scholars guided the system implemented by the Ottoman Caliphs. In summary, it follows the following structure.

At the Head was one of the “House of Osman”. The laws of succession were not rigid, and the most competent son was usually chosen as the next caliph (as opposed to the eldest).

The system was run by the Sadr-i-Azam (commonly known as the grand wazir), who reported directly to the Caliph. The Caliph could choose to appoint several Wazir’s if the need required, but they would report to the Grand Wazir (sadr-i-azam). They appointed Governors in each region to look after the general affairs of the people.

The Sipahi’s or Cavalry officers collected the taxes, and they were later augmented by the deviserve (janissaries) – comprised of Christian youth converted to Islam.

From the 16th Century, the kalimiye (bureaucratic system) grew to deal with the vast expansion of the State. This system standardized documentation, and established processes and protocols that can be unified around the entire state. Given the vast size of the state at the time, this was a huge feat of organizational excellence and is studied to this day by the best management schools as a case of best practice.

The highest officials met regularly in the palace council (divan), which made decisions on policy. Local government decisions were made by the (sancak) and sometimes grouped together in larger provinces (eyalat). Both forms had government representatives reporting back to the Sultan and scholars ensuring that the decisions were based on shariah.

This system they implemented is consistent with the principle of ruling laid out by the Prophet Muhammad (saw), with the same checks and balances, source of ruling and enactment of the people’s authority.

There are three specific questions about the Islamic system:

1) Ba’yah (contract of ruling) – amid what appears to be a kingship. There was never a question of ba’yah being refused by the influential people or the general people, hence this area need no further elaboration here.

2) Sulaiman al-Qanuni adopting legal canons, as explained above. This gave rise to the administrative system that ruled the Ottomans for centuries afterwards. This is strangely cited as an example of secular rule, despite the fact that Sulaiman al- Qanuni’s reign ended some 200 years before European secularism took root. One can assume this is due to the secular viewpoint of lawmaking, and the Islamic system being an unknown, unknown!

Albert Hourani, provides the clearest documented view on this:

“Like previous rulers, the Ottoman sultan found it necessary to issue his own orders and regulations in order to preserve his authority or ensure that justice was done. He did this by virtue of the power which the shar’iah itself gave to rulers, so longs as they exercised it within the bounds of shariah”[7]

Hence, rather than a secular application, he was merely exercising his right as the Caliph. The pity is that the thinking receded soon after him, but that is another discussion.

3) Tanzimat reforms. Tanzimât emerged from the minds of reformist sultans like Mahmud II and Abdülmecid I, and pioneered by Grand Wazir, Ahmed Rashid Pasha, as well as prominent reformers who were European-educated bureaucrats who recognized that the old institutions and practices no longer met the needs of the Caliphate in the modern world.

Most of the symbolic changes, such as uniforms, were aimed at changing the mindset of imperial administrators. Many of the reforms were attempts to adopt successful European practices. The Napoleonic Code and French law under the Second Empire heavily influenced the reforms. Changes included universal conscription; educational, institutional and legal reforms.

Though these reforms proved to be a major problem for the Ottoman Caliphate, they never understood nor adopted the secular basis of law making, nor the democratic system of government. Hence rather that adopting values and ideas, they imitated solutions. The prophet (saw) gave a clear description of when a state becomes un-Islamic, in the famous hadith:

Al-Bukhari narrated: “… He said, the Messenger of Allah (saw) called upon us and we gave him the Bai’ah, and he said, of that which he had taken from us, that we should give him the pledge to listen and obey, in what we like and dislike, in our hardship and ease, and that we should not dispute the authority of its people unless we saw open Kufr (kufr buwah) upon which we had a proof (burhan) from Allah”

Open Kufr cannot be committed unless there is an understanding by the one who commits it of what they have committed. In this case, they were not at a level to understand what the underpinning values were, but rather imitated solutions.

This is exemplified by the statement of Shaykh-ul Islam Mustafa Sabri who worked for Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the last Shaykh al-Islam of the Ottoman Caliphate. He was exiled to Egypt by the Kemalist regime. He said:

‘Caliphate i.e. succession to the Messenger of Allah means: obliging the adherence of the rules of the Shari’ah over the Muslims by the one who assumes authority, it by this way one is successor to the Prophet. And the abolition of the Caliphate is abolition of this adherence….This has actually happened in Turkey after the abolition of the Caliphate. So what has succeeded it is a secular government.’[8]

The point here is that he considered the Ottoman state, even in its weakened state, Islamic in its basis until it was destroyed. This view was agreed upon by Sheikh-ul-Hind Maulana Mahmud Hassan. He was the then head of Darul Uloom Deoband and direct student of Maulana Qasim Nanautavi, the founding father of the Darul ‘Uloom) in the 1920′s. He mentioned a fatwa regarding saving the Ottoman Caliphate from the enemies of Islam. The respected Maulana said:

‘The enemies of Islam have left no stone unturned to strike against and harm the honour and prestige of Islam. Iraq, Palestine and Syria that were won over by the Prophet’s companions and his followers, after in numerous sacrifices, have once again become targets of greed of the enemy of Islam. The honour of Caliphate is in tatters. Calipha-tul- Muslimin, who used to unite the entire community on this planet; who is the vice-regent of Allah on this earth; used to implement the universal law of Islam; who used to protect the rights and interests of Muslims and used to preserve and ensure the glory of the words of the Creator of this universe be preserved and implemented, has been surrounded by enemies and made redundant.’[9]

To conclude this section, we can see that despite some areas of weakness, the Ottoman State was based on Islam, motivated by Islam and never ceased to implement Islam. The allegations of secular implementation are often malicious and politically motivated.

Ottoman Brutality

One of the continuous acts of propaganda against the Ottoman Caliphate is the allegation of brutality. Several examples are given such as the practice of the killing of all brothers of the newly selected Caliph, the put down of rebellions and the alleged Armenian genocide.

The first two points can be dealt with later. With regards to the Armenian uprising, this is one of the worst cases of black propaganda, pre World War I. I have gone into detail on this point to demonstrate the level of misinformation regarding the Ottoman Caliphate.

The allegation is that between the periods of 1894-1896, Sultan Abdul Hamid II enacted acts of genocide against entire Armenian populations; indiscriminately killing men, women and children while the Christian Armenians were defenseless (this is not to be confused with the events of 1915 by the Young Turk movement). The truth is very different:

1) The Armenian Christian, with the backing of Russia and Europe were trying to separate from the Ottoman state. The position of Abdul Hamid II was consistent with Islamic unity and he wasn’t in a position to allow this to happen under his watch, since this was haram. This is the root cause of European derision. There were inflammatory nationalistic speeches made by prominent Christian Armenians openly calling for violent separation from the Caliphate.

