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Iran: Rohani Warns Against Misuse Of Khamenei’s Statements

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Iranian President Hassan Rohani told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday November 4 that the Leader’s statement about “infiltration by the enemy” should not be used to justify the abuse of power.

“The recommendations provided by the leader regarding infiltration” are to strengthen unity, Rohani said; “They should not be taken advantage of to suppress and marginalize anyone we do not agree with.”

Following the finalization of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has warned against normalizing relations with the United States and urged the government to be vigilant against “infiltration by the enemy”.

Meanwhile, the head of the Revolutionary Guards has also said that just because agreement has been reached on the nuclear issue, some might think that agreement can be reached on all issues, but this is nothing but “sedition”.

Yesterday, the national broadcaster reported that five had been arrested on charges that linked them to “enemy infiltration plans”. Among them were prominent journalists and activists.


Egypt Upset Over US, UK Bomb Claims

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Russia and Egypt on Thursday dismissed suggestions by Britain and the United States that a bomb was likely to have brought down a Metrojet flight packed with Russian vacationers leaving an Egyptian resort, saying the claim was premature.

Intercepted communications played a role in the tentative conclusion that Daesh’s Sinai affiliate planted an explosive device on the plane, said a US official briefed on the matter, preferring anonymity.

US Representative Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said on Fox news that evidence so far indicated a Daesh attack “with an explosive device in the airplane.”

McCaul said if Daesh was behind the attack, it should cause Russia to rethink its focus in Syria and use its weapons against the militant group rather than to support President Bashar Assad. He also called for tougher US efforts against the militant group.

“I think that we need to step up this war on terror against Daesh because if it’s a Russian airline today it could be an American airline tomorrow,” McCaul told Fox.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, insisted that aviation investigators were working on all possible theories as to why the Airbus A321-200 carrying 224 people crashed Saturday. He said naming just one possibility was mere speculation.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond spoke of a “significant possibility” the crash was caused by a bomb and Britain immediately suspended all flights to and from Sharm El-Sheikh. The move stranded hundreds of tourists in Egypt.

In London, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the crash was “more likely than not” caused by a bomb. He said he had “every sympathy” with the Egyptians, who rely so on heavily on tourism, but that he had to “put the safety of British people first.”

In a telephone call, Putin told Cameron it was important that assessments of the cause of the crash be based on information from the official investigation.

Egyptian officials condemned Britain’s travel ban as an overreaction. Tourism Minister Hesham Zaazou said Britain’s decision was unjustified and called for an immediate rethink. “The decision is unjustified and carries a lot of question marks.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that if Britain had information about the bomb, it’s “really shocking” that it hasn’t shared it with Russia.

Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mamdouh Eldamaty rejected the US and British allegations outright. “(The crash) is not a terror act. It was an accident,” he declared. Egypt’s Civil Aviation minister, Hossam Kamal, insisted that the country’s airports comply with international security standards.

Hammond said he expects British tourists to be flown back starting Friday, after measures are taken to tighten security at the resort’s airport.
German airline group Lufthansa said its Eurowings and Edelweiss units are halting flights to Sharm El-Sheikh for the time being as a precautionary measure. Lufthansa said it will now work with the foreign office and tour operators on bringing passengers back from Sharm.

Grief continued to roil St. Petersburg and its suburbs, as mourners brought more flowers, candles and paper planes to the city’s imperial-era square and the airport where the crashed Metrojet flight had been due to land.

Metrojet suspended all flights of Airbus A321 jets in its fleet after the crash.

India: Who’s Afraid Of Shah Rukh Khan? – OpEd

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By Aijaz Zaka Syed

Shah Rukh Khan may not be the finest actor of his generation but he is certainly one of the most loved ones.

Some years ago, Time magazine called him the biggest movie star in the world, ahead of Will Smith and Tom Cruise. Across the Middle East and in countries around the world where Hindi is little understood, I’ve run into people whose faces would light up at my Indian connection. “Shah Rukh Khan!” would be the mantra to strike instant connection with complete strangers.

He burst like a brilliant, luminous star on the firmament of Indian cinema and hasn’t stopped shining since. He didn’t come from a Bollywood background nor was he fairest of them all. Yet there was something about the Delhi boy that conquered hearts. Call it gravitas, charisma or whatever.

More than his histrionic skills, what one found the most fascinating about the superstar is his extraordinary intelligence, wit and his spontaneity. He is perhaps the most articulate actor there has ever been. He could talk his way out of the stickiest situations and he has. In the two interviews that Khan has granted to two leading television hosts, Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today and Barkha Dutt of NDTV, on the occasion of his 50th birthday, the actor tried his best to play safe by mostly focusing on his movies and his extraordinary journey.

Yet when pushed by the interviewers to talk about the situation in India today, he couldn’t help but speak his mind: “Yes, I do think there is intolerance. There is extreme intolerance. There is growing intolerance,” he said during a Twitter townhall in which he was asked questions by his fans from around the world. Commenting on the manufactured madness over beef, he said in his NDTV interview: “We have made a huge thing about our meat-eating habits. How can the food habits of people be an issue?”

“It is stupid. It’s stupid to be intolerant and this is our biggest issue. Religious intolerance and not being secular in this country is the worst kind of crime that you can do as a patriot.”

Talking about the perpetual expectations to prove his patriotic credentials as an Indian Muslim and threats to send him to Pakistan, an agitated Khan said: “No one can question my patriotism. How dare anyone? It’s very degrading and humiliating to have to prove my patriotism. I am an Indian-born movie star. I am an Indian-born Indian. I am Indian, how does that get questioned? Nobody has more right to live in this country than me, and I am not gonna leave. So shut up!”

Hailing the unprecedented intellectual protests against rising intolerance as noble and brave, he signaled his willingness to return his own awards.

Predictably, the twin interviews have widely been reported, watched and applauded for their candor and courage while setting off a storm of abuse and usual Hindutva vitriol. A BJP general secretary accused the star of living in India with his soul stuck in Pakistan. Another saffron-clad BJP leader compared the actor with Pakistan’s Hafiz Saeed, who’s wanted for the Mumbai terror attacks, warning him if Hindus started boycotting his movies he would soon find himself “on the streets, just like other Muslims.”

If this is how India’s biggest superstar, feted around the world including by universities such as Harvard and Edinburgh, is treated for once speaking his mind and not preening and fudging like the other politically correct Khans, imagine the predicament of the less fortunate members of his clan. But then what’s new? The more things change in India the more they remain the same. Indeed, they seem to be unraveling at an alarming pace. In the immortal words of Yeats:

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity

No one expected the second coming of Hindutva to be all hunky dory and a model of Gandhian restraint. Indeed, there were myriad voices across the political spectrum, including many within the BJP, who repeatedly warned against the hazards of a diverse democracy electing a polarizing figure like Modi ignoring his eventful past.

But not even his numerous critics, including yours truly, expected the party to turn sour so soon. Perhaps no other leader in history has managed to polarize and divide his people along a million identities in such a short time as he has.

He has been in power barely a year and half and he has split the country down in the middle, with people who have co-existed in peace for centuries thirsting for each other’s blood. Not a day passes without the Hindutva rabble-rousers, many of them senior BJP leaders and members of Modi’s Cabinet, telling Muslims, Christians and other minorities to leave the country or persuading them with attacks such as Dadri.

And one doesn’t hear a word or whimper of protest from the man who sees no irony in raising slogans such as ‘Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas (inclusive development) and Swacch Bharat (Clean India).

The media cannot stop whining why the Dear Leader is “tolerating” or not reining in the fringe. The fringe has gone mainstream, my friends, that’s why.

Else you wouldn’t hear the prime minister of India incite the Bihar voters against the Muslims saying Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar are conspiring to steal 5 percent reservation from Hindus and gift it to “a particular minority”! Nor would someone who considers himself the leader of all Indians provoke the voters by screaming the ‘secular gang’ is insulting Hindus by promoting cow slaughter.

Is it any wonder then the foot soldiers see these comments as the leader’s nod and wink-wink to go berserk. As another group of writers pointed out this week in their letter of protest, the Dear Leader is not only tolerating spiraling acts of intolerance and violence, he is mandating them with his selective and strategic silence.

This sinister silence has not only forced hundreds of writers, intellectuals, scientists, filmmakers and artists to come out on the streets, it provoked rare rebuke from the President of India at least thrice and one long, passionate speech from the Vice President. Theirs are ceremonial positions and they are supposed to read from the script. Nonetheless they couldn’t help emphasize the urgent need to uphold India’s traditions of tolerance and diversity.

Even the international media, not too long ago gushing about the ‘rock star reception of Modi’ in America, has started noticing the dark underbelly. While New York Times on Tuesday slammed Modi for tolerating and encouraging the extremists, the Economist did a cover story titled ‘Lights! Camera! Inaction!’ underlining the reality of Modi hype.

Yet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sweetly asks: ‘Where’s intolerance? What intolerance?’ The wily lawyer has turned around to suggest it is Modi who is the ‘worst victim of intolerance’! Home Minister Rajnath Singh advises those returning awards to instead give suggestions.There can be only one suggestion for him and his boss. See the writing on the wall before India forces them to. Beware of a patient people’s fury.

‘Spotlight’ Lawyer Is No Hero – OpEd

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Stanley Tucci plays church-suing attorney Mitchell Garabedian in “Spotlight,” the film that opens tomorrow about the sexual abuse scandal in the Boston Archdiocese. Tucci, who has never met Garabedian, calls him “the unsung hero” of this story. He also says the lawyer “cares about these victims.”

It is too bad Garabedian cares not a whit about priests who have had their repu tations ruined by false allegations. For example, in 2006 Garabedian sued Fr. Charles Murphy for inappropriately touching a minor; the girl said the incident occurred 25 years earlier. On the eve of the trial, the woman dropped her suit. In 2010, Garabedian sued Fr. Murphy for allegedly fondling a man 40 years ago. The accuser was deep in debt and his credibility was questioned even by his own family! After a six month probe by the archdiocesan review board, the priest was exonerated.

