Pulwama Terror Attack
Lakshana Sruthi, reporting from the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), unravels the events that transpired on 14 February 2019 in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama District.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has 61 battalions including 48 in Kashmir and 13 in Jammu. Around the year, the convoy moves to and from Srinagar on alternate days. On 14 February 2019, a convoy of 78 vehicles carrying 2,547 jawans left the Jammu transit camp at around 3:30 AM while an explosive laden vehicle entered Highway 44 from the left bylane. It overtook the fifth bus and exploded, leaving nothing but shreds of what used to be a convoy vehicle, resulting in the death of 40 CRPF jawans. Five other jawans (from the sixth bus) were critically injured. It has been suspected that the vehicle may have carried nearly 300 kilograms of explosives including, 80 kg of RDX. Among other terrorist attacks in the past, this happens to be the first time a vehicle-bounded suicide bomber has attacked a CRPF convoy vehicle.
Considered to be the deadliest terrorist organisation in Jammu and Kashmir, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the bloodshed in the Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district. JeM is a Pakistan-based group active in Kashmir that is being allegedly backed up by the Pakistani Government (though official banned). Designated as a terrorist group in several countries including Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Commonwealth of Australia, Canada, India, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America, their primary motive is to separate Kashmir from India and merge it with Pakistan.
‘Terror organisations who have committed this crime, no matter how much they try to hide, they will be punished. Security forces have been given full freedom. I know that we are all in immense pain after what happened in Pulwama, I understand your anger. Two sons from Maharashtra lost their lives in the attack, their sacrifice won’t go in vain’, stated Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India.
Over the past three years, India has been subjected to the threat of cross border terrorism. An All-Party Meeting was conducted on 16 February 2019 on the recent terror attack and a resolution was passed at the end of the meeting, stating that India strongly condemns such acts and the support that is being provided from across the border. Following the attack, India has also withdrawn the status of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) to Pakistan; the basic customs duty on all goods imported from Pakistan has also been increased to 200% with immediate effect, as stated by Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance of India. Civilians have also been demanding the decline of Indo-Pak buses in the wake of the attack.
After paying tribute to the martyred CRPF jawans in Dehradun, their mortal remains were returned to their native places to carry out the final acts of cremation.
(Edited by Shruthi Subramanian.)
Wars and Money Laws
Tulica Bhattacharya, reporting from the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), analyses the financial pillar of strength that withheld the September 11 (9/11) attacks and the legal aftermath.
The War on Terror was waged on terrorist organisations in retaliation to the 9/11 attacks. Despite being unable to agree on a globally accepted definition of terrorism, this international military campaign was initiated by the United States of America (USA). Three days after the attacks, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1368 which called on all member states to “redouble efforts to prevent and suppress terrorist acts” [1]. As the global community rummaged through means of mitigating the same, finance emerged as an important tool for monitoring.
The hijackers of the 9/11 attacks relied on the US government’s banking and financial institutions for the safekeeping and exchange of their money. With the plot costing around $400,000–$500,000, more than half of the amount was transferred to the hijackers’ bank accounts.[2] Essentially, the culprits’ financial dealings went unnoticed despite being engaged in overseas transactions. In fact, controls on money-laundering primarily focused on drug-trafficking and fraudulence, [2] financing of terrorism was not a primary concern. Thus, the hijackers received funds from facilitators in the Federal Republic of Germany (Germany), United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia), and even directly from Khalid Sheikh Mohamed.
Tracing back to the root organisation, al-Qaeda received its funds through donations of Islamic charities originating in the Gulf and Middle-Eastern nations. During 9/11, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) estimated the operational budget of al-Qaeda to be $30 million. [3] The money was mostly spent on creation of terrorist networks, purchase of arms and ammunitions, training of operatives, and livelihoods of the militants and their families.
Post 9/11 attacks, the international community began strangulating the methods of funding of terrorism. World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Financial Action Task Force imposed restrictions and regulations on many financial procedures to be able to monitor overseas transactions closely. Within national borders, the United Kingdom (UK) of Great Britain and Northern Ireland engaged in the freezing of assets of several individuals and firms having connections to terrorist organisations. [4] Another example is the USA PATRIOT Act (Patriot Act) whose Section III is titled as “International Money Laundering Abatement and Financial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001”. This Act tightened the procedures of recordkeeping in financial institutions, expanded the definition of money laundering, and implemented laws that aimed to curb it.
Several analysts agree that these measures have radically affected terrorist activities and impaired their ability to function. With the convenience of bank transfers being eliminated, militant groups, thus, resort to illegal methods for acquisition of money. The difference that lies hereon is that one can be prosecuted by law for being directly engaged in such acts. By holding the funding authorities accountable, the onus no longer lies solely on the attacker.
Sources:
[1] http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/1368%20%282001%29
[2] https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/911_TerrFin_Monograph.pdf
[3] https://fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/R41004.pdf
[4] https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/al-qaedas-financial-pressures
(Edited by Shruthi Subramanian.)
Multilateralism: The Way Forward
Manasi Gupta, reporting from the United Nations Commission on Science and Development (CSTD), outlines the proceedings of the Johannesburg Summit of 2002.
To reinforce the commitments towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), dignitaries from over 193 countries arrived at Johannesburg, South Africa on 2 September 2002. The three-day-long conference, popularly known as the ‘Earth Summit’, saw eminent speakers who in their impassionate speeches talked of building a humane, equitable, and caring global society.
The leaders of the world highlighted the successful endeavours of the previous conferences which led to the formation of Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. Building on the pedestal set up by the previous conferences, they decided to fight the worldwide conditions that pose severe threats to the SDGs. The representatives reiterated that the future belonged to the children of tomorrow and every action they were to carry henceforth should be for the benefit of the same. Their responsibility was declared through the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development to bring about poverty eradication and human development.
One of the striking challenges which were recognised was the adverse effects of climate change which had resulted in frequent natural disasters and a stark increase in the levels of pollution. Another challenge that was pointed out was the gap between the developed and the developing countries; this is a concern, as this gap is increasing at an alarming rate.
The Earth Summit produced more than 300 multi-lateral international treaties and partnerships on the environment and sustainable development. These initiatives pledged more than $200 million to various environmental and sustainable development projects in the areas of water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture, biodiversity protection, and ecosystem management. The declaration further welcomed support from organisations to help build better regional relationships while looking at sustainable development as the bigger picture.
Measures were discussed to strengthen and improve governance at all levels for the effective implementation of the plans and emphasis was put on the use of modern technology to bring about development. A vital development of the declaration was the promotion of multilateralism. Dialogue and cooperation among the people and civilisations of the world was encouraged in order to shape a better future for all.
At the summit, Mr. Kofi Annan said that the participants must face “an uncomfortable truth that the model of development we are accustomed to has been fruitful for the few but flawed for the many”.
(Edited by Shruthi Subramanian.)
To reinforce the commitments towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), dignitaries from over 193 countries arrived at Johannesburg, South Africa on 2 September 2002. The three-day-long conference, popularly known as the ‘Earth Summit’, saw eminent speakers who in their impassionate speeches talked of building a humane, equitable, and caring global society.
The leaders of the world highlighted the successful endeavours of the previous conferences which led to the formation of Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. Building on the pedestal set up by the previous conferences, they decided to fight the worldwide conditions that pose severe threats to the SDGs. The representatives reiterated that the future belonged to the children of tomorrow and every action they were to carry henceforth should be for the benefit of the same. Their responsibility was declared through the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development to bring about poverty eradication and human development.
One of the striking challenges which were recognised was the adverse effects of climate change which had resulted in frequent natural disasters and a stark increase in the levels of pollution. Another challenge that was pointed out was the gap between the developed and the developing countries; this is a concern, as this gap is increasing at an alarming rate.
The Earth Summit produced more than 300 multi-lateral international treaties and partnerships on the environment and sustainable development. These initiatives pledged more than $200 million to various environmental and sustainable development projects in the areas of water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture, biodiversity protection, and ecosystem management. The declaration further welcomed support from organisations to help build better regional relationships while looking at sustainable development as the bigger picture.
Measures were discussed to strengthen and improve governance at all levels for the effective implementation of the plans and emphasis was put on the use of modern technology to bring about development. A vital development of the declaration was the promotion of multilateralism. Dialogue and cooperation among the people and civilisations of the world was encouraged in order to shape a better future for all.
At the summit, Mr. Kofi Annan said that the participants must face “an uncomfortable truth that the model of development we are accustomed to has been fruitful for the few but flawed for the many”.
(Edited by Shruthi Subramanian.)
An Oasis of Hope
Kavya Datla, reporting from the United Nations General Assembly—Disarmament and International Security (UNGA-DISEC), profiles the man who catalysed the Arab Spring.