2) Britain and Russia claim that Ottoman soldiers committed the massacres, but this has never been proven. In fact, after the 1878 Treaty of Berlin, Western powers forcibly removed Bulgaria from the Caliphate. Crucially, the borders surrounding the Armenian enclaves were no longer under Ottoman authority due to losses against Russia and Western Powers, and the subsequent Treaty of Berlin. Hence it is unlikely the Ottoman soldiers would have been present in the first instance. In reality Russian and Hungarian militia, assisted by Kurdish separatists undertook genocide activity against the Armenians, in order to incite ethnic tensions and this caused reprisals against the Ottoman State, creating circular behavior. [10]

3) The only reporting to come out is politically motivated, and not unbiased. This episode occurred during a period of time when mass communications were not available. The sources that state the genocide and the actions that emanated are from various European embassies and the Russian diplomacies. The reality is that these sources are not credible.

In fact, every original document of the Ottoman Archives was taken over by the Governmental Archives Directorate of the Prime Ministry. According to Turkish authorities many historians have researched the Ottoman Archives. Besides the research made by thousands of historians, these documents were translated into English and published in order to enlighten the public.[11]

Turkish authorities point out that even if the facts were reported correctly, the conclusions are unclear. Therefore, it is also crucial to look at secondary sources in the Ottoman Archives of the period such as budget, allocations, decisions/reasons of requests. This is important since Kurds, Turks and Hungarians suffered much of the starvation suffered by Armenians – i.e. there was widespread famine in the region. There are also personal records such as Mehmed Talat Pasha’s personal notes. – Which were disregarded. They also point out the general attitude (“Sick man of Europe”) of the time and how it deforms perceptions. They state that the conclusions reached toward genocide are highly biased.

Some very “central” and the most cited sources are actively questioned on the basis that they do not include a single reference from the Ottoman Archives mainly occupying forces’ sources of the period (British, French) on the basis of their Intelligence (information gathering) issues. There are major concerns that these sources promote propaganda.

4) Far from being unanimously accepted as the Truth, prominent experts have openly questioned the events of the Armenian Genocide. For example On May 19, 1985, The New York Times and The Washington Post ran an advertisement in which a group of 69 American historians called on Congress not to adopt the resolution on the Armenian Genocide. Bernard Lewis, a prominent historian of Islam at Princeton, was among them and so the case was named after him[12]

Muslims will point to the numerous examples of Ottoman integration of its disparate populations – from Serb, Croat, Hungarian, Arab, Jew and others. For the majority of the 600 years of the Ottoman Caliphate, unity reigned in the state and the state’s integration policies were marked by kindness rather than brutality.

In fact, the State’s leniency led to the effective balkanization of the Ottoman Caliphate, since it allows whole communities to function independent of the State system. These communities were later used against the State and led to various atrocities in the former Ottoman regions, such as the Bosnian War on the mid 1990s.

The Political impact of the Ottoman Caliphate

The previous sections deal with some of the negative questions raised about the Ottoman Caliphate. What is ignored is the sheer dominance and progress of the Ottoman’s in their hey day.

The political impact of the Ottoman Caliphate in Europe is long lasting and profound on a number of levels and is the main source of European resentment to this day.

Three Ottoman Sultans were most notable in this area; Mohammed Al-Fatih, Selim I and Suleiman al-Qanuni. The cornerstone of their overarching philosophy was to take Istanbul and then Rome, thereby destroy the Roman Empire as a result. Their motivations stemming from the famous ahadith of the Prophet (SAW).

The blueprint for this was laid by Mohammed al-Fatih, who took Istanbul and thereby moved the capital of the Islamic state from Anatolia. This provided prestige, due to the reverence that Istanbul held across Europe but also a formidable power-base due to the effective destruction of the Greek Orthodox Church, established under Emperor Constantine.

The second principle was established by Selim I, who consolidated the Arab states under Ottoman rule and effectively secured the Middle East (and a strong Eastern bloc) against European aggression. His ruthlessness against the Europeans earned him the nick name “Selim the Grim”

This allowed his son, the great Suleiman al-Qanuni to focus exclusively on Europe and establish himself as the most powerful man in the world. His contemporaries included Charles V (of Spain), Francis I (of France) and Henry VIII.

Suleiman’s political maneuverings were legendary, and he existed at a time of four major powers; Austria (under the Habsberg’s), France, Russia and Spain, the most powerful of these were the Austrian Habsberg dynasty who stood between him and wider Europe.

He was able to take advantage of Christian intrigue and separate France from the Christian bloc by rescuing their King Francis I on the request of his mother (who had lost hope that she would ever see her son again) against the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. His response to this is stated below. I have put the long response in full so we can appreciate his standing and the way in which he addressed the powers of his time; his position was one of immense strength and power.[13]

“I, the khan and sultan of Mediterranean, Black Sea, Anatolia, Karaman, Kurdistan, land of persian, Damascus, Aleppo, Egypt, Mecca and Medina, Jerusalem and all of the lands of arabian, yemen and all of many other countries; Son of the Bayezıd, Son of the Sultan Selim, Shadow of the God, Sultan Suleiman Khan and you, governor of the France, Francis…You have sent to my Porte, refuge of sovereigns, a letter by your faithful agent Frangipani, and you have furthermore entrusted to him sundry verbal communications; you have informed me that the enemy has overrun your country and that you are at present in prison and a captive, and you have here asked aid and succors for your deliverance. (…) Take courage then, and be not dismayed. Our glorious predecessors and our illustrious ancestors (may God light up their tombs!) have never ceased to make war to repel the foe and conquer his lands. We ourselves have followed in their footsteps, and have at all times conquered provinces and citadels of great strength and difficult of approach. Night and day our horse is saddled and our saber is girt. May God on High promote righteousness! May whatsoever He will be accomplished! For the rest, question your ambassador and be informed.(…)”

He accentuated European disunity by encouraging a different form of Christianity (Protestantism) by allying with Henry VIII and William of Orange[14] and entered into the Franco-Ottoman Alliance in 1536[15], which was a series of concessions made by the Sultan in return for French loyalty and an extension of support across Europe!

It caused a scandal in the Christian world and was designated as “the impious alliance”, or “the sacrilegious union of the Lily and the Crescent”; nevertheless, it endured since it served the objective interests of both parties. The strategic and sometimes tactical alliance was one of the most important foreign alliances of France and lasted for more than two and a half centuries, until the Napoleonic Campaign in Egypt in 1798–1801.

Once he nullified the French threat, he then marched into Hungary, took Budapest and annexed it under his authority, while French support for Hungary did not arrive due to their agreement with the Ottoman’s. This set the Ottoman Caliphate in direct conflict with the Austrians Habsberg’s who ruled Hungary at the time and Suleiman unsuccessfully laid siege to Vienna twice.

By the 1540s a renewal of the conflict in Hungary presented Suleiman with the opportunity to avenge the defeat suffered at Vienna.

This time Suleiman in two consecutive campaigns (1541 and in 1544) ensured the defeat of Ferdinand of Austria and his brother Charles V (of Spain) and forced them to conclude a humiliating five-year treaty with Suleiman. These were the two most powerful men in the Christian world at the time so this was a most significant treaty.