When Fr. Murphy died in 2011, he was a broken man. Brian McGrory wrote about him in the Boston Globe saying that what Garabedian did was “a disgrace.” After reading the story, I called Garabedian to see if he had any regrets about pressing charges against Fr. Murphy. He went ballistic: He started screaming like a mad man accusing the archdiocese of operating a “kangaroo court.” I asked him to calm down but he would not. Indeed he made sweeping condemnations of all Boston priests.

A few weeks after my phone call, Garabedian spoke at a conference held by SNAP, the professional victims’ group. “This immoral entity,” he said, “the Catholic Church, should be defeated. We must stand up and defeat this evil.” This is not the voice of reason—i t is the voice of a hater.

Two days ago, Garabedian was asked on a WGHB 2 show, “Greater Boston,” whether things are any better now in the Boston Archdiocese. “They’re worse,” he replied.

All the data prove that Garabedian is dead wrong. That’s why he offered no evidence. He is no “unsung hero” and his witch-hunt against some innocent priests is indefensible.

India: Inquiry Commission Report On Kandhamal Violence Expected Soon

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The Commission of Inquiry on anti-Christian violence that took place in 2008 in the district of Kandhamal in India’s eastern state of Odisha will be released by end December and presented to the state government.

The Commission concluded its work and hearings on October 30 and is preparing to publish a detailed report on the investigation.

Judge A.S. Naidu, head of the Commission, remarked that “because of the lack of cooperation of many stakeholders, including the government, it took almost seven years to finish the investigation”.

The Commission’s main task was to study the sequence of events and circumstances that led to Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati’s murder on August 23, 2008 and the following wave of violence on Christians. Christians were accused of the Swami’s murdersparking the violence.

The Commission received almost 700 sworn statements. On 1 July 2009, the Commission presented an interim report to the government, recommending appropriate measures to prevent new outbreaks of violence in Kandhamal.

The district in Kandhamal was the epicenter of the anti-Christian violence in 2008. More than 5,600 houses in 415 villages were looted, more than 90 were killed and 395 places of worship were destroyed, while 56 thousand Christians were displaced.

Source: Agenzia Fides

Trade Blockade By India Against Nepal: Extreme Act Of Cruelty And Crime Against Humanity – OpEd

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The lives of millions of people in Nepal, crippled already by the April earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, have now been further devastated by almost two months of undeclared economic-trade blockade by India. Things, moreover, could yet get a lot worse. What is happening? People are puzzled, not knowing what to expect next. They are unable to travel because there is no gasoline at the pumps. They cannot cook for themselves because there is no gas available. Soon the food, water, medicine and other essentials for daily life will run out in the stores. People experienced a miserable Dashain and another festival is just around the corner. Until when should the people wait? Who is responsible for this? Many questions must be asked on this issue: What is our so-called government doing to address the present crisis? Are they trying properly, and sincerely to solve the turmoil? Where even is the presence of our government?

War by other means

The so-called undeclared trade blockade by India against Nepal, without doubt, amounts to a declared war against the people of Nepal. In the eyes of international law, an undeclared trade blockade is seen as being a declared war. In a true sense, it is a war situation, a form of war against our sovereignty. However, it indicates many more things. First, it is illegal: it is completely against all international laws, internationally established traditions, customs and decent behaviour among states. It is also against the Nepal-India Peace and Friendship Treaty, international trade rules such as the WTO, and, most importantly, it is against the established norms and values of SAARC itself.

Second, the ill-conceived action of India against our country is a crime against humanity and an outrage against the dignity of the people of Nepal. Where is that respect for the dignity of a landlocked country and population? The domineering action by India against Nepal violates all kinds of people’s rights – economic, social and cultural plus civil and political. Most importantly, it violates the rights of the people of Nepal to live in dignity in the fullest sense. It is a disgrace that the so-called largest democracy in the world can run away from its extra-territorial human rights obligations and responsibilities as required by the norms and values of international human rights documents towards other nations and their people. Moreover, the move by India is extremely immoral, inhumane and an extreme act of cruelty. It is an act that is more than just illegal: it is against common sense and human conscience. I am left to wonder how this could possibly happen in this world of the twenty-first century?

Find viable solutions

What is next for us is the big question – both as a nation and as a sovereign people. The primary duty of a state or government is to protect, promote and fulfill the needs of its people. Because of the unexpected blockade, people have been suffering so much for nearly two months already and the government seems helpless. For the latter there is no excuse. The government must act faster to fulfill the needs of the people and to end the crisis. It must find options and solutions. There is no escape. The people deserve answers and explanations. Otherwise they have every right to revolt against the present government.

Firstly, the largest problem that we have is that we are totally reliant upon imports from India, including much of our food, consumer goods, and 100 percent of our fuel – aviation fuel, petrol, diesel and cooking gas. It is the major cause and consequence of past and present fuel crises. We must learn lessons and prepare for the future. The monopoly of India must be halted. We must start to approach other countries for the import of fuels. For this proper homework and a pragmatic mechanism are required. The recent agreement, signed by Nepal Oil Corp and Petro China in Beijing just a few days ago could be the new, fresh beginning that is much needed. We must establish this fresh agreement and build on it in a permanent and pragmatic way. The agreement and any subsequent agreements between the two nations must be based on mutual co-operation. They must be transparent and inclusive but, most importantly, be based on equality. It must be a win-win situation for both sides. Finding a permanent solution to the enduring fuel problem is more vital than ever before.

Secondly, today’s is not the first blockade that has been imposed by our neighbour. We must learn from the past. We must be prepared. For that we must invest to produce energy by ourselves. We have resources such as water. Focus must be given to producing power and electricity. As various studies have demonstrated, there are yet chances of finding petrol in our own country. A proper and effective investigation must go ahead. Pragmatic mechanisms and strategies must be established to do that sooner than later. Promulgating proper dynamic laws, programmes and policies to address the issue will be an important step forward aimed at becoming a self-reliant country for energy within a few decades.

Finally, why is our government unable to declare the Indian move to be a deliberate blockade? What are the reasons? People need an explanation. In a free society, people must be informed. We cannot delay any longer moves to internationalize the illegal and undeclared trade blockade. As we are an independent, sovereign nation and one of the oldest members of the UN itself, I wonder what stops us simply doing that? We are also responsible members of the international political community. Nepal, as a nation and as a state, has dignity and respect – and of course claim rights as a landlocked nation in accordance with the various international laws, treaties and traditions. We must use our diplomatic channels properly – and the UN as well – to do that. At the same time we must continue a high-level political dialogue with our Indian counterparts to end the crisis. Bilateral political talks, cooperation and convincing each other can alone achieve a viable and permanent solution.

I strongly suggest establishing an open and inclusive diplomacy with India based on equal sovereignty and dignity: without that the present problem will not be solved permanently. To do this, many old unequal treaties on various issues between the two countries might have to be changed or rewritten. Openness, respect and mutual co-operation will decide the course of future relations between two neighbours. In the meantime, just removing the blockade by South alone will not be enough. Nothing can soothe the pains and suffering that the people of Nepal are going through as a result of the blockade, and nothing can fill the huge hole created by it. However, a sincere apology from our Indian counterparts towards the people of Nepal for their wrong doing can at least go part way towards healing the wounds of our people.

Pakistan: Post-Conflict Rehabilitation Approaches And Initiatives In FATA – Analysis

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FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) is unique; being part of an independent country, it’s still a semi-autonomous region with century’s old social and legal system. It is the least developed and disenfranchised part of Pakistan. Historically, the region has always been considered as buffer state due to difficult terrain and strong tribes who never compromised their self-respect and allowed any foreign interventions. Moreover, the prolonged state neglect, socio-economic disparity, underdevelopment, fragile law and order situation, coupled with poor governance all resulted in spread of militancy in the region.

Prolonged conflict in FATA has devastating effects for the country as militancy has resulted in critical situations including socio-economic problems, poverty, drug trafficking, terrorism, violation of human rights, migrants, and IDPs. Hence, in order to rid the Tribal Areas of militancy, the government formed a three point strategy including political, military and development. The socio-political transformation, development, and rehabilitation after the military operations are necessary.

The term ‘rehabilitation’ requires explanation, description, and definition. The term ‘rehabilitation’ is not used in the ‘criminal justice’ sense as a balance to punishment, but to propose a generative forging of new life in FATA out of the ruins of the old. In other words, rehabilitation, like relief, becomes a repeated feature or permanent condition for many communities in the world.

While handling post-conflict situation, it is essential to give much attention on rebuilding socio-economic situations, strengthening civil administration, enhance democratic governance and its capacity building whilst conducting confidence building and stabilization measures (CBSM) to facilitate reforms, establish democracy, to reintegrate the social order and restore the law and order. The post-conflict rehabilitation phase is a critical phase and therefore tactfully handling is essential to assure its efficacy. Further the stability of the conflict-prone region depends on the effectiveness of initiatives and the methods used during the rehabilitation and development phase.

Following are the initiatives and approaches of post-conflict rehabilitation process in FATA that need to be considered for an effective rehabilitation process and ensuring peace and stability in the FATA region.

Democratic Institution Building in FATA

The purpose of rehabilitation program is to restore peace and stability in the given areas. Building effective and resourceful democratic institutions are vital and are given preference in the rehabilitation approaches. The institutions including defence, police, judicial and other relevant sectors are given priority in the post-conflict rehabilitation process. Hence, establishing effective democratic institutions as a rehabilitation initiative in the conflict-prone region like FATA is necessary.

Furthermore, it is paramount to have viable judicial system in FATA and FCR needs to be abolished. According to International Crisis Group Report, “Pakistan: Countering Militancy in FATA” (2009), to strengthen the judicial system, capacity building of authorities involved including justices, advocates, and lawyers is necessary. Hiring local people of FATA in police and their adequate training is vital to build state confidence in FATA.

FATA Confidence Building and Stabilization Measures (CBSM)

The Confidence building and stabilization measures (CBSM) actually are practice to handle border issues and is engrossed with lots of initiatives. CBSM in case of FATA will focus on elevating and the developing this marginalized and ignored part of Pakistan. For that reason CBSMs are required to offer equal opportunities especially in public administration, development, education, and the democratic governance. Hence effective lawmaking body has to be established to make sure its efficacy.

