Tuesday 31 May 2016

Nepal. Boosting agriculture (South Asia Monitor)

The devastating earthquake of last year has had an adverse impact on almost all sectors including agriculture

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17337

Pakistan. Who will defend the defenceless (Reema Omer, South Asia Monitor)

Last week, Alisha, a transgender rights activist, died from her injuries after she had been shot in Peshawar. A little before Alisha was targeted, human rights activist, Khurram Zaki, was shot and killed by ‘unidentified gunmen’ in Karachi

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17338

Afghanistan. Power distribution (South Asia Monitor)

Afghanistan got the potential to generate around 314,500 MW of electricity from different sources. Unfortunately, the leaders prefer easy ways to deal with the problems; therefore, the country imports around 76 percent of the required electricity from Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17341

Need for better public sector oversight (Laveesh Bhandari, South Asia Monitor)

An interesting debate is being played out in the periphery of India's political battles. It started with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) releasing a report on Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) for losing out thousands of crores in the gas fields of KG basin

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=govd&nid=17331

Why Indian brands rarely go global (Umang Srivastava, South Asia Monitor)

As one of the fastest growing economy in the world, India has a negligible presence in the list of top global brands. Even as Indian brands expand to foreign markets, achieving a global status does not seem to be their priority as opposed to making a quick buck and exploiting marketing opportunities as an ‘international brand’

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=eco&nid=17335

Pakistan’s strategic liabilities (Zarrar Khuhro, South Asia Monitor)

On arriving in Iran, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a tweet in the Persian language expressing hope that cultural and economic ties between the two countries would be strengthened

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17345

The right to intervene (Vijay Prashad, South Asia Monitor)

Sitting in his presidential palace in 1991, Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein and his Culture Minister Hamad Hammadi drafted a letter to Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.). Hussein and Hammadi hoped that the U.S.S.R. would help save Iraq from the West’s barrage

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17343

Modi in the U.S.: a changed landscape (Seema Sirohi, Gateway House)

Prime Minister Modi’s skills will be tested on his upcoming visit to the United States. The challenge comes in light of recent anti-India sentiments voiced at a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. With Modi set to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress, this is an opportunity to address all concerns, be it on policy or polity

http://www.gatewayhouse.in/modi-u-s-facing-changed-landscape/

India’s Act East Policy: Embedding the Andamans (Anit Mukherjee, RSIS)

India should rejuvenate its ‘Act East policy’ by exploiting the strategic location of the Andaman Islands and the waters around it

http://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/rsis/co16131-indias-act-east-policy-embedding-the-andamans/#.V02aTjWLTIU

Europe Still in Denial as Russia Ushers in the Age of Hybrid Hostilities (Peter Dickinson, Atlantic Council)



European leaders will gather in June to discuss whether to extend sanctions against Russia over the Kremlin’s hybrid war in Ukraine. The current sanctions regime will likely remain in place, but the mere fact the subject is up for debate is evidence of Europe’s alarming refusal to acknowledge the new security reality facing the continent. Many inside the EU seem unwilling to admit the twenty-five year honeymoon period of European peace and prosperity since 1991 is over. They cling to the idea of a return to the old ‘business as usual’ status quo, and appear to believe Russian aggression is only an issue for Moscow’s immediate neighbors. This policy of obstinate denial is not only morally bankrupt—it also encourages the Kremlin to escalate a hybrid war campaign designed to reverse the results of the Cold War and break up the European Union itself

http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/europe-still-in-denial-as-russia-ushers-in-the-age-of-hybrid-hostilities

State Secretaries on Supply and Demand (Atlantic Council)

Last week the Atlantic Council hosted senior defense-industrial officials from Germany and Turkey for discussions about their evolving plans. Taking the time to reread their biographies, we remembered that some of NATO’s member states are clearly finding accomplished people to run military materiel management. But while the backgrounds of these two officials are similarly impressive, their approaches to industrial strategy are very different

http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/defense-industrialist/state-secretaries-on-supply-and-demand

London Versus ISIS (Dominique Moisi, Project-Syndicate)

“I feel so proud of my city,” my interlocutor says, referring to the election of the first Muslim, Sadiq Khan, as Mayor of London. She is Catholic, though she identifies first and foremost as British. But, like many other Londoners, she was inspired by Khan’s message of hope over fear

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/sadiq-khan-london-muslim-bigotry-by-dominique-moisi-2016-05

Republicans Ride the Trump Tiger (Theda Skocpol, Project-Syndicate)

During a typical week in late May, Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the US presidency, grabbed headlines yet again. He declared a popular former president to be a “rapist,” flipped his position on one policy after another, bragged that his running mate could be “anyone” who supported him, and told the National Rifle Association that Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee, would “release violent criminals from jail.”

