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Putin Wins In Russia Only By Escalating His War Rhetoric – OpEd

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By Paul Woodward

Masha Gessen writes: Vladimir Putin has won. In Russia, support for his war in Ukraine is overwhelming. And his approval rating has finally recovered after falling drastically in December 2011, when the Russian protest movement erupted.

Putin claimed reelection to his third term as president in March 2012, as mass demonstrations were taking place in cities and towns across Russia. Official tallies said he won with 63 percent of the vote, but independent exit polls suggested he captured about 50 percent — hardly a show of overwhelming support for a virtually unopposed candidate (none of the four opponents he handpicked for the ballot had campaigned).

After the election, Putin began cracking down on opponents while mobilizing his shrinking constituency against an imaginary enemy: strong, dangerous, Western and, apparently, homosexual. Laws were passed restricting public assembly and the activities of nongovernmental organizations; about three dozen people of various political and social stripes were jailed for protesting.

The crackdown proved effective: When the risks of demonstrating became extremely high and the benefits apparently nonexistent, the number of protests and protesters dwindled; the loose leadership structure of the 2011-12 protest movement dissolved in a haze of mutual recriminations.

As for the mobilization effort, the results were mixed: Putin’s approval rating, as measured by the Levada Center, Russia’s only independent polling organization, bounced back soon after his reelection but sank again and then plateaued. The high approvals that he enjoyed in his first decade at the helm, around 70 percent, were a distant memory. [Continue reading...]

For many of those observers who view Putin as having been pushed into a corner by Western governments who recklessly and foolishly hijacked Ukrainian politics, the Russian president is a cool realist acting in Russia’s national interests, doing what any responsible leader would do.

One of the multiple problems with this interpretation of what is currently unfolding is that it discounts the effects of the psychological imperatives to which Putin is now strapped.

A full-scale invasion of Ukraine might seem irrational now that Crimea is already fully under Russian control — 93% of voters are reported to have supported Crimea becoming part of Russia. But Putin’s next choices may be shaped much less by his assessment of Russia’s geopolitical interests than they are by the image of a strong leader around which he has drummed up so much popular support. He has been stacking up more and more reasons to continue his military advance, leaving less and less room to climb down without appearing to have lost his courage.

The article Putin Wins In Russia Only By Escalating His War Rhetoric – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.


Offsets Facilitation Cell: Optimizing Its Potential – Analysis

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By IDSA

By Amit Cowshish

On Feb 14, 2014, MoD issued an office memorandum about operationalization of a Offsets Facilitation Cell. This is the perhaps the first positive step in a long time and the MoD needs to be complimented for it. However, absence of an operating procedure, clarity about the exact nature of mandate and guidelines for those who will man the cell could turn out to be a bane for this wonderful initiative.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has set up a Facilitation Cell of the Defence Offsets Management Wing (DOMW) at SCOPE Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. DOMW, it may be recalled, was set up as a successor to the Defence Offsets Facilitation Agency (DOFA) in August 2012 for managing offsets.

The foreign vendors and the Indian Offset Partners (IOPs) had been getting exasperated with inaccessibility and unresponsiveness of DOMW. All this is hopefully set to change with MoD announcing through an Office Memorandum issued on February 14, 20141 that with the operartionalization of the Facilitation Cell, the foreign vendors and the Indian Offset Partners (IOPs) can interact and clarify their queries on offset related issues. The memorandum goes on to say that while this cell will be manned on all working days of the week, a team from MoD/DOMW will also be available on Tuesdays between 1000 and 1300 hours and on Thursdays between 1430 and 1700 hrs.

This is the perhaps the first positive step in a long time and the MoD needs to be complimented for it. However, absence of an operating procedure, clarity about the exact nature of mandate and guidelines for those who will man the cell could turn out to be a bane for this wonderful initiative.

To begin with, this facility should not remain confined to only those who have an ongoing contract or are in the process of submitting a revised proposal after being declared L1. It should be open to the prospective vendors and IOPs to approach the cell with whatever doubts and queries they have, even if these are hypothetical and not related to any Request for Proposal (RFP).

The clarification given by the cell in such cases would be authoritative advance rulings. Doubts that arise before or while an offset proposal is being formulated must be clarified by an authority empowered to do so. This will help in submission of offset proposals which are fully compliant with the letter and spirit of the offset policy as viewed and interpreted by the MoD.

This is possible only if those who have to man the cell are empowered to give such rulings or made responsible for processing the queries and issuing the clarification within a prescribed time frame with the approval of the competent authority in the MOD. The new arrangement could come a cropper if neither of these two conditions is met. The process of decision making in the MoD, especially on contentious issues, is painfully slow. Subjecting the queries and doubts raised by the vendors and the Indian industry to the same routine would defeat the very purpose of setting up the cell.

One cannot help wonder whether in the last one and a half years since the promulgation of the current offset guidelines, no doubts or queries have been raised by the foreign vendors and the Indian industry. That does not seem possible, which begs the question why the MoD/DOMW has so far issued no written clarifications on those doubts and queries. It could have made the life easier for those who will now be called upon to man the cell and issue clarifications.

It is not really too late to do this. Most of the issues are known and, therefore, MoD/DOMW needs to take pre-emptive action by issuing clarification on all those issues and put them on the FAQ page of DOMW, which does not seem to have been updated even once since it was created. Even if this not done, any clarification issued by the cell in future must necessarily be put on the website as queries and doubts raised by a particular vendor may be of relevance to others also. This will also help in maintaining uniformity in interpretation of the offset guidelines.

At some point of time in near future, MoD should make it possible for queries and doubts to be raised online and the responses to be put on the website so that it obviates the need for people to visit the cell on the prescribed days and during the prescribed hours.

A number of websites are not user-friendly. Either the information cannot be easily located or, if the website has a search engine, it does not fetch up the desired information. This needs to be kept in mind as and when the MoD/DOMW decides to put the clarifications on the website.

There is also a larger issue involved in this. Is the cell to be responsible only for issuing clarifications – either entirely on its own (which seems improbable) or with the approval of the competent authority in the MoD? It would be a gross underutilization of its potential if its role is restricted to this.

According to MoD’s orders of August 20122 , DOMW is responsible for the following functions:

  1. Formulation of Defence Offset guidelines;
  2. Monitoring the discharge of offset obligations, including audit and review of progress reports received from vendors;>/li>
  3. Participation in Technical and Commercial evaluation of offset proposals as members of TOEC and CNC;
  4. Implementation of Offset Banking guidelines;
  5. Administration of penalties under offset contracts in consultation with Acquisition Wing
  6. Assisting vendors in interfacing with Indian industry; and
  7. Other responsibilities assigned under the offset guidelines or entrusted by the Government.

Of all these functions, there are two in respect of which the cell could play a role. The first is the task related to formulation of the offset guidelines. The cell cannot, of course, formulate the guidelines but could be a useful conduit for conveying the feedback from the vendors and the Indian industry to MoD/DOMW for the latter to amend the provisions of the existing policy, if required, or keep the feedback in view during the next round of revision of the guidelines. The cell is ideally suited to channelize the feedback.

The second task the cell could perform very well is in regard to assisting the vendors in ‘interfacing’ with the Indian industry but for that it will have to create a register of the potential offset partners with details that the prospective vendors would need for selecting a partner. It is difficult to imagine how the cell would discharge this responsibility without such a database. For creating such a database the cell could liaise with other ministries and departments, such as the National Small Industries Corporation, as well as the industry associations. It could even outsource this activity under the provision of the 2012 offset guidelines which permit DOMW to avail of the assistance of any appropriate entity to discharge its functions.

The country is desperate to see tangible results of the offset policy. The step taken by the MoD/DOMW, though belated, is a step in the right direction. The need is to make sure that it works and its potential is optimized. This will also require the persons manning the cell not to be diffident in dealing with the vendors and the Indian industry. Unfortunately, it is generally perceived to be not free from risk in today’s atmosphere of competitive rectitude, measured in terms of distance one maintains from those who the MoD has no option but to depend on to achieve the twin objectives of modernizing the armed forces expeditiously and strengthening the indigenous defence industry in the process.