Development of an adequate education sector is necessary to provide basic support including institutions, qualified teachers and ample infrastructure at both primary and secondary levels of education including equal opportunities for both male and female. It is also essential to develop infrastructure in Tribal Areas such as establishing civil administration, road network, electricity, water supply whilst taking necessary steps to encourage private sector investment with the intention of supporting tribal people. In addition, strategic planning at all levels is important to developed trust and to win hearts and minds of local people. Further, educating the local people through vocational trainings, establishing local market, strengthening their capabilities, and introducing finance and business schemes would result in socio-economic uplifting of FATA.

FATA: Political Enfranchisement

Democratization is a long term process which involves a series of activities that adds to establishing democracy whilst pave the way to sustainable peace and stability of the country. Besides that, it is also essential to ensure that institutions are accessible at every level in the society as it would run with positive contributions for a comprehensive and sustainable democratic system in the country.
Political enfranchisement is of huge importance. To establish writ of government and peace in the FATA region, political disenfranchisement should be ended by either merging FATA in KP or establishing it as a separate province. However, this is only doable by introducing full provincial and constitutional rights in FATA, giving FATA in the executive control of KP and with an adequate representation in the provincial and national assembly. This could be possible through consensus and consultation involving all the stakeholders, including tribesmen and women who would play a major part in the rehabilitation process.

The integration of FATA is now crucial for the stability of state; introducing modern political and electoral system, empowering the people, representation in provincial and national assemblies, and reforms would lessen the state tensions.

FATA’s Economic Development

Economic development plays a vital role to prevent future conflict situations. In addition, economic development and stability can have constructive impact on the socio-economic and political aspects including the refurbishment of infrastructure. With regard to FATA’s economic development, the Government of Pakistan after an inclusive consultative process at the grass-root level has framed a long-term and sustainable development plan (2006-15) with a cost of U.S. $2.06 billion. The main objectives of the Sustainable Development Plan (SDP) 2006-2015 were as follows:

  1. “Improving institutional and financial capacities to support a scaling-up of development initiatives;
  2. Accelerating social and economic development of the FATA through pro-poor strategies;
  3. Participatory and gender sensitive policies and development strategies to bring it into the national mainstream;
  4. Manage and maintain ecological and subsistence support system for economic uplift of the area; and
  5. Promoting a just, peaceful and equitable society”.

Economic uplifting not only reduces the conflict but also built the confidence of the society in the state government, and hence results in progress of not only the target society but also the country.

Repatriation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)

Conflict situation also results in massive internal displacements, according to FATA Secretariat Peshawar Report “Cost of Conflict in FATA” (2009), repatriation of IDPs, restitution for housing, lands and properties affected by military operations and conflict is crucial to ensure sustainable reintegration. Further, formation of standing committees at community and agency levels with powerful communication mechanisms that would facilitate policy formation and strengthen rehabilitation efforts by identifying and discussing issues.

Disarmament in FATA

Disarmament is compulsory as huge bulk of weaponry would be available after conflict. It would include the collection of small arms, ammunition, explosives, light and heavy weapons of militants, and tribesmen, record keeping through documentation, and to control and dispose of the weapons. The armed culture in FATA should be limit to avoid future conflict. A detail plan can be designed by involving important institutions to monitor the indicators of arms proliferation, to stop the illegal small arms trade, and introduce new policies and laws to counter proliferation of small arms.

Ensuring Border Security

The border with Afghanistan needs to be secured. Cross border movement, illicit drug trade, human trafficking, terrorist and militants movements across the border needs careful watch and control in order to make sure the rehabilitation and development process. Lord Curzon defined frontiers as “the chief anxiety….They are moreover the razor’s edge on which hang suspended the modern issues of war or peace, of life or death to nation”. Without managing the borders, rehabilitation measures would not turn productive.

Post-Conflict Rehabilitation: Civil-Military Interaction in FATA

The civil-military interaction (CMI) in the post-conflict rehabilitation process is crucial to make it effective. In the first phase immediately after the military operation, the main priorities are to ensure security and provide humanitarian assistance. After that, the duty is to reinforce the government and civil society and then finally to assist structural developments.

Preferably, a subsidiary role in rehabilitation process is played by the military, which means that the military ‘should only take action outside its core military mandate until these tasks can be taken over by civilian actors’. Sometimes the military works with the humanitarian organizations if required. This is called Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC), “the task of CIMIC is to identify the diverse interests and intentions of different civilian actors (governmental and non-governmental organizations) and to coordinate and harmonize them where possible”. The three main functions of CIMIC are as follows:

  1. “Support to the armed forces, for instance, through support for military planning and operations,
  2. Support to the civil environment, for instance, through information and advice for civil authorities and agencies, and
  3. Civil-Military liaison”.

After the successful completion of first phase which is military operations in the FATA region, the area will be handed over to civilian authorities for the next phase i.e. reconstruction and rehabilitation, but the civilian government and humanitarian organizations where needs calls military assistance. The primary aim of the state should be to rehabilitate the area in it’s fullest. Not only it requires the rehabilitation of militants or terrorists like the state did in Swat but also the rehabilitation of the entire area and its locals. State needs to formulate policies, rules and regulations which could be implemented in their entirety to ensure peace and development in the region. FATA at this moment demands social, political, economic and security reforms. The inculcation of these reforms should be in the constitution so that they are implemented with accountability. Such reforms should include developmental plans, employment opportunities, social reintegration, political openness and welfare and security of the citizens.

*Sabah Aslam, Executive Director at Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution

Quiet Burial For India-US Nuclear Deal? – Analysis

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Solar power developers have offered to sell electricity in India at less than Rs 5/unit. This makes solar competitive with traditional forms of energy, and makes new nuclear power plants financially unviable. India must register the changed reality, and discard the idea of expensive Western reactors. Time to scrap the India-U.S. nuclear deal?

By Amit Bhandari

Hard on the heels of falling oil prices and affordable shale, comes another dramatic energy changes for the energy industry: The falling cost of solar energy. This has many implications, but the most immediate impact the nuclear power industry, large parts of which may have just become obsolete. This means that the new nuclear power plants being planned by India, especially those with foreign collaboration, must be reconsidered and scrapped if they are financially unviable.

Most significant is the impact on the India-U.S. nuclear deal, held up by the liability clause to enable these reactors, and a sticking point in the bilateral for several years: technological advances have addressed an issue that negotiators couldn’t resolve.

This transformation environment is the result of U.S.-based renewable energy major SunEdison winning, on 4 November, the bid to supply solar electricity in India at a record low price of Rs 4.63 per kilowatt-hour (kWh)[1]. News reports indicate that as many as nine companies offered to supply solar electricity for less than Rs 5 per kWh[2], indicating this isn’t a one-off bid delinked from market prices. This price is still some way off from the cost of electricity supplied by government owned utilities such as National Thermal Power Corporation, National Hydel Power Corporation and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India – which sell electricity at prices ranging from Rs 2.7-3.3 per kWh[3] [4] [5]. However, NTPC, NHPC and NPCIL have lower electricity costs because many of their plants are old and fully depreciated, bringing down the fixed costs and therefore the average cost of supply. These utilities are also the lowest cost suppliers of electricity in India.

With other suppliers and newer power plants, especially nuclear, the equation is reversed. The electricity tariff from the under-construction Units 3&4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project will be Rs 6.3 per kWh[6]. The latter price can increase in case of cost and/or time over-runs, which are common in nuclear power projects globally and in India.

If the price bid by SunEdison and others are correct, then nuclear power based on these designs is already rendered obsolete. The cost of solar power has been consistently falling for the past several years, and should fall even further, increasing the gap.

Where does India stand in its nuclear energy build-out? India proposes to build three more nuclear power plants in collaboration with foreign firms – GE-Hitachi, Westinghouse and Areva. The capital cost of these reactor designs elsewhere in the world is $6 million per megawatt[7] [8]. This is almost twice the cost of the Russian design which is currently under construction at Kudankulam, and three times the cost of India’s own indigenous designs[9]. This means electricity from any of the reactors built with Western collaboration, if and when they get completed, will be hopelessly expensive – compared to coal, hydro, (other) nuclear or now solar electricity. Fiscal prudence alone dictates that these projects should be scrapped.

The Western reactors also come with other conditions, including the dilution of the liability clause in India’s civil nuclear bill. The latter is a difficult proposition, given the backdrop of the 1984 Bhopal tragedy and the more recent 2011 Fukushima disaster. The one argument in favour of the Western reactors – that they will provide electricity without causing carbon dioxide emissions — is now negated by the vastly cleaner, cheaper alternative, i.e. solar energy.

As seen in the bids from SunEdison and others, solar comes without the attendant risks, insurance costs or public opposition. Solar power is limitless and is available across the Indian subcontinent – unlike nuclear fuel, which needs to be imported and where India is vulnerable to sanctions. Sanctions on fuel and technology have hobbled India’s nuclear program in the past. Solar power can also be decentralized – instead of one big plant at a single location, smaller plants can be set up at multiple locations. This reduces losses in power transmission and also allows electrification of sites which are off the main grid. Reduced loss in transmission can also help tackle another problem India faces – 23% of all electricity is lost to technical factors or to theft[10].

Localised generation, which is possible with solar, can help bring down transmission losses. Adoption of solar power will still be hobbled by the poor financial health of India’s state power utilities, which collectively incurred a loss of Rs 62,154 crore ($9.5 billion) during FY14 and find it difficult to pay for the electricity they purchase[11]. However, solar power will still be a better option than more expensive nuclear power.

Given these changed circumstances, it is time that India and the U.S. wake up to the new reality created by technology, and give a quiet burial to the proposed power reactors. Instead, the focus should now be on mainstreaming solar power, and, as assessed by Gateway House last week [12], its associated technological benefits such as electric vehicles, which can help bring down carbon dioxide emissions and help Prime Minister Modi meet his Oct 2 climate change commitments sooner rather than later.

About the author:
*Amit Bhandari
is Fellow, Energy & Environment Studies, Gateway House.

Source:
This article was written for Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations.

