Much has been said regarding the Russian defense network, and when you check them then there is no doubt that Russians have put a vast amount of effort to create them. At this point I can wholeheartedly recommend the maps which
has created to document them. But what many forget is that those are purely tactical elements which – detached from a overarching strategy – offer little.
Women and children prepare to flee with their belongings near the Central African Republic town of Grimari on May 7, 2014. (Siegfried Modola/Reuters)
How many of today’s problems in the Global South are a direct legacy of colonialism? A recent journal article by Bruce Gilley, “The Case for Colonialism,” kicked up great controversy by arguing that the “orthodoxy” that Western colonialism was universally harmful to colonized peoples and countries is overstated. Colonialism, Gilley writes, was “both objectively beneficial and subjectively legitimate” in many places.
Gilley, a political scientist at Portland State University, studies Chinese politics and recently made waves for resigning his membership in the American Political Science Association over its alleged lack of political diversity. His article in Third World Quarterly, however, ignores many existing studies that answer these questions with better data and more rigorous analysis, and which come to a resounding conclusion of “no.”
Editor’s Note: Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN.CNN —
When an airplane owned by Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin plummeted in a fiery crash northwest of Moscow last week, observers in Russia and around the world immediately recalled two indisputable facts. First, that Prigozhin had openly challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin, and second, that countless others who had defied Putin have met untimely, violent deaths.
Frida GhitisCNN
In the quest to understand what happened, one other fact was clear: The Kremlin was not the place to seek straightforward, credible answers. The Kremlin’s word is, shall we say, not a good source for independent, reliable truth.
Amazon Nations Gather in Brazil to Talk Shared Rain Forest Protection Policy
The eight nations of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization are discussing joint goals for rain forest protection (AP) during a two-day summit that begins today in the Brazilian city of Belém. While several member countries have announced domestic rain forest protection goals, the forty-five-year-old bloc has only held three summits to date, the most recent being in 2009. Brazilian officials said they hope revived political coordination can improve conservation results, while some twenty thousand Indigenous people have held parallel events outside the summit to push for a bigger voice in forest governance. The summit declaration is expected to include announcements on fighting cross-border organized crime and protest what Amazon countries see as unfair trade barriers in the name of environmental protection, Folha de S.Paulo reported. Tomorrow, Amazon countries will meet with (Reuters) envoys from Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo—three other major rain forest nations—and are expected to announce a joint declaration on global forest protection.
Top of the Agenda Nigeria Cuts Power Supply to Niger as Neighbors Debate Coup Response
Nigeria cut off its electricity supply to Niger as part of sanctions imposed in response to the military’s decision to overthrow the country’s government last week, AFP reported, while the World Bank announced that it was suspending development aid (AFP) other than private-sector partnerships. A bloc of West African nations led by Nigeria is meeting for a second day of talks today on how to respond to the coup, while U.S. President Joe Biden called today for the release (VOA) of Niger’s ousted president and ordered a partial evacuation of the U.S. embassy in the capital, Niamey.
While the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has reacted strongly to the coup with sanctions and threats of military action, Niger’s military has leaned on other military regimes nearby. Yesterday, a Nigerien coup leader met with Mali’s military government (NYT), which has close ties with the Russian private military company Wagner Group.
Here is a roundup of the key events since a military coup took place in Niger on Wednesday, July 26.
Supporters of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum gather in a whoe of solidarity with the deposed leader in Niamey [File: AFP]
Published On 2 Aug 20232 Aug 2023
Here is a look at key events in the week since a military coup took place in the West African country Niger.
Niger’s presidency said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that members of the presidential guard tried to move against President Mohamed Bazoum in an apparent coup attempt, warning that the army was ready to attack them if they did not back down.
It said the president and his family were well after news agencies quoted security sources as saying that the guards were holding Bazoum inside the presidential palace in the capital, Niamey.
Members of the presidential guard dispersed supporters of the president as they were trying to approach the presidential complex.
Regional bodies swiftly reacted to the power grab. The West African bloc ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) lashed what they called an “attempted coup d’etat”. ECOWAS called on the plotters to free Bazoum, while the AU urged the “felon” soldiers involved to return to barracks immediately.
Bola Tinubu, president of Nigeria and chair of ECOWAS, said he was already in “close consultation” with other leaders in the region about the situation.
Guterres: Hottest Month on Record Means ‘Global Boiling’ Has Arrived July is “virtually certain” to be the hottest month (WMO) in human history by a significant margin, scientists from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in an announcement yesterday. The month has already seen the hottest three days and highest ocean temperatures ever recorded. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned an era of “global boiling” rather than global warming has arrived (UN News) and said the year of burning heat must translate into accelerated action by states to curb emissions of heat-trapping gasses, as well as more vigorous efforts to bolster climate adaptation. Catastrophic heat waves and wildfires across North America, Asia, and Europe in recent weeks have underscored the changing temperature’s costs for human health. U.S. President Joe Biden said yesterday that extreme heat is costing the United States $100 billion (Bloomberg) per year and threatening lives and business, as he issued a hazard alert to ramp up heat-related protections for workers.
TTCT – Hai vụ đắm tàu cách nhau 4 ngày và vài nghìn cây số cho thấy thế giới đã trở thành một nơi đáng buồn ra sao.
Mục đích của những người tị nạn này không phải là thám hiểm biển khơi. Ảnh: Daryo.uz
Gần 3h sáng 14-6 trên Địa Trung Hải gần Hy Lạp, thủy thủ đoàn của chiếc Mayan Queen IV nhận tin có tàu gặp nạn ở gần đó, cách có 4 hải lý. Theo luật hàng hải quốc tế, và luật bất thành văn của dân đi biển, các tàu thuyền có bổn phận giúp đỡ và cưu mang nhau.