Views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDSA or of the Government of India. 

1. Accessible at https://mod.nic.in/writereaddata/OperationalizationalCell_DOMW_18Feb14.pdf

2. See paragraph 6.2 of Appendix D to Chapter 1 of DPP 2013, accessible at https://mod.nic.in/writereaddata/DPP2013.pdf

Originally published by Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (www.idsa.in) at http://www.idsa.in/idsacomments/OffsetsFacilitationCell_acowshish_140314

The article Offsets Facilitation Cell: Optimizing Its Potential – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

New US Fed Chief Faces Reporters

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By VOA

By Jim Randle

The new head of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, is busy trying to bolster the economy, cut unemployment and watch out for inflation. On Wednesday she will face reporters for the first time as Fed chief, a job that makes her one of the world’s most powerful bankers and most important women. She says better communication about economic issues and policies will help the economy.

When Janet Yellen talks, powerful people listen.

The Federal Reserve chair has been briefing congressional committees about efforts to speed up the economic recovery and improve the job market without sparking inflation.

She said a Fed program using bond purchases to push down long-term interest rates was not being cut back too slowly – or too quickly.

It’s an example of the economics professor putting her teaching and communications skills to work.

“I strongly believe that monetary policy is most effective when the public understands what the Fed is trying to do and how it plans to do it,” she said.

President Obama picked Yellen to be the first woman to head the Fed, in part because she could relate to ordinary people.

“Too many American still can’t find a job and worry how they will pay their bills and provide for their families,” she said.

Obama said Yellen was also tough, effective, and skillful.

“She sounded the alarm early about the housing bubble, about excesses in the financial sector and about the risks of a major recession,” he said.

Besides her experience in dealing with Congress, Yellen has also been second-in-command at the Fed, head of the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco, and a presidential economic advisor.

She is an economics professor, a researcher, and teacher at the University of California at Berkeley and other top schools.

An academic colleague, who has known Yellen for decades, says she will do well leading the Fed because she listens to the opinions of others, is good at putting people at ease, and even learned from her students who come to Berkeley from all over the world.

In a Skype interview, Berkeley professor Jim Wilcox said Yellen could also use humor to defuse a tense meeting, but was probably not the one in the middle of the room telling a joke.

“She does have a good sense of humor. She is more likely to be on the demand side than the supply side [more likely to laugh at a joke then to tell one] when it comes to jokes, she appreciates a good joke,” he said.

Economics is a family affair for Yellen, who is married to a Nobel-prize winning economist and their son is an economics professor.

“I would also like to thank my spouse George, and my son Robert. I couldn’t imagine taking on this new challenge without their love and support,” she said.

Between the fragile U.S. economy and Washington’s tangled politics, Yellen will need all the family support and personal skill she can muster.

The article New US Fed Chief Faces Reporters appeared first on Eurasia Review.

What To Do About Putin’s Information War? – OpEd

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By EurasiaNet

By Justin Burke

As the reality of the Vladimir Putin’s Crimean land grab sinks in, the most alarming aspect of it all is not the ease with which Russian troops seized the peninsula, but the way the Kremlin mobilized Russian public opinion behind its agenda.

The meme propagated by Russian state-controlled media – that Kyiv is controlled by a bunch of fascists and terrorists who pose a threat to Russians in Ukraine– is preposterous: the Euromaidan movement has its unsavory far-right elements, but its political aims are still broadly liberal – less corruption, blind justice and more economic opportunity for all. The shocking thing is that a vast majority of those who depend on Russian state media for their information clearly believe the Putin-generated alternative reality, and are wholeheartedly supporting the Crimean incursion.

How is this possible in the Internet Age when information seems more freely available than ever before? To understand, it’s important to keep in mind that Putin had been carrying out a creeping coup in Russia’s information sphere over the past few years. It’s a putsch that took a quantum leap late last year, and now it seems to be accelerating.

Putin’s media-control campaign went into overdrive just weeks after the start of the Euromaidan protests in Kyiv, kicking off with a December announcement about the reorganization of the state-run RIA news agency, a move plainly designed to bring it under tighter Kremlin control. Putin also launched a purge of independent thinkers among media professionals. Among the latest victim is an editor at Lenta.ru, one of Russia’s leading news websites, let go for ostensibly for posting an interview with a prominent Ukrainian ultranationalist. Back in February, the CEO of Ekho Moskvy, a radio outlet that often views events with a critical eye, got the sack and was replaced by a Kremlin crony.

Not only are individual journalists being purged, the Kremlin is trying to disappear entire news sources. Early in the year, the Kremlin squelched the independent cable news channel Dozhd (Rain). Then, on March 13, state media regulators summarily blocked a bevy of independent and opposition-oriented websites. One of those blocked sites, Ekho Moskvy, was later unblocked after removing a blog written by Alexandr Navalny, the most popular and vocal critic of Putin in Russia.

The same sort of thing is going on in academia and the non-profit sector in Russia: those capable of independent thinking are being systematically bullied into co-opting their beliefs, or at the very least, remaining silent. Putin’s chief instrument of coercion over civil society activists is legislation that makes it difficult for NGOs to accept grants from foreign sources. The Kremlin is threatening to make life similarly difficult for academics who use foreign grant money to conduct research.

The Kremlin’s efforts are even extending into social media: the founder of VKontakte, Russia’s version of Facebook, was pressed not too long ago to sell his stake in the company to a Putin pal. It’s also worth mentioning that the State Duma, Putin’s rubber stamp legislature, has reportedly mulled a bill that would make the publication of anything deemed “anti-Russian” tantamount to treason, leaving those responsible vulnerable to lengthy prison sentences. The bill has been shelved, but it could be brought out of mothballs at any time.

The way things are going, it won’t be long before the Kremlin will have achieved critical mass in the domestic information sphere; it may soon be even harder for Russians outside of Moscow and Petersburg to gain access to dissenting voices than it was back in the samizdat era.

Deceptively for viewers and readers of Western news outlets, it remains relatively easy to hear Russian critics of Putin. Pussy Riot’s antics get great press in the West, for example, but their exploits go unobserved by Russian-speakers dependent on Kremlin-controlled media.

If it’s ever going to be possible to reason with Putin – and after his latest, rambling performance at a press conference about the Crimean crisis, that’s a big ‘if’- the United States and European Union first have to burst Russia’s information bubble.

Given developments over the past few weeks, it’s clear that Putin is capable of taking Russian society to a very dark place. Not only Russia and Russians are imperiled by the Kremlin’s attempt to stop the free flow of information. The history of the 20th century shows that a society closed off to a variety of viewpoints is capable of committing great atrocities and causing global harm. Ensuring diversity when it comes to news sources is one of the best means of preventing any given state from going off the rails.

As advocates of an open society, the United States and European Union should take fast action to counteract the Kremlin’s efforts to make Putinspeak a state language in Russia. An information offensive is needed, one capable of competing with the Russian state media machine.

In contemplating such an initiative, those making decisions should avoid fighting the last war. An information campaign built upon propaganda is doomed to fail, and even play into Putin’s hands. The point of a new initiative shouldn’t be to prove the superiority of Western ways, but merely provide Russians with a different point of reference that can help them think for themselves and make more informed decisions on how they wish to see their country develop – to show that there isn’t just one course for state development, but many. It should not covey animosity toward Russia, it should simply try to stoke debate among Russians.

Given their Cold War connections, existing outlets, such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, are unlikely to accomplish this aim. An entirely new entity is needed. A new approach to presenting the news is also required. Since the target audience should be younger Russians, the use of humor to convey serious points is a tactic that should be embraced. Russian-speaking versions of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert need to be introduced to Russian audiences. Russians have always loved a good joke, so satire may well be the most potent weapon that can be deployed against the humorless Putin.

Justin Burke is the executive editor of Eurasianet.

The article What To Do About Putin’s Information War? – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

The Essence Of Sarah Palin’s Message For 2014‏ – OpEd

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By Lloyd Marcus

I watched a great old movie in the time period of the 1700s starring Anthony Quinn. A small village was brutally abused by an evil bandit and his army of thugs. Quinn organized and inspired the fearful villagers to fight back. When villagers were killed, many blamed, criticized and rejected Quinn. Displaying true leadership, Quinn remained willing to fight. He informed his critics that cowardice begets more tyranny. Freedom ain’t free.