References:
[1] Reuters, ‘SunEdison to Supply Cheapest Solar Power in India,’ 4 November, 2015, <http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/11/04/sunedison-inc-solar-india-idINKCN0ST0DK20151104.>

[2] Livemint, ‘Solar Power Tariff Touches Record Low of Rs 4.63 with SunEdison’s Aggressive Bid,’ 4 November, 2015, <http://www.livemint.com/Industry/NBy4Gjh97Qj9xNJwkgLS0H/Solar-power-tariff-touches-record-low-of-Rs463-with-SunEdis.htmlSolar power tariff touches record low of Rs4.63 with SunEdison’s aggressive bid.>

[3] NHPC India, ‘Investor Presentation.’4 June, 2015, <http://www.nhpcindia.com/writereaddata/Images/pdf/InvestorPresentationMarch15.pdf.>

[4] NTPC Limited, ‘ NPCIL ‘Annual Report 2013-14,’ 2014, <http://www.npcil.nic.in/main/AnnualReportDisplay.aspx. pp 114> , ‘NTPC Limited: Investor Presentation 2015,’ 3 August, 2015, <http://www.ntpc.co.in/presentations/4215/ntpcinvestorpresentation-03-08-2015. pp 26>

[5] NPCIL ‘Annual Report 2013-14,’ 2014, < http://www.npcil.nic.in/main/AnnualReportDisplay.aspx. pp 114>

[6] Ministry of Atomic Energy, Government of India, ‘Cost of Power Generation,’ 18 March, 2015, < http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/psearch/QResult16.aspx?qref=14531. >

[7] Taxpayer.net, ‘DOE Loan Guarantee Program: Vogtle Reactors 3&4,’ 2 February 2015, <http://www.taxpayer.net/library/article/doe-loan-guarantee-program-vogtle-reactors-34>.

[8] Country Profiles, World Nuclear Association, ‘Nuclear Power in Finland,’ 28 August 2015. <http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-A-F/Finland/>

[9] Ministry of Atomic Energy, Government of India, “Nuclear Power Program.” 17 December, 2014, <http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/psearch/QResult16.aspx?qref=10919>

[10] “Wastage of Power.” March 19, 2015. Accessed November 5, 2015. http://164.100.47.132/Annexture_New/lsq16/4/au3874.htm.

[11] “Report on the Performance of State Power Utilities for the Years 2011-12 to 2013-14.” July 1, 2015. Accessed November 5, 2015. http://www.pfcindia.com/writereaddata/userfiles/file/Operations/state_performance/Report on the Performance of State Power Utilities 2011-12 to 2013-14.pdf.

[12] Gateway House, ‘How technology can cap oil prices,’ 29 October 2015, <http://www.gatewayhouse.in/how-technology-can-cap-oil-prices/>


85-Year-Old Woman Shreds A Million Euros To Spite Heirs

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An Austrian 85-year-old cut up into tiny pieces almost a million euros ($1.1 million) in an apparent attempt to spite her heirs, authorities said Thursday.

After the woman died in a retirement home, the 950,000 euros as well as savings accounts books were found shredded on her bed, prosecutors said.

State prosecutor Erich Habitzl confirmed the discovery — first reported in the Kurier daily — but said that there was nothing he could do for the relatives.

“The damage of the money in the woman’s property is not a criminal matter, so we have not begun any investigation,” Habitzl told AFP.

Kurier reported however that the woman’s surviving family will have the last laugh, with Austria’s central bank (OeNB) saying it will replace all the cash.

“If the heirs can only find shreds of money and if the origin of the money is assured, then of course it can all be replaced,” Friedrich Hammerschmidt, deputy head of the OeNB cashier division, told Kurier.

“If we didn’t pay out the money then we would be punishing the wrong people.”

October Jobs Growth Pushes US Unemployment Rate Down To 5.0 Percent – Analysis

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The Labor Department reported the economy added 271,000 jobs in October, with all but 3,000 of these jobs in the private sector. This is a sharp bounce back from the prior two months when private sector job growth averaged just 137,000. This job growth was sufficient to push the unemployment rate down slightly to 5.0 percent. While the employment-to-population ratio edged up slightly to 59.3 percent, it is still below the 59.4 percent high for the recovery. The labor force participation rate is actually down 0.4 percentage points from its year-ago level.

The job growth was led by health care (44,900), retail (43,800), restaurants (42,000), construction (31,000), business and technical services (26,900), and temp help (24,500). The rise in health care employment is in line with the 41,000 average for the last year. The strong retail growth follows two months in which reported growth averaged less than 5,000. The restaurant number is slightly better than recent growth rates.

On the negative side, mining shed another 4,500 jobs due to continuing fallout from the plunge in oil prices. Employment in the sector is down by 12.6 percent from its year-ago level. Manufacturing employment was flat in October, after having dropped by 28,000 over the prior two months.

Average weekly hours were unchanged at 34.5, although they edged up by 0.1 hours for production workers. The average hourly wage jumped 9 cents, but this was primarily a sampling error. The average hourly wage was reported as rising just 1 cent last month. Over the last three months, wages have risen at a 2.70 percent annual rate, a slight increase from the 2.48 percent rate over the last year. For production and non-supervisory workers, wages are up just 2.22 percent over the last year.

On the household side, there were few notable changes in employment or unemployment rates by demographic group. The unemployment rate for black teens fell by 5.9 percentage points to 25.6 percent, but this number is highly erratic and likely to be reversed in future months. The duration measures of unemployment showed little change. The average duration rose by 1.7 weeks, but this followed a reported drop of about two weeks for September. The median duration edged down by 0.2 weeks, while the share of long-term unemployed rose by 0.2 percentage points.

On the positive side, the number of people working part-time for economic reasons fell sharply in October, following a sharp reported drop in September. It now stands 1,245,000, below its year-ago level. By contrast, the number choosing to work part-time is up by 380,000 from its year-ago level and by 1,462,000 from its level of two years ago. This is a predictable result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), since workers are no longer dependent on employers for insurance.

On the down side, the percentage of unemployment due to people voluntarily quitting their jobs remained at recession levels of 9.9 percent. The percentage of unemployment due to voluntary quits bottomed out at 8.6 percent as a result of the 2001 recession and 9.5 percent following the 1990-91 recession. It peaked at 15.2 percent in April of 2000 and crossed 17.0 percent in May of 1989. The low percentage of quits among the unemployed indicates workers do not feel comfortable leaving a job without a new job lined up.

This fits with the story of weak wage growth. The sharp drop in oil prices over the last year has led to strong growth in real wages over this period, but there has been little change in the pace of nominal wage growth over the last five years. It is difficult to find any major sector with a clear pattern of accelerating wage growth. In manufacturing, where employers often complain about the difficulty in finding good workers, wages have risen by just 2.0 percent over the last year.
In short, this is a much positive report than we saw in the prior two months. However, there is much in the report that indicates there is a still a large amount of slack in the labor market.

Mexico: ‘The Beast’ Returns To Guatemala

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The freight train known as “The Beast”, which thousands of migrants use each year to travel from southern to northern Mexico risking their lives, will extend its route to Guatemala starting from December 15.

The Ferrovías de Guatemala national railway line reached an accord with the Mexican Compañía de Ferrocarriles-Mayab, to bring the convoy – that travels from Mexico to the US – to the Tecún Umán terminal. Ferrovías invested $1 million.

“The Beast” will initially enter 1.5km into Guatemala and, based on the freight movement, can later be extended.

Mexico each year transports 3.87 million tons of merchandise; 1.3 million tons travels from Guatemala to Mexico. Among the top products that will benefit from the rail transport will be cement, metals, minerals, far products, chemicals, petrol-chemicals, automobiles. The rail link has the potential of reducing ground transport by 30 to 40%.

Iraq: Almost 60 People Have Died In Flash Floods

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Flash flood in Iraq has left nearly 60 people dead over the past few days, says the country’s health ministry.

The Iraqi Health Ministry said on Friday that most of the victims died due to electrocution caused by flood-related incidents.

Iraq was hit by days of heavy torrential rain that caused major flooding in the capital, Baghdad, and other areas.

The heavy rain prompted Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to declare an emergency situation in affected areas overwhelmed by “torrential rainwater that exceeded drainage capacity” and mobilize all government forces to take care of the situation.

The rain, which started last week and still continues with scattered showers, also caused heavy property damage to private and public buildings.

Many streets, houses and shops are flooded with a combination of rainwater and sewage.

Local media reported that the old drainage systems had failed to siphon the heavy downpour into the sewerage.

On social media, however, disgruntled Iraqis criticized the government for what they called the government’s mishandling the disaster.

The flooding also damaged camps for internally displaced people who have fled from areas under the control of Daesh (ISIS) militants.

Iraqis have held demonstrations over the past few months, blaming the government for what they called providing inadequate basic services.

The protesters have been discontent with power outages, specifically during summer. The old water drainage systems are also a point of public resentment.

The Abadi administration has launched a reform plan to improve poor services.

This story has been edited from the source material.

Original article

Statement By President Obama On The Keystone XL Pipeline

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US President Barack Obama on Friday announced that his administration would not support the Keystone XL Pipeline project, claiming that the project actually hurt US competition and undercut climate control efforts. Following is the complete text of President Obama announcing the decision.

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. Several years ago, the State Department began a review process for the proposed construction of a pipeline that would carry Canadian crude oil through our heartland to ports in the Gulf of Mexico and out into the world market.

This morning, Secretary Kerry informed me that, after extensive public outreach and consultation with other Cabinet agencies, the State Department has decided that the Keystone XL Pipeline would not serve the national interest of the United States. I agree with that decision.

This morning, I also had the opportunity to speak with Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada. And while he expressed his disappointment, given Canada’s position on this issue, we both agreed that our close friendship on a whole range of issues, including energy and climate change, should provide the basis for even closer coordination between our countries going forward. And in the coming weeks, senior members of my team will be engaging with theirs in order to help deepen that cooperation.

Now, for years, the Keystone Pipeline has occupied what I, frankly, consider an overinflated role in our political discourse. It became a symbol too often used as a campaign cudgel by both parties rather than a serious policy matter. And all of this obscured the fact that this pipeline would neither be a silver bullet for the economy, as was promised by some, nor the express lane to climate disaster proclaimed by others.

To illustrate this, let me briefly comment on some of the reasons why the State Department rejected this pipeline.