Tàu Mayan Queen IV là đại du thuyền tư nhân dài 90m và trị giá 175 triệu đô la, thuộc sở hữu một tỉ phú Mexico, có sức chứa thủy thủ đoàn 24 người và 26 khách, nhưng lúc đó chỉ có thủy thủ đoàn 4 người.
Đêm không trăng và đen như mực, nhưng trong vòng 20 phút tàu đến hiện trường. Theo thuyền trưởng Richard Kirkby thì tàu duyên phòng của Hy Lạp đang có mặt và chiếu đèn trên biển.
Ông cho hạ ghe xuống vớt nạn nhân đắm tàu đang bám vào vật nổi lềnh bềnh trên sóng, không ai có áo phao. Theo tiếng kêu yếu ớt của họ trong đêm, Mayan Queen lần dò và vớt lên 104 người Syria, Pakistan, Palestine và Ai Cập. Toàn bộ người được cứu sống là nam.
Tàu đánh cá Adriana dài khoảng 30m, chở 750 người tị nạn vượt biên từ bờ biển Libya sang Âu châu bị lật và chìm chỉ trong vòng 10-15 phút. Khoảng 100 trẻ em và phụ nữ trong hầm tàu không thoát kịp. 80 thi thể sau đó được tìm thấy, số người thiệt mạng như vậy được đoán định khoảng 650.
Top of the AgendaU.S., Chinese Officials Cite Progress in Blinken’s Two-Day Visit to BeijingThe two countries made “progress” toward stabilizing relations (FT), Chinese President Xi Jinping said yesterday in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing. U.S. President Joe Biden echoed Xi’s comments when speaking to reporters Monday. Blinken held discussions with Chinese officials on Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and economic relations, though China rebuffed a U.S. request (AP) to resume military-to-military contacts. Blinken also said that he urged Chinese officials (NYT) to be vigilant that Chinese private companies avoid sending lethal aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine. He said he saw no indication that the Chinese government had sent such aid.
NATO Holds Largest Air Drills in Europe Since End of Cold WarT
wenty-five countries are participating in joint military air exercises (NYT) that began in Germany yesterday, including new North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member Finland and prospective member Sweden. The drills, planned since 2018, were initially organized following Russia’s 2014 invasion and illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, but have taken on new relevance after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. The drills will occur at six German bases over twelve days.
Japan is an observer to the drills, which come as NATO is preparing documents that will elevate its partnerships with the Indo-Pacific countries of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, Nikkei reported. The leaders of those four countries are expected to attend a NATO summit in Lithuania in July.
KENJI KAWASE, Nikkei Asia chief business news correspondentMAY 24, 2023 04:30 JST
OMAHA, U.S. — For Antonius Budianto, an independent stock investor from Indonesia, it was a dream come true to be in Omaha, Nebraska for the first time.
Traveling from East Java with his wife and 14-year-old daughter, Antonius was standing in a queue in front of Omaha’s CHI Health Center at 3 a.m. to grab a seat at the annual general shareholders meeting of investment company Berkshire Hathaway on May 6. Antonius said they wanted to be “as close as possible” to the podium as his two business idols — Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger — sat and took questions from shareholders in the audience and around the world.
Antonius has been investing in listed stocks in Indonesia for over 20 years, faithfully following the Buffett method: focus on a few companies with strong earnings, handsome dividend payments and sound corporate governance, and hold on to them, sometimes for decades. At Berkshire, this strategy has been distilled into the oft-repeated maxim: “Just hold the goddamn stock,” as Munger put it that day.
For his part, Antonius has been making a living as a full-time professional investor since 2010.
TTCT – Xung đột đang nổ ra tại Sudan là kết quả của không chỉ tranh đoạt quyền lợi phe phái hiện tại. Mâu thuẫn ở vùng đất này cũng lâu đời như chính nó vậy.
Tiếng súng vang lên từ ngày 15-4. Tại thủ đô Khartoum của Sudan, Lực lượng Yểm trợ nhanh chóng (RSF) do tướng Mohamed Dagalo cầm đầu dàn quân tại các khu vực nhiều dân lao động. RSF là lực lượng dân quân võ trang hùng hậu tới 100.000 tay súng. Họ chốt ở các trại lính và căn cứ của quân đội quốc gia, vốn dưới quyền tướng Abdel al-Burhan.
Xung đột vũ trang nhiều hình thức đã dai dẳng ở Sudan suốt một thời gian dài từ khi độc lập. Ảnh: AFP
Muslim worshippers perform Friday prayers outside the Dome of Rock Mosque at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Friday, April 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
JERUSALEM (AP) — It’s become something of a grim, springtime tradition in the Holy Land.
Israeli police fire tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinians stockpiling rocks and fireworks inside one of the most bitterly disputed holy sites on Earth. The violence ripples across Israel and the occupied West Bank, and militants from as far away as Gaza and Lebanon respond with rockets.
OPEC+ Announces Surprise Cuts to Global Oil Output
International oil prices rose today (Bloomberg) after Saudi Arabia and other oil-exporting nations announced plans to reduce output (AP) by 1.15 million barrels per day between May and the end of the year. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its partners, collectively known as OPEC+, had not previously signaled plans to slash output. Additionally, OPEC+ member Russia extended its ongoing cut of five hundred thousand barrels per day through the end of the year. The White House called the cuts ill-advised and pledged to work with producers and consumers to bring oil prices down. The oil producers’ announcement comes as Australia, the European Union, and Group of Seven (G7) countries try to enforce a global price cap on Russian oil. However, Japan negotiated an exemption from the cap due to its energy needs, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping attend a welcome ceremony at the Kremlin on March 21, 2023. (Alexey Maishev/Sputnik)The meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Moscow helped both give the impression of a united front, but underlying tensions were also discernible. Get the quick take