Folks, true leaders pay a heavy price which is why they, as do eagles, fly alone. Sarah Palin has led by example, displaying tremendous courage, backbone and grit by standing up for conservative principles, traditional values, freedom and liberty; even when some conservatives and establishment Republicans joined the chorus of liberals, Democrats and MSM calling her a fool.

Someone said if you promote a lie long enough, for some, it becomes reality. Such is the case regarding Palin’s smarts. Meanwhile, Obama’s list of faux pas including his recent inability to correctly spell “respect” are ignored or laughed-off.

Threatened by her enormous presence and the extreme impact of her inspiring 2008 VP nomination acceptance speech, Democrats and the MSM immediately launched a campaign to destroy Palin. In their joint effort to discredit her, every word out of Palin’s mouth has been viewed through an unjust false lens which assumes that she is an idiot. I challenge anyone on the planet to survive such extreme critical scrutiny.

Sarah Palin is not perfect. She is a human being like the rest of us. But, Sarah Palin is an unmistakably gifted charismatic born leader who inspires millions to fight back against the horrible evil attempting to overtake our great nation. Palin’s passion is fueled by her love for God, family and country and her knowledge that freedom ain’t free. Thank God Palin is conservative.

For those on our side who wish to nit-pic everything Palin says and does, I ask, what the heck are you thinking? Stop it! Obama and his vile minions (Lois Lerner and others) are launching daily unprecedented outrageous assaults on our freedoms. Why waste time, energy and resources beating up on one of our few generals leading the charge to restore America?

As a proud conservative, I hold our leaders to a higher standard than the Democrats. I expect conservative leaders to make character driven decisions rooted in the best interest of the American people. However, I think it is unfair and foolish to demand that our leaders be perfect in every way. We should not join our enemies in berating them every time a conservative has a less than home run hitting media appearance. Our laser focus should be on exposing and stopping Obama’s non-stop crimes against our Constitution. Attacking our own is counter productive.

Despite the left’s best efforts to silence her, Palin has been relentless, sounding the alarm of all the bad things that would accompany an Obama presidency. Palin was right. America’s chickens have come home to roost for electing Obama.

Here are Palin’s predictions which have come true.

Obama pacifying world aggressors would have negative consequences.

Russia (which had just invaded the sovereign nation of Georgia, a U.S. ally) would feel emboldened to send troops in Ukraine as well. http://nws.mx/1lkZ7LT

Under Obamacare there would be government “death panels” that would determine whether or not a patient should be eligible to receive life-saving treatments, or whether it would be cheaper to just let that patient die. Could you ever imagine such a thing in America? bit.ly/1fOQ7iC

A few liberals have admitted that Palin was right when she said Obama does not have a whole lot of substance. bit.ly/1cnKkQm

Sarah Palin was right on all these issues.

But the most important thing that Palin has been right about, winning her my utmost respect, is her unapologetic advocacy of true Conservatism; confidently touting Conservatism as the miracle cure for all of America’s woes. bit.ly/1d9Tg78

The 2014 midterm election must be a vote for Conservatism. Conservatives in office is the only way we defeat our outlaw president and his army of thugs. We must take the House and the Senate.

Palin’s CPAC speech confirms that she continues to lead the charge. Her battle cry is loud, strong and clear. If the GOP wishes to repeat the victory it enjoyed in 2010, it had better embrace the Tea Party (Conservatism). bit.ly/1lMKggd

I stand with Sarah Palin 100%. I pray you will do the same.

The article The Essence Of Sarah Palin’s Message For 2014‏ – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Afghanistan: Taliban Violence Threatens Election, Says HRW

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By Eurasia Review

Taliban threats and violence against campaign workers and election officials risk undermining Afghanistan’s presidential election slated for April 5, 2014, Human Rights Watch said today.

In a March 11 statement, the Taliban vowed to “use all force” to disrupt the vote, and to “target all workers, activists, callers, security apparatus, and offices.” The Taliban also warned the Afghan government not to use public buildings such as mosques and schools for the polls, suggesting these locations could be targets of attack. International humanitarian law prohibits all attacks targeting civilians and civilian structures.

“The Taliban’s threat to use violence to prevent the Afghan people from choosing a new president is as despicable as it is unlawful,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “That threat highlights the responsibility of the Afghan government and its security forces to take all necessary measures to protect campaign activities and voters.”
Prior to and during the presidential election of 2009 and the parliamentary election in 2010, the Taliban were linked to most serious incidents of violence and intimidation.

The April 5 election would mark the first democratic transfer of power from one president to another in post-2001 Afghanistan. Term limits in the Afghan constitution bar the current president, Hamid Karzai, from re-election. Human Rights Watch has previously expressed concern about the ability of Afghan security forces to provide adequate security on election day.

Violent incidents already linked to election preparations include:

  • On March 12, the kidnapping by unknown gunmen of four members of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in Nangarhar province;
  • On March 12, the killing by unidentified gunmen of three elders associated with the campaign of presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah in northern Faryab province. The men were shot while returning from a funeral ceremony for the late Afghan Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim. Unidentified gunmen also warned villagers in the area not to vote;
  • On March 10, a bomb blast by unknown perpetrators apparently targeted Abdullah’s campaign office in Herat, which killed two security officers and injured four election workers;
  • On March 9, an attack by unidentified gunmen that injured two campaign workers of presidential candidate Gul Agha Sherzai in Helmand;
  • On March 5, a failed bomb attack by unknown perpetrators near a campaign venue in Kunduz where presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was scheduled to speak;
  • On February 19, an attack apparently targeting presidential candidate Abdullah as he was returning from a campaign rally in Nangarhar. The Taliban took responsibility for the attack;
  • On February 9, an attack by unidentified gunmen that killed a tribal elder and a campaign worker of Dr. Abdullah in the Kohistanat district of Sar-i-Pul province; and
  • On February 1, the killing by unidentified gunmen of two of Abdullah’s campaign workers who were shot in the city of Herat.

The Afghan nongovernmental election monitoring organization, the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan, has reported that election-related violence and intimidation since the start of the campaign period on February 2 has included seven murders, one assassination attempt, and six threats of violence or use of force. More threats and violence are expected as the campaign for provincial council seats, which began on March 4, gains momentum.

“The Taliban threats to use violence to derail the election process should not succeed,” Adams said. “Taliban tactics of terror and intimidation only expose their fear of the ballot box and the Afghan people’s right to choose their next government.”

The article Afghanistan: Taliban Violence Threatens Election, Says HRW appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Iran: MPs Tell Nuclear Negotiators To Take Strong Stand

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By Radio Zamaneh

200 Iranian MPs have issued a letter urging the country’s nuclear negotiating team to reject restrictions or a ban on the use of the heavy water reactor in Arak.

They also insist that Iran’s defence matters and ballistic capacities should not be compromised in the negotiations.

A new round of nuclear talks between Iran and the 5+1 will begin this week in Vienna.

The letter indicates that Iran is committed to the NPT agreement and any agreement with the 5+1 should not create “restrictions or a ban on activities regarding research, especially the development of the heavy water reactor and enrichment.”

The letter states that such an agreement will not be accepted by the parliamentary representatives of the people of Iran.

U.S. officials have indicated that Iran’s ballistic capability will be one of the topics of discussion in Vienna.

The article Iran: MPs Tell Nuclear Negotiators To Take Strong Stand appeared first on Eurasia Review.

EU Rejects Crimea-Kosovo Comparisons

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By SETimes

By Linda Karadaku

On the eve of a controversial referendum championed by pro-Russian forces in the Crimea peninsula, the European Union is rejecting Moscow’s comparison of Crimea to Kosovo’s separation from Serbia.

The comparison is being used by authorities in Moscow in an attempt to legitimise a March 16th referendum called by Crimea officials to separate from Ukraine. “There is absolutely no comparison,” Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for EU High Commissioner Catherine Ashton, told SETimes.