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/trump-republican-creation-by-theda-skocpol-2016-05

Moving From Debt to Equity in China (Andrew Sheng, Xiao Geng, Project-Syndicate)

A spate of recent commentary has been warning of the vertiginous rise in China’s debt, which jumped from 148% of GDP in 2007 to 249% at the end of the third quarter of 2015. Many are anxiously pointing out that China’s debt is now comparable to that of the European Union (270% of GDP) and the United States (248% of GDP). Are they right to worry?

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/china-moving-from-debt-to-equity-by-andrew-sheng-and-xiao-geng-2016-05

Overdosing on Heterodoxy Can Kill You (Ricardo Hausmann, Project-Syndicate)

Ever since the 2008 financial crisis, it has been common to chastise economists for not having predicted the disaster, for having offered the wrong prescriptions to prevent it, or for having failed to fix it after it happened. The call for new economic thinking has been persistent – and justified. But all that is new may not be good, and that all that is good may not be new

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/heterodox-economics-venezuela-collapse-by-ricardo-hausmann-2016-05

The Limits of Oil’s Rebound (Anatole Kaletsky, Project-Syndicate)

For the first time since last October, the price of a barrel of oil has broken through $50. So it seems a good time to update the analysis I presented in January 2015

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/price-ceiling-for-oil-by-anatole-kaletsky-2016-05

Reigniting Emerging-Economy Growth (Michael Spence, Project-Syndicate)

It is no secret that emerging economies are facing serious challenges, which have undermined their once-explosive growth and weakened their development prospects. Whether they return to the path of convergence with the advanced economies will largely depend on how they approach an increasingly complex economic environment

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/emerging-economies-slowing-growth-by-michael-spence-2016-05

Donald the Destroyer (Simon Johnson, Project-Syndicate)

Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee to contest the United States’ presidential election in November, is clearly not a standard Republican. The party’s leaders and elected officials fought against him during the primary, and many are still reluctant to endorse him. Trump is now aligning some of his policy proposals with mainstream Republican ideas, but he is also clearly determined to retain his distinctive identity

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/trump-threat-global-prosperity-security-by-simon-johnson-2016-05

Health Problems of the Deprived May Not Be Health Problems (Yu Ning, Brookings)

Rumor has it that an economist started hitting the gym after finishing two milestone research papers, in expectation of a Nobel Prize, which is only rewarded to a living person. Almost no one denies that greater expectations translate into healthier behaviors, while the converse rarely enters the health policy discussion: expectations of a less-than-desirable future may lead to unhealthy behaviors, including smoking, excessive drinking, sedentary lifestyles, and drug abuse. The health problems of the deprived may have a deeper root in economics

http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2016/05/31-health-problems-yu

"Ban the Box" does more harm than good (Jennifer L. Doleac, Brookings)

Life in prison is meant to be difficult. But it doesn’t always get better once you’re out. Re-entering offenders often have a tough time finding employment, even when they are motivated and able to work. But “ban the box” – a popular policy aimed at helping ex-offenders find jobs – doesn’t help many ex-offenders, and actually decreases employment for black and Hispanic men who don’t have criminal records. This is a classic case of unintended consequences. We should repeal “ban the box” and focus on better alternatives

http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2016/05/31-ban-the-box-does-more-harm-than-good-doleac

Playful language and communication (Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda, Brookings)

Skills for a changing world

As parents, our days are filled with to-do lists—dropping children at school or daycare, commuting to work, doing laundry, changing diapers, cooking child-friendly meals, shooting off texts and emails, and so forth. Our minds are chore-filled stopwatches—ticking away as we rush to the finish line and collapse at the end of the day, only to realize that we have forgotten to do something

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/education-plus-development/posts/2016/05/31-playful-language-communication-tamis-lemonda

ISIL may be in crisis, but so is the coalition (Alia Brahimi, Al Jazeera)

Soldiers from the US-led coalition, left, are seen with Kurdish Peshmerga forces in a village east of Mosul, Iraq, May 29 [Reuters]