First: The pipeline would not make a meaningful long-term contribution to our economy. So if Congress is serious about wanting to create jobs, this was not the way to do it. If they want to do it, what we should be doing is passing a bipartisan infrastructure plan that, in the short term, could create more than 30 times as many jobs per year as the pipeline would, and in the long run would benefit our economy and our workers for decades to come.

Our businesses created 268,000 new jobs last month. They’ve created 13.5 million new jobs over the past 68 straight months — the longest streak on record. The unemployment rate fell to 5 percent. This Congress should pass a serious infrastructure plan, and keep those jobs coming. That would make a difference. The pipeline would not have made a serious impact on those numbers and on the American people’s prospects for the future.

Second: The pipeline would not lower gas prices for American consumers. In fact, gas prices have already been falling — steadily. The national average gas price is down about 77 cents over a year ago. It’s down a dollar over two years ago. It’s down $1.27 over three years ago. Today, in 41 states, drivers can find at least one gas station selling gas for less than two bucks a gallon. So while our politics have been consumed by a debate over whether or not this pipeline would create jobs and lower gas prices, we’ve gone ahead and created jobs and lowered gas prices.

Third: Shipping dirtier crude oil into our country would not increase America’s energy security. What has increased America’s energy security is our strategy over the past several years to reduce our reliance on dirty fossil fuels from unstable parts of the world. Three years ago, I set a goal to cut our oil imports in half by 2020. Between producing more oil here at home, and using less oil throughout our economy, we met that goal last year — five years early. In fact, for the first time in two decades, the United States of America now produces more oil than we buy from other countries.

Now, the truth is, the United States will continue to rely on oil and gas as we transition — as we must transition — to a clean energy economy. That transition will take some time. But it’s also going more quickly than many anticipated. Think about it. Since I took office, we’ve doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas by 2025; tripled the power we generate from the wind; multiplied the power we generate from the sun 20 times over. Our biggest and most successful businesses are going all-in on clean energy. And thanks in part to the investments we’ve made, there are already parts of America where clean power from the wind or the sun is finally cheaper than dirtier, conventional power.

The point is the old rules said we couldn’t promote economic growth and protect our environment at the same time. The old rules said we couldn’t transition to clean energy without squeezing businesses and consumers. But this is America, and we have come up with new ways and new technologies to break down the old rules, so that today, homegrown American energy is booming, energy prices are falling, and over the past decade, even as our economy has continued to grow, America has cut our total carbon pollution more than any other country on Earth.

Today, the United States of America is leading on climate change with our investments in clean energy and energy efficiency. America is leading on climate change with new rules on power plants that will protect our air so that our kids can breathe. America is leading on climate change by working with other big emitters like China to encourage and announce new commitments to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. In part because of that American leadership, more than 150 nations representing nearly 90 percent of global emissions have put forward plans to cut pollution.

America is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action to fight climate change. And frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership. And that’s the biggest risk we face — not acting.

Today, we’re continuing to lead by example. Because ultimately, if we’re going to prevent large parts of this Earth from becoming not only inhospitable but uninhabitable in our lifetimes, we’re going to have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn them and release more dangerous pollution into the sky.

As long as I’m President of the United States, America is going to hold ourselves to the same high standards to which we hold the rest of the world. And three weeks from now, I look forward to joining my fellow world leaders in Paris, where we’ve got to come together around an ambitious framework to protect the one planet that we’ve got while we still can.

If we want to prevent the worst effects of climate change before it’s too late, the time to act is now. Not later. Not someday. Right here, right now. And I’m optimistic about what we can accomplish together. I’m optimistic because our own country proves, every day — one step at a time — that not only do we have the power to combat this threat, we can do it while creating new jobs, while growing our economy, while saving money, while helping consumers, and most of all, leaving our kids a cleaner, safer planet at the same time.

That’s what our own ingenuity and action can do. That’s what we can accomplish. And America is prepared to show the rest of the world the way forward.

Thank you very much.

China ‘Welcomes Russia’s Transfer Of Border Parcel And Awaits Return Of Sakhalin, Vladivostok And Tuva’– OpEd

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Chinese media are celebrating what has passed “almost unnoticed” in Russia: Moscow’s handing over of some 4.7 square kilometers of what had been Russian land to China, with Beijing viewing this as the first step toward the return of larger portions of the Russian Far East to Chinese control, according to Newsru agency.

The outlet cited a story in yesterday’s “China Daily” which reported the return of the land, noting that it is but a small part of the 1,500,000 square kilometers “the declining Qing Dynasty gave up” to the Russians between 1858 and 1915” in a series of “’unequal treaties’” (newsru.com/world/06nov2015/chland.html?nr and chinadaily.com.cn/world/2015-11/05/content_22380291.htm).

Another Chinese publication, “Global Times,” acknowledged that Russians are unhappy to be handing over any parcel of land but suggested that now that Beijing and Moscow are cooperating, it is easier for the Russian authorities to recognize Chinese territorial claims (globaltimes.cn/content/951156.shtml).

The handover of this small parcel to China is the result of the October 2004 agreement between Vladimir Putin and Hu Tsingtao; but as Newsru.com reported, “residents of China do not consider the issue closed.” It noted that the BBC’s Russian Service had recently done a story on Chinese aspirations (bbc.com/russian/international/2015/11/151105_china_russia_land).

According to the BBC, some Chinese bloggers have suggested that Russia must “return Vladivostok, Blagoveshchenks, and Tanu-Uryankhai [Tyva] to China, and one has offered an intriguing explanation for what is going on far from the Chinese border in Ukraine as a result of the transfer of even a small portion of land from Russia to China.

‘I finally know why Russia annexed Crimea,” one Chinese blogger wrote. “Putin doesn’t want that Russia will become smaller during his administration.” By annexing Crimea, the Kremlin leader can ensure that doesn’t happen.

King Mohammed VI Draws Roadmap For Integral Development Of Morocco – Speech

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The 40th anniversary of the the green march under the leadership of King Mohammed VI is an opportunity for the Moroccan people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity from those who seek to undermine it. On this glorious event, King MohammedVI delivered the following important speech:

Praise be to God
May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, His Kith and Kin

Dear Citizens,
The commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Green March is no ordinary event or passing celebration. In fact, it is a watershed moment in the process to complete the Kingdom’s territorial integrity.

Following the epic achievement of liberating our land and shoring up peace and security, our country has sought to enable the Saharan populations to become full-fledged citizens and enjoy a dignified life.

Today, 40 years after the Green March, and regardless of the advantages and the downsides, we want to make a radical break with the manner in which Sahara issues have been dealt with so far: a break with the rentier economy and privileges, a break with poor private sector involvement and a break with the mentality of centralized administration.

Why today, 40 years later?

Well, after years of sacrifice and political and development-oriented efforts, we have reached maturity.

Conditions are now ripe for the dawn of a new era in the process to consolidate national unity and achieve full integration of our southern provinces into the motherland.

The implementation of the Development Model for the Southern Provinces and the application of advanced regionalization are part of that process.

Dear Citizens,
I am keen to make sure we provide our fellow citizens in the southern provinces with all the necessary means to enable them to manage their own affairs and show they are capable of developing their region.

From time immemorial, the Saharan populations have been known as scholars and seasoned tradespeople. They have always earned their living by the sweat of their brow and lived with dignity and pride. They do not expect assistance from anyone, despite their harsh living conditions.

I am talking about the true Sahrawis, the genuine patriots who have remained committed to the bond of allegiance which has always existed between their forefathers and Moroccan monarchs.

As for the few people who are get carried away by the views of our enemies and who champion them, there is no place for them among us. However, the homeland is most forgiving and magnanimous towards those who come to their senses and repent.

Dear Citizens,
The implementation of the Development Model for the Southern Provinces shows how committed we are to fulfilling our obligations towards our fellow citizens in these provinces, which will thus become a model of integrated development.

We want this Development Model to seal these provinces’ integration into the unified homeland and to enhance the influence of the Sahara region as an economic hub and a crucial link between Morocco and its African roots.

I have therefore decided to muster all the means available, by the grace of the Almighty, to implement a number of major projects as well as social, medical and educational programs in the regions of Laayoune-Saqia el-Hamra, Dakhla-Oued Eddahab and Guelmim-Oued Noon.

As regards infrastructure, the road network in the region will be enhanced, and a dual carriageway complying with international standards will be built to link Tiznit, Laayoun and Dakhla.

I also call on the Government to think about setting up hub airports in the Southern Provinces to serve African destinations.

One of my ambitions is to see a rail link between Tangier and Lagouira to connect Morocco with the rest of Africa. I pray that Almighty God assist us in securing the funds we need today to complete the Marrakech-Lagouira line.

We also intend to build the Great Dakhla Atlantic Port, implement major solar and wind energy projects in the south and connect Dakhla to the national electricity network.

One of our goals is to link these networks and infrastructure to African countries, thereby contributing to their development.

I realize, of course, that infrastructure, on its own, cannot improve the citizens’ living conditions. I am therefore keen to press ahead with economic development and to support that process with human development projects.

I should like to stress, in this connection, that revenue from natural resources will continue to be invested in the region, for the benefit of the local populations and in consultation and coordination with them.

Several projects for the use and promotion of local resources and products will be implemented, such as the major seawater desalination plant in Dakhla and the establishment of industrial zones and facilities in Laayoun, El Marsa and Boujdour.

To support these initiatives, I am keen to make sure an investment-friendly legal framework is instituted, in which the conditions for clarity and competitiveness are met for both national and foreign investors so they may contribute to development in the region.

An economic development fund will also be set up to expand the economic fabric, support businesses and the social economy, generate steady income and create jobs, particularly for young people.

Dear Citizens,
To me, what matters most is to make sure the dignity of our fellow citizens in the Sahara is safeguarded – particularly that of younger generations – and to strengthen their love for their country and their attachment to their homeland.

Accordingly, I have asked the Government to revisit the social welfare system to make it more transparent and equitable, in keeping with the principles of equality and social justice which most segments of the populations concerned have been calling for.

Furthermore, considering the special place the Hassani culture has in the hearts and minds of Saharan people, I am keen to strengthen the mechanisms needed for the preservation and promotion of the Saharan heritage, particularly by building theaters, museums and cultural centers in the southern part of the country.