It was on an unfortunate Friday afternoon that Tarek el-Tayab Mohamed Bouazizi decided to immolate himself. This desperate act of defiance on the 17 December 2010 opposite a municipal corporation building acted as a catalyst to fuel the Tunisian revolution and subsequently, the Arab Spring.
The country, under the authoritarian rule of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, for over 23 years was no stranger to bureaucratic tyranny. Policemen and government officials humiliating and ransacking vendors was a daily chore. Bouazizi was a victim of this ruthless system.
The 26-year-old had become the breadwinner of the family at a very young age. He dropped out of high school upon turning 19 to fend for his mother and five siblings. Under Ben Ali, the unemployment rate was always at a high. This resulted in many people taking up odd jobs. Bouazizi too had turned to selling fruits and vegetables at the local market. Evidently, he was a hard working and dedicated young man trying to make ends meet for his family.
His final act was a combination of despair and helplessness. The series of incidents that led to 4 January 2011 was a chain of numerous unfair challenges. The police had been repetitively fining him. Sometimes, the fine was as much as two months of his paltry income. On 17 December 2010, a policewoman tried confiscating his scales. This led to a heated argument resulting in the policewoman slapping him. She then pushed him to the ground with the help of her colleagues and left with his scales and produce. In a small town like Sidi Bouzid where most people know each other, he felt humiliated. He tried reaching out to the government officials at the municipal corporate building, but in vain.
It was this helplessness that had triggered the incident. He poured paint thinner on himself and set himself ablaze opposite the municipal building. The match he struck not only set himself on fire but also ignited a spark amongst several towns in Tunisia. On 4 January 2011, the news that Bouazizi had succumbed to burn wounds broke out like wild fire. Five million people gathered at his funeral the next day.
Thus began the Tunisian revolution; a revolution that would put an end to the Ben Ali regime, before ushering in the country’s first ever democratic elections since independence in 1956. This was just the beginning. The fire that Bouazizi had started spread further to Egypt, Syria, Libya, Bahrain, and other nations of the Arab world. Some failed while others prevailed.
Today, his body lies quietly at the Garaat Bennour cemetery at Sidi Bou Said, Tunis.
(Edited by Keerthisree Raghu.)
Washed Ashore—Humans and Humanity
A tragic image captured by Nilufer Demir brings to light the devastation of the refugee crisis due to the ongoing civil war in the Syrian Arab Republic. Reshma Raghunadharao, reporting from the United Nations General Assembly—Disarmament and International Security (UNGA-DISEC), follows the death of Aylan Kurdi and the immediate reaction of the global community.
The heart-wrenching photo above shows a small boy wearing a red T-shirt and long shorts, donning black sneakers and no socks. He is dead; face down in the sand, waves threatening to lap up his lifeless body, only to be carried away later by a policeman who looks at anything but the corpse.
The Kurdish child who was found on the northeast shores of the Republic of Turkey on 3 September 2015 was identified as Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old. According to Reuters, he was in one of the two boats which carried around 23 people, setting off from the Bodrum peninsula’s Akyalar area in Turkey and headed to the island of Kos in the Hellenic Republic. Reports suggested that they were attempting to enter the European Union, with their ultimate destination being Canada.
Their boat had capsized en route due to overcrowding, resulting in multiple deaths including five children, including Aylan’s five-year-old brother and one woman, their mother. According to the Ottawa Citizen, the boy’s father, Abdullah, was unharmed and alive. The family was desperately trying to reach Canada due to the horrific destruction in the Republic of Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic caused by the Islamic State, with their homeland of Kobane, Syria under constant jeopardy due to the clashes between the Islamic State and the Western forces. In June, the family had tried and failed to immigrate to Vancouver, Canada, where Abdullah’s sister Teema Kurdi lived, with their refugee application scrapped by Canadian authorities. Alongside thousands of Syrian Kurdish refugees in Turkey, the United Nations would not register them as refugees, and exit visas were denied by the government of Turkey.
Kos, once considered an idyllic island with antique beauty, has become rather infamous due to the staggering refugee crisis. With hundreds of refugees arriving each night, the island’s residents have turned hostile. Evidently, the Kurdis wanted to arrive to Kos, since Syria was no longer inhabitable. Kos and the Aegean have a treacherous stretch of 2.5 miles of water between them, and the Kurdis would have attempted their escape on a rubber dinghy or a similarly small boat. Abdullah had paid 4,000 Euros, supposedly paying extra to avoid rubber rafts. With a Turkish smuggler as their only hope, he was promised a yacht. Instead, they were forced onto overcrowded unfit vessels with faulty life-jackets, watching one child helplessly drown in front of his eyes while the other clung on to his mother, only for them to drown later.
Aylan is clearly one of the countless many who have tragically lost their lives due to the seemingly never-ending and bloody clashes between the Islamic State and the government’s forces alongside Western forces in the Syrian peninsula. “We really need a wake-up call, with children dying and washing up dead on the shores of Europe, because we are collectively failing to provide safety,” says Peter Bouckaert, Emergencies Director of the Human Rights Watch. With this image spreading shockwaves through the international community, the need for proper addressing the security threats posed due to the migrant crisis is blinding.
(Edited by Keerthisree Raghu.)
The Indian Pelindaba Conundrum
Anirudh Bhagavatula, reporting from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), sheds light on the evident economic dilemma regarding the Pelindaba Treaty and the blockage of the tête-à-tête between India and Namibia.
The African Nuclear Weapons Free Treaty (also known as the Pelindaba Treaty), established in 1996, is the hallmark of the so-called “Nuclear Apartheid”. Some scouring of the nuclear field shows how much of an effect the treaty has had on the economic sphere of the broader nuclear spectrum.
According to the IAEA and the African Union (AU), this has ensured a nuclear-weapon-free Africa, and misuse of nuclear energy has been prohibited. But according to some other member states of the IAEA, the economic ramifications have been left unheeded. Focussing on the Republic of India (India), the Republic’s qualms regarding nuclear agreements or treaties have been well-elucidated in the past. Due to prior restrictions on Indian nuclear deals, India has not been able to overcome the ‘energy obstacle’. The year 2009 was an important year for the Indian polity, as the country was party to the Indian Civil Nuclear Agreement with the Republic of Namibia. This agreement stated that Namibia would give access to its Uranium repositories, which was the then third-largest exporter of Uranium in the world. There were, however, major caveats which prohibited the effectuating of the deal and its objectives; one of these is the fact that India is a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and hence, further restrictions fell into place, leading to the curtailment on the trade of nuclear material.
Article 18 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties prevents Namibia from trading Uranium with India due to the Pelindaba Treaty. Under the Pelindaba Treaty, Article 9(c) prohibits member countries from sharing their nuclear resources with states which have not acceded or ratified any IAEA safeguard agreements. This issue has caused turmoil bordering on the cusp, with India pressing Namibia to relax the commitment to the Pelindaba Treaty and honour its commitment towards the Indian Civil Nuclear Agreement, which has been in effect since 2009.
This logical conundrum presents itself as a pervasive ideological dilemma left for the delegates to discuss. The viewpoints of the delegates representing the respective countries—India and Namibia—would be noteworthy. Thus, the disruptive quandary caused by two pertinent documents cannot be left out of the broader perspective of the mandate of the IAEA.
(Edited by Shruthi Subramanian.)
Can Words Kill You the Way Bullets Can?
Rahul Dit, reporting from the Joint Crisis Committee (JCC): North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), delves into the propaganda and psychological warfare adopted by the United States of America (USA).
Propaganda uses the perfect blend of words and imagery to influence the audience, usually for a further agenda. Primitive forms of propaganda include ‘The Behistun Inscription’ (c. 515 BC), detailing the rise of Darius 1 to the Persian throne and the last Roman Civil wars (44–30 BC) during which Octavian and Mark Antony blamed each other for obscure and degrading origins like literacy incompetence, drunkenness, debauchery, cowardice, and other slanders. This led to the formation of Roman ‘uituperatio’ which further shaped the opinions of the general public.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the time period during which battle lines were being drawn between the Soviet Union, both the ‘superpowers’ of the world were locked in an ideological warfare, a clash of communism with capitalism. A victory with the help of force would be hollow and hence required a new kind of approach.
Psychological warfare refers to tactics which are adopted to strike at the enemies’ hearts and minds to affect them neurologically. Psychological warfare is generally used to influence people’s values, belief system, emotions, motives, reasoning or behaviour. It is also used to destroy enemy morale through tactics that aim to depress the troops’ psychological state. This psychological warfare includes propaganda and military operations.