Sunday’s referendum follows the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia rather than face charges for the death of protesters during months of demonstrations in Kiev. The new government is recognised by the West.

Moscow, meanwhile, backs pro-Russian paramilitaries that, according to widespread media reports, are beating and abducting ethnic Tatars and Ukrainians in the region, which is dominated by ethnic Russians.

In one such attack reported by the Associated Press on Thursday (March 13th), 10 men, some masked, wearing camouflage, and carrying automatic weapons, pistols and knives, brutally beat two Ukrainian soldiers in the middle of Simferopol and then attacked onlookers who tried to stop the attacks.

But there is support for Ukraine as well. More than 100 gathered to hear speeches and sing the Ukrainian national anthem. Speakers led participants in chants including “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Nation!”

They exhorted people to raise money and bring food to Ukrainian soldiers who have been surrounded by Russian paramilitaries at their bases, the AP reported. Others carried signs reading “If You Want to Live in Russia, then Move to Russia” and “The Referendum Is A Step Toward War.”

While supporters of the Russian ultranationalists in Crimea use Kosovo as a precedent for Sunday’s referendum, observers in both Kosovo and Serbia say the comparison is not accurate. Sonja Biserko of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia noted that “each case is specific.” “There is no parallel with Kosovo and Crimea. It would be similar if Albania had annexed Kosovo,” Biserko told SETimes.

Abit Hoxha, a security researcher with the Kosovo Centre for Security Studies, noted the same argument. Hoxha told SETimes that NATO intervention in Kosovo did not aim or result in Kosovo’s unification with any other state. NATO intervened to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and to stop genocide, Hoxha said.

“Russian intervention in Crimea intends its annexation to the Russian Federation,” he added.

Even Moscow has been inconsistent in making the comparison. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government supports the Crimea referendum as “absolutely legitimate,” but also strongly opposes Kosovo independence and reiterated its position against Kosovo recently.

Hoxha said Russia’s claim can be easily turned down based on a specific agreement signed between Moscow and Kiev.

“I think the key issue is the international agreement that was reached between Russia and Ukraine when Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal to save its territorial integrity … and this is what makes Crimea very different from Kosovo,” Hoxha said.

Kosovo has been recognised by more than 100 UN and EU member nations and has been increasing its membership in international organisations.

Kosovo is an entirely different example of state-building and should not be compared with Crimea, said Dren Doli, an expert of the Group for Legal and Political Studies in Kosovo.

Burim Ramadani, a Kosovo MP, also noted that “no one from Kiev has attempted to commit genocide in Crimea while Belgrade has done that in Kosovo.”

“No one from outside has determined the will of Kosovo while Russia is doing that in Crimea. Nobody from the international community has reported for violations of human rights in Crimea while there have been thousands of such reports in the case of Kosovo,” Ramadani told SETimes.

Davor Gjenero, independent political consultant and former professor at Zagreb Faculty of Political Sciences in Zagreb, Croatia, agreed.

“Kosovo declared independence after having been exposed to Milosevic’s genocidal intent of what he showed in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Crimea, there is not a single sign of aggression of Ukrainians towards the Russian population. And that’s the key difference between Kosovo and the Crimea,” he told SETimes.

“We have to mention that the Western countries avoided the intervention in Yugoslavia until the last moment and that Russia is now using that Yugoslav experience in the case of Crimea, counting that the West will not react in a militarily sense until the last moment,” Gjenero said.

Correpsondent Drazen Remikovic in Sarajevo contributed to this report.

The article EU Rejects Crimea-Kosovo Comparisons appeared first on Eurasia Review.


Up To 5 Million May Go To Rome For Papal Canonizations

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By CNA

By Andrea Gagliarducci

As many as 5 million people could travel to Rome for the April 27 canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II, and are expected to arrive beginning on Good Friday, April 18.

Rome will be a hot spot for tourism also because on April 25 Italy celebrates its liberation from fascism, and is national holiday. Many Italians will take advantage of the day off to spend the weekend in Rome, so pilgrims and tourists will be mixing during these days.

According to a source in the Vatican-affiliated pilgrim office Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi who spoke with CNA March 13, “the number of pilgrims may be overestimated,” with it “more likely that the pilgrims for the canonizations will be around 1.5 million persons.”

Rome is anyway considering how to avoid overcrowding, and access to St. Peter’s Square.

Maurizio Pucci, an official of the city, said there will be just 10,000 reserved seats for guests and dignitaries in the square, while there will be “free access, with no ticket needed, to the whole area which comprises St. Peter’s Square, Piazza Pio XII, and Via della Conciliazione,” the road which runs from Castel Sant’Angelo into St. Peter’s.

The area from Via della Conciliazione to St. Peter’s Square can contain from 150-200,000, so “jumbotrons will be installed in the big squares of Rome’s downtown … so that people can gather there and watch the celebration live,” he added.

Polish pilgrims are expected to number some 300,000, and five busloads will arrive from Sotto il Monte, the town in Lombardy where Bl. John XXIII was born and raised.

The evening prior to the canonizations will be a night of prayer, with many parishes in Rome’s center open from 9 to midnight so that pilgrims will be able to keep vigil.

At the moment, it is estimated that 85 percent of Rome’s hotels are booked for the canonization period. Pilgrims will be also accommodated in the nearby towns of Fiumicino and Civitavecchia, where ships of pilgrims arriving from Spain will be docked.

It is rumored that Vatican Television has signed an agreement with Sony for a live, 3d broadcast of the ceremony.

Msgr. Dario Vigano, director of Vatican Television, told CNA March 4, “we are studying how to involve new technologies” for the canonizations.

Marta Leonori, assessor of the Rome Town Hall for Tourism, has announced there will be a “Roma Pass” for the weekend — a special card, the fee for which includes three days of public transport, free entrance in two museums, and price reductions for the other museums in Rome.

The article Up To 5 Million May Go To Rome For Papal Canonizations appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Colombia: ‘FARC And Peace Are Going To Play Role In Elections’– Interview

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By Latinamerica Press

Interview with Victoria Sandino Palmeras, FARC peace delegation member

By Jenny Manrique

As she was finishing her communications studies in Bogotá in the 1990s, Judith Simanca Herrera, who now goes by the name Victoria Sandino Palmeras, from the northern department of Córdoba, decided to leave “everything behind” and immerse herself in the Colombian jungle. She joined the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and ultimately became commander of the group’s Block 21, which operates in the southern part of the country. In San Vicente del Caguán, during the fruitless peace negotiations under President Andrés Pastrana (1998-2002), she was part of the security detail for the now-deceased commanders Alfonso Cano and Raúl Reyes. Now 48 years old, she is one of 13 women on the negotiations team in Havana who since Sept. 2012 have been in peace talks with the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos. Latinamerica Press contributor Jenny Manrique spoke with Sandino in Havana about the reality within the FARC and the future of peace negotiations.

How many years have you been a member of the FARC and why did you join the guerrilla movement?

I’ve been with the organization for 21 years. I started my political life almost as far back as 12 years old in the Communist Youth of Colombia and in the 1990s, when the genocide of members of the Patriotic Union (UP) happened, colleagues died and the persecution of popular leaders became increasingly intense. You start to ask yourself: life is at stake here, the government will not create the democratic changes the country needs, there are fewer and fewer opportunities to participate in politics. We can’t let that list of dead get longer, we are going to add onto another list — the ranks of the FARC.

What is your interpretation of the peace process here in Havana, with an election in Colombia approaching?

The government [of President Santos] yearns for the FARC’s surrender, for us to give up the fight after more than 50 years, but throughout the negotiations they’ve came down from that cloud, they know that’s not possible. When we proposed a ceasefire during the campaign [ahead of the presidential elections slated for May 25] it was so that wouldn’t influence the process at the [negotiations] table, but the government didn’t accept it, so the FARC and peace are going to play a role in the elections, whether for or against the process. It is important to be able to impose the will of the majority against a political solution to the conflict.

You are currently negotiating the topic of illicit crops. What degree of responsibility are you prepared to acknowledge in drug trafficking?

