Disarmament in Syria

The international team has searched three out of 20 or more sites in Syria for the stockpile of chemical weapons with the increased violence of the civil war between the Syrian government and the rebels.  The United Nations has ordered the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) to dispose of its chemical weapons by November 1^st 2014.  Eventually, the U.N. will have to search for the chemical weapon production sites in rebel territory.  Director-General of the OPCW announced on Thursday that the Syrian government is being cooperative in the organization of a ceasefire between the Syrian government and the rebels.  Cooperation from the rebels is necessary for the safe passage of the OPCW in disarmament of chemical weapons.

            In regards to the international community the cooperation of the Syrian Government proves to be a promising turn of events.  Tensions between the U.S. and Russia have been subdued and everyone is in agreement that ridding Syria of its chemical weapons is the best course of action to take.  The significance of the elimination of the chemical weapons sets the precedent that the use of chemical weapons will not be tolerated.

 

Wilson, Steve. "Syria Crisis: Chemical Weapons Inspectors Complete Visit to Three Sites."The Telegraph. N.p., 11 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.

Vigilante Bus Driver Killing Highlights Frustration over Violence Against Women In Mexico

Last month, a female "vigilante killer" murdered two bus drivers in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. The woman got onto a city bus the morning of August 28th and shot the bus driver three times without saying a word. The next day the same woman got on another city bus, rode a few stops and then walked up behind the driver and according to witnesses, said, "You guys think you're so bad, don't you", before shooting him in the head. Since last month, there has not been another killing however this vigilante violence is not uncommon in Juárez. A letter was sent into the police, quite possibly by the killer, identifying the act as revenge for violence against women riding buses late at night home from the factories. This display of vigilante “justice” is a disturbed manifestation of the anger and frustration of the women of Juárez over the sexual violence against women that is ignored by the Mexican government. Though the city has seen a decrease in violence since 2010 (speculatively because one drug cartel triumphed over another), violence against women remains a hugely ignored and silent issue in Mexico. This story was all over the news early last month, an article on the murders from the Washington Post can be found here.

The violence in Mexico, and certainly the violence against women, is in large part due to the presence of the drug cartels. Corruption, violence and a sense of lawlessness in Juárez and other parts of Mexico have all been due mainly to drug cartel control and influence. This incident, though certainly perpetrated by a disturbed individual, is representative of larger vigilante efforts on behalf of many Mexican citizens. Violence against women has gone ignored and unpunished, as “Diana, the hunter” suggested in her note to the police (assuming the killer was indeed who sent in the letter). The violence in Mexico is often thought of as being between men; men in different cartels, male police officers and the cartels but the violence against women in Mexico goes unnoticed, unregulated and is not made a priority by many forces fighting the cartels. This vigilante killing, though tragic and sick, is somewhat understandable given the context and situation in Juárez, Mexico. An article in Time this summer about sex trafficking mentioned vigilantist efforts to defend against the drug cartels and though the bus driver killings were different in nature, the frustration of the inactivity of the government against cartel violence is similar to the other vigilantist efforts. Violence against women continues to occur on a daily basis but is not in the news as frequently as the violence between men. Violence against women in Mexico is more less visible than violence between men because it happens more secretly, for instance in brothels where women and children are trafficked to work in the sex trade. Though this violence and exploitation of women may not be widely covered in the news, most people are aware it is happening yet it is widely ignored and kept invisible.

Miroff. N. (2013, September 06). Street justice from vengeful 'Diana' in Ciudad Juárez. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-06/world/41818041_1_bus-drivers-mexico-city-diana

Grillo. I. (2013, July 31). Mexican Drug Cartels' Other Business: Sex Trafficking. Time Magazine. Retrieved from http://world.time.com/2013/07/31/the-mexican-drug-cartels-other-business-sex-trafficking/

What is Egypt Becoming?

What is Egypt Becoming?