During the period of 1950s and 1960s, Pro-American values were openly promoted via literature, theatre and music. For example, the 1948 featured animated movie ‘Make Mine Freedom’ extolled the advantages and freedoms to those live in a capitalist society, while ‘Meet King Joe’, which released the following year, told American workers to be content with their lot, as their conditions were much better than the workers in the rest of the world. Many of the dramas, sitcoms and radio shows celebrated the notion of living in a capitalist society. The benefits of living in a nuclear family, school, community, obedience to parents and patriotism were other things that were openly promoted. In contrast communism was openly condemned both as a socio-economic concept and as a political ideology. Every medium, from motion pictures to children’s books, were used to portray an America under the heels of communism and communist dictatorship. One of the classic examples is the 1962 film Red Night Mare, which was initially used as an instructional device for the armed forces but later released on television. It showed that US cities were reconstructed in soviet regions in order to train soviet spies in methods of bringing down the American society and government. In the 1950s, the CIA also commissioned a movie called ‘Animal Farm’ which was an allegorical reference to the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Government, to serve as propaganda.
As Hitler once believed, the people will believe in absolutely everything, provided they are told it often and emphatically enough, and all opposers are either silenced or are eliminated. So, is propaganda a part of the so-called new and innovative method of warfare adopted by United States to defeat communism? A way to convince the world of the incompetence of communism, to abolish communism for once and for all?
Psychological operations (PSYOP) by the United States began in mid-February 1981 and continues intermittently. These included a series of clandestine naval operations that stealthily accessed waters near the Greenland–Iceland–United Kingdom (GIUK) gap, and the Barents, Norwegian, Black, and Baltic seas, demonstrating how close NATO ships could get to critical Soviet military bases. American bombers also flew directly towards Soviet airspace, peeling off at the last moment, sometimes several times per week. These near-penetrations were designed to test Soviet radar vulnerability as well as demonstrate US capabilities in a nuclear war.
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
Tête-à-tête with Armageddon
“If God exists, he would frown about us and shed a drop of blood and a silent tear.” Reporting from the Joint Crisis Committee: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Sankalpa Sarkar delves into our imminent tryst with the Maker, foiled by ingenuity.
Echoing the aporic disjunction articulated formerly by Joseph Stalin, President of the United States of America (USA) Ronald Raegan was at his facetious best when he enunciated Stalin’s threefold solution to shattering American resistance: “its patriotism, its morality and its spiritual life.” In a spirit of bourgeoises incredulity, the evidence seeping through the walls of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) under the conduit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is “horrifying and horrendously realistic: a summon for Armageddon”, as White House correspondent Neil Peters commented. As our Samaritan laments, “But when we deal with space--when we play God--who knows what will be the next surprise?”
In a calamitous turn of events, the Satellite Early Warning Network (SEWN), codenamed Oko at the Serpukhov-15 bunker near Moscow, yesterday detected the imminent approach of one USAF Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile approaching the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from the USA shortly after midnight. Following the Reagan administration and the Soviet Unions’ mutual, yet implied, cognizance of the Doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), the Soviet Union was entitled to interpret this as “an attempt by the USA to defy Soviet attempts to maintain peace.” This would culminate in a full-scale expeditious nuclear retaliation against the USA, according to the Soviet Post-War mandate enforced by General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev and Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB) chairman Yuri Andropov, under the conduit of Operation RYAN. Positioned at the control room, Soviet Air Défense Forces lieutenant colonel Stanislav Petrov took a “leap of faith”, as Peters framed it and judged the warning to be a computer error. Resultantly, Petrov dismissed the warnings as a false alarm, even after four further USAFMI ballistic missiles were further detected by the SEWN soon after. Alleged reports emerging from sources involved in Operation RYAN claim that the ground radar had failed to pick up corroborative evidence even after several minutes of the false alarm.
Andropov and Brezhnev remained unavailable for any comments as the tensions surrounding Operation RYAN and the Able Archer exercises by the NATO continue to escalate after alleged reports claimed that the Soviet Politburo have heightened their espionage network as the Abel Archer exercises by the NATO approach. This escapade comes on the back of the interception of the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 on 1 September 1983 over the Sea of Japan near Moneron Island, resulting in the eventual death of Congressman Larry McDonald, a sitting member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia and President of the anti-communist alt-rightist John Birch Society. According to the official Politburo statement, the flight had violated Soviet airspace. The “bellicose stance and the Reaganite rhetoric” as Peters framed it, had resulted in rapid mushrooming of the hostilities as the FleetEx exercises in the North Pacific by the United States Navy resulted in a formal diplomatic note of protest by the Soviet Politburo accusing the United States of repeated penetration into Soviet airspace.
The Soviet Politburo maintained a tight-lipped stance on the incident as alleged reports of prior computer malfunction and chinks in the line of command emerged. According to a source close to Petrov, Petrov was claimed to have justified his actions by corroborating the orders issued by the higher echelons of the officials at Serpukhov-15 bunker, which included the hindsight that an American attack would include a full-scale missile bombardment, instead of a single missile attack. General Yuri Votintsev, the Commander of the Soviet Air Défense Missile Défense Units, had gone on record in November of 1982 to vouch for the foolproofness of the technology although reports of repeated malfunction and erratic readings were being allegedly leaked from the porous walls of the SEWN Headquarters. The exact reason for the malfunction remains shrouded in mystery as the Soviet Politburo is expected to make an official statement in the weeks to come.
Sources:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Able_Archer_83
[3] https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/05/the-ussr-and-us-came-closer-to-nuclear-war-than-we-thought/276290/
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Able_Archer_83
[3] https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/05/the-ussr-and-us-came-closer-to-nuclear-war-than-we-thought/276290/
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
Third Time is a Charm
One crisis after the other, the world has avoided nuclear wars in a near-hit fashion. Today, as the world faces another such crisis, Animesh Ranjan, reporting from the Joint Crisis Committee (JCC): Warsaw Pact, presents a simple yet effective strategy deployed by a party to the conflict.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki demonstrated to the world the destructive capacity of atomic weapons. While doing so, the United States of America (USA) inadvertently commenced what Bernard Baruch christened as the “Cold War”. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) followed suit, with the French Republic, the United Kingdom (UK) of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the People's Republic of China (China) boarding the nuclear train soon after. Every state which achieved atomic capacity soon developed a stronger offensive option in the form of the Hydrogen bomb.The rising security concern in such a situation gave rise to two institutions which the world perceives as rivals, similar to the India-Pakistan rivalry over Kashmir, yet distinct from it. The names of these two rivals were the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance (Warsaw Pact) [1]. Since then, the world has witnessed a regular pattern, with regular players in the game; the pattern is the threat of a nuclear war accompanied by ideological warfare.
The first such instance occurred during the Cuban Missile Crisis. With the rise of one Fidel Castro in the Republic of Cuba (Cuba), the USA strived to break some windows by throwing stones. However, the endeavour failed. The output of this near-miss situation was a very real threat of a nuclear war. The USA deployed intermediate range "Jupiter" missiles in Turkey, which was adjacent to the USSR. USSR retaliated with the commencement of missile launch facilities of its own in Cuba. Eventually, a disarmament agreement is what solved the crisis [2].
Not long after, the question of Multilateral Forces (MLF) arose. The USA wished to establish a Joint Nuclear Force under the command of NATO in West Germany [3]. The members of the Warsaw Pact voiced their concerns. Those deliberations went towards the question of proliferation of nuclear weapons. The elite club declared by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT II) stayed on the path named," History repeats itself."
Jimmy Carter started off his presidential term with another similar crisis dubbed as the Euromissile Crisis [4]. The Soviets introduced SS-20 Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) [5]. The missile was deployed in a transport-launch canister, which was installed on a road-mobile container in preparations of a possible European War. The USA declared its intentions to deploy its own Perishing II and Cruise missiles while attempting to diffuse the situation via negotiations. However, the attempts failed. Today, the president of the USA has changed but, the crisis has persisted.
The political situation due to Europe serving as the possible battlefield has taken multiple clashing turns. Due to its success in the past, the USSR has employed the strategy of offensive peace [6]. This is also known as the Propaganda apparatus. The tussle against the "Neutron Bomb" established it as a viable political tool [6]. The World Peace Council (WPC) serves as an International front group for this purpose. The Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB) is a part of this strategy. Some tools with a fine degree of sharpness are disinformation, money for protests, distribution of forged documents and photographs, and perpetration of physical violence for psychological effects. For example, the Italian weekly Panorama published a directive by the US which dealt with the decision to use nuclear weapons in case of war. Recently, on a television program, a senior Soviet officer made the claim that the US missiles proposed for European deployment would eventually carry neutron warheads[6]. Due to slip-ups by certain officials, the world is aware of the Soviet role behind the propaganda. However, the protests against the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) continue to take place in states such as West Germany, one of the first places destined to receive the US missiles, indicating the success in the USSR strategy.