As regards human rights, Morocco has, by the grace of the Almighty, managed to foil the schemes of our enemies through the nation’s mobilization, good security governance and constructive interaction with civil society organizations.

Moreover, as an institution provided for in the Constitution, the National Human Rights Council and its Regional Committees, which are tasked with protecting rights and freedoms, are independently addressing whatever transgression there may be, through dialogue and cooperation with public authorities, civil society organizations and the citizens.

Dear Citizens,
The implementation of advanced regionalization bolsters Morocco’s credibility and shows our country honors its commitments.

As I pointed out at the State Opening of Parliament, the legitimacy which was democratically conferred by the citizens upon the officials who were elected in the region makes them the true representatives of the inhabitants of the southern provinces vis-à-vis national institutions as well as the international community.

To make sure the Southern Provinces are front and center of the implementation of advanced regionalization, a series of program-contracts will be concluded between the central government and the regions to determine each party’s obligations regarding the execution of development projects.

I therefore call on the Government to speed up the adoption of legislative texts on devolution and support that with the transfer of qualified human resources and funds, with a view to replicating that experience in the Kingdom’s other regions.

We also have to speed up the preparation of a real charter for administrative devolution that gives regional departments and agencies the prerogatives needed to run the region’s affairs at the local level.

I should like to insist, in this respect, on the need to ensure citizen participation through platforms and mechanisms for permanent dialogue and consultation so that the citizens may fully subscribe to programs and be involved in their implementation.

I therefore expect the inhabitants of our southern provinces and their representatives to live up to their responsibilities, now that we have set in place the institutional and development-related mechanisms for them to manage their affairs and cater for their needs.

Dear Citizens,
When Morocco promises something, it delivers in both word and deed. Our country makes no commitment it cannot honor.

Therefore, we wish to send out a message to the world: Unlike others, we, in Morocco, use no empty slogans nor do we sell illusions. When we commit to something, we honor our commitment, and we implement things on the ground.

  • Morocco promised to implement advanced regionalization. Today, advanced regionalization is a reality on the ground, with its institutions and its prerogatives;
  • Morocco promised democracy and pledged to enable the inhabitants of its southern provinces to run their local affairs. They have now chosen their representatives and are freely and responsibly involved in local institutions;
  • Morocco also promised to come up with a specific development model for its southern provinces. Today, we have launched large-scale, defining projects that will generate wealth and create jobs;
  • Morocco committed to guarantee peace and security. Today, the Moroccan Sahara is the safest area in the Sahel and Sahara region.

Today, Morocco pledges to make the Moroccan Sahara a hub for communication and exchange with sub-Saharan African countries and to build the infrastructure needed to that end. And once again, our country will honor its commitment, whether its enemies like it or not.

On the other hand, the people in Tindouf, in Algeria, continue to suffer from poverty, despair, deprivation and the systematic violation of their basic rights. So, I believe it is only fair to ask:

  • Where have the millions of dollars of humanitarian aid gone – more than 60 million Euros a year – not to mention the billions of Euros spent on armament for the separatists and on their propaganda and apparatus of repression?
  • How can one explain the fact that the separatists’ leaders are obscenely rich and have real estate and bank accounts in Europe and Latin America?
  • Why has not Algeria done anything to improve the living conditions of the Tindouf camp population, which is 40,000 at the very most – i.e. the equivalent of the population of a medium-sized neighborhood in Algiers? This means that for forty years Algeria could not – or did not want to – build 6,000 housing units to safeguard their dignity. That amounts to an average of 150 housing units a year.
  • Why does Algeria – which has spent billions on its military and diplomatic war against Morocco – let the Tindouf inhabitants live in such appalling, inhuman conditions?

History is going to judge those who have turned the free, respectable sons and daughters of the Sahara into beggars of humanitarian aid.
It will bear witness to the fact that they have exploited the tragedy of a group of Saharan women and children, turning them into war booty and using them not only for illegal commercial exploitation, but also as a tool for diplomatic dispute.

I ask the people in the Tindouf camps: Are you satisfied with the awful conditions you live in? Do women in the camps accept the sense of despair and frustration prevailing among their sons and daughters, who have no horizon or future to look forward to?

I personally believe you deserve better than these inhuman conditions. Should you put up with them, however, you would only have yourselves to blame. Meanwhile, you can see that Morocco is pressing ahead with the development of its southern provinces, making sure the inhabitants of those provinces enjoy a free, dignified life.

Dear citizens
The Sahara question is not the first issue Morocco has faced in its history. It has known siba (lawlessness) and confusion; it lived under the protectorate regime and it endured occupation. It also experienced periods of strife and contention upon gaining independence as it set out to build a modern state.

Whenever it faces a difficult situation, Morocco invariably comes out strong and united, with its head held high. This is because Moroccans deeply believe in their common destiny, defend their immutable values and territorial integrity and are fully committed to the close bond and cohesion between the throne and the people.

By starting to implement advanced regionalization and adopting a development model, Morocco wishes to increase the chances of finding a lasting solution to the artificial dispute over our territorial integrity.

Because it believes its cause is a just one, it reacted positively in 2007 to the call of the international community and came up with proposals to find a way out of the impasse.

Therefore, we proposed the Autonomy Initiative for the Southern Provinces, which was judged by the international community to be both serious and credible.

As I pointed out last year in my address commemorating the anniversary of the Green March, the Initiative is the most Morocco can offer. Its implementation will hinge on achieving a final political settlement within the framework of the United Nations Organization.

Those who are waiting for any other concession on Morocco’s part are deceiving themselves. Indeed, Morocco has given all there was to give. It has given of its sons’ blood to defend the Sahara.

Do we have to make further concessions, like some international and non-governmental organizations want us to do?

We know the reasoning behind these hostile attitudes; their aim is to divide the country. But we also know that those concerned have no right to meddle in our affairs.

This is the same principle we uphold in dealing with certain parties inside international organizations that do not know Morocco’s history and seek to come up with scenarios which are hatched in air-conditioned offices, are far removed from reality and are presented as proposals for the settlement of the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.

Morocco rejects any foolish, adventurous course of action that could have serious consequences, as well as any useless, unworkable proposal whose only aim is to undermine the positive momentum created by the Autonomy Initiative.

Morocco will also confront hostile campaigns against Moroccan products, building on the same spirit of sacrifice and commitment demonstrated in the political and security sectors to defend its unity and immutable values. As for those who want to boycott our products, in blatant violation of international law, let them do so. However, they will have to assume the responsibilities for their decisions.

Morocco has the right to invite its partners – states as well as global companies – to benefit from the investment opportunities to be created in the region, thanks to the large-scale projects that will be launched.

Just as we make no distinction between the northern and the southern parts of Morocco, we see no difference between tomatoes from Agadir and those from Dakhla, sardines from Larache and those from Boujdour, phosphates from Khouribga and those from Boucraa – even though the latter represent less than 2% of our national reserves, as confirmed by universally recognized data.

With the same resolve and steadfastness, Morocco will also face up to all attempts that seek to cast doubts on the legal status of the Moroccan Sahara or question our country’s right to exercise its powers and prerogatives fully on its land, in the southern provinces, just as it does in the northern part of the country.

This means we must all step up efforts and remain vigilant and fully mobilized to make our just cause better known, to shine a spotlight on the progress our country is making and to confront our enemies’ schemes.

Dear Citizens,
It is our collective duty to promote development in our southern provinces, to safeguard the dignity of the sons and daughters of those provinces and to defend the country’s territorial integrity, in keeping with the same spirit of commitment and sacrifice which characterized the Green March.

This would be the best token of loyalty to the architect of the Green March, my revered father His Late Majesty King Hassan II – may he rest in peace – and to the memory of the nation’s .


Marco Rubio: Return Of The Republican Savior? – Analysis

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By Sylvia Mishra*

Marco Rubio featured in the cover of the Time magazine in February 2013 as ‘The Republican Savior’ and the ‘new voice’ of the Republican Party. Nearly two years after being hailed as the future of the party, influential figures in both conservative and moderate wings of the GOP abandoned him during the early stages of his 2016 presidential campaign. Rubio’s embrace of immigration reform led several national conservative groups and activists including Washington lobbyist and Rubio’s longtime adviser Dirk Van Dongen to break away from his campaign and instead support Jeb Bush and Senator Ted Cruz.

When freshman Senator Rubio from Florida launched his presidential campaign in April 2015, in spite of his rhetoric flourish, his campaign was dubbed as shoestring and ‘underdog’ for 2016. Fast forward to November 2015, mostly all national polls on 2016 Republican presidential race showcase Rubio’s upward trend. Within a span of six months, how did Rubio get both the party’s grassroots base and billionaire donors to rally support in his favour? How did Rubio transition from an underdog campaigner to become the next GOP rising star? Whilst walking the political tightrope vacillating between third or fourth position in the GOP nomination race, would Rubio be able get stronger as a candidate?

Rubio’s strategy to emerge as the GOP nominee is focused on displaying strong debate performances and substantive policy speeches while gradually working on fundraising activities. He is steadily climbing up the path to GOP nomination by keeping a low profile whilst the top brass anti-establishment candidates like billionaire Donald Trump and the soft-spoken retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson embroil themselves in fighting each other. In an interview with CBS ‘Face the Nation’, he stated that his campaign is not going to be about attacking any other Republicans and he would rather debate policy differences on legitimate issues. Thus, instead of indulging in verbal blitzkrieg against political rivals, Rubio has been focused on building a personal narrative – one of struggle of the son of immigrant maid and a hotel bartender.

In press conferences and interviews, Rubio reiterates the debt he owes to America for changing his family’s history saying, “America is the only place in the world where who you come from doesn’t determine how far you go’. And this is American miracle of a strong economy and equal opportunity which Rubio envisions for the American citizens in his efforts to build the New American Century. Resolute in his preparation for image building, reportedly Rubio’s political action committee paid a firm more than $40,000 to conduct opposition research on Rubio, to dig into family stories, financial documents and real estate records- anything that could emerge in a political “oppo” file. Whilst campaign financing and making super PACs play a pivotal role in politics and especially for GOP contending presidential nominees, Rubio’s financial struggles are only favourably playing into his hands. His paltry estimated net worth of $444,000 according to the Center for Responsive Politics vis-a-vis other candidates has appealed to the American middle class.