We believe trafficking is a social phenomenon that has entered every sphere. Farmers have been pushed to grow coca, poppy and marijuana in areas where there is guerrilla because we are nationwide, but we are not the police nor could we repress them because it is the only choice they have. The [manufacturing] laboratories are not in our area, rather in those under army control. We discussed creating alternatives that disconnect the farmers from that crop and where proper treatment is given to consumers, who are the weakest link. We’re asking for a historic truth commission to define the roles everyone has played, including the most powerful in money laundering. If in that, one of our people who is connected should fall — it’s possible —, the organization will have a response to that.

Which issues regarding gender have you brought to the negotiations?

The first issue is that female guerrillas be recognized as political subjects who are here based on merit, because the organization decided it, not because we are the first ladies of X or Y comrade. The gender issue on the table is transversal. In relation to the agrarian issue, it has been suggested that women who are heads of households take priority for land ownership, loans, and education in the rural areas. Of the 100 proposals we presented on political participation, about 37 are related to gender equity. And at every point.

Within ranks of the guerrillas, is there such gender equality?

It’s a stereotype that women don’t have rights in the FARC and it questions the organization, as if Colombian society — chauvinistic and capitalist — were different. We can’t even imagine a female guerrilla being mistreated and nothing happening, because there are rules and principles that don’t allow for that. What you see on a daily basis in the campesino, indigenous and African descent communities, where the husband comes and hits his [female] partner or his children, that doesn’t happen in the organization, because we have equal rights. Sure there are examples of machismo because we are products of this society, but here on the negotiations team, 13 of the 30 members are women. Let’s see if in the military forces the ratio is the same.

Nevertheless, several United Nations reports and testimonies from former female guerrillas describe commanders abusing women.
The female guerrilla has a way to defend herself, she has a weapon that is her own life and integrity, it is not possible for someone to come and assault her like that; moreover there are rules that apply to everyone. It’s possible those things have occurred within (our) community because in every social and human group those phenomena exist; we aren’t perfect.

Is abortion an obligatory policy within the ranks?

On issues like motherhood, precautions weren’t always taken. During a ceasefire from 1984 to 1990, the guerrilla camps looked like nursery schools because there was calm and couples started families. Many of the [female] colleagues have children from that period who are now 20 years old. Today, the level of conflict doesn’t allow us that. I decided not to have children before entering — not because they denied it to me. In this struggle I saw many colleagues die with their children in their arms as happened with the UP, the female guerrillas who are captured are killed when they are going to give birth, they are forced to be mothers in prisons. That’s why it’s mandatory to plan, being pregnant raises the risks in combat. Sometimes a couple will ask if they can have a child, and the superiors review whether they will allow it. Almost all of the male guerrillas have sons or daughters with female guerrillas or with members of the local communities because it’s part of human nature. It’s not that the FARC says: if you are a female guerrilla you can’t be a mother, it’s the war that imposed these conditions on us.

Where are those children raised?

It is very dangerous to have a baby given the bombing and strafing. If there is no way to terminate the pregnancy, — for us [abortion] is a right — because you cannot get a doctor in or security conditions are bad, then she should have it and get out when she is four to six months along. If [conditions] are ok, she keeps her child for a while with her, she turns [him or her] over to a relative who can care for it, and she reintegrates herself. A lot of the time she can’t have any more contact with the family because a persecution ensues. When the children get older they start telling them that their mother is a guerrilla, she’s a killer, and they offer [the children] money to turn over their parents.

The article Colombia: ‘FARC And Peace Are Going To Play Role In Elections’ – Interview appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Burma: Mon Villagers Rally Against Mountain Quarry

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By Democratic Voice of Burma

By Thanoe Wai

Villagers in Mon State’s Paung Township rallied against a proposed plan by a Burmese private company, Amberto Mining, to quarry Kalarma Mountain.

Residents from six villages in Ohntabin village-tract have petitioned the local authority, asserting that they rely on mountain streams for drinking water and to generate hydropower. They fear that quarrying the mountain will destroy their livelihoods.

Local villager Ange Lay said the company had already proposed plans to the local Forestry Department.

“We learnt the company have already submitted their application to the Forestry Department but it is likely the officials will wait for local residents to negotiate with the company before issuing them a permit,” said Ange Lay, adding the company has been trying to push the deal ahead.

He said over 100 villagers including Buddhist monks have signed a letter addressed to the Paung township authorities, voicing their objection to the proposal.

Township administrator Han Thaung said he has no authority to decide on the mountain’s fate.

“People think I am the one who invited the company so they’re addressing the complaint to me, but in fact I have nothing to do with it; I was not even informed of any details about the project. So how am I supposed to make a decision on this?” Han Thaung said.

“The company is in conversation with with state-level authorities so hopefully they [state-authorities] will see to the situation,” he added.

Tin Hla of activist group Human Rights Promoters and Defenders Network said that quarrying the mountain would lead to negative social and environmental impacts, as there are several villages, monasteries, rubber plantations and forests at the foot of the mountain. He reminded the company of existing environmental protection laws.

“The Amberto Company claimed the mountain is formed with quarry rock but research shows it is actually decorative-rock protected under article-45 of the regulations by the Ministry of Mines,” said Tin Hla.

The article Burma: Mon Villagers Rally Against Mountain Quarry appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Ukraine Crisis Significant For Chinese Investment In Europe

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By SETimes

By Ivana Jovanovic and Drazen Remikovic

The Ukraine crisis is putting China on the horns of a dilemma between Russia on one side and the United States and Europe on the other, with potentially billions of euros of Chinese investment in Europe at risk.

Southeast Europe analysts and foreign policy experts say China has reason to act cautiously and avoid isolating itself from states that already are part of the European Union and others in the Balkans that are pursuing EU accession.

“The Chinese views of this crisis are extremely complex,” Charles W. Freeman Jr., co-chairman of the U.S. China Policy Foundation, told SETimes. “I think the Chinese are probably counselling restraint in Moscow.”

On March 2, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang urged all sides involved in the Ukraine situation to comply with international law and seek a political solution to their disputes through dialogue and negotiations.

“China is deeply concerned with the current Ukraine situation,” Qin told reporters. He had been asked to state China’s position after the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, authorised President Vladimir Putin to use military force if he judged it necessary to protect Russian citizens and soldiers in Ukrainian territory.

Qin condemned the use of violence by all parties in the Ukraine crisis. China’s state news agency Xinhua reported Qin said China had advised all sides in Ukraine to resolve their conflicts peacefully in accordance with the country’s law, safeguard the legitimate rights of the Ukrainian people and re-establish social order as quickly as possible.

Qin emphasised that China was basing its position on the Ukrainian issue on the principle of non-interference in any country’s internal affairs. Beijing continued to respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Xinhua reported.

Continuing good relations and steadily expanding trade with both the 28-nation European Union and the United States are central to President Xi Jinping’s strategy. China has significant investments in Southeast Europe, and all signs point to further development of its economic interests in the region.

“The political legitimacy of all modern Chinese governments rests on their continuing ability to provide economic growth and rising standards of living to their people,” Ralph Winnie, head of the China program at the Eurasian Business Coalition, told SETimes.

In November, at the second summit of the prime ministers of China and Central and Eastern Europe in Bucharest, Chinese officials agreed to form a $10 billion credit line for projects in 16 European countries. The group includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Romania. China also committed to finance the modernisation of a rail line between Budapest and Belgrade.

Among China’s investments in the Balkans is a 900 million euro highway construction project in Montenegro that will be financed by Chinese banks. In BiH, Chinese investors are building a power plant worth 150 million euros that is due to be completed in 2016.

In late February, China opened an office for Chinese investments in Zagreb, Croatia, which aims to attract investments in all Balkan nations.

Trade between China and Bulgaria has seen rapid growth in the past few years, rising from $984 million in 2010 to $1.895 billion in 2012, according to estimates from China’s Ambassador to Bulgaria Wei Jinghua. The volume of China’s investments in Bulgaria expanded from 14.4 million euros in 2012 to 77.6 million euros in the first half of 2013. The Great Wall auto plant in the village of Bahovista, near Lovech, is the first Chinese plant located in the EU.