The date for the annual Able Archer exercise and the deployment of missiles in West Germany draws closer. This is the third time a nuclear crisis has taken the centre stage in diplomacy. It is said that the third time is a charm. Will the world solve this crisis or will the NATO-Warsaw conflict engulf the world?
Sources:
[1] http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol016no.html
[2] https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/cuban-missile-crisis
[3] http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/716806.pdf
[4] http://www.rarenewspapers.com/view/637465
[5] https://www.heritage.org/europe/report/missiles-europe-the-case-deployment
[6] https://www.heritage.org/europe/report/moscow-and-the-peace-offensive
[7] https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/cartoon_by_behrendt_on_the_euromissile_crisis_20_november_1979-en-12f63f1d-6d7b-4d3a-b1c5-43ce2bb23f34.html
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
[1] http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol016no.html
[2] https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/cuban-missile-crisis
[3] http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/716806.pdf
[4] http://www.rarenewspapers.com/view/637465
[5] https://www.heritage.org/europe/report/missiles-europe-the-case-deployment
[6] https://www.heritage.org/europe/report/moscow-and-the-peace-offensive
[7] https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/cartoon_by_behrendt_on_the_euromissile_crisis_20_november_1979-en-12f63f1d-6d7b-4d3a-b1c5-43ce2bb23f34.html
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
Reminiscing the Resilient
Reporting from the Lok Sabha, Ananya Haraprasad backtracks her way through the lanes of history, to analyse how the voices of an activist group set the tone for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in India.
The 80s were a traumatising time for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) community in India. The kind of social and psychological attitude people had towards them was extensively scarring, so much that someone today would shudder at the thought of being in their position. The freedom of public expression was almost hitting rock bottom, because this was a topic that people refused to hear about—let alone consider speaking about it.
It was during the end of that decade, when the harbinger started rising—the one that triggered a series of fortunate events for the acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Starting out as a support organisation for the people affected by the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), the AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan (ABVA; English: AIDS Anti-Discrimination Movement) shattered the silence that surrounded the topic of homosexuality. In 1991, they published a revolutionary document titled “Less than gay: A citizens’ report on the status of homosexuality in India”. Enunciating the perceptions regarding the community, it read “Many people deny that homosexuality exists in India, dismissing it as a phenomenon of the industrialised world. Others acknowledge its presence, but condemn it as a capitalist aberration, a concern too individualistic to warrant attention in a poor country like ours. Still others label it a disease to be cured, an abnormality to be set right, a crime to be punished. The present report has been prepared with a view to showing how none of these views can stand the test of empirical reality or plain and simple common sense.” [1]
Ranging from the story of a medical college student to that of a theatre performer, spreading across Mizoram to Vizianagaram, one part of the report consisted of real-life stories of homosexuals; stories of love, secrets, society and heartbreak. Many had quoted that reading the book gave them the safe space to come out of the closet, providing them with the required first leap. The collective further viewed homosexuality as a political issue and urged parties and civil rights organisations to take a clear and unambiguous stand with respect to the human rights of homosexuals.
Since then, the ABVA has taken a stand for the LGBTQ rights, whenever there was a case of mistreatment or discrimination. But their work did not stop with just that; they delved into the legal matters too. Section 377 of the Indian penal code declared sodomy to be a punishable offence by law. In 1994, the collective filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the constitutional validity of the act and were one of the very first groups to do so.
Furthermore, the following years continued to witness betterment in shedding light on this issue. Films were screened, support groups huddled together, articles were written and pride marches were organised. Overall, the county inched towards progress and the recent turn of events are a testament of the same.
Sources:
[1] https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1585664/less-than-gay-a-citizens-report-on-the-status-of.pdf
[2] https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-hindu/
[3] https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/equal-rights-for-lgbt-community/story
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
The Serendipitous Governor?
Vaibhav Joshi, reporting from the Lok Sabha, recounts the events leading up to the appointment of Shaktikanta Das as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and its immediate after-effects.
Social media was thrown into a frenzy on the night of 10 December 2018, as headlines hit television screens blasting Urjit Patel’s abrupt resignation from the position of the Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), citing ‘personal reasons’. The severity of this shock, however, was dampened by the ongoing dispute between RBI and the Central Government, which was stark enough to be assimilated by the public to contemplate the future of RBI.
Ex-Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adia and the Centre’s Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sayal, both coming from stellar backgrounds in economics were frontrunners in a race that ended rather unexpectedly on 12 December 2018, with the announcement of Shaktikanta Das being appointed the 25th Governor of India’s central banking institution. Immediately after the announcement, several questions were raised against the new Governor in light of his involvement in demonetisation and for being the first RBI Governor that the country had seen with no formal academic background in economics.
This collective backlash by media and the opposition seemed to leave Das undeterred, as he presented his immediate plan of action on the first day of his appointment, scheduling meetings with both public and private sector banks for the weeks to come. “There has to be a free, fair, objective and very frank discussion between the government and the Reserve Bank of India”, Das said as he addressed the first news conference of his term as the RBI Governor.
On 14 December 2018, Das had his first meeting with the Managing Directors of public sector banks, where he was informed about the primary points of concern in banking such as one-day default to Prompt Corrective Action. The Governor did not present any immediate solutions, yet the reactions of attendees after the meeting made it clear that the banks were on board with the change in leadership of the RBI, even if they were not enthusiastic about it. With repeated cases of Das’s predecessor shutting the doors on key financial and economic lobbyists, subsequently ending all scope of discussion for policy-making, the meetings with private sector banks saw reactions similar to the meeting before, with sighs of relief everywhere.
Comparisons were instantaneously drawn between Shaktikanta Das and Urjit Patel with trends heavily against the latter, stemming specifically from the aftermath of the infamous eight-hour long meeting on 23 October 2018, held among RBI board members, which focused on credit flow to micro, small, and medium enterprises. The board was in agreement with the proposal, yet no resolution was passed. This meeting is widely regarded as one of the key factors that created a rift between the Centre and the RBI, subsequently leading to resignation of Urjit Patel. Contrary to Patel’s isolation-based governance, Das’ discussion-oriented approach is also being considered one of the prime factors in the highly successful reception of the 2019 fiscal budget presented earlier this month.
Whether the appointment of Shaktikanta Das was a well calculated tactic by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to get the banks to back their policies or an attempt to truly bridge the rift created between the RBI and the Centre is irrelevant. The question remains, is this chapter of India’s central banking institution going to be considered as a result of serendipity or shall we brace ourselves for a third consecutive premature resignation?
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
Ex-Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adia and the Centre’s Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sayal, both coming from stellar backgrounds in economics were frontrunners in a race that ended rather unexpectedly on 12 December 2018, with the announcement of Shaktikanta Das being appointed the 25th Governor of India’s central banking institution. Immediately after the announcement, several questions were raised against the new Governor in light of his involvement in demonetisation and for being the first RBI Governor that the country had seen with no formal academic background in economics.
This collective backlash by media and the opposition seemed to leave Das undeterred, as he presented his immediate plan of action on the first day of his appointment, scheduling meetings with both public and private sector banks for the weeks to come. “There has to be a free, fair, objective and very frank discussion between the government and the Reserve Bank of India”, Das said as he addressed the first news conference of his term as the RBI Governor.
On 14 December 2018, Das had his first meeting with the Managing Directors of public sector banks, where he was informed about the primary points of concern in banking such as one-day default to Prompt Corrective Action. The Governor did not present any immediate solutions, yet the reactions of attendees after the meeting made it clear that the banks were on board with the change in leadership of the RBI, even if they were not enthusiastic about it. With repeated cases of Das’s predecessor shutting the doors on key financial and economic lobbyists, subsequently ending all scope of discussion for policy-making, the meetings with private sector banks saw reactions similar to the meeting before, with sighs of relief everywhere.
Comparisons were instantaneously drawn between Shaktikanta Das and Urjit Patel with trends heavily against the latter, stemming specifically from the aftermath of the infamous eight-hour long meeting on 23 October 2018, held among RBI board members, which focused on credit flow to micro, small, and medium enterprises. The board was in agreement with the proposal, yet no resolution was passed. This meeting is widely regarded as one of the key factors that created a rift between the Centre and the RBI, subsequently leading to resignation of Urjit Patel. Contrary to Patel’s isolation-based governance, Das’ discussion-oriented approach is also being considered one of the prime factors in the highly successful reception of the 2019 fiscal budget presented earlier this month.