The battle to recapture Fallujah from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has gathered momentum, with thousands of government-linked forces encircling the strategic town, supported from the air and advised on the ground by the United States-led anti-ISIL coalition

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/isil-crisis-coalition-160529123319602.html

Nawaz Sharif is the only viable option for Pakistan (Tom Hussain, Al Jazeera)

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif [Reuters]

Pakistan has undergone a breathless eight years since its third transition from military rule to elected parliamentary governance in 2008

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/nawaz-sharif-viable-option-pakistan-160530095043904.html

The long road to justice for Chad's Hissene Habre (Salil Shetty, Al Jazeera)

Hissene Habre, the former Chadian dictator, pictured at the Palais de Justice in Dakar, Senegal, July 20, 2015. [EPA]

"From the depths of my cell, from the depths of that madness, I swore to fight for justice if I ever got out alive," former detainee Souleymane Guengueng told the special criminal court last year

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/long-road-justice-chad-hissene-habre-160530143401443.html

Revealed: How the U.S. Navy Would Destroy a Chinese Aircraft Carrier (James Holmes, The National Interest)

Image: US ships firing missiles. Wikimedia Commons/public domain.

Ah, yes, the “carrier-killer.” China is forever touting the array of guided missiles its weaponeers have devised to pummel U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). Most prominent among them are its DF-21D and DF-26 antiship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), which the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has made a mainstay of China’s anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) defenses

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-the-us-navy-would-destroy-chinese-aircraft-carrier-16400

Could This Be China's Panama Canal? (Lyle J. Goldstein, The National Interest)



President Obama’s trip to Vietnam was ostensibly focused on the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the Asia-Pacific region. However, it is quite certain that the visit had a powerful subtext: strengthening the partnership between Washington and Hanoi to offset Beijing’s aggressive approach to the South China Sea. The Chinese reef reclamation projects resulted in shiny, new and large airstrips coupled apparently with deep water berths for ships have set the whole region on edge

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/could-be-chinas-panama-canal-16389

The Real Reason DC's Metro Doesn't Work (Randal O’Toole, The National Interest)



The continuing decline of the Washington Metro Rail can be traced to two mistakes made by the people who planned it. Their first was to chose an expensive, obsolete technology that most American cities had already abandoned. Of the hundreds of cities that had rail transit in 1910, only eight were left when the Metro Rail system was planned in the late 1960s

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-real-reason-dcs-metro-doesnt-work-16388

The Iran Deal Hasn't Changed Anything (Tom Tugendhat, The National Interest)



Since the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, along with Germany) signed the nuclear deal with Iran in July 2015, remarkably little has changed. Instead of using the opportunity to bring itself back into the international community, Iran has continued to sow instability across the region. Syrian forces are still backed by Iran, and Iraqi militias still get their orders from Tehran. From the Gulf to the Red Sea, Tehran is using Shia groups in its quest for supremacy up to the borders of the old Persian Empire. None of this should be surprising—Iranian policy has barely changed in two thousand years

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-iran-deal-hasnt-changed-anything-16390

From Bosnia to Iraq: The Failure of Forced Coexistence (Janko Bekić, The National Interest)



The U.S.-led military interventions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, rump Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Iraq have revealed Washington’s inclination toward forcible regime change and external democratization, but also its propensity for the maintenance of the status quo in regard to international boundaries (with Kosovo’s secession from Serbia as an obvious exception to the rule). In three out of four cases, the interventions have included neither border changes nor the diplomatic recognition of breakaway regions; in two, they’ve comprised the foreign imposition of experimental federal arrangements as part of a larger policy of compulsory coexistence between disparate ethnic and/or religious groups

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/bosnia-iraq-the-failure-forced-coexistence-16391

Dangerous Nuclear Security Failures in Russia's Backyard (Petra Posega, The National Interest)



Nuclear security is seemingly at the forefront of global attention, but the large framework of international safeguards is increasingly perceived as a toothless tiger. In the contemporary age, where asymmetric threats to security are among the most dangerous, the time is nigh to mitigate the risk of rogue actors having potential access to materials that are necessary to develop nuclear weapons

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/dangerous-nuclear-security-failures-russias-backyard-16392

Professional Knowledge in the Security Cabinet: The Need to Enhance It, and the Way to Do So (Amos Yadlin, INSS)