After a recent visit to Beijing, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev announced that two of China’s state-controlled construction companies have made offers to build the Cherno More highway, which is planned to connect Black Sea coastal cities Varna and Bourgas.

Vladimir Milenkovic, director of the Serbia Investment and Export Promotion Agency, told SETimes that trade with China has increased in the past decade and now accounts for 7.2 percent of Serbian imports. The two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2009, resulting in infrastructure and energy sector development backed by a loan from China’s Export-Import Bank.

“China has a strong partnership with Russia, but it must be stressed that this country is almost always for a peaceful solution, which could be seen in their official stand about Ukraine,” Milos Solaja, a professor at the Faculty of Political Science in Banja Luka and director of BiH’s Centre for International Relationships, told SETimes.

“The summit in Bucharest shows that the Chinese expansionary economy in full swing. Economic objectives of a superforce must go out somewhere and China’s economy has nowhere to expand except to the west,” Solaja said. “But this cannot be achieved with weapons, and that is why China is forcing peaceful solutions, and in principle it will support Russia because of its Asian interests. And this will be China’s balance between the East and West.”

Ivona Ladjevac, a Far East expert and associate researcher with the Institute for International Co-operation and Economy in Belgrade, said southeast Europe is important to China because of its connection with the European Union.

“Contacts with some other markets are there as well, and one of these markets is the CEFTA [Central European Free Trade Agreement] countries, with which Serbia connects China and provides it with some economic benefits,” Ladjevac told SETimes.

“China constantly insists on respect of international law and principles of non-interference in internal matters of third countries,” Ladjevac said. “Since the situation in Ukraine is a bit confusing, the statements and position of China are confusing a bit as well. So we can hear statements of its foreign affairs officials saying that China hopes that some kind of balance will be found and that international law principles will not be damaged. And then the same officials’ statements say that they do understand historical circumstances and processes that had been happening in Euro-Asia when it comes to the Russian position on Ukraine’s situation.

“By strengthening relations between China and West Balkan countries, which means with EU countries as well, China contributes to improvement of relations between the EU and Russia, and eventually to a peaceful solution of the Ukraine crisis.”

Beijing has made clear that it wants to retain good relations with the new, pro-Western coalition government of Ukraine in Kiev, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying announced in Beijing on March 4th. China wanted to maintain and expand its existing strategic partnership with Ukraine on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, Xinhua reported.

Hua told a daily press briefing that the Beijing government continues to monitor events unfolding in Ukraine and expressed hope that conditions are improving.

“We hope that the political process of resolving the crisis in Ukraine will continue to move ahead within the framework of the law,” Hua said.

Correspondents Martin Sieff and Tzvetina Borisova contributed to this report.

The article Ukraine Crisis Significant For Chinese Investment In Europe appeared first on Eurasia Review.

ICC World T20 Cricket Tournament On Tap

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By Central Asia Online

By Abdul Nasir Khan

Expectations are high as Pakistan and Afghanistan head to Bangladesh for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 (T20) tournament, which starts March 16 in Bangladesh.

“Pakistan’s recent performance in the Asia Cup [finishing second to Sri Lanka] raised our hopes that the Green Shirts would not only reach the final two but will also win back the title,” Misbah ul Haq, captain of the national Test and One-Day International squad, said. “The return of Shahid Afridi to his form and run-scoring by Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal in the Asia Cup brightened Pakistan’s chances to hoist the Cup.”

Senior sports reporter Sohail Imran, who will cover the T20 tournament for Pakistan’s Geo news channel, is also optimistic about Pakistan’s chances.

“The conditions in Bangladesh suit Pakistan … during the recently held Asia Cup and will also be helpful in the mega-event,” Imran told Central Asia Online by phone. “Pakistan has been outstanding on Bangladeshi grounds, while its performance in the previously held four editions of the T20 world cup has also been wonderful. One can hope for the best results.”
Tournament set-up

Pakistan is one of eight teams (India, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa and the West Indies are the others) that already qualified for the Super-10. Those teams get to bypass the play-in part of the tournament.

Afghanistan will be one of eight teams competing for the Super-10′s final two spots.

In Group A, Afghanistan opens the event March 16 with a match against the host country, Bangladesh, in Dhaka. Afghan group play will continue with matches against Hong Kong (March 18) and Nepal (March 20).

Zimbabwe, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ireland and the Netherlands will compete in Group B in a similar three-game format.

The top team from each group will fill out the field for the Super-10.

Super-10 play will start March 21 at the same venue, and Pakistan will play arch-rival India in one of three games that day.

The Super-10 teams will be split into two groups, with every team playing four matches, one against each team in its group. The top two teams from each group will advance to the April 3-4 semi-finals and those winners will play in the final April 6.
Pakistan has had T20 success; Afghanistan is relative neophyte

Pakistan holds several honours in cricket’s shortest format, having played the most matches all time with 78 – winning 47, with two ending in a tie.

Captain Mohammad Hafeez tops the ICC ranking list of T20 all-around players.

Shahid Afridi has played in 70 matches, the most for a single player.

Pakistani bowler Saeed Ajmal has the most wickets all time with 81. Umar Gul is second with 74, while Afridi has claimed 73. Gul has twice bagged five wickets in in a single match. Kamran Akmal has 54 dismissals, also the most all time in T20 match play.

Pakistan played in the final twice (2007 and 2009) and won the title in 2009. In its most recent outing (2012), the country qualified for the semi-final.

Afghanistan, meanwhile, is relatively new to the international cricket scene, not yet in the top tier of the ICC but making progress.
Keys to success

The competition will be difficult, but Pakistan is confident. “Pakistani bowlers have to maintain their performance; otherwise, relying only on Saeed Ajmal would not yield good results,” Imran said. “I have interviewed former cricketers Aqib Javed, Wasim Akram and Ramiz Rajaz, and they all also favour Pakistan’s strengths.”

Hafeez is pinning his hopes on Afridi, who has the ability to change the fate of any match. Afridi, nicknamed “Boom Boom” because of his batting skills, played a key offensive role in Pakistan’s chase for the Asia Cup but suffered a groin injury in that tournament. He delayed his trip to Bangladesh as he recovers, but the team expects him to arrive before Pakistan starts competitive play.

“All other players are fully fit and ready to take on India,” Hafeez said in Lahore March 12. “We are confident that we will produce our best performance and come home with the title.”

The article ICC World T20 Cricket Tournament On Tap appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Barroso And Van Rompuy Issue Joint Statement On Crimea

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By Eurasia Review

By President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso

As stated by all 28 EU Heads of State or Government on 6 March 2014, the European Union considers the holding of the referendum on the future status of the territory of Ukraine as contrary to the Ukrainian Constitution and international law. The referendum is illegal and illegitimate and its outcome will not be recognised.

The solution to the crisis in Ukraine must be based on the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, in the framework of the Ukrainian Constitution as well as the strict adherence to international standards. Only working together through diplomatic processes, including direct discussions between the Governments of Ukraine and Russia, can we find a solution to the crisis. The European Union has a special responsibility for peace, stability and prosperity on the European continent and will continue pursuing these objectives using all available channels.

We reiterate the strong condemnation of the unprovoked violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and call on Russia to withdraw its armed forces to their pre-crisis numbers and the areas of their permanent stationing, in accordance with relevant agreements.

In advancing these goals, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs will evaluate the situation tomorrow in Brussels and decide on additional measures in line with the declaration of the Heads of State and Government of the EU of 6 March.

The article Barroso And Van Rompuy Issue Joint Statement On Crimea appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Obama And EU Unite On Climate Change Draft

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By EurActiv

(EurActiv) — US President Barack Obama and EU leaders meeting in Brussels this month are set to throw their combined weight behind tackling climate change, in a show of developed world solidarity on the need for a new global deal, leaked documents suggest.

The guarded, diplomatic language is likely to disappoint environmentalists calling for urgent, ambitious pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“Sustainable economic growth will only be possible if we tackle climate change,” a draft communiqué ahead of the EU-US summit on 26 March says. The text is subject to further negotiation between the European Union and the United States.