Whether the appointment of Shaktikanta Das was a well calculated tactic by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to get the banks to back their policies or an attempt to truly bridge the rift created between the RBI and the Centre is irrelevant. The question remains, is this chapter of India’s central banking institution going to be considered as a result of serendipity or shall we brace ourselves for a third consecutive premature resignation?
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
Bigger Cages, Longer Chains
Reporting from the United Nations General Assembly—Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (UNGA SOCHUM), Aditi Das provides insight into modern-day slavery—the kafala system.
The kafala system is an employment programme in the Gulf states and several other countries like Lebanon and Jordan. In this sponsorship system, the employer—either a company or an individual—sponsors migrant workers who come into the country in search of employment opportunities. Following this, without the permission of the employer (“Kafeel”), workers cannot leave, change their job, or even exit the country. Initially, the system originated as an approach for countries to protect migrants and provide them safety, but over the last few decades, it has created a condition of well-crafted systemic abuse which does not allow the person to escape the disparaging situation without falling into lawful irregularity.
The 1998 Declaration of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work commits member states to eliminate forced or compulsory labour, abolish child labour, and eliminate discrimination vis-a-vis employment and occupation. But stagnancy of the deplorable condition of thousands of workers from the African and South Asian countries are an indication that reforms brought to protect the workers from violence and exploitation in the Gulf states have been a failure. It is feared that the problem runs much deeper in consideration of the fact that slavery is permitted by Islamic laws.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), New York University was admonished for engaging in exploitative labour practices in the building of its Abu Dhabi campus. Passports of migrant workers were confiscated, compelling them to reside in poorly maintained accommodation and to work for significantly low wages, leaving them in interminable debt. Parallelly, black women working in Lebanon routinely face discrimination on the basis of race and sex, stemming from dehumanizing sponsorship. If the terms of the contract are questioned, these workers face the threat of deportation. Several rights groups have called for the system to be abolished, but holding firm to the decision, the general director of the Ministry of Labour, Lebanon, Georges Ayda, said “The situation is not perfect. We strive for improvement—but we will not be going down the road of abolishing kafala.” A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report estimated that due to these extreme conditions, more than one worker per week is driven to jump off the balcony in order “to be free”.
Several reports by the Amnesty International and HRW have exposed that Gulf states do not regulate working conditions for low-income workers, leaving them vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse due to the lack of regulations governing their rights. Ironically, an artificial intelligence robot, Sophia, is granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia, but the same, or even less, is denied to migrant workers within its boundaries.
In September 2018, Qatar approved legislation to scrap a significant feature of the country’s kafala—the visa system, replacing it with an improvised contract system. Under the new law, excluding the five percent of a company’s most senior positions, all workers can leave without prior permission from their employers. This law, however, is not applicable to the domestic workers. The justice system in such countries is complex and its trial procedures are critical. The heightened attention has led to promising changes, but migrant workers perpetually live in fear, bound in chains of the kafala system.
Sources:
Image- http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/LopezA/2017/LopezA20170531_low.jpg
[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-migrants-irregular/trapped-by-the-system-ethiopian-workers-in-lebanon-see-no-freedom-idUSKCN1FZ195
[2] https://www.livemint.com/Politics/WOGPS5WVvTz8OtOnvMO0LL/Qatar-new-exit-visa-system-for-foreign-workers-comes-into-fo.html
(Edited by Keerthisree Raghu.)
Image- http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/LopezA/2017/LopezA20170531_low.jpg
[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-migrants-irregular/trapped-by-the-system-ethiopian-workers-in-lebanon-see-no-freedom-idUSKCN1FZ195
[2] https://www.livemint.com/Politics/WOGPS5WVvTz8OtOnvMO0LL/Qatar-new-exit-visa-system-for-foreign-workers-comes-into-fo.html
(Edited by Keerthisree Raghu.)
A Call for Azaan or a Cry for Help?
Samiksha, reporting from the United Nations General Assembly--Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (UNGA-SOCHUM), writes about what the UN has called the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world.
The Rohingya Muslims are one of the numerous ethnic minorities present in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Myanmar). They have their own culture and language and claim to be descendants of Arab traders and other groups that have lived in the Rakhine state for a long time now.
However, the government of Myanmar had denied them citizenship and completely excluded them from a census conducted in 2014, as they believed the Rohingya to be illegal immigrants from the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (Bangladesh). The Muslim community actively expanded in Rakhine during the British rule from 1842 to 1948, as there was a requirement for labour in the rice fields. Post the independence from the British rule, a Muslim rebellion demanding equal rights and an autonomous area began in Rakhine. However, they were defeated and when military rule began in 1962, the rights that the Rohingya had were lost completely.
In the following years of 1978 and 1991, more than 200,000 Muslims were pushed across the border into Bangladesh. A citizenship law was passed in 1982, identifying 135 cultural groups—but the Rohingyas were not one of them. This rendered them stateless.
Fast forwarding to June 2012, after the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, religious violence left 200 dead and 150,000 homeless. A majority of these victims were Rohingya Muslims. Between 2012 and 2015, more than 112,000 Rohingya Muslims left to Malaysia via boat.
When the first democratic election took place in Myanmar in November 2015, Rohingya Muslims were not allowed to participate as candidates or voters. Suu Kyi came into power with a power-sharing agreement with the military in place. A year later, on 9 October 2016, 300 members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an insurgent Rohingya group, attacked border posts in the Rakhine state, killing nine police officers. This attack triggered an intense counter-attack by the Myanmar military, along with a mass exodus of 87,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh. Yet another attack, orchestrated by the ARSA, took place on 25 August 2017 wherein 12 security officers were killed by the insurgents as they attacked 20 police outposts along with an army base. The military responded with what was termed as a “clearance operation” which consisted of villages being burned down, causing yet another emigration of masses of Rohingya to Bangladesh.
Accusations of ethnic cleansing flew around as these cases of mass killings came into light, along with billions of crimes against women and children. 6,700 Rohingya, including at least 730 children were killed in the span of a single month. Currently, Bangladesh is hosting all the refugees from Myanmar, in Cox’s Bazaar. There are nearly 1 million refugees living there currently, a majority being women and girls.
To this very day, the drawn conflict of the Rohingya Muslims agonises the world, as the home of these people remains a location unknown and a question unanswered.
(Edited by Keerthisree Raghu.)
The Ineffectiveness of European Semester
Anupam Bapat, reporting from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), talks about the debt-ridden finances of the European Union (EU).
The European Semester provides a framework for the coordination of economic policies across the European Union (EU). It allows EU countries to discuss their economic plans and monitor progress at specific times throughout the year. Now, the basic idea of this framework is to coordinate the economic policies across the European Union. The EU countries discuss their economic issues and their budget plans amongst themselves and the European Commission monitors progress at certain periods of time throughout the year. Through this, all EU countries get to analyse and think about the policies that need to be modified and which ones need to be removed because of their ineffectiveness.
This procedure watches over the public finances, prevents and corrects excessive macroeconomic imbalances, fosters structural reforms, and boosts jobs, growth and investment. According to the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), all European countries have to maintain their debt to GDP ratio at 60% or below but if in case it goes more than 60%, then it should decline each year with a satisfactory pace towards a lower level. As the statistics show, 16 of 28 countries of The European Union have a debt to GDP ratio higher than 60%, which is a lot to worry about. In particular, high current-account balances, large external debts, large corporate and household debts significantly add to the debt of any country.
The Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) works on the coordination of EU countries' economic and employment policies based on integrated guidelines which are a very loose form of coordination. Coordination is founded on the broad economic policy guidelines and employment guidelines which together form the so-called Integrated Guidelines adopted every year by the Council. However, since 2010, the Integrated Guidelines have been revised only once, in 2015. The Integrated Guidelines reflect the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and do not have any sanctions attached for non-compliance. They are thus the loosest form of coordination of national policies.
The Policy Contribution evaluates the member-state implementation of the Country-Specific Recommendations(CSRs) focusing on macroeconomic imbalances. The implementation has been modest but has worsened in recent years. The implementation rates have decreased significantly among the Excessive Imbalance Nations.
The type of sincerity required to carry out the implementation needs to be increased and with a proper policy. All of the above statements are important issues which can work as the European Union's objective. The countries should try to do their job correctly to implement all the solutions.
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
This procedure watches over the public finances, prevents and corrects excessive macroeconomic imbalances, fosters structural reforms, and boosts jobs, growth and investment. According to the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), all European countries have to maintain their debt to GDP ratio at 60% or below but if in case it goes more than 60%, then it should decline each year with a satisfactory pace towards a lower level. As the statistics show, 16 of 28 countries of The European Union have a debt to GDP ratio higher than 60%, which is a lot to worry about. In particular, high current-account balances, large external debts, large corporate and household debts significantly add to the debt of any country.
The Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) works on the coordination of EU countries' economic and employment policies based on integrated guidelines which are a very loose form of coordination. Coordination is founded on the broad economic policy guidelines and employment guidelines which together form the so-called Integrated Guidelines adopted every year by the Council. However, since 2010, the Integrated Guidelines have been revised only once, in 2015. The Integrated Guidelines reflect the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and do not have any sanctions attached for non-compliance. They are thus the loosest form of coordination of national policies.
The Policy Contribution evaluates the member-state implementation of the Country-Specific Recommendations(CSRs) focusing on macroeconomic imbalances. The implementation has been modest but has worsened in recent years. The implementation rates have decreased significantly among the Excessive Imbalance Nations.
The type of sincerity required to carry out the implementation needs to be increased and with a proper policy. All of the above statements are important issues which can work as the European Union's objective. The countries should try to do their job correctly to implement all the solutions.
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
The Challenge of Regaining Trust
Nivedan Vishwanath, reporting from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), provides insight into one of the most important challenges faced by the Eurozone.
Ever since Eurozone plunged into the economic crisis in 2009, it has faced dire repercussions. The events were set into action with speculations about Greece defaulting on its debt, trailed soon by Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Spain. This led to a snowball effect, recovering from which was an extremely difficult task for the Eurozone. While the Eurozone tries hard to get back up, it faces problems one after the other, and one of these problems might actually play a role in shaping its future. In order to make any progress, one requires the trust of the masses (also termed as systemic trust), and the zone is facing a really hard time gaining the same. The challenges that the European countries face are a two-sided affair – not only do they face internal challenges, butare also subjected to ones from the outside.
Systemic trust is a matter of concern because it is quintessential for the single market to continue its operations. A single currency can never be sustained if trust in the member countries is absent. This decline in trust is a direct consequence of the Euro crisis and unemployment has been one of the highlighting factors in this loss of trust. The debtor countries (Portugal, Greece, etc.) fared the worst while situations seemed to be under control in the creditor countries (Germany, Denmark, etc.), where unemployment rates were fairly low. While trust in national armies and police forces still remains high, it is the economic architecture that is affected. A hit to the economic architecture may directly or indirectly affect policy making processes which would eventually shape the way in which the zone will be governed.
The only way Eurozone can bounce back up is by incorporating the voices of civil society in the policy-making process. Inclusion plays a major role in Eurozone's recipe for progress. European policymakers should share the same space with the masses during policy debates. This, combined with proper surveillance of the governmental and economic institutions alike can effectively reverse the issue of lack of trust. Strengthening economic surveillance processes like the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure (MIP) and introducing measures to monitor government institutions would provide the massesan insight into the inner workings of the economic and governmental institutions and ensure transparency, economic discipline and proper fulfilment of deadlines. This helps minimize the disruption of the economic framework caused by irresponsible financial institutions and lifts the burden off the citizens’ backs. Transparency ties back to inclusiveness as people will be aware of governmental proceedings and will also be a stakeholder in any policy that is eventually passed.
Eurozone has a long way before it makes any progress but with the agendas that the zone has proposed, systemic trust can be restored with a considerable effort. A sense of inclusiveness can be instilled in the hearts of the commons and better policy decisions could be made which would bring the region out of the crisis.
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
Systemic trust is a matter of concern because it is quintessential for the single market to continue its operations. A single currency can never be sustained if trust in the member countries is absent. This decline in trust is a direct consequence of the Euro crisis and unemployment has been one of the highlighting factors in this loss of trust. The debtor countries (Portugal, Greece, etc.) fared the worst while situations seemed to be under control in the creditor countries (Germany, Denmark, etc.), where unemployment rates were fairly low. While trust in national armies and police forces still remains high, it is the economic architecture that is affected. A hit to the economic architecture may directly or indirectly affect policy making processes which would eventually shape the way in which the zone will be governed.
The only way Eurozone can bounce back up is by incorporating the voices of civil society in the policy-making process. Inclusion plays a major role in Eurozone's recipe for progress. European policymakers should share the same space with the masses during policy debates. This, combined with proper surveillance of the governmental and economic institutions alike can effectively reverse the issue of lack of trust. Strengthening economic surveillance processes like the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure (MIP) and introducing measures to monitor government institutions would provide the massesan insight into the inner workings of the economic and governmental institutions and ensure transparency, economic discipline and proper fulfilment of deadlines. This helps minimize the disruption of the economic framework caused by irresponsible financial institutions and lifts the burden off the citizens’ backs. Transparency ties back to inclusiveness as people will be aware of governmental proceedings and will also be a stakeholder in any policy that is eventually passed.
Eurozone has a long way before it makes any progress but with the agendas that the zone has proposed, systemic trust can be restored with a considerable effort. A sense of inclusiveness can be instilled in the hearts of the commons and better policy decisions could be made which would bring the region out of the crisis.
(Edited by Harsha Sista.)
Food for Thought
Suhas R Vaidya, reporting from the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (UNPBC), touches upon the poor economic situation of the nations in the Sahel regions.
The Sahel is gifted with a great potential for renewable energy, boasting of the best capability for solar energy production capacity coupled with few of the largest aquifers on the continent. As one of the richest regions in the world with plentiful resources—human, cultural, and natural, it has managed to grab international limelight, thus opening up avenues for substantial investments. But a plethora of known and unknown factors hinder any sizeable progress, which as a result, has thrown the Sahel nations in a bonfire of tensions and distress from across different topics of relevance. The Sahel nations are decorated with a necklace of resources in abundance—minerals such as gold and uranium, hydrocarbons, farming, and animal husbandry, which play pivotal roles in stabilising the economy of the region.
The reality, at the moment, lies in the fact that this necklace has started to rust and the impact of the various segments thinly connected by all the involved governments have started to disintegrate, which was reflected by the reduction of GDP from 23.96% to 21.97% in 2013. Factors such as frequent droughts, disturbance in the primary sector due to violent clashes have contributed to this decrease. As a direct consequence, close to 18 million people face the risk of an impending food crisis and 1.4 million children suffer from malnutrition as of 2012. The effects of exacerbated unemployment across the States, coupled with very sparsely distributed GDP per capita, have slowed down the possibility of economic stabilisation.
Furthermore, the nations of the Sahel regions all lie at the bottom of the Human Development Index Ranks; all below 150. Additionally, the said nations are plagued by steadily aggravating unemployment rates, worsening poverty, and socioeconomic vulnerability that have triggered an increase in refugee count and internally displaced persons (IDPs). These are further indexed by deplorable health, sanitation and civic conditions, which as a result have formed a negative feedback type system that reduces the overall effect of measures that these nations undertake in the direction of sustainable development.
These various facets of the region represent the ingredients which generate a huge demand of resources from across the globe.
Sources:
[1] https://www.un.org/africarenewal/sahel
[2] https://repository.uneca.org/bitstream/handle/10855/23474/b11580410.pdf?sequence=\
[3] http://hdr.undp.org/en/2018-update
(Edited by Keerthisree Raghu.)
Let it Rain
The Sahel: One region, several crises. Venkatesh Eleswarapu, reporting from the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (UNPBC), throws light on the environmental crisis existing in the region.
Historically, the African Sahel region has witnessed strong climatic variations and irregular rainfall from time to time, which led to various droughts and floods. Recent studies show that things have gotten worse in the last few decades. Various factors account for the Sahel’s environmental crisis. To quote the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), “Over the last half-century, the combined effects of population growth, land degradation (deforestation, continuous cropping and overgrazing), reduced and erratic rainfall, misplaced development priorities, and lack of coherent environmental policies, have contributed to transforming a large proportion of the Sahel into barren land, resulting in the deterioration of the soil and water resources.”
People of the Sahel region are largely dependent on agriculture and it is the main economic activity, with about 80–90% of the population actively engaged in agriculture. The environmental conditions of this region make farming and other agricultural practices a challenge for the farmers. The persistent droughts and land degradation have contributed largely to famine episodes. In 2012, the lives of up to 18 million people were at risk following a major food crisis in the region. Even during the normal years, millions live in the state of food insecurity.
Climatologists have started using past records of temperature and rainfall trends to predict future climatic conditions. According to their research, severe climate change will be realised by 2050, regardless of any further increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Extreme weather calamities will become more common. It is likely that rains will become more regular which will either delay or shorten the growing season. Even if the rainfall increases, the available soil moisture that plants need is likely to decrease because of increased evaporation due to the higher temperatures. There is some uncertainty about how dry the soil will become, but it seems likely that the soil will get drier to a notable degree, resulting in reduced crop yields.