In the context of Rubio’s policies, his promise of uniting disparate wings of the GOP and bringing change by dislocating establishment politics has drawn a large section of the American populace to him who are disillusioned with Washington’s politics. His vision for tax and higher education reforms to usher in a “New American Century” is marked by innovation and prosperity to ensure America’s global competitiveness. He has also pledged to overhaul the higher education system within the first 100 days of his presidency by expanding access to career and vocational schools as well as apprenticeship programmes for training on the job.

True to his conservative party roots, he argues against raising the minimum wage as he believes it would only accelerate automation and outsourcing of jobs rather than improve the quality of workers’ lives. This is one issue that is going to dominate the 2016 elections as Hillary Clinton, the most likely Democratic Party nominee, has made the issue of raising the minimum wage the centerpiece of her campaign.

Whilst the US presidential elections are never about foreign policy issues, the 2016 elections would be markedly different and foreign policy is going to be central to the elections. In the realm of foreign policy, Rubio’s ability to articulate the message of America’s international leadership will sustain him in the long race to the Oval Office. As he writes on his vision of the US foreign policy and how America can restore its strengths in Foreign Affairs, he states that he would first and foremost restore relationships in the 21st century with new world powers like India, China and Japan and will build diplomatic trust.

His foreign policy orientation towards China vacillates between one of an accommodating approach whilst sounding tough on policies China follows domestically.

Recently, Rubio slammed China’s new two-child policy saying it will still allow the Communist government to force women to abort any children conceived after they have two children. In the domain of international trade, to give more heft to President Obama’s Pivot to Asia policy, Rubio had voted to give the administration fast track authority to push its Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal. On issues of Middle East, during his latest interview on ‘Face the Nation’, he spoke about a broader strategy of tactical coordination among the United States, Kurds and Sunnis to defeat the Islamic State.

The latest Monmouth University poll shows Republican candidate Donald Trump maintaining his lead in the GOP New Hampshire primary but Rubio has tripled his support since September. Rubio was in third place at 13% but that is up from 4% from the last Monmouth New Hampshire poll in September. Rubio’s favorability rating has risen since September climbing from 50% to 62% after his widely praised debate performance.

This upward mobility in polls comes after Rubio gave a good response when asked about his sparse attendance record in the Senate. Rubio is increasingly likened to being the Obama of the GOP. However, despite the obvious comparison, it gives Rubio far too much credit for someone who has just begun to exhibit potential for GOP nomination. When moderator John Harwood asked Rubio to respond to the fact that the Tax Foundation determined his tax plan would enrich the top 1 percent much more than the middle-class, Rubio denied the math saying, “You’re wrong” and accused the Tax Foundation of mixing up percentage calculations. As the race intensifies, Rubio’s longevity in the race would be predicated on his ability to go deeper into details of his policies to convince American voters of his vision and viability of the ‘New American Century’.

*Sylvia Mishra is a Junior Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, Delhi

Collegiality: A Key To Efficiency In Indian Higher Education – Analysis

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A global survey on the leadership challenges faced by the Indian higher education system, Education Promotion Society for India (EPSI) (a national body of over 500 higher education institutions) reported that the sector is facing shortage of capable leaders.

According to the survey “Futuristic Approach to Development” was the most important trait of the transformational leader, followed by “Understanding of Higher Education Ecosystem”. The president of EPSI shared that the results were alarming and demand a serious attention by political leadership, policy makers, chancellors and vice chancellors, “We must agree to one fact that that leading Indian higher education is tough as the Indian higher education system is world’s third largest in terms of students (almost 22 million students enrolled in more than 46,000 institutions), next to China and the United States.” There is tremendous quantitative expansion in the Indian higher education institutions since independence, it has undergone significant changes in response to factors such as government policy, professionalism, accountability, rapid economic development, universality of education, influence of information technology, demands for increased access, and internationalization of education. Though there is quantitative expansion but the country lacks the critical mass in higher education. Its gross enrollment ratio (GER) is a mere 11 per cent compared to China’s 20 per cent, the USA’s 83 per cent and South Korea’s 91 per cent.

The overall scenario of higher education in India does not match with the global Quality standards. Hence, there is enough justification for an increased assessment of the Quality of the country’s educational institutions. We face issues of quality standards, too many regulatory bodies working in isolation, several policies which are out of alignment of the overall mission for e.g. taxation issues, student loans, service tax issues etc, also there are many quality gaps with respect to curriculum design and development, teaching, learning and evaluation, research consultancy and extension, infrastructure and learning resources, student support and progression, governance, management and leadership. These factors and issues require colleges and universities in India to restructure their management processes and modify their traditional notions about leadership, but this becomes problematic when most of the higher education institutions adopt a laissez-faire approach with no aspiration or motivation to assume additional responsibilities for quality improvement, this is one of the reasons that our universities are not ranked in the first 200 world class institutions by the expert ranking agencies. Therefore the prospects and development in the higher education sector in India needs a critical examination in a rapidly globalizing world.

A major step in this regard is taken by the government of India with its centrally sponsored flagship scheme Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). There is a strong emphasis on the need of leadership development for educational administrators in higher education. According to RUSA, “There is a need for professionalizing academic administration by building the competencies in the domains of leadership, and strategy, developing relevant systems and processes, and inculcating appropriate skills and attitude at all levels in the administration. There is an equal need to develop leadership acumen in current incumbents at various levels of university administration (Vice Chancellors, Pro Vice Chancellors, Registrars, Deans, and Heads) in the institutional hierarchy. There is equally a need to create a leadership pipeline in each institution to prepare for future leadership requirements.”

Usually the hierarchical posts of university/ higher education are filled by teaching community; who are supposed to train to teach and do research. These people may or may not possess or trained to be administrators. In this scenario few questions that arise are; what kind of leadership is required to make transformational change in the system of higher education in India? What styles of, or approaches to, leadership is associated with effective leadership in Indian higher education?’ This question provides a background for current thinking about leadership in higher education. The answer to this question can be Collegiality or participative decision making styles of leaders.

According to Tapper and Palfreyman, Collegiality is consensual decision-making, decisions are supposed to be arrived at through discussions and debates, and outcomes accomplished through the full participation of knowledgeable and committed peers. Another meaning of collegiality is mutual supportiveness among staff. Being ‘collegial’ in this sense means offering professional, and perhaps personal, support to others such as through reading drafts, mentoring younger staff and cooperative working. Challenges cannot be successfully mastered by leaders, nor can the efforts of dedicated leaders be sustained when the members within the institution are divisive, uncompromising, and inflexible. It is destructive to a Faculty/Department’s morale and effectiveness when the members are unable to accept responsibility for achieving institution goals. These elements lie at the heart of that salient, fundamental hallmark of successful interactions in education that is commonly called collegiality. Thus, collegiality is reflected in the relationships that emerge within Faculty/Departments of university. It is often evidenced in the manner in which members of the Faculty/Departments interact with and show respect to one another, work collaboratively in order to achieve institution goals, and assume equitable responsibilities for the good of the discipline as a whole. It is not be an exaggeration to say that in Indian higher education, collegiality is a key to professional work.

How can Leaders facilitate collegial atmosphere?

“Leadership is the development of a vision which dictates the framework within which one seeks to move. Without vision you can’t continue. A leader has to motivate people, making sure that they’re all going in the same direction. A leader has to maintain momentum and keep morale high. This involves getting people together, talking to them and listening to their views. Therefore leaders must be openly and transparently discussing in the staff meetings about collegiality, why collegiality is important, and how non-collegial behavior can ruin an institution. There must be discussion on why the institution may need a code of conduct. This reflects the concept that every individual pledges to treat colleagues with dignity, respect, and civility and to do their fair share of the workload tantamount to running a viable Faculty/Department in the university.

There is hardly any country in the world having social, economic, cultural and lingual diversity as complex as in India (Chattopadhyaya, 1975; Spencer Stuart, 2010). For any organization of large or moderate size in this country, the background, mental abilities and working capabilities of employees are quite heterogeneous Influencing such a diverse profile of employees, members, partners, stakeholders and customers using specific style of leadership is a real challenge. What we require in our institutions today is wise academic leadership (Vice Chancellor/Dean/Head) who in an environment of uncertainty and unpredictability can recognize that the most valuable assets in a university are its people and the intellectual capital they possess or the culture they create in the workplace. Our academic leaders must acquire the ability to use both directive behaviors showing the concern for outcomes at workplace and supportive behaviors that reflect a concern for people and help university community members feel comfortable about themselves, their colleagues and the situations in which they work. This will help establish the appropriate balance between credibility and approachability across different situations.

We therefore need administrators with skills of open communication, skill of sharing vision with others, skill of relation and trust building, skill of recognition and appreciation. Skill of consensus building, respect for others views, skill to take criticism and how to give positive feedback. What we require is strong academic leaders who can empower others within their areas of expertise by decentralizing authority, by building strong leadership team and by working towards the goal of advancing the university’s educational mission. Research has shown significant relationship between Vice Chancellors leadership styles and level of commitment and job satisfaction, the faculty’s morale tends to rise and fall accordingly.

The leaders in Indian higher education can and should focus on the training and development of faculty, reward and job involvement and participative decision making in the universities. They should promote a trust building culture and take measures for the benefit of faculty to bring more commitment and create a positive environment in the universities and better working conditions. Another important area, which should be focused by the decision makers of educational sector, is that the management must listen to senior faculty and the policy makers can turn their attention to determine the critical variables, which can improve job satisfaction and morale in our universities. Promotion of more shared responsibility and its associated participative discourse (Humes, 2000) seems to fit well with the values of many educational professionals who prize collegial norms and traditions in areas like curriculum design resenting what they see as threats to collegial values from managerialist and marketization trends.