Both blocs are preparing new pledges on cutting emissions for the first quarter of 2015, ahead of a UN summit in Paris that is meant to agree a new global deal.

Its aim must be to limit any global average temperature increase to less than 2 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels “and should therefore include ambitious mitigation contributions, notably from the world’s major economies and other significant emitters,” the document says.

Brussels has sought to lead efforts to curb global warming with more ambitious carbon-cutting goals than any other bloc, but some of its member states, notably Poland, say there is no point in Europe taking the lead when it is responsible for little more than 10% of global emissions.

About 40% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the US, the world’s second biggest emitter, and China, which tops the pollution table.

Earlier this month, the UN’s climate chief, Christiana Figueres, said closer cooperation between Beijing and Washington could boost prospects for a UN deal in 2015.

European environmental campaigners say such a partnership could also marginalise Europe in the debate, and in the race to keep up with technological advances to decarbonise energy.

To prepare its negotiating stance ahead of the 2015 talks, the EU executive, in January proposed 2030 climate and energy goals, including a 40% carbon-cutting target. That compares with a 2020 goal to cut emissions by 20% from 1990 levels, which has almost been achieved.

By contrast, the US has said it will reduce carbon by 17% by 2020 compared with 2005, a fall of just 3.5% below 1990 levels.

Shortly before Obama’s visit to Brussels, a summit of EU leaders on 20-21March, will debate 2030 climate and energy policy, but is not expected to reach a firm agreement, due to the blocking Polish vote.

A draft document this week said only that the European Union would submit its contribution at the latest by the first quarter of 2015, suggesting that the EU may not need to reach a political agreement until late this year.

Speaking on 13 March, the EU’s climate commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, said: “The sooner we have an overall signal, a political signal of what kind of ambition level we are heading for, the easier it will be to elaborate on the details.”

The article Obama And EU Unite On Climate Change Draft appeared first on Eurasia Review.


Venice Wants To Secede From Italy

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By MINA

Voting begins Sunday on a referendum on whether Venice and its surrounding region should secede from the rest of Italy, in an attempt to restore its 1,000-year history as a sovereign republic.

La Serenissima — or the Most Serene Republic of Venice — was an independent trading power for a millennium before its last leader was deposed by Napoleon in 1797. The republic encompassed not just Venice but what is now the surrounding region of Veneto and it is there that the vote will take place from tomorrow until Friday.

Campaigners have been inspired by the example of Scotland, which will hold its referendum on independence in September, and Catalonia, where around half the population say they want to break away from Spain.

Activists say that the latest polling shows that 65% of voters in the Veneto region, which includes historic cities such as Treviso, Vicenza and Verona, are in favour of cutting ties with Rome.

For decades there has been deep-seated dissatisfaction in the rich northern regions of Italy with what is widely regarded as inefficient and venal rule from Rome, as well as resentment that hard-won tax revenues are sent south and often squandered.

About 3.8 million people in Veneto are eligible to vote. Campaigners want a future state to be known as Repubblica Veneta — the Republic of Veneto.

They acknowledge that the vote is not binding on the national government in Rome and could cause a big constitutional upheaval, but insist that if it passes, they will start taking steps to withhold taxes, in what would effectively be a unilateral declaration of independence.

“If there is a majority yes vote, we have scholars drawing up a declaration of independence and there are businesses in the region who say they will begin paying taxes to local authorities instead of to Rome,” Lodovico Pizzati, the spokesman for the independence movement, told foreign media.

The article Venice Wants To Secede From Italy appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Saudi Arabia Bans 50 Blasphemous Baby Names

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By Al Bawaba News

Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry has banned 50 given names including “foreign” names, names related to royalty and those it considers to be blasphemous.

Saudis will no longer be able to give their children names such as Amir (prince), Linda or Abdul Nabi (Slave of the Prophet) after the civil affairs department at the ministry issued the list, according to Saudi news sites.

It justified the ban by saying that the names either contradicted the culture or religion of the kingdom, or were foreign, or “inappropriate”.

The names fit into at least three categories: those that offend perceived religious sensibilities, those that are affiliated to royalty and those that are of non-Arabic or non-Islamic origin.

A number of other names appear that do not necessarily fit into any category and it is therefore unclear as to why they would have been banned. Names such as Abdul Naser and Binyamin are not found to be particularly offensive to Muslims. Binyamin is believed in Islam to be the son of Prophet Jacob (Yaqoub) (PBUH) and the full brother of Prophet Joseph (PBUH), but it also happens to be the name of the Israeli prime minister. Abdul Naser, similarly, is the name of the famous Arab nationalist ruler of Egypt, who was at odds with Saudi Arabia.

Names such as Abdul Nabi and Abdul Hussain, common among Shiites and some Sunni Arabs, are controversial because of the multiple ways in which they can be interpreted. Abdul in Arabic means “worshipper of” or “slave of”, while Nabi means “prophet” and Rasool means “messenger”. Those who oppose such names argue that Abdul means “worshipper of’ and is therefore forbidden as only God can be worshipped. Most Muslim names with Abdul carry one of God’s 99 Islamic names. Abdul Rahman, for example, comes from the name Al Rahman.

Another set of names that is banned includes those that have to do with royalty, especially titles such as Sumuw (highness), Malek (king) and Malika (Queen) and other royal terms such as Al Mamlaka (the kingdom).

Some of the names on the list are not uncommon among Arabs, including Malak (angel), Amir (prince), Abdul Naser and Jibreel (Gabriel).

The full list:

Malaak (angel)

Abdul Aati

Abdul Naser

Abdul Musleh

Nabi (prophet)

Nabiyya (female prophet)

Amir (prince)

Sumuw (highness)

Al Mamlaka (the kingdom)

Malika (queen)

Mamlaka (kingdom)

Tabarak (blessed)

Nardeen

Maya

Linda

Randa

Basmala (utterance of the name of God)

Taline

Aram

Nareej

Rital

Alice

Sandy

Rama (Hindu god)

Maline

Elaine

Inar

Maliktina

Lareen

Kibrial

Lauren

Binyamin (Arabic for Benjamin)

Naris

Yara

Sitav

Loland

Tilaj

Barrah

Abdul Nabi

Abdul Rasool

Jibreel (angel Gabriel)

Abdul Mu’een

Abrar

Iman

Bayan

Baseel

Wireelam

Original article

The article Saudi Arabia Bans 50 Blasphemous Baby Names appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Climate Change To Reduce Crop Yields Sooner Than Thought

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By Eurasia Review

A study led by the University of Leeds has shown that global warming of only 2°C will be detrimental to crops in temperate and tropical regions, with reduced yields from the 2030s onwards.

Professor Andy Challinor, from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds and lead author of the study, said: “Our research shows that crop yields will be negatively affected by climate change much earlier than expected.”

“Furthermore, the impact of climate change on crops will vary both from year-to-year and from place-to-place – with the variability becoming greater as the weather becomes increasingly erratic.”

The study, published today by the journal Nature Climate Change, feeds directly into the Working Group II report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, which is due to be published at the end of March 2014.

In the study, the researchers created a new data set by combining and comparing results from 1,700 published assessments of the response that climate change will have on the yields of rice, maize and wheat.

Due to increased interest in climate change research, the new study was able to create the largest dataset to date on crop responses, with more than double the number of studies that were available for researchers to analyse for the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report in 2007.

In the Fourth Assessment Report, scientists had reported that regions of the world with temperate climates, such as Europe and most of North America, could withstand a couple of degrees of warming without a noticeable effect on harvests, or possibly even benefit from a bumper crop.

“As more data have become available, we’ve seen a shift in consensus, telling us that the impacts of climate change in temperate regions will happen sooner rather than later,” said Professor Challinor.

The researchers state that we will see, on average, an increasingly negative impact of climate change on crop yields from the 2030s onwards. The impact will be greatest in the second half of the century, when decreases of over 25% will become increasingly common.

These statistics already account for minor adaptation techniques employed by farmers to mitigate the effects of climate change, such as small adjustments in the crop variety and planting date. Later in the century, greater agricultural transformations and innovations will be needed in order to safeguard crop yields for future generations.