The United Nations has time and again tried to provide all the help that they can. In 2012 the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) helped more than 5 million people through support by means of off-season food and crop production, soil and water conservation and rehabilitation projects, and desert locust control and monitoring. Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP, has pointed to “the urgent need for scaled-up investments in adaptation, moving forward on the Green Fund, and supportive measures such as reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation as well as realizing the climate finance of $100 billion a year by 2020.” Among other recommendations, United Nations Peace Building Commission officials have urged regional cooperation officers to disable the tensions between countries of this region, and thereby reduce the risk of increased conflict and environmentally induced migration.
Sources:
[1] https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2013/sahel-the-region.
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/dec/20/climate-change-killing-trees-sahel.
[3] https://www.africaportal.org/documents/14991/Crisis_in_the_Sahel.
(Edited by Keerthisree Raghu.)
Seeing Red
A staggering majority of thenews that covers the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Afghanistan) drips with blood. Shruthi Sundar, reporting from the 1988 Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), recalls a period in history when the conspicuous red in Afghanistan had a different connotation.
The tumultuous relationship between Russia and Afghanistan began in 1837. Seeking to establish a direct trading route with British India, the Czarist Russian government was eager to extend a hand of friendship (and the Russian border) to Afghanistan. Thus, in 1919, Soviet Russia became the first country to begin diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.
Amidst the backdrop of the Cold War, Afghanistan became an important neighbour to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), providing resources and national security. While Afghan foreign policy demanded non-alignment, the newly-elected Prime Minister Mohammad Daoud Khan sought closer ties and military support from Russia due to border issues with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Pakistan). Willing to oblige, Soviet Russia sent more than $1 billion in aid between 1954 and 1978, including military assistance[1]. In return, the Soviets were permitted to conduct petroleum exploration in northern Afghanistan [2].
Increasing Soviet intervention in Afghan foreign policy forced Daoud Khan to revert to the original policy of non-alignment. He sought to decrease the nation’s dependence on the USSR and attempted to forge relations with other neighbouring countries and the United States of America (USA). After his execution in a coup d’état led by the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) in April 1978, relations between the two countries unsurprisingly grew warmer[3].
The PDPA, known to have been intolerant to dissent, applied several Soviet-style reforms which the conservative Muslim population of Afghanistan found distasteful and offensive. Insurgent groups, who came to be known as the Mujahideen, openly rebelled against the government, causing the Afghan government to request Soviet intervention. This, along with a covert play by the USA and Pakistan[4], prompted the Soviets to invade the country on 27 December 1979. Soviet troops dressed in Afghan uniforms killed the then president Hafizullah Amin and took control of the major urban centres and military bases. What was intended to quell the violence, motivated the Mujahideen to increase in number and strengthened their nationalist sentiment.
The violent battle of the Soviet and Afghan troops against the Islamist rebels dragged on for nearly nine years. Increasing economic instability in the 1980s(partially attributed to the war) prompted the Soviet Union to withdraw their combatant forces from Afghanistan. On 15 May 1988, the Soviet Union commenced withdrawing their troops while attempting to stabilise the power of the Afghan government. Complete withdrawal on 15 February 1989, while putting an end to the Soviet-Afghan war, did not stop the bloodshed in Afghanistan. The futile attempts of the Mujahideen to unseat government leadership and form a stable coalition government gave rise to further instability in the country. This, along with a lack of Soviet aid, eventually paved the way for the rise of the Taliban.
(Edited by Shruthi Subramanian.)
Turning a Blind Eye
Tejeshwine, reporting from the Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), sheds light on the implications of the Iraqi Sanctions of 1990.
"The sanctions contributed to the destruction of the fabric of Iraqi society, reaffirming the fact that people must never be punished based on the behaviour of a single dictator."
--Abdul Hadi
--Abdul Hadi
The invasion of the State of Kuwait (Kuwait) by the Republic of Iraq (Iraq) had many consequences. The UNSC imposed economic sanctions and an embargo on Iraq as a punitive measure. The sanctions stripped the nation of all its import and export; it also led to the withdrawal of their troops from Kuwait.
In the next six years, the UN sanctions began to cause negative impacts on the Iraqi nation by destabilising its economy and debilitating its health care system. The embargo led to the Iraqi government facing a ban on basic necessities like antibiotics, heart medicines, water treatment supplies, and so on. This was because the sanctions regimen claimed that these were items of dual-use and could be potentially used by Saddam Hussein in pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.The death toll of Iraqis due to the sanctions imposed is estimated to be roughly 1.7 million people. Soon enough, the reports became staggering and child mortality had sky-rocketed. Additionally, families could no longer afford to keep their children in school and due to this, most of the younger generations remained illiterate. The middle class faced a complete collapse, as an avalanche of economic destruction rendered the country helpless. At an industrial level, water quality and quantity had drastically dropped down. Agricultural production also deteriorated drastically during this period of time.
When the situation began getting out of hand, the Sanctions Committee found it inevitable to wane off an impending humanitarian crisis. Basic needs like mandatory food became increasingly difficult to obtain. The UNSC passed resolution 986 which instituted oil-for-food programmes. This lessened the blow of the sanctions and allowed the country to sell oil to procure funds solely to buy food and medicines. However, the programme fell short of meeting even the most basic nutritional needs of its citizens.
The citizens of Iraq expressed deep indignation at the global community for turning a blind eye to the suffering of the Iraqi people. By the end of the century, it was found that nearly one million children in Iraq had been left clinically malnourished. The country had become a breeding ground for epidemics, malnutrition, and diseases. The major problem with the Iraqi sanctions was that it had exacerbated poverty and prevented any rebuilding efforts.
(Edited by Shruthi Subramanian.)
Battle of the Sexes
Ashwini Rajanikanth, reporting from United Nations Women (UN Women), sheds light on the different viewpoints regarding the financial gender gap.
According to statistics, in today’s world, women are financially vulnerable. A lack of investments is leading to a large gender wealth gap and also leads to an uncontrolled future and affect by an undercurrent of daily expenses.
"One issue that we currently tend to understand is that cash is power and if you do not have the maximum amount cash, it can put you in a tough position," says Sallie Krawcheck, CEO of investing platform Ellevest. "It will keep you in a job that you do not wish to do. It will keep you in a relationship that you do not wish to be in. It will keep you from taking that trip around the world, or starting the business you've been dreaming about."
“Generally, women are leaning towards focusing on our careers and we're becoming much more comfortable around being ambitious professionally. But we're not having that very same dynamic," says Jennifer Barrett, a former CNBC personal finance editor and the current editor-in-chief of Grow.
The wealth gap extends to retirement savings. Women additionally fall behind men in 401(k) participation and contribution, according to the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. A PNC Investments poll found that female millennials with investable assets had a median of $66,700 saved or endowed for retirement versus an average of $101,500 among men of the same age. More broadly speaking, the truth is bleaker: a common fraction of all operating millennials in the United States of America, aged twenty-one to thirty-two do not have something saved for retirement in the slightest degree, consistent with the National Institute of Retirement Security.
An accounts director at a marketing firm in Philadelphia had consulted a financial planner once, invested around $1,000 through a Robinhood account, and felt good about her 401(k) and financial future. But she invests conservatively, because she feels that if she is going to invest, she needs to know what she is doing and at present, she feels that she does not. Bridging the gender wealth gap through investments could appear abstract and distant, particularly for 20-something women mired in student debt, decades away from retirement. But there are serious consequences for not making the least attempt to urge the ball rolling.
If it is so important, why is there a dearth of female investors? What accounts for this wealth gap within the market? More than a couple of things, it turns out.
Sources:
[1] https://www.ellevest.com/magazine/disrupt-money/closing-the-investing-gap
[2] https://grow.acorns.com/?gsi=4ZACUCDY
[3] https://www.transamericacenter.org/docs/default-source/women-and-retirement/tcrs2017_pr_women_and_retirement.pdf
[4] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/battle-of-the-sexes-how-millennials-financial-attitudes-habits-differ-by-gender-300664862.html
[5] https://www.nirsonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Millennials-Report-1.pdf
[6] https://www.investors.com/news/millennial-investors-robinhood-top-20-stocks/
[7] https://www.marketwatch.com/story/womens-student-debt-could-hit-1-trillion-within-the-next-year-2018-05-21
(Edited by Keerthisree Raghu.)
A Woman’s Place is in the Revolution
Kaavya Ganesh, reporting from United Nations Women (UN Women), explores the inspiring work of the activists —mothers, wives, daughters, Muslims, career women, and women standing against Islamic fundamentalism—toiling against the atrocities of religious subjugation of women, who shared their stories during the Women’s Freedom Forum (WFF), 2016.