Conclusion

A key issue in Indian higher education is not about what leaders should do, but what they should avoid doing. The higher level leadership in educational institutions are so obsessed with the bottom line that they forget that bottom line can be achieved only through delegation, empowerment and involvement of team members in the decision making process. To support the agenda of accountability and good performance educational leaders need to be proficient in leadership as a participative, democratic and innovative leadership style plays a pivotal role in improving the bottom line employees. Leaders must be role models of cooperative behaviour and establish an organizational climate in which such behaviour can thrive and people interact as equals to share their expectations and commitments and have frequent, productive interactions. When faculty members support, trust, respect, encourage one another, and choose to work together, professional opportunities for growth and improvement are created. Therefore Indian higher education can achieve better planning and productivity only with collaboration and shared goals because unless faculty members talk to one another, observe one another, and help one another, very little positive change can occur.

*Dr. Swaleha Sindhi is Assistant Professor at the Department of Educational Administration, The M.S. University of Baroda, Gujarat, India. She can be mailed at swalehasindhi@gmail.com

The US And Russia Face To Face As Ice Curtain Melts – Analysis

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Melting Arctic ice revives trade hopes and defense worries along non-hostile border between the US and Russia.

By Humphrey Hawksley*

The Cold War comprised three highly symbolic frontiers – Europe’s Iron Curtain, the Bamboo Curtain in Asia, and the lesser known Ice Curtain marking the border between the United States and the Soviet Union.

This line, running from the Arctic Sea through the Bering Sea into the Pacific Ocean, has evaded headlines for many years. Thick layers of sea ice literally create an impassable wall between the countries.

Trade is negligible. The populations of Alaska and Chukotka Province on the Russian side are sparse with few hearts and minds to win. It was in the best interests of both governments to play out the Cold War in faraway regions rather than risk face-to-face conflict across a shared border.

But the sudden return of Russian military power to the global stage has given the Arctic region a critical focus as climate change melts sea ice and weakens the Ice Curtain.

Russia is bolstering its military presence there while reminding that its maritime boundary with the United States remains in dispute. For its part, the United States has stayed quiet – with a policy coming under criticism from the Alaskan state government and the Obama administration’s Republican opponents.

Climate change is forcing a reevaluation of political thinking particularly in the areas of trade and defense. Three issues in particular need closer attention considering there is no clear agreement about which governments control the maritime territory.

First is opening the northern Arctic trade route to Europe. It cuts 7,500 kilometers off the 21,000-kilometer journey through the Suez Canal from, say, Shanghai to Rotterdam. As Asia continues to expand more trade will be carried through here.

Only five years ago, just four commercial cargo ships transporting 111,000 tons managed to navigate these once inaccessible shipping lanes. In 2012, 46 ships carried 1.2 million tons, and five years from now estimates put such cargo as high as 30 million tons.

Second, the melting ice has exposed vast quantities of natural resources. The US Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic accounts for 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and 30 percent of its natural gas. With present technology, retrieving these resources is challenging, as shown by Royal Dutch Shell, pulling out of a multibillion dollar exploration project in September.

Third, Russia has announced that it is shoring up its Arctic military presence. It already has 13 airbases and 10 radar stations and is reopening six mothballed Cold War airbases as well as building two new ones. It plans to station its long-range TU-95 nuclear bombers there and is expanding naval and port facilities.

The United States has yet to respond. It has no permanent naval base. The US Coast Guard fleet patrols 3.8 million square miles of sea, an area of responsibility constantly increasing because of melting ice. Alaska has Fort Elmendorf Air Force and Fort Wainwright Army bases, but each is subjected to the country’s overall military reductions. “In the face of the Russian military buildup, we are significantly reducing army forces in our nation’s only Arctic state, Alaska,” says Dan Sullivan, a Republican Senator for Alaska. “This is a strategic blunder while Russia is adding four Brigade Combat Teams and building new airfields in the Arctic.”

Mainland Russia and the United States are separated by 88 kilometers in the Bering Strait. Two islands, Russia’s Big Diomede and America’s Little Diomede, have with less than 4 kilometers of water between them.

The Russian island includes military observation posts and a helicopter base. The US island is home for an Ingalikmiut Eskimo village community with fewer than 80 people. The Alaskan National Guard closed a small watch post in the 1990s.

The border is highly restricted with no crossing allowed though it’s unmarked with no national flags flying on either side. Nothing indicates where one nation ends and the other begins. This is part of a longstanding, although unwritten, agreement to keep the border low profile, a position reflected in recent statements from the US government.

Combative rhetoric is running high against Russia’s role in Ukraine and Syria, but in the Bering Strait, the United States has nothing but praise for Russia’s activities.

While in Europe, NATO reports a substantive increase in the scrambling of fighter planes to intercept Russian aircraft, on the US-Russia border, the level of intercepts remains at 10 per year, the same average for decades, according to the joint US-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD.

Officers categorize the border as non-hostile, with none of the aggression experienced by their colleagues in Europe. “The Russian aircrews act in a thoroughly professional manner,” says Col. Charles Butler, an F-22 fighter pilot and NORAD operations commander. “They are always outside our sovereign airspace so they are perfectly legal.”

Admiral Robert J Papp, US Special Representative for the Arctic, also describes the Russians as “enthusiastic and concerned about making sure that the Arctic remains a place of peace and cooperation which is consistent with the United States Arctic strategy.”

Much of the cooperation at present is done on the platform of shared search-and-rescue capability. But with rising tensions between Washington and Moscow, it’s far from certain how long such cooperation can last – or whether measures can be put in place to ring-fence the Arctic from wider global antagonism. The historical context of rivalries over trade routes and fossil fuel energy resources suggest a challenge.

One mechanism for cooperation is the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental regional forum set up in 1996 with eight permanent members, including Russia and the United States. As an indication of international interest, another 12 governments, including China, India, South Korea and Japan now have observer status. Asian governments have a powerful Arctic voice even though some borders are far from the region itself.

This could be an opportunity because Asian modern history is an example of where a skillful blend of trade and defense can work to dampen tensions. India and China and China and Taiwan are two examples.

Ambitious trade plans between Russia’s Far East and Alaska date back to the 19th century’s Tsar Nicholas 2nd. The first designs were drawn for a bridge across the Bering Strait, using the Diomede Islands as midway points. The modern concept, as proposed by Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin and formally supported by the Kremlin in 2011, is for an 130-kilometer long tunnel coupled with this plans for high-speed rail links through Russia, China, Japan, and the Korean peninsula extending through Alaska, Canada, and the rest of America.

“We like the idea,” says Craig Fleener of the Alaskan state government. “We’re barely connected to the rest of the world and our infrastructure in limited. It would give us direct access to the Asian markets.”

While trade cannot resolve everything, a vision to develop this isolated region would help dampen broader complex and divisive issues.

At the same time, the United States will have to respond to national security recommendations that it builds a permanent naval base in the Arctic region to balance the Russian projection of power. It might also consider rotating a small Alaskan National Guard Unit on Little Diomede which, despite being on an increasingly sensitive frontier, has no formal US government presence.

The United States has been caught on the back foot by Russia in both Ukraine and Syria and should keep a close eye on the Arctic as melting sea ice exposes a security vacuum on a quiet and once impenetrable border.

*Humphrey Hawksley, a correspondent for the BBC, is the author of The Third World War (Macmillan) – a hypothetical account of a conflict between Russia, China, India and the United States.

Asia-Pacific Countries Strengthen Regional Cooperation In Trade And Investment

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Senior government representatives from more than 30 Asia-Pacific countries ended three days of United Nations-sponsored talks in Bangkok this week, calling for strengthened regional cooperation in trade and investment with a special focus on realizing the role of trade and investment in achieving the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Fourth Session of the Committee on Trade and Investment, a regional policymakers’ forum convened biannually by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), called for continued work in trade facilitation and paperless trade, a renewed focus on potential regional barriers to trade and investment and the ongoing need to integrate the region, especially along the lines of South-South cooperation. The Committee also called for countries to build capacity so that policymakers could effectively navigate the new global economic landscape.

“Strong, diversified and well-balanced growth and trade, propelled by both external and domestic demand, will be critical to set on course the SDG implementation,” said United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Dr. Shamshad Akhtar in her opening remarks at the Committee.

Dr. Akhtar said, “It is an opportune time for the region to take stock of its real trade potential and to take steps to enhance its competitive edge through implementation of enabling policies that fully exploit each country’s economic potential in an inclusive and sustainable manner.”

Discussions at the Committee were informed by findings in the ESCAP Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2015 Supporting Participation in Value Chains released earlier this week. The report sent a strong message that the Asia-Pacific region needs to respond to slowing global trade growth with new policies that boost competitiveness and productivity to harness the potential for trade created by the spread of Global Value Chains.

The Trade and Investment Committee session was one of the main events during the Fourth Trade and Investment Week held by ESCAP and partners from 1 to 6 November. The Week also featured the 12th Session of the Asia-Pacific Business Forum which brought together over 300 business leaders, government policymakers, and representatives from civil society and international aid and development agencies to highlight the role of public-private partnerships in sustainable development.

Other highlights of the Week included an Expert Group Meeting on ‘Trade Policies for Sustainable Development,’ ahead of the forthcoming WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, a workshop on ‘Harnessing Science Technology and Investment (STI) for Sustainable Development,’ and the inaugural meeting of the ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN).

The fifth meeting of the Financing for Development (FDI) Network reviewed the recent trends and developments in FDI in the region, and in partnership with the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), ESCAP delivered training to participants from across the region on research, tools and data for evidence-based trade policy making.

ESCAP member States also continued to make good progress on a prospective regional agreement on cross-border paperless trade facilitation. The regional agreement looks to provide a framework to enable the exchange and mutual recognition of trade-related data and documents in electronic form and facilitate the interoperability of paperless trade systems.

Pakistan: Amreli Steel IPO Oversubscribed – OpEd

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There is good news for those who applied for Amreli Steel shares!

Amreli Steel offered its 18.7 million shares to general public for subscription through initial public offering (IPO). The issue attracted total 34,123 applications for 36.8 million shares amounting to Rs1,876.8 million.

The issue was 1.96 times oversubscribed. The highest number of 31,316 applications was for 500 shares, followed by 2,311 applications for 1000 shares.

Keeping in view the past practice it is believed that all the applicants of 500 and 1000 shares will be declared successful because the total number of shares applied for by these two categories is still less than 18.7 million shares.

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