Ferdinand renounced his claim to the Kingdom of Hungary and was forced to pay a fixed yearly sum to the Sultan for the Hungarian lands he continued to control. Of more symbolic importance, the treaty referred to Charles V not as ‘Emperor’, but in rather plainer terms as the ‘King of Spain’, leading Suleiman to be considered unanimously the most powerful man in the World and considered the true ‘Caesar’.

With his main European rivals subdued, Suleiman had assured the Ottoman Empire a powerful role in the political landscape of Europe for some years to come. Despite loss of land and prestige in following years, this leading position set by Suleiman endured for 300 years and is one of the sources of European resentment to this day.

This section would not be complete without providing some British context to the Ottoman state’s intervention. There are numerous examples, but three are particularly pertinent.

Firstly, Suleiman al-Qanuni reassured Henry VIII of his assistance in the event of Spanish/Roman reprisals for his religious innovations. He took the support from Suleiman before divorcing his wife (an act that was deemed sacrilegious), knowing that the Catholic Church would not be able to force him to accede to their Church. In effect Suleiman took advantage of European disunity to encourage religious dissipation and effective disunity.

Secondly, Sultan Murad III came to the aid of the Protestant Queen, Elizabeth I who came under attack from the Roman Empire (in the guise of the Spanish Armada). Popular convention states that Sir Francis Drake symbolised English nonchalance and cunning in the face of danger. First, according to the legend drummed into every pupil, he insisted on finishing his game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe as the Spanish Armada approached in July 1588. Then he dispatched the enemy ships with little more than a few burning rowing boats and a favorable breeze.

The truth is a bit more humbling – it was the Ottoman Caliphate that dispatched it’s deadly naval forces and engaged the Spanish all the way from the Mediterranean to Plymouth harbor, decisively weakening it and allowing Drake to finish the Spanish off.

Jerry Brotton, a lecturer at Royal Holloway College and foremost authority on this topic states that “…Ottoman fleet movements in the eastern Mediterranean fatally split Philip II’s armada _ So alongside all the stories we’re told at school about why the Spanish Armada failed to conquer Britain and destroy Protestantism, we should add another reason: the Anglo- Ottoman alliance brokered by Elizabeth” and the Ottoman Sultan.

Thirdly, in 1845, the onset of the Great Irish Famine resulted in over a million deaths. Ottoman Sultan Caliph Abdulmajid I declared his intention to send 10,000 sterling to Irish farmers, despite on-going economic problems within the Ottoman State. However, Queen Victoria requested that the Sultan send only 1,000 sterling, because she had sent only 2,000 sterling herself. The Sultan sent the 1,000 sterling but also secretly sent 3 ships full of food. The English courts tried to block the ships, but the food arrived in Drogheda harbor and was left there by Ottoman Sailors.

This act of kindness was well received and the Irish sent a letter of gratitude to the Ottoman Sultan, which is still displayed in the Topkapi Palace.

“We the noblemen, gentlemen and inhabitants of Ireland want to express our thank and gratitude for the Ottoman Sultan’s … The Ottoman Sultan’s munificent response to this aid call displays an example to European States. Numbers were relieved and saved from perishing through this timely act. We express our gratitude on their behalf and hope that the Ottoman Sultan and his dominions will be saved from the afflictions which have befallen us.”

In conclusion, we should take note that despite the cracks towards the last 200 years, the Ottoman Caliphate was only rivaled by the Roman Empire as the dominant force in Europe throughout its history. We should not fall victim to the propaganda against the Ottoman state. The fact is, even a weakened Ottoman state would be far better than any of the rulers we have now. The current Muslim leadership consists of rulers that are not independent of external influences, have no ideological system that guides them and produces results and are merely self-serving. The fact remains that the best Ottoman Caliphs rank amongst the best heroes in the history of Islam.

Notes:
[1] Lowry, The Nature of the Early Ottoman State, 72-8

[2] Uzuncarsili, Gazi Orhan Bey

[3] Flemming, Political Geneologies

[4] Inalcik. Istanbul, An Islamic City

[5] Inalcik, Ayup Projeci

[6] Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples

[7] Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples

[8] Mawqif al-‘Aql, p322

[9] From the Fatwa of Sheikh ul Hind Maulana Mahmood Hassan, 16th Safar 1339 AH, October 29 1920 CE, page 78 of English translation of ‘The Prisoners of Malta’ by Maulana Syed Mohammad Mian, published by Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind

[10] Klein, Janet (2011). The Margins of Empire: Kurdish Militias in the Ottoman Tribal Zone. Stanford: Stanford University Press, pp. 21-34.

[11] “Regulations for the use of Ottoman Archives”. Ottoman Archives. 2006-10-12.

[12] Yves Ternon. The «Lewis Affair» // Richard G. Hovannisian. Remembrance and denial: the case of the Armenian genocide. Wayne State University Press, 1998. P.237-348.

[13] Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566, Roger Bigelow Merriman

[14] The General Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, Geoffrey Parker

[15] Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566, Roger Bigelow Merriman

The article The Ottoman Caliphate And Its European Legacy – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Observer Research Foundation

By Nandan Unnikrishnan

On November 16, Defence Minister A K Anthony received from Russia and commissioned India’s largest aircraft carrier INSVikramaditya, bringing to an end an over a decade-long quest for the acquisition of this vessel. During his visit to Russia, Anthony also attended the 13th India-Russia Inter Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation in Moscow.

The story about INSVikramaditya’s acquisition begins in the early 1990s when the Russians first offered the craft — then named Admiral Gorshkov — to India, which was looking for a new aircraft carrier. Interestingly, India did not appear too keen on the Gorshkov initially. An intrepid journalist may find a story in finding out how and why India changed its mind.

The vessel, which was decommissioned in 1996 after several inspections, was found worthy of being the base for a new Indian aircraft carrier. Several years and rounds of negotiations later an agreement was signed for the repair and refit of the Gorshkov, which began in April 2004.

It should have been clear even then that it would be impossible, within the timeline agreed to (52 months) and financial package finalised (Rs 4881.67 cr), to deliver a completely new ship with considerable structural changes required to transform it from a missile cruiser that hosted vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft to a modern short takeoff and arrested recovery (STOBAR) aircraft carrier. Conventional wisdom has it that it takes at least seven to eight years to build a ship from scratch. An aircraft carrier would take longer.

This unseemly haste on both sides led to the ugly delay in delivery and renegotiation of the price. While a new deadline and price was arrived at, the damage to the image of Indo-Russian military cooperation was irreparable. A boiler blowout during sea trials delayed delivery of the carrier by another year.

But, finally all trials and tribulations are over and India is on the eve of acquiring theVikramaditya, as the carrier has been renamed by the Indian Navy. One can only hope that the carrier will serve the Indian Navy trouble free for the duration of its lifespan. This vessel, described as experts as a “game changer” in terms of adding punch to India’s naval capabilities, has some very impressive statistics.