The 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) took place at United Nations Headquarters in New York for ten days from 14 March 2016 to 24 March 2016, with the primary theme being “Women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development.” The session reviewed the progress towards gender equality and the empowerment of women, identified challenges, set global standards and norms, and formulated policies to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide. At the conclusion of the session, the CSW recognized all the roles of women as agents of empowerment in the effort to bring about gender equality are vital, specifically with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of Agenda 2030.
Apart from this, multiple side events were held during the ten days, by various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other organisations affiliated with the United Nations. The Women’s Freedom Forum (WFF) is a women’s rights education organization associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information. During each CSW Session, the WFF organizes a parallel event, maintaining an active role in the NGO communities as a voice for gender equality. The theme of WFF’s parallel event this year was – “Women Standing against Extremism; stories of mothers for peace and faces of courage and commitment.” The event was moderated by Lynn Dykstra. Speakers Antonia Felix, an acclaimed biographer of American women leaders including Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and adjunct instructor at Hamline University. Fran Belisle, a former Political Officer at the Embassy of the United States, to Algeria and Consular Officer at the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, engaged the participants in a lively question and answer discussion after their remarks.
It is widely accepted that the truth about women’s lives under governments based on fundamentalist ideologies is easily lost in academic and professional language. Keeping this in mind, the event focused on exhibiting the challenges of these women and brought to light many activists working on overcoming these challenges. According to them, an effective way of including women in combating violent extremism is by giving them a different perspective of Islam than the fundamentalist version they have been inculcated with. Dr. Fayyaz, an assistant professor at the Defence and Strategic Studies Department of Quaid-I-Azam University in Islamabad, talked about the women’s rights lobbyists in Afghanistan who, for years, fought for a law that would criminalize rape, child marriage, forced marriage, domestic violence, and the gifting of girls to resolve disputes. She also talked about Iranian women defying the moral police by taking selfies without headscarves and posting them on a Facebook page called “My Stealthy Freedom”.
Apart from sharing these inspiring stories, the committee also tried to find the root of the abuse of women at the core of fundamentalism. One explanation was that religions in patriarchal societies claim that a man’s object of desire—a woman—is the source of sin or the source of temptation. The women, thus, are being seen as objects, rather than as human beings. The event ended with an optimistic understanding that this deep-seated attitude towards women is passed down through generations and inscribed into laws and is a learned behaviour, which can be reflected upon and transformed.
(Edited by Keerthisree Raghu.)
Anxiety Disorders: Root Cause of Mental Illness
Anxiety has always plagued people; but when it gets out of hand, it is a cause for concern. Reporting from World Health Organisation (WHO), Meghna Muralidharan discusses the causes and remedies to tackling anxiety.
Fretting over an exam or a job interview is normal and sometimes helps one in achieving their task. This is not the case with people suffering from anxiety disorders. They are overwhelmed with this emotion, thus, resulting in them doing poorly at their tasks.
Anxiety is a term that is often followed by depression, one cannot exist without the other. When anxiety is left unchecked over a long period of time, it morphs into depression. People with these disorders have feelings of fear and uncertainty that interfere with everyday activities; these feelings may last for 6 months or more. Anxiety disorders can also raise the risk for other medical problems such as heart disease, diabetes, substance abuse, and depression. [1]
One in 25 people suffer anxiety disorders globally. [2]One of the most common types of anxiety disorder is social anxiety disorder or social phobia. It affects both women and men. They find it hard to talk to others.
People with generalised anxiety disorder worry endlessly over everyday issues like health, money, or family problems even if they realise that there is little cause for concern. People with panic disorder have sudden, repeated bouts of fear called panic attacks that last several minutes. During a panic attack, they may feel unable to breathe or as if they are having a heart attack. [3] Anxiety disorders has been known to run in families, but researchers are not certain why some family members develop these conditions while others do not. No specific genes have been found to actually cause an anxiety disorder. [4]
There are ways to catch this disorder early and treat them. Research has showed that mental disorders surface during puberty. This can be tackled through therapy and regular sessions. Medications help but for long-term remedies, it is best to stick with therapy and use the given steps to get through the bouts of anxiety. There has been significant improvement in people who have used cognitive behavioural therapy. Although, this works best for people who suffer from social anxiety disorder. This treatment helps in changing their thinking pattern and helps them overcome their disorder periodically.
Suffering alone with a mental illness is never recommended and to tackle this the best way possible is to talk to someone. Seeking help has always been the best way forward.
Sources:
[1] https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/03/understanding-anxiety-disorders
[2] https://twitter.com/wef/status/1085567352861851653?lang=en
[3] https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/anxiety-disorders
[4] https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/03/understanding-anxiety-disorders
(Edited by Shruthi Subramanian.)
Sloppy Jays
Reporting from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Rajnandini Singh tracks the progress of the Let’s Move initiative launched in 2010 by the then First Lady of the United States of America (USA) Michelle Obama.
In the fight against childhood obesity, the WHO has taken admirable efforts and launched several programs. The WHO is far from alone in the struggle against this epidemic. Several national governments, celebrities and famous personalities have spoken out about problems related to obesity and have also launched various programs. One such program is the Let’s Move initiative by Michelle Obama. This program was launched in 2010 with the primary goal to encourage grade school students to make healthier and informed food choices to battle obesity.
Let’s Move was touted as an initiative to help spread awareness about the myriad of problems that follow childhood obesity by encouraging kids to eat healthier and be more physically active. The effort took the necessary steps to update the nutritional standards for food sold at schools. This resulted in increased servings of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains as well as decreased servings of sugar and sodium along with a ban on trans-fats. The initiative also rallied for menu-labelling requirements that list the number of calories. Michelle Obama also collaborated with the food and beverage industry to reduce sodium content in their products.
Eight years since the launch of the Let’s Move initiative, and the results are are uncertain. While obesity among two- to five-year-old children dropped by about 3%, the rate increased by about 2% for children between 12-19 years of age. The overall childhood obesity rate in the USA, however, remained constant at 17%. Supporters believe that the positive change in the younger children is proof of the benefits of cultivating better eating habits and will be carried on into later years further impacting the statistics positively.
The initiative has its share of critics. Some felt that the government interfering in an individual’s eating choices was an infringement of their rights. There have been concerns about the campaign having any real substance since the statistics fell short of the ambitious goals it had established in 2010. The campaign also faced heat from the school food producers and cafeteria directors who claimed that the changes were not welcomed by the students. They also showed concern about the new menu being expensive for the school administrations. Several students took to social media to post pictures of the ‘improved’ lunches, showing revulsion for the new menu.
Experts believe that it was necessary for a presidential administration to make childhood obesity a high-profile issue. They also predict that it would be years before the campaign bears fruit but might already have taken roots in the younger children. Let’s Move and Michelle Obama continue to rally towards encouraging children to make better food choices and stay physically active to avoid future health problems.
(Edited by Shruthi Subramanian.)
Let’s Move was touted as an initiative to help spread awareness about the myriad of problems that follow childhood obesity by encouraging kids to eat healthier and be more physically active. The effort took the necessary steps to update the nutritional standards for food sold at schools. This resulted in increased servings of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains as well as decreased servings of sugar and sodium along with a ban on trans-fats. The initiative also rallied for menu-labelling requirements that list the number of calories. Michelle Obama also collaborated with the food and beverage industry to reduce sodium content in their products.
Eight years since the launch of the Let’s Move initiative, and the results are are uncertain. While obesity among two- to five-year-old children dropped by about 3%, the rate increased by about 2% for children between 12-19 years of age. The overall childhood obesity rate in the USA, however, remained constant at 17%. Supporters believe that the positive change in the younger children is proof of the benefits of cultivating better eating habits and will be carried on into later years further impacting the statistics positively.
The initiative has its share of critics. Some felt that the government interfering in an individual’s eating choices was an infringement of their rights. There have been concerns about the campaign having any real substance since the statistics fell short of the ambitious goals it had established in 2010. The campaign also faced heat from the school food producers and cafeteria directors who claimed that the changes were not welcomed by the students. They also showed concern about the new menu being expensive for the school administrations. Several students took to social media to post pictures of the ‘improved’ lunches, showing revulsion for the new menu.
Experts believe that it was necessary for a presidential administration to make childhood obesity a high-profile issue. They also predict that it would be years before the campaign bears fruit but might already have taken roots in the younger children. Let’s Move and Michelle Obama continue to rally towards encouraging children to make better food choices and stay physically active to avoid future health problems.
(Edited by Shruthi Subramanian.)