“Climate change means a less predictable harvest, with different countries winning and losing in different years. The overall picture remains negative, and we are now starting to see how research can support adaptation by avoiding the worse impacts,” concludes Professor Challinor.

The article Climate Change To Reduce Crop Yields Sooner Than Thought appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Crimea: Three Abducted Priests Returned Safely

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By CNA

Three priests of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church who were kidnapped in Crimea over the weekend have reportedly been returned and are safe.

“We have just spoken with Fr. Nicholas Kvych, pastor of the UGCC in Sevastopol. With the help of his parishioners he was able to leave Crimea, and he is now on mainland Ukraine,” the information service of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said in a statement released late in the day, March 16, according to Radio Svoboda.

Fr. Kvych had been kidnapped this weekend by pro-Russian forces, as had Fr. Bohdan Kosteskiy, from Yevpatoria, and Fr. Ihor Gabryliv, from Yalta. Fr. Kvych, a navy chaplain, had been abducted twice: initially on March 15, he was released once, briefly, before being detained again.

After his escape to mainland Ukraine, Fr. Kvych telephoned Fr. Ihor Yatsiv, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s information service, telling him that Fr. Kosteskiy and Fr. Gabryliv were also safe, without being able to discuss their location.

Priests in Crimea of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has received numerous oral and written threats in recent weeks, as military tensions have escalated on the peninsula; several were warned to leave Crimea, yet have remained with their flock.

“Our priests and bishops have been very close to the people,” said Bishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Eparchy of St. Vladimir-Le-Grand of Parish, according to Vatican Radio. “We’ve been inspired by the example of Our Lord (who) went a long distance from fellowship with the Father to incarnate himself and be in our reality.”

The Church’s priests in Crimea have been inspired by Pope Francis, “who said a pastor needs to have the smell of his sheep. And our pastors have been with the people, and they’re today with the people enduring this occupation in the Crimea,” Bishop Gudziak noted.

“Every abduction is a terrible event for everybody involved,” the bishop stated, emphasizing that “it’s a gross violation of human rights and God-given human dignity.”

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has been expanding in Crimea recently. A new exarchate was established for the peninsula Feb. 13, after the Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Odesa-Krym was split in two. The Crimean exarchate is based in the territory’s capital, Simferopol.

Crimea is a southern peninsula of Ukraine where nearly 60 percent of the population are ethnic Russians, and more than 50 percent of the population speak Russian as their first language. The territory was transferred from Russia to Ukraine in 1954 under the Soviet Union.

A referendum was held in the territory March 16 regarding union with Russia. Local officials report that with half the votes counted, 95.5 percent favor joining Russia.

The referendum was condemned as illegal by Western nations and the government in Kyiv, but is supported by Moscow.

The vote was boycotted by Tatars, the indigenous ethnic group of Crimea who make up roughly 12 percent of the population. Many Tatars were deported to Central Asia under the Soviet Union, and many want to remain Ukrainian rather than becoming Russian.

Despite condemnation from authorities in Kyiv, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said Friday that Moscow would “respect the will of the people of Crimea.”

Current tensions in Crimea follow four months of protests in Ukraine which culminated in its president fleeing the country for Russia Feb. 21. Two days later, parliament appointed Oleksander Turchynov acting president.

Beginning Feb. 27, pro-Russian forces began taking control of Crimea, including its airports, parliament, and telecommunications and television centers.

The article Crimea: Three Abducted Priests Returned Safely appeared first on Eurasia Review.

Are Russia’s Positions On Ukraine, Crimea Legal? – OpEd

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By Iran Review

By Ali Omidi

Generally speaking, two political and legal approaches can be taken to the analysis of international issues. When countries have different viewpoints on how to interpret, adapt and implement international laws and regulations, their difference is of a legal nature. However, when differences among governments are about changes in a political situation or when they want to show an appropriate reaction to changes in a political situation, this is called a political difference. At any rate, to justify their political measures, governments take advantage of legal covers because this will legitimize their measures and will also reduce public opinion’s pressure on them.

This issue has been quite evident during the course of the ongoing developments in Ukraine. Each side of the political contention in Ukraine has described the other side’s measures as illegal while trying to show that their own measures have been totally legal and legitimate. This article will focus more on the arguments provided by the Russian government for the measures it has already taken in Ukraine. In order to prove that the measures it has taken in Ukraine are totally legal, Moscow has resorted to the following legal doctrines:

1. Saving citizens from a major risk;

2. Humanitarian intervention;

3. Being invited by the ruling government for military intervention; and

4. Protecting the independence of a minority population in case of a human calamity.

One of the legal arguments to which Russia has resorted is that it is ready to militarily intervene in Ukraine in order to save the lives of ethnic Russian people in Crimea and Ukraine. This point had been explicitly mentioned in the letter sent to the Russian parliament by President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have also frequently emphasized on it. This argument, however, is flawed because firstly, the ethnic Russian people living in Ukraine and Crimea are not considered Russian nationals. Therefore, Russia is not legally authorized to resort to saving citizens doctrine and try to find a way to protect them. Secondly, these people are not facing the threat of discrimination, criminal acts against them or other major risks in order to provide legal ground for that justification.

The second argument to which the Russian government has resorted is that Moscow supports the independent-seeking drive of the Crimean people and backs their bid to join Russia on the basis of humanitarian grounds. This argument is also flawed. Humanitarian intervention is justified only when some people are exposed to serious risk, criminal acts or discrimination. The ethnic Russian people living in Ukraine are not currently facing such a situation.

The third argument provided by Moscow is that Russia is going to launch military intervention in Ukraine and Crimea upon the invitation of the country’s legal president, Viktor Yanukovych. The point is: Can Yanukovych be still considered as the legal president of the Ukrainian government? In the jargon of international law, there is a difference between de facto and de jure governments. As a result, the interim government in Kiev is actually considered as the country’s de facto government. In international relations, other states usually recognize de facto governments. Therefore, even if Yanukovych were the legal head of state, he would not be authorized to use foreign forces in order to divide his homeland and accept the risk of the breakout of civil war with the ensuing risk of possible massacre of citizens.

The fourth argument offered by Russia is based on the situation in Kosovo. In fact, the Russians are trying to base their argument about Ukraine on the positions taken by the Western countries on Kosovo. When the former Yugoslavia was falling apart, heavy clashes took place between ethnic Albanians of Kosovo and Serbs. Finally, the Western countries recognized the independence of Kosovo in order to prevent a human catastrophe. So far, more than 100 countries have recognized the new political entity in Kosovo as an independent state. Russians are drawing an analogy between the current situation in Crimea and what took place in Kosovo and argue that they welcome the decision of the Crimean people to join Russia in order to prevent more humanitarian calamities in the region. In reality, however, there is little, if any, similarity between the situation in Kosovo and Crimea. Furthermore, the ethnic Russians in Crimea have not been exposed to the risk of discrimination, pressure or criminal acts by Ukrainians of far. Therefore, there is no logical ground for their separation from Ukraine and annexation to Russia. By the way, there is no previous precedent in which a political entity had decided to get separated from one government and join another government just in order to get rid of an existing political situation.

A review of the aforesaid arguments provided by Russia to justify its actions in Ukraine clearly proves that the legal grounds used as basis of the Kremlin’s reactions to developments in Ukraine are relatively faulty. It also proves that Moscow is actually trying to achieve its own political and geopolitical goals by taking advantage of the current turbulent situation in Ukraine. In other words, the measure taken by Russia is a reaction to the measures taken by the West’s political and ideological hegemonic system. Russians believe that the West is trying to establish its own hegemony in the region. Perhaps Russians and some other governments may be of the opinion that the measure taken by Russia is politically correct. This would be just the opposite of dominantly negative reaction that the West has so far shown to Russia’s measures in Ukraine. However, Russia’s measure can be hardly explained on the basis of the procedures recognized by international law. Therefore, the ongoing developments in Ukraine and the role that Russia is playing in those developments can be best explained through theories of international politics and international relations.

Ali Omidi
Professor of Law and International Relations at Isfahan University-Iran

The article Are Russia’s Positions On Ukraine, Crimea Legal? – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

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