It has a displacement of 44,500 tonnes, a length of 284 metres, maximum beam of 60 metres, speed of over 30 knots and is capable of carrying over 30 aircraft — a mix of Mig-29Ks and helicopters. She will have more than 1600 personnel aboard and fully stocked — food and fuel — capable of staying out of port for 45 days with a range of 13000 kilometres.

The Mig-29Ks are the main offensive weapon of theVikramaditya, supported by a fleet of Kamov, Sea King, ALH-Dhruv and Chetak helicopters. The 4th generation MIG-29Ks have a range of about 1300 km extendable to nearly 3500 km with in-flight refuelling. The aircraft are equipped with anti-ship missiles, air-to-air beyond the visual range missiles, guided bombs and rockets.

The ship also has cutting edge launch and recovery systems along with aids to enable smooth and efficient operation of ship-borne aircraft. Major systems include the LUNA Landing system for MIGs, DAPS Landing system for Sea Harriers and Flight deck lighting systems.

Another interesting set of numbers is that its 1600-odd personnel will consume in a month nearly 100,000 eggs, 20,000 litres of milk and 16 tonnes of rice. Incidentally, the kitchens of theVikramaditya have been redesigned to enable making of dosas and chapattis.

Without a doubt, theVikramaditya will add substantial clout to the Indian Navy, allowing it to project airpower in areas where it does not have local bases. The value of theVikramaditya to India can be summed up in this quote of a British Admiral: ‘To put it simply, countries that aspire to strategic international influence have aircraft carriers’.

Defence Minister Anthony also attended the 13th IRIGC-MTC in Moscow and discussed with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu current and proposed defence cooperation projects. Foremost among the topics is reported to be the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) joint development project. The FGFA, if finalised and signed, could emerge as India’s largest joint defence programme. Some estimates suggest that India is looking at inducting close to 300 aircraft after 2020 at a cost of nearly 35 billion dollars. Currently India and Russia have signed a 295 million dollar preliminary design contract on the 5th generation fighter aircraft. The full contract is estimated to cost around 11 billion dollars.

India is reportedly unhappy with the low share of work it currently has in the joint development project and is likely to seek an increase in its share, maybe up to 50 percent. There have been reports in the Russian press quoting their defence officials as saying that this demand would be accepted.

However, the question is, does India currently have the capability to increase its contribution? The lack of capacity within the government sector has been the obstacle to developing more robust defence ties with other suppliers, including Russia. Unless the government takes steps to bring in fresh players, India’s efforts at developing indigenous weapon design, development and production capabilities are likely to be thwarted.

India will never emerge as a great power if it continues to depend on arms imports for it needs. But given the current composition and mentality in the ruling dispensation, particularly in the defence sector, it appears unlikely that there will be any changes anytime soon.

While the state of defence cooperation between the two countries could be described as “healthy and robust”, there are some underwater reefs the two sides should carefully steer past.

(Nandan Unnikrishnan is a Senior Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, Delhi)

Courtesy : www.rediff.com

The article Admiral Gorshkov To INS Vikramaditya – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By RT

The G77+ China group of 133 countries walked out of the United Nations climate change conference in Warsaw on the Loss and Damage mechanism after developed nations refused to agree to terms.

In Wednesday’s session, G77+ China negotiator Juan Hoffmeister walked out of a closed-door meeting when delegations from the industrial block refused to agree that the mechanism for such compensation is needed now and not after 2015 when a new climate change agreement is expected to be signed in Paris.

Hoffmeister said that key elements of the mechanism were missing from a weak draft.

“We want the draft to be strong. We are with G77. We support very strong steps for loss and damage, and anything that does not fulfill that should be highlighted,” Indian Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said after the walk out.

As part of the demands, the developing countries want developed nations to honor a 2009 Copenhagen pledge to provide up to $100 billion by 2020 for environmental damage.

“The 100 billion is a goal we need to establish a very clear roadmap,” said Natarajan. “Unless that is provided for, it will be impossible for us to take forward any meaningful discussion and we feel the negotiations will be rendered completely meaningless,” she told journalists.

Representatives of the poorer nations argued that the financial burden associated with global warming is out of reach for them.

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said while his country is trying to allocate funds for climate change, the costs are “just too high”.

Poland’s envoy Marcin Korolec, chairing negotiations, commented saying that the discussion was “challenging”.

“We could not have predicted the economic darkness that we have all lived through for the past five years.”

Another stumbling block in the negotiations is sharing the future emissions curbs, as developing nations want to create a UN body charged with compensating for environmental damage.

“Developed countries need to do more… now, and not transfer all the burden of climate change to the poor of the world after 2020,” said Natarajan.

Washington has opposed the position saying that a deal under which “the developed countries would be treated in one way, in one section of the agreement, and developing countries in a different part of the agreement” was a “non-starter”, US negotiator Todd Stern said.

Stern also explained that Washington had contributed about $2.7 billion in 2013, “the highest number that we have had in the last four years”.

Russia’s climate envoy and presidential advisor Alexander Bedritsky argued that a separate loss and damage mechanism is not needed and that the new deal should be based on the principles of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“We believe that in the medium term, efforts should be directed at improving the efficiency of existing adaptation, technology and financing mechanisms to strengthen the capacity of developing countries, including loss and damages claims, rather than creating new mechanisms,” Bedritsky said, reiterating Russia’s earlier position on climate change.

Last week at the start of the conference Russia’s Representative Oleg Shamanov told reporters that “the issues of loss and damage from climate change should be discussed in the framework of existing adaptation mechanisms, technological and financial assistance and capacity building.”

The EU representative Connie Hedegaard said that 1.7 billion euros will be allocated for the year 2014-2015. “The EU understands that the issue is incredibly important for developing countries. But they should be careful about … creating a new institution. This is not [what] this process needs,” said Hedegaard, as quoted by the Guardian.

“We cannot have a system where we have automatic compensation when severe events happen around the world. That is not feasible.”

Last week at the start of the 12 day conference in Poland, the G77+China group was discussing a Brazilian proposal that called for the creation of historical responsibility for global warming.

“Our proposal is meant to make available for countries a metric of their historical responsibility in terms of temperature rise. It would be one of the elements in the future agreement,” Brazil’s Ambassador Jose Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho explained last week.

Under such framework the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change would be tasked with creating a methodology to calculate countries total output of greenhouse gases since 1850 in determining each nation’s historical responsibility for global warming.

The US, EU, Canada, Norway, Israel, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand opposed Brazil’s plan with the US delegation arguing that such an approach is flawed.

“Temperature is a lagging indicator and does not show up until well after emissions have occurred,” Kim Carnahan said on November 11. “Such an approach would provide some countries with cover to act in a manner that is much less ambitious than their current capabilities.”

Meanwhile, the US and Australia argued that there is no necessity in a “loss and damage” mechanism to be separate from existing systems of mitigation and adaptation.