For over two years now, Egypt has known little rest from conflict and this week was no different. In a pro-President Morsi protest, four people were killed. And in another incident, over forty people were severely injured when Morsi supporters and their allies clashed with the military-police of the capitol and other cities across the country. Frequent tear gas and automatic weapons fire light up Tahrir square on a regular basis. Tanks and barbed wire surround the famous quad by military while those who are inside chant, “down, down the tyrant,” a reference to the army chief General Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi. Throughout the capitol, soldiers and civilians alike chase each other down the streets firing automatic weapons with rock throwing retaliation, respectively. Egyptian citizens feel ever fervent in this time of desperate need. "We will go protest and take all streets possible," said Mohammed Said, 45, during a march from the Dokki neighbourhood to Tahrir. "We will get in Tahrir at any price." As such, more than 100 policemen have been killed from civilian and paramilitary attacks since the ousting of President Morsi.

               It is ever evident that the structural integrity of this nation is finding its way to the bottom of the Nile all too fast. Egypt has been long held by some western countries in higher regard because of their once-strong internal stability. Since the ousting of Morsi, social unrest has climbed exponentially and two years after its initial instigation, this conflict shows no signs of plateauing. With western powers so occupied with other Middle Eastern conflict and issues, Egypt, has almost been put on the back burner, as news from this ancient nation seems to be entering our nation’s social and informative media. It also seems as though the military and police forces of el-Sissi seem to be taking anything but a peacekeeping stance. His military forces have been harboring no remorse in the gunning down of civilians and all protocol has been disregarded. The civilians that these soldiers swore to protect are now their targets. Such types of governments cannot and will not last in these heinous actions. It is only a matter of time before another coup.

Reference

1. Al Jazeera and agencies (October 5th 2013). At least four dead in Egypt violence.  http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/10/thousands-march-towards-protest-site-cairo-201310411719214584.html

Fukushima’s Contaminated Water Overflowing . . . Again

One in a million may sound like a good thing.  One tank out of a thousand leaking more contaminated water at the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan is a bad thing.  On October 3rd there was yet another emergency news conference held by Masayuki Ono, a spokesperson for the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), announcing that workers had accidentally caused another minor leak by pumping more contaminated water into one of the temporary 450-ton water storage tanks “without a water gauge and standing on an unlevel ground, slightly tilting toward the sea” (Associated Press, 2013).  What caused the problem this time?  The tank was already about 98% full, which it should not have been in the first place, and was not equipped with the appropriate safety measures to alert them if the tank was about to overflow.  The amount of water, approximately 110 gallons, was a virtual drop in a vast bucket of contaminated water, but demonstrates the ongoing incompetence of TEPCO to adequately handle the disaster, and the Japanese government’s unwillingness to intervene or allow outside help to come in and take over the important task of keeping more contaminated water from running out into the ocean.  According to Kayoko Nakamura, a Nuclear Regulation Authority commissioner, who is very critical of the way TEPCO is managing the cleanup, “they seem to lack even the most basic knowledge about radiation” (Associated Press, 2013).  This is not what the global community wants to hear about the people in charge of cleaning up the worst nuclear disaster our planet has seen since the meltdown at the Chernobyl power plant in 1986.  

References

Associated Press.  (2013, October 3).  Overflowing Tank Cause of New Leak at Fukushima.  ABC News.  Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com.  

Greek Shipowners: Buying a Bigger Fleet

Good news in the business side of Greece. Large shipping corporations in Greece, have been able to weather out the worst parts of the economic crisis. Now, they have begun stocking up on new ships purchased with cheap loans from China, and Korea. Greece has one of the largest merchant ship fleets in the world. With an estimated 16% of the world's dry-bulk, and container vessels are owned by Greek corporations. The ship building industry in Greece has made a whopping, $279.5 billion dollars so far this year. By cutting their prices they have been able to compete with other European shipping giants, and still managed to stay in the lead.

