US VP Joe Biden Names The Real Terror-Supporting States
By Dr. Ludwig Watzal *
What everyone knew already, who doesn't believe in the reporting of the corporate media, has now been confirmed by one of the highest US officials; U.S. vice president Joe Biden told students at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University that the main supporters of extremists and terrorists in Syria are close American allies. Listen to what Biden had to say.[1]
G20: Reviving The Call For A Global Financial Transaction Tax
By Kavaljit Singh *
The G20 Leaders’ Summit will take place on 15 and 16 November in Brisbane, Australia. The Summit is expected to discuss a wide range of global policy issues and challenges from corruption to taxation to employment to financial regulation to growth strategies. It is expected that the Brisbane Action Plan, which would be discussed at the Summit, will outline an action plan which would be implemented by member-countries in the coming months.
The Chemistry of Country Risk
By Stuart Bergman
Assistant Chief Economist and Director, Economic and Political Intelligence Centre
If nothing else, the Great Recession laid bare the necessity of sound risk assessment practices. Not just economic risk, but also political risk. And it doesn’t stop there. As the world continues to flatten, it is becoming increasingly difficult to disentangle the compound of political, regulatory, security and economic risks, among others, and their impact on business in foreign markets. Can we actually make sense of the mayhem?
Lower Oil Prices: Really?
By Peter G. Hall
Vice-President and Chief Economist Export Development Canada
The planet was on red alert. No, not a threat of imminent invasion. Not a global epidemic. And it wasn’t about a geopolitical unraveling. Not even impending economic and financial collapse. It was all about energy. In early 2008, the messages were clear. We are running out of oil. All the easy stuff has been discovered. A larger share of production is in politically difficult countries. Higher oil costs spell the end of globalization. The messages flashed across the globe repeatedly, and were so believable that speculation heightened the havoc. But the bubble burst, and six years on, prices are south of $90 per barrel and falling. Do lower prices make sense, or is this just temporary?
Who's Left Holding The Bag?
By Tim Gatto *
Let's all admit it, the wars we have been fighting in the Middle East have been for resources, mostly oil. When something happens in other parts of the World that are devoid of resources, we invariably ignore it. One only has to look at the situation in Darfur, where people were starving en masse, and we turned a blind eye. If the country isn't in a strategic area, or it has no resources we want, we ignore whatever is happening there.
Obama, Not The Giant Telecoms, Is Right On Net Neutrality
By Ralph Nader *
In the aftermath of his party's defeat in the midterm elections, President Obama surprised many when he reaffirmed his overwhelming support for net neutrality, proposing that the Internet should be treated as a public utility. On the other side of the political spectrum, Senator Ted Cruz sparked a firestorm of ridicule amongst net neutrality advocates when he tweeted a response to the president, calling net neutrality "Obamacare for the internet" and stating "the Internet should not operate at the speed of government." House Majority Leader John Boehner and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell affirmed the Cruz position.
On Obama and the Nature of Failed Presidencies
By George Friedman
Founder and Chairman Stratfor
We do not normally comment on domestic political affairs unless they affect international affairs. However, it is necessary to consider American political affairs because they are likely to have a particular effect on international relations. We have now entered the final phase of Barack Obama's presidency, and like those of several other presidents since World War II, it is ending in what we call a state of failure. This is not a judgment on his presidency so much as on the political configuration within it and surrounding it.
International Trade Impacts Tobacco Control
By Shobha Shukla *
The tobacco industry has a history of using international trade agreements to force open new markets in low and middle income countries, greatly increasing tobacco use and the consequent death/disease it causes. Tobacco companies are also challenging measures to reduce tobacco use as violations of trade and investment agreements, threatening the authority of nations to protect the health and well-being of their citizens.
Overcoming Roadblocks in Translating
Evidence-based Healthcare into public health gains
By Shobha Shukla and Bobby Ramakant *
Commendable progress has been made in the South Asian region to advance evidence-based healthcare and let evidence inform policy and programmes at different levels. But there have been roadblocks too that are slowing down the progress. Citizen News Service (CNS) spoke with Dr Prathap Tharyan, Director, South Asian Cochrane Network and Centre, who has led from the front on the cause of evidence-based healthcare in this region, and globally. Dr Tharyan is also the co-chair of the 22nd Cochrane Colloquium, which is taking place for the first-time ever in the South Asian region in Hyderabad, India.
Climate Change: Who Carry Highest Burden?
Those Who ‘Own Little, Live on Little'
By Shobha Shukla *
Climate change seems to be the new food for thought for world leaders to chew upon. Recently 122 heads of state gathered in New York City for the UN Climate Summit, organised by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, aimed to mobilize action to prevent looming climate disasters and garner political will for a new climate change treaty by the end of 2015.
MH 17: Why Is Malaysia Not Part Of The Probe?
By Dr. Chandra Muzaffar *
Why is Malaysia not in the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the MH 17 crash of July 17 2014?
Aren’t there guidelines that spell out which parties should constitute the probe team in the event of a disaster of the magnitude of MH 17? As the owner of MH 17 it is logical and sensible that Malaysia is part of the probe. Malaysia has more rights to be in the JIT than some of its present members. One can understand why Ukraine is in the team since that is where the plane was shot from the sky. We can understand the Netherlands’ membership of the JIT since the flight originated from Amsterdam.