The demand by Education Minister Naftali Bennett to broaden the professional knowledge of the members of the security cabinet so that they can fulfill their duties in optimal fashion is, in principle, correct. Members of the cabinet (as well as the other ministers in the government, which has the authority over the IDF) need a system for learning and keeping abreast of developments in order to make informed strategic assessments and diplomatic and military decisions. The political compromise proposed by Minister Yaakov Litzman and accepted by the Prime Minister and Education Minister is a step in the right direction: the solution to the problem lies in the National Security Council. The NSC is already defined as the institution responsible for preparing, in coordination with the government secretariat, deliberations, net assessments, and operational alternatives, including intelligence analyses. Therefore, there should be an orderly implementation of the existing instructions in the law; there is no need to invent new positions or processes. The Prime Minister can – indeed, must – instruct the NSC to create the mechanism to ensure that cabinet members are exposed to the necessary intelligence, routine strategic assessments, and key national security issues

http://www.inss.org.il/index.aspx?id=4538&articleid=11851

China’s Cyber Power (IISS)

As China increasingly gains the economic benefits of global connectivity, the West’s technological edge is fast eroding. In this Adelphi, Nigel Inkster examines the political, historical and cultural development of China’s cyber power in light of evolving capabilities and governance structures

Ties that Bind: Why U.S. Lifting Arms Ban on Vietnam could be Good for Russia (Sputnik News Service, RSIS)

Vietnam is the eight largest weapons buyer; its defense budget ($4.3 billion in 2014) and military spending are increasing

http://www.rsis.edu.sg/media-highlight/idss/ties-that-bind-why-u-s-lifting-arms-ban-on-vietnam-could-be-good-for-russia/#.V00SlNKLTIU

When Religion becomes a Commodity (Farish A. Noor, The Straits Times, RSIS)

Living as we do at a time when identity-based politics has become the norm the world over, it is hardly a surprise that religious identity has likewise been commodified

http://www.rsis.edu.sg/media-highlight/gpo/when-religion-becomes-a-commodity/#.V00R69KLTIU

India and Japan: Emerging Indo-Pacific Security Partnership (Dhruva Jaishankar, RSIS)

India and Japan, motivated primarily by shared concerns about China, have been developing a closer defence partnership defined by regular maritime exercises and high-level political consultations. The upward trajectory in strategic ties since 2006 can be maintained, as long as both countries take certain structural limitations into consideration

http://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/rsis/co16130-india-and-japan-emerging-indo-pacific-security-partnership/#.V00Q7dKLTIU

Lethargic labour productivity slows growth in Pakistan (Rashid Amjad, East Asia Forum)

Pakistani children walk in a wheat field in Peshawar, Pakistan, Friday, 6 May 2016. (Photo: AAP).

Since the 1980s, rapid globalisation — driven in part by the unprecedented pace of technological change, especially in information and communications technologies (ICT) — has allowed developing countries such as China and India to achieve exceptionally high rates of economic growth

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/05/31/lethargic-labour-productivity-slows-growth-in-pakistan/

Reading between the lines of Tsai Ing-wen’s inaugural address (Mark Harrison, East Asia Forum)

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen smiles at supporters as she arrives to vote for party officials in Taipei, Taiwan, 22 May 2016. (Photo: AAP).

On 20 May the Democratic Progressive Party’s Tsai Ing-wen was inaugurated as the 14th president of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The ceremony, held in front of the Japanese colonial-era presidential building, included theatrical re-enactments of key themes and events in the history of Taiwan. An indigenous Taiwanese children’s choir performed a traditional song of blessing while facing the uniformed ranks of the Republic of China’s combined armed services military marching band and precision drill team. Such potent symbolic juxtapositions are typical of Taiwan’s contemporary public life

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/05/30/reading-between-the-lines-of-tsai-ing-wens-inaugural-address/

Monday 30 May 2016

Do we need a national carrier in Sri Lanka? (K.K.S. Perera, South Asia Monitor)

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary Flight is ‘an act or instance of passing through the air by the use of wings’

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17311

Bangladesh. Along party lines (Abu Elias Sarker, South Asia Monitor)

In recent years, the phrase “partyism” has become quite popular -- it denotes a form of antagonism and predisposition that operates across political lines

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17308

Having a dream for a Nepal (South Asia Monitor)