“USA, EU, Australia and Norway remain blind to the climate reality that’s hitting us all and poor people and countries much harder. They continue to derail negotiations in Warsaw that can create a new system to deal with new types of loss and damage such as sea level rise, loss of territory, biodiversity and other non-economic losses more systematically,” Harjeet Singh of ActionAid International said as quoted by the Hindu.

The UN chief Ban Ki Moon has urged the negotiators to come to an agreement. “Climate change is the greatest single threat to peace, prosperity and sustainable development,” Moon said in Warsaw.

In an effort to keep global temperature from rising beyond 2 degree Celsius the UN chief stressed that a greater funding for clean-energy development is needed.

“Our primary focus needs to be on launching and scaling up mainstream solutions that will attract hundreds of billions of dollars annually. The bulk of institutional investors’ assets are in high-carbon investments.”

According to a report by the World Resource Institute, developed nations have spent $35 billion in international climate finance through the “fast-start finance” period between 2010 – 2012, exceeding the initial target of US$30 billion.

Five countries – Germany, Japan, Norway, Britain, and the US gave a combined sum of $27 billion, adaptation funding received $5 billion, while mitigation received $22.1 billion.

The report also found that “a continued commitment to scaling up climate finance is needed for both political and practical reasons.”

The article Scandal As 133 Countries Walk Out Of UN Climate Meeting appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Shabbir H. Kazmi

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has executed facility documentation for a $130 million Shariah compliant financing facility.  The National Bank of Pakistan has a major participation in the deal with $60 million share.

PIA is the national flag carrier of Pakistan and covers over 30 international destinations across three continents. The airline also flies to over 20 domestic destinations.

National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) is one of the largest commercial banks of Pakistan and also the first ever commercial bank of Pakistan to cross the ‘One Trillion Rupee’ bench mark. It has more than 1300 branches across Pakistan and 23 overseas branches and representative offices in four countries.

The National Bank of Pakistan, along with Citibank and WARBA Bank KSC acted as Mandated Lead Arrangers for the transaction. The transaction participants also include other Pakistani banks namely; Bank Alfalah, United Bank and a foreign bank Alubaf Arab International Bank. Citibank is also acting as the Security Trustee and the Account Bank for this transaction.

This innovative Shariah compliant transaction is secured by PIA’s ticket sales generated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and accumulated through IATA’s Billing and Settlement Plan. The three-year facility will be used for PIA’s general corporate purposes and reflects investor confidence in the airline and its strategic importance to Pakistan.

PIA’s Managing Director, Muhammad Junaid Yunus, said, “We are working to enhance the airline’s fleet capacity by adding narrow body aircrafts. The airline is also restructuring other operational aspects of the business to improve its operational and financial position. This facility has re-introduced PIA to the international financial markets, and has further strengthened our relationship with financial institutions in the region”.

Nadeem Lodhi, Managing Director and Citi Country Officer Pakistan said, “We are delighted on Pakistan International Airlines Corporation being able to successfully close the second commercially syndicated foreign currency financing within two years. The transaction is important for the aviation sector as it broadens the airline’s corporate credit to regional Islamic financiers despite challenging market conditions “.

National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), AAA/A-1+’ (Triple A / A-One Plus) rated by JCR-VIS Credit Rating Company Limited (JCR-VIS), is one of the largest commercial Bank of Pakistan. NBP is the first ever commercial bank of Pakistan to cross the ‘One Trillion Rupee’ bench mark, with more than 1300 branch network across Pakistan and 23 overseas branches and representative offices in four countries.

The Bank also handles treasury transactions for the Government of Pakistan (GoP) as an agent to the State Bank of Pakistan. NBP is awarded number of international and national awards as Domestic Retail Bank of the Year 2013 – Pakistan and Pakistan Domestic Technology and Operations Bank of the Year Award 2013 by “Asian Banking & Finance Magazine”, Owned by Charlton Media Group, Singapore and NBP is “Listed in top 1000 banks of the world for the year 2013″ by the world renowned “The Banker” magazine owned by the Financial Times Group, London.

Apart from these, the bank also got The Best Emerging Markets Bank in 2011, 2006, 2005 and in 2003 and NBP was awarded “Best Foreign Exchange Bank in Pakistan” in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008 years. NBP is in “Top 1000 World Banks 2011” by The Banker magazine of UK. The bank’s growth indicators are healthy. The bank is well capitalized with capital and reserves of Rs. 145.850 billion and capital adequacy ratio of over 15%.

The article Pakistan’s NBP A Major Participant In Shariah Compliant Financing Facility For PIA – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By COHA

In his OAS speech delivered on November 18, Secretary of State John Kerry focused on U.S. policy towards the Western Hemisphere and its continuing bilateral relations with nations in the region, emphasizing that Washington under this administration was working towards a “shared commitment to democracy.” His focus on “equal partnership” and “inclusion” underlines a diplomatic strategy to constitute a primus inter pares engagement with Latin America rather than the longstanding conceptualization of the United States as the intrusive Northern neighbor flexing its economic muscles at will. Kerry emphasized this point at several points throughout his speech, reiterating the phrase “La unión hace la fuerza.”

However much Secretary Kerry aimed to bestow recognition of Latin American sovereignty by cleverly choosing carefully crafted words like partnership and equality, he made certain that any such “unión” must happen under the banner of Washington-style democracy. Kerry touted that the hemisphere must stand “unified in commitment to pursuing successful democracy” and then singled out one exception to this pursuit: Cuba. Kerry continued to show the long established policy of Washington to display a vision of the hemisphere from the perspective of the ancien régime rather than how the region is now. He also showed faulty mathematics when he did not make the distinction that differences in policy do not mean that a state threatens the institutionalization of democratic values.

Kerry’s begrudging acknowledgement of Cuba’s reforms was followed by his emphasis on the “human interchange” between the United States and Cuba since “our people are our best ambassadors of our values” – that is, emissaries of democracy. While the address maintained a hopeful, positive outlook on future collaboration within the hemisphere, it did so while subtly advocating a policy that would exclude any members who might stand in the way of Washington’s existing definition of a democratic mandate. That includes almost biblical references to politicized stances eminating from its ancient disputes with left-leaning countries like Cuba and Venezuela. In retrospect, it must be said that a wonderful opportunity to constructively move U.S.-Cuba relations forward was lost. Secretary Kerry exhibits less rationality than meets the eye and turns out to be less of a statesman than we would like him to be.

The article Secretary Of State John Kerry’s Address At The OAS – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By COHA

By Dr. Ronn Pineo and Ian Kowalski

The most violent nation in the world is Honduras, with more murders per capita (92 per 100,000) than even Iraq or Afghanistan and twenty times more than the United States. [1] It is now getting worse, as a wave of brutal killings sweep over the nation in the run-up to the country’s elections on November 24. The left-leaning opposition Partido Libertad y Refundación (Liberty and Refoundation, or LIBRE) has emerged as the target of choice in the majority of attacks.