Because China, is competing with their neighbors in Korea, lower costing ships are being purchased. So far this year, Greek shipbuilders have ordered 188 ships from China, and 217 ships from Korea. However, a large portion of the ships remain dry docked, or anchored and are awaiting to be used. Although the situation in Greece looks grim, certain portions of the economy are making a come back. "The Greeks are the world's dominant buyers both in terms of new and used vessels so they are contributing to the glut," said Jonathan Roach, senior analyst at London-based Braemar Securities Ltd.


Paris, Costas. "China Attracts Greek Shipowners." Wall Street Journal. N.p., 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 4 Oct. 2013. <online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702

China in Europe

     China’s expanding economic influence in Europe, and now particularly Eastern Europe, is strongly notable in its investments in a variety of sectors. There is growing focus over the PRC’s ceaseless acquisitions of European manufacturing companies and consumer brands. These acquisitions in the EU, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and other regions range vastly from technology to car manufacturing like the iconic Volvo, and luxurious wineries. With Europe's economic growth crippled by the European debt crisis, these supportive investments in the continent that have injected billions of dollars into the economy, totaling to $12.6 billion in 2012, have been welcomed with relief.

China's emerging power in Eastern Europe is obvious in its recent major acquisitions in technology and infrastructure such as that of the €1.2bn purchase of Hungarian chemicals maker, Borsodchem by Wanhua Industrial Group. In Central Europe, China completed a $100m takeover of Huta Stola Wola, a road machinery company. Members of the ex-Soviet Union, still developing their economies, such as Belarus and Poland hope to learn from China's development strategies and become economic partners. Prime Minister Wen Jiabo announced that China's goal was to generate $100 billion in trade per year with Central and Eastern Europe as of 2015. China’s acquisitions in other resources outside of the natural type is needed in order to help them in their urbanization process which includes transportation and health care. The PRC needs the capital from Western technology and brands, and Europe is the ideal market. 

Cited:

Buckley, Neil.(2012, May 17). Beijing wakes up to eastern Europe. Retrieved October 3, 2013, from http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/03d93826-9f79-11e1-a255-00144feabdc0.html

Eddy, Melissa. (2012, April 26) . China Wants More Trade With Central and Eastern Europe. Retrieved October 3, 2013 from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/business/global/china-wants-more-trade-with-central-and-eastern-europe.html?_r=0

Gumbel, Peter. (2013, June 3).  Guess Who’s Bullish on Europe? China’s New Investment Play. Retrieved October 3, 2013 from http://business.time.com/2013/06/03/europes-new-wave-chinese-acquisitions/.




 

Delays in Chemical Disarmament Operations in Syria

     The United Nations security council has come to the agreement to confiscate the chemical weapons being held by the Syrian government while providing the population with much needed aid.  This has proven to be very difficult due to increased tension within the nation.  Due to rising hostility humanitarian groups have been denied access into the country leaving some two million people without aid.  The increased tension has also prevented the UN chemical disarmament team from proceeding with the disposal of what is predicted to be 1,000 tons of sarin and other chemical agents.  The UN chemical disarmament team is also aiming to shut down the country's chemical weapon production sites.  The security council is requesting that fighting within the nation comes to a pause in order to allow humanitarian groups to provide the population with aid and give the UN chemical disarmament team safe access to the chemical stockpile in order to complete their operation.
     If the Syrian government does not agree to temporarily stop fighting in the nation the UN chemical disarmament team cannot carry out their mission of removing the chemical weapons from Syria.  A large threat to national and international safety is the possible ongoing production of chemical weapons at the country's production sites.  The longer the UN is delayed in their operation, the longer the syrian government has to produce and possibly hide or distribute other amounts of chemical weapons.  This could have serious implications internationally if it falls into the wrong hands such as terrorist organization groups in neighboring countries.

Work Cited

Shamir, Shlomo. (2013). UN officials: Recent escalation in syrian civil war could delay work to disable      chemical weapons. The Jerusalem Post. http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/UN-officials-Recent-  escalation-in-Syrian-civil-war-could-delay-work-to-disable-chemical-weapons-327803.

Authors:
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Angela
David
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Jasmin