“ Nationhood is not an abstract phenomenon . It is a work continuously in the making; a work that requires effort and dedication, vision and leadership; most importantly, it requires the collective free will of the people . “Today’ world is different from the 19th century … where force could be used, at will, to unify a vast land or impose a cultural or linguistic identity upon a diverse group of peoples.” “ To forge a free nation today you need the assent of all. No identity can be unduly imposed anymore . - Mohamed El Mokhtar Sidi Haiba, Palestinian political analyst. See his article on the...
Underlining the interconnectedness of the world’s economy, China is actively moving to support European efforts to contain a sovereign debt crisis and accelerate a recovery there. In the past several weeks China has pledged to buy billions of bonds from (i.e. lend to) troubled economies like Spain and Greece. Billions more in trade deals are in the offing. Why? China is heavily dependent on buoyant European and US markets for its own future economic success. Today bilateral trade between China and Europe has surged to $100m a day - up from $100 a year less than a decade ago, the New York Times reports . In short, ‘ In embracing Europe, China helps itself ’, as analyst Liz Alderman explains. As Ken Wattret, chief euro-zone economist at BNP Paribas puts it, “If you’re an export-driven economy like China, and the EU and the euro zone are your key export markets, it’s in your interest to stabilise the financial and economic situation [there].” There are also immediate reasons for China’s actions.
Preliminary official results from South Sudan’s independence referendum show that more than 99 percent of voters in the plebiscite want secession. The Economist reports that, despite reports of discrepancies between voting numbers and registration lists in 60 counties (over half of the states in the South), the vote has been praised by observers: “ there is little doubt that the process is indeed representative of the will of the Southern Sudanese people .” Minor hiccups aside, the nearly four million people who voted in the referendum will now almost certainly see their wishes realized, the...
“ Exclusive reliance on quiet dialogue and cooperation [with abusive states] becomes a charade designed more to appease critics of complacency than to secure change. … A key offender has been the European Union. “Defending human rights is rarely convenient. But if [Western] governments want to pursue other interests instead, they should have the courage to admit it, instead of hiding behind meaningless dialogues and fruitless quests for cooperation .” - Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. See his op-ed in the New York Times here . See veteran Tamil journalist J. S...
Here’s something for pundits of US-China military rivalry to think about: The US giant General Electric, one of the aviation industry’s biggest suppliers of jet engines and airplane technology, is to share its most sophisticated airplane electronics with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). State-owned AVIC also supplies China's military with aircraft and weapons systems. Avionics are the electronic and computer systems that control an airplane and determine its capabilities. The Chinese government insists Western companies operating there should be “willing to share technology and know-how.” However, the G.E.-AVIC avionics joint venture, analysts say, appears to be the deepest relationship yet and involves sharing the most confidential technology . See reports by the New York Times (NYT) and Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The deal will help China's manufacturers eventually compete with the US aircraft industry, which is one of America's strongest manufacturing sectors, as well as the European one.
“Over the years you see an increase in ‘important’ defendants, indicted for more serious crimes: the higher you climb up the power hierarchy, the more serious the crimes in the indictments are .” - Dr. Frederiek de Vlaming, who has studied the careers of three international prosecutors of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. (See the interview by Thijs Bouwknegt of Radio Netherlands Worldwide here )
“Southern Sudan is just the beginning. The world may soon have 300 independent, sovereign nations ... and that's just fine.” “It is less likely that [states that are internally diffuse and often intentionally unevenly developed] will gather the competence, capacity, and will to become equitable modern states than that they will continue to inspire resistance to the legacies of centralized misrule .” “ The way to create a peaceful and borderless world is, ironically, by allowing ever more nations to define themselves and their borders .” - Parag Khanna is a senior research fellow at the New...
It has become routine in much analysis of international affairs to position China as an opponent of the West (i.e. not just a competitor), and as prioritizing state sovereignty and non-interference in a state’s internal affairs above other international principles. The one is also often suggested as the explanation for the other. However, China’s changing role in Sudan over the past two decades demonstrates that neither can be taken as a given. See our analysis feature here .
“In every state, without exception, there are people in state power who … assert that all the citizens of that state constitute a nation, one that has already determined its destiny. In the twenty-first century, [this] is in retreat in most countries .” “Autonomy versus secession has geopolitical consequences. And these are crucial in terms of the ongoing struggles within the world-system as a whole. … Outside powers are primarily concerned with the geopolitical impact of the decision. But it is the role of these outside powers that is often decisive. ” - Immanuel Wallerstein , eminent...
Four top Khmer Rouge leaders have had their appeals against the cases against them thrown out, paving the way for another major genocide trial later this year. The four face charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and related crimes under Cambodian laws in connection with the deaths of up to two million people between 1975 and 1979 from starvation, overwork and execution. The accused are the communist regime's most senior surviving members, Nuon Chea ('Brother number 2'), former foreign minister Ieng Sary, his wife and ex-social affairs minister Ieng Thirith, and former head...