The over trillion rupee National Budget for the coming fiscal year 2016/17, unveiled by Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel on Saturday, has drawn charges of frittering away too much money on too many things of unproductive nature for mere populism, instead of being fiscally tight and geared to increasing the production capacity of the economy

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17309

Pakistan. Extremism in books (Mohammad Ali Babakhel, South Asia Monitor)

When it comes to countering extremism, Pakistan’s approach is primarily reactive, with diagnostic efforts largely absent. Unfortunately, extremism and terrorism have grown to such an extent that we no longer have the luxury of continuing our decades-old romance with denial

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17310

Afghanistan. Exhilarating peace (South Asia Monitor)

Death has made home in the country because of a few fanatics who see amusement in bloodshed of innocent people.Those who are killed in their heinous acts share the same blood because they are also sons of this soil

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17307

Terror track: NIA’s alt+ctrl+shift (Mukesh Ranjan, South Asia Monitor)

Investigators are generally used to denying things too apparent, something even in their plain sight, until there’s “undeniable evidence.” A conviction brought out by a court of law is the most savoury moment for an investigator/prosecutor

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=govd&nid=17314

Right path to a sustainable future (Pradeep S Mehta, South Asia Monitor)

India needs to grow 10 per cent a year for the next one and a half decades if it has to become a $10-trillion economy and get rid of poverty. This was the central message of a recent presentation made by Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, to the Prime Minister

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=development&nid=17319

If monsoon is as expected, first 3 years of Modi could possibly be best three years ever (Surjit S Bhalla, South Asia Monitor)

Two years and counting is what PM Modi and the BJP are saying. After their unexpected victory in May 2014, and the change in course that they have attempted for the Indian economy since then, two years is enough of a time to begin to pass judgement. How good, or bad, economically speaking, have these two years been?

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=eco&nid=17318

Game changers: Pak tactical nukes, Chinese troops in PoK (Vijay Mohan, South Asia Monitor)

A significant Chinese military presence in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) has raised the geo-strategic stakes. Pakistan has also adopted a policy of using low-yield tactical nuclear weapons to counter a convectional Indian assault

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17312

360 degree: Grin & Bear - Don’t forget an old friend (P S Raghavan, South Asia Monitor)

Acres of newsprint are regularly expended on the trajectory of India-US relations and on the ups and downs of our interaction with China

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17316

The Sri Lankan seesaw: Why China tilts the balance against India (Husanjot Chahal, South Asia Monitor)

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena paid a visit to India from May 13-15, 2016. This was his second state visit to the country in 17 months and was also his sixth meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi within the same span of time. His visit comes a month after the Sri Lankan Prime Minister (PM) Ranil Wickremesinghe travelled to China. Sirisena’s visit was viewed by many as a part of Sri Lanka’s delicate balancing of India and China. The new Sri Lankan government has been committed to this policy of balance from the very beginning after being sworn into power. In fact, one of its election platforms was revising Sri Lanka’s foreign policy, which had been oriented towards China under the previous government. It would be useful to understand what incorporates this approach of the Sri Lankan government and the underlying causes for its adoption. Has Colombo been able to achieve such a balance?

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=sl&nid=17300

India needs to keep its eyes open, lest it loses Myanmar to China (Amitava Mukherjee, South Asia Monitor)

China is now all set to gain a major advantage in the strategic scenario of South Asia as Myanmar has awarded contracts to a China-led consortium for constructing a deep-sea port and a special economic zone(SEZ) in a place called Kyaukphyu which is situated right on the Bay of Bengal. The above mentioned six member consortium will be led by the Citic group of China and the only non-Chinese member of it will be the Charoen Phokphand of Thailand

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=sl&nid=17302

Sticks and carrots: Elusive quest for Afghan peace (Kriti M Shah, South Asia Monitor)

The Afghan government signed a draft peace agreement with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s Hezb-e-Islami on May 18, its first peace agreement with an insurgent group ever since the Afghan Taliban decided to withdraw itself from the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG)-led peace process. The deal, among other things, would see the safe return of Hekmatyar to Kabul after a hiatus of two decades that were ostensibly spent in exile, shunting between Pakistan and north-east Afghanistan

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=emerging&nid=17303

A view from Berlin- The European Union has as many troubles (Amit Dasgupta, Krishnan Srinivisan, South Asia Monitor)

In a Europe beset with an insignificant rate of economic growth and problems related to the refugee influx, internal divisions are growing larger

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=gwatch&nid=17306

Android 6.0 