A Weakened Democracy

Honduras’ recent troubles grow directly out of the events of June 2009, when a military coup removed democratically elected president Manuel Zelaya (2006-2009). Honduras, one of the last Latin American nations to move toward authentic democracy, had been slowly constructing democratic political institutions until the coup. But with this one stroke, Honduras’ nascent democratization suffered a damaging blow from which it has yet to recover.

Honduras, a Tennessee-sized country of 8.4 million people, is in many respects Latin America’s most unreconstructed nation. It only began the process of democratization in the 1980s and its economy is still built around unprocessed agricultural exports—chiefly coffee and bananas—produced on latifundio plantations and the beginnings of a maquila industry. The nation’s GDP per capita is under $4,000 USD PPP (purchasing parity power), ranking near the bottom of all Latin American nations. [2]

Recent Honduran elections reliably produced right-wing, pro-neoliberal leadership, and the 2005 outcome appeared at first to be no different, with center-right candidate Manuel Zelaya of the Partido Liberal de Honduras (Liberal Party of Honduras, or PLH) winning the presidency. But Zelaya, to the increasing dismay of the nation’s ruling elites, began to drift toward the left. Particularly troubling to business leaders was Zelaya’s support for a boost in the Honduran minimum wage. In December 2008, Zelaya backed an increase in the monthly $33 USD rural wage minimum to $213 USD, and likewise raised the urban monthly minimum wage from $109 to $290 USD. [3] The business elite, with many invested in the maquila industry, responded with outrage, and moved swiftly to re-energize the traditional Latin American oligarchy of church, military, and economic power in opposition to President Zelaya. Most effective was their use of the mass media, nearly all branches of which are controlled by the nation’s various elites. Former president Carlos Flores (1998-2002), owner of the newspaper La Tribuna; Jorge Larach, owner of La Prensa and El Heraldo; and Rafael Ferrari, owner of the nation’s largest TV and radio networks in the country, joined together to denounce Zelaya in a multi-media smear and fear campaign. [4]

The proximate cause of the 2009 coup was President Zelaya’s decision to hold a plebiscite regarding the possibility of a constitutional convention, with the ultimate goal of rewriting the constitution and promoting wider popular participation. Grahame Russell of Rights Action, a non-profit organization that raises funds and advocates for human rights and grassroots organizations throughout Latin America, recently explained to COHA that:

[this] was quite clearly a non-binding opinion poll, … asking people … whether … they wanted to include a ballot initiative related to reforming the constitution … Zelaya would have been out of power by [the time of the balloting anyway] … and the new president would have been elected by then … [5]

Nevertheless, the Honduran oligarchy feared that Zelaya was following the example of Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador, seeking to cement in place both himself and the nation’s mounting turn to the left.

Following the coup and the interim government of Roberto Micheletti (2009-2010), elections came in late 2009. The right-wing favorite, Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo (2010-present), won by nearly 20 percent over his nearest opponent. The Honduran left, dismayed by the illegality of the coup and suffering the blows of the continuing attacks by government forces, boycotted the election. But while the United States, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama recognized the election results, the international community did not. The electoral process was deeply flawed. As American University professor Adrienne Pine has noted, “the UN, the European Union, the OAS, and the Carter Center … refused [even] to send [election] monitors.” [6] Nevertheless, the United States applauded the “restor[ation] … [of] democracy” in Honduras, and invited Lobo to visit the White House. [7]

Economic Woes

Since the coup and Lobo’s tainted victory, conditions have grown worse for ordinary Hondurans (or catrachos, as they call themselves) across an array of economic and social measures. While Honduras enjoyed a reduction in income inequality under Zelaya, the situation has reversed under Lobo. In what is the most unequal region in the world, Honduras is now the Latin American nation with the greatest maldistribution of income, and it is one of only three countries in the region where inequality has actually worsened in the last several years. Under Zelaya, the income received by the richest 10 percent grew by 1.3 percent, while the income going to the bottom 90 percent grew 9 percent per year. Under Lobo the income going to the top 10 percent is now up 6.9 percent per year, while the share received by everyone else, the bottom 90 percent, has actually declined 6.5 percent per year. [8] Poverty, too, has increased. The situation had somewhat improved in the Zelaya years, but now more than two-thirds of catrachos live in poverty. Even economic growth has slowed, dropping from an average annual rate of 4.3 percent from 2002-2011 to the mid 3 percent range this year and last. [9]

Meanwhile, social safety net programs have been cut back. Last year Lobo canceled the Programa Matricula Gratis, which had provided families with funding for basic schooling. Now the school lunch program, Programa Merienda Escolar, has been reduced radically. For the moment, at least, the conditional cash transfer program, Bono Diez Mil, has been spared budget cuts, although it mainly depends on external funds. [10]

A Violent Nation

Much of the violence plaguing Honduras today is fueled by the trade in illegal drugs, although many of the killings are merely random street crime. Today, one-third of the world’s processed cocaine is transported through Honduran territory. [11] In Honduras, as elsewhere, entrepreneurs of the illegal drug trade are usually gang members. In Central America, the most dangerous gangs, the Mara Salvatrucha and the 18th Street gang, are largely made up of U.S. expats—criminals who for the most part were deported from Los Angeles after being apprehended by law enforcement. [12] The gangs are armed with weapons that come either from the vast stockpile of leftovers from the 1980s U.S.-backed Contra war launched against the elected Nicaraguan government from Honduras, or else are drawn from the endless stream of high-powered weapons flowing from the U.S. border south to Mexico, Honduras, and beyond. Illegal drugs, criminal gangs, and high-powered weapons are a toxic and lethal mix that continues to plague Honduras. [13]

At the same time, the violence in Honduras is an outgrowth from the economic conditions ordinary people must face on a daily basis. Poverty can breed desperation, and the adoption of neoliberal economic measures, pressed on Honduras by the IMF, World Bank, and by Washington from the era of President George H. W. Bush, has reinforced the tendency towards extreme income concentration. Poverty and economic policies that fail to create jobs have left far too many people without hope. Compounding this situation is the rapidly growing population of Honduras. The Central American nation has yet to pass through the demographic transition—a decline in birth rates to match lower death rates—registering an annual population growth rate of 2.5 percent in the last decade, and now finds itself with one of the highest rates in the region. Each year tens of thousands of young adults are added to the already swollen labor pool in Honduras. Without jobs, many turn to crime.

Given this violent setting, it is sometimes hard to see which of the pre-election killings are targeted and which are just additions to the casualties in the day-to-day reality of mounting crime in Honduras. Still, the pattern that has emerged is that the left-wing opposition is being singled out in the majority of the attacks. The election season has proven especially deadly for members of the left-leaning LIBRE party of Xiomara Castro de Zelaya, the wife of ousted president Manuel Zelaya. In response, some LIBRE candidates have gone into hiding and others have fled the country. As human rights expert Karen Spring of Rights Action noted in a recent interview with COHA, there really is not so much that LIBRE party members can do in response to the mushrooming number of targeted killings and attacks against them, beyond releasing communiqués to attract media attention. “It has a lot to do with fear,” Spring explained, “They don’t want to make their supporters even more fearful to vote for them.” [14] Likewise, because of such high levels of impunity and the lack of political will to investigate, it is increasingly difficult to discern the motives for these offenses and to bring criminals to justice.

Moreover, citizen insecurity in Honduras is among the highest in the region, and has steadily added to the crisis in the country. According to the United Nations Development Program, over 50 percent of Hondurans feel unsafe walking alone at night in the area where they live. [15] More than two out of every ten people feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods and about four out of ten believe their security has deteriorated. [16]

The United States has contributed in several significant ways to Honduras’ atmosphere of lawlessness and continuing violence. It was deeply irresponsible for the United States to send dangerous gang members back to El Salvador and Honduras without adequate discussions to prepare them for the impact of this policy decision. The arming of these gangs through the unrestricted flow of dangerous weapons from the United States to Latin America is beyond dispute. According to a study released earlier this year from the University of San Diego Trans-Border Institute and the Igarapé Institute, an average of 253,000 weapons are purchased in the United States and then smuggled over the border into Mexico each year, aided by lax domestic gun laws and a porous border. [17] Likewise, from 2009 to 2011, the U.S. “Fast and Furious” operation allowed more than 2,000 weapons to cross freely to Mexico in hopes of leading officials to cartel locations; instead, the plot inadvertently strengthened cartels’ firepower, endangered countless people on both sides of the border, and in 2010 led to the death of a U.S. federal agent. [18]

Beyond this, the U.S. fixation on prosecuting the war on illegal drugs, even as Latin America continues to see the folly of this policy, brings continued havoc to the region. The U.S.-backed neoliberal policies of cutting back the government’s role in the economy, including an accord reached by President Lobo in January 2010 with the World Bank, had the predictable results of increasing inequality and poverty. The U.S. action of recognizing the post-coup government and the election of Porfirio Lobo served to undermine respect for democracy and the rule of law in Honduras.

Conclusion

A briefing on Capitol Hill by the Center for Economic and Policy Research and the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador last month presented stunning evidence of the pre-election violence in Honduras directed against LIBRE. Particularly compelling was the account offered by Ms. Bertha Oliva, head of the leading Honduran human rights organization, Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras (Committee of the Relatives of the Disappeared in Honduras, or COFADEH). She is also a victim of human rights abuses—her husband was murdered by the military. Ms. Oliva stressed that “a national emergency regarding human rights exists now” in Honduras, but noted that human rights violators are not being punished. Oliva underscored the on-going pattern of right-wing repression of their political opponents, including six cases in the past month and at least 17 murders of LIBRE members in the past year and a half.

Lamentably, the U.S. government has mounted only the feeblest response. Two letters deploring the violence, one from the U.S. House of Representatives and one from the Senate, went out last year, but neither had any discernible impact. This June, a letter expressing distress over the pre-election violence was signed by 24 of the 100 Senators. By October, just three members of the 435-seat U.S. House voiced similar concerns. More recently, Secretary of State John Kerry’s November 18 remarks before the Organization of American States made only a brief mention of Honduras and the upcoming elections. While Kerry touched on the importance of development, peace, security, and the alleviation of poverty, he effectively ignored the inextricable crime and security crisis and the burgeoning inequality plaguing the country. Kerry also expressed concern over weakening democratic institutions in Venezuela, but failed to acknowledge his own administration’s support of the Honduran coup in 2009 and the elections that followed. This is a rather pitiful response given the extent and urgency of the problem and the evident indifference of most members of Congress is inexcusable moral blindness. As Oliva rightly noted, “human rights violations are not just a Honduran problem—it is all our problem.” “We all should be concerned,” she concluded, “about the corrupt and criminal regime in Honduras.”

Dr. Ronn Pineo, Senior Research Fellow at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs and Chair of the Department of History at Towson University, and Ian Kowalski, Research Associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs

References

[1] “Honduras: Lobo in Office,” Europa World Plus; Dana Frank, “Honduras: Which Side is the US On?” The Nation, last modified May 22, 2012, http://www.thenation.com/article/167994/honduras-which-side-us

;James Verini. “Prisoners Rule,” Foreign Policy, last modified November 2012, http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/10/08/prisoners_rule.

[2] Sandy Marwick, “Honduras: Economy,” Europa World Plus.

[3] Adrienne Pine, “Foosball with the Devil: Haiti, Honduras, and Democracy in the Neoliberal Era,” New Politics, last modified Summer 2010, http://newpol.org/content/foosball-devil-haiti-honduras-and-democracy-neoliberal-era.

[4] Leticia Salomón, “Honduras: A History That Repeats Itself,” Report on the Americas; NACLA 45, no. 1 (2012): 59.

[5] Grahame Russell (Rights Action) in discussion with the author, November 2013.

[6] Adrienne Pine, “Foosball with the Devil.”

[7] Dana Frank, “Honduras.”

[8] Jake Johnston and Stephan Lefebvre, “Honduras Since the Coup: Economic and Social Outcomes,” Center for Economic and Policy Research, last modified 2013, http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/Honduras-2013-11-final.pdf

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] James Verini. “Prisoners Rule.”

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Karen Spring (Rights Action) in discussion with the author, November 2013.

[15] “Seguridad Ciudadana con rostro humano: diagnóstico y propuestas para América Latina,” Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, last modified 2013, http://www.undp.org/content/dam/rblac/img/IDH/IDH-AL%20Informe%20completo.pdf

[16] Ibid.

[17] Topher McDougal, David A. Shirk, Robert Muggah, and John H. Patterson., “The Way of the Gun: Estimating Firearms Traffic Across the U.S.-Mexico Border,” Igarapé Institute; University of San Diego Trans-Border Institute, last modified March 2013, http://catcher.sandiego.edu/items/peacestudies/way_of_the_gun.pdf

[18] Patrik Jonsson, “How Mexican Killers Got US Guns from ‘Fast and Furious’ Operation,” The Christian Science Monitor, last modified July 26, 2011, http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0726/How-Mexican-killers-got-US-guns-from-Fast-and-Furious-operation

The article Spiking Pre-Election Violence In Honduras – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Shabbir H. Kazmi

Zubair Haider Shaikh joined the NBP Islamic Banking Group as SEVP/Group Chief in March 2013. He has over 22 years of experience with different financial institutions in Pakistan namely Meezan Bank Limited, Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), NatLease Group and National Development Leasing (NDLC). He has also held senior positions at Banque Saudi Fransi, Saudi Arabia (joint venture between Calyon, French Banking Group, and Saudi sponsors)

Zubair Haider enjoys good market reputation and has very sound understanding of various areas of banking including Corporate, Commercial, Islamic Finance, and Trade Finance. His key areas of expertise are Business Development, Credit Risk, Strategic Planning, Policies, etc. Prior to joining National Bank of Pakistan, he served Meezan Bank Limited, leading Islamic bank in Pakistan, for around 5 years, as SEVP/Group Head, Corporate Banking.

He is a 1989 MBA graduate from the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi. Zubair has also done his LL.B. from Sindh Muslim Law College, Karachi.

Question: How do you review performance of Islamic banking in Pakistan?

Zubair Haider: Pakistan was a rather late beginner and various half-hearted attempts were made in the past to introduce Shariah compliant banking system. It will perhaps be correct to say that the real beginning was made in 2002 with the creation of Meezan Bank Limited, the first bank to obtain a license from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) as an Islamic bank. The apex regulator, SBP, decided to let the two banking systems run in parallel in the country. This decision was aimed at letting the people decide at their own rather than compelling them to opt for a system about which they may have certain reservations.

The strategy has paid off and today Islamic banks have approximately 10% share in the banking system in Pakistan. Over the years, Islamic deposits have posted an enviable growth rate of more than 30% per annum. Since commencement of global financial crisis, overall growth of regular commercial banks has remained subdued. However, a point to be noted that in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, Islamic banks have not only emerged stronger but also performed relatively better as compared to conventional banks, notwithstanding the inherent credit risks.

Question: What are the key highlights of robust growth of Islamic banking in Pakistan?

Zubair Haider: At present five full-fledged Islamic banks are operating in the country and 14 conventional banks have also established dedicated Islamic banking branches. The total number of bank branches exceed 10,000 and out of these over 1,100 offer Islamic banking. As I said earlier, the share of Islamic banks in total banking business is also close to 10%. The credit of this robust growth goes to the Islamic banks and windows, the Central Bank, Shariah scholars and above all to the clients, who have reposed confidence in the system.

It is also on record that many multinational companies (MNCs) operating in Pakistan and despite enjoying special arrangements with international banks, have also concluded some landmark financing transactions with Pakistani Islamic banks. This is due to the confidence of these MNCs on unique transaction structuring, especially off-balance sheet ones, to cater to short and long-term financing and competitive pricing of Islamic banks.

Question: After working for the largest Islamic bank of Pakistan you have joined the largest public sector conventional bank. What the key objective you wish to achieve?

Zubair Haider: I was approached by National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to head and revive the Islamic banking segment of the bank. I accepted the challenge and have recently come up with an elaborate 5 year Business Plan. Collectively, all of us believe that future growth of banking in Pakistan will be driven by Islamic banking and NBP would like to capitalize on this growth potential due to its inherent strengths; the biggest advantage being its scale, its diversified presence and outreach. At present NBP has 12 dedicated Islamic banking branches and we aim to increase the number to 25 by the end of year 2013. Going forward, we plan to open 25 additional dedicated Islamic branches annually to make our footprint visible throughout the country.

Question: Why does NBP wish to go for an ambitious branch expansion program?

Zubair Haider: The last decade has clearly established that now people believe in the strength of Islamic banking. They wish to have their accounts and carry out transactions with these banks, including designated Islamic branches of conventional banks. At present, NBP has over 1,300 conventional branches in the country, and only 12 dedicated Islamic Banking Branches. Therefore, NBP plans to open up more branches to get closer to those who wish to avail Shariah compliant banking and services.

Since all the NBP branches are ‘Online’, we also plan to offer this major advantage to our Islamic clientele. People maintaining accounts with designated Islamic banking branches will also be able to deposit/ withdraw cash at NBP’s any conventional branch, and vice versa, and also benefit from ATM and Inter-bank transfers, etc.

Question: What name would you like to give to this endeavor?

Zubair Haider: Despite the fact that NBP entered into Islamic banking segment in 2005 and so far have 12 designated Islamic banking branches in 9 cities, but very few people are aware about this. I will prefer to call the present endeavor, re-launching with greater fervor. Towards this end, we have recently launched “Aitemaad” as the brand name for NBP Islamic Banking.

Going forward, we will create awareness of this brand in particular and NBP Islamic in general, to get closer to people who wish to do Islamic banking, by offering innovative asset and liability products. NBP is a trusted name since decades and has been offering a wide range of banking products on the regular banking side, but we now intend to offer a wide range of Shariah compliant products and services to cater to the growing needs of both individual and corporate clients. You would agree in that offering Shariah compliant financing is not possible without enhancing deposits base for which new branches have to be opened at convenient locations and also integrated with the overall large branch network of NBP.

Question: What are the main facets of proposed strategy?

Zubair Haider: We have prepared a multi-pronged strategy that comprises of extending outreach through new branches, developing/ offering innovative products, training of staff to be placed at the branches as well as those working at NBP Call Centres. In the first phase, we intend to cater to those clients who already have fairly good knowledge of Islamic banking and like to have more options. At the same time, NBP also wishes to go for undertaking awareness programs. It is very encouraging that the Central bank has also initiated generic awareness campaigns, which will benefit all the banks offering Shariah compliant products and services.

I must add that Islamic Banking industry receives excellent pro-active support from the Central Bank and more specifically through its Islamic Banking Dept., which is one of the main drivers in growth of Islamic banking industry.

The article Pakistan’s Islamic Banking Industry Receives Excellent Support – Interview Zubair Haider Shaikh appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Said Temsamani

The Polisario isolation at the international level has become even worse. This is due to Panama’s recent decision to withdraw its recognition of the Sahrawi republic – an entity strongly recommended by the Polisario and supported by Algeria, but which has never been recognized by the UN, neither by any European State or any state from North America.

Today, a few African countries and some others from South America that have recognized this ‘Republic on paper’ within the cold war context, are beginning to reconsider their decision which they judge to be hasty. In the agitation of the 60s and 70s of the last century, Algeria and the toppled Gaddhafian regime have tried by all means to weaken Morocco, pro-Western in their eyes.

By welcoming the separatist Polisario Front and provinding it with arms and money, they have vainly tried to impose a republic to the international community. This republic had no real existence and did not fulfill the legal and political conditions required for the existence of a State.

More and more aware that the Western Sahara problem is in fact a regional conflict, a result of the cold war friction, the countries — essentially African and Latin American ones which have recognized the so-called republic — have thus started withdrawing their recognition of an entity which does not exist in reality.

Just during the last decade, more than 30 countries came back on their decision taken at a time of upheavals. This hemorrhage is weakening more the Polisario, and Algeria is being confronted to pressure that is imposed by the international community to act towards a political settlement proposed by Morocco.

The plan aims at putting an end to a conflict which has lasted too long and who the main victims are dozens of thousands of persons sequestrated in Tindouf camps, in the Algerian desert, and deprived of their fundamental rights to freedom of movement and expression.

The article Panama Withdraws Recognition Of Self-Proclaimed Sahrawi Republic, Who Is Next?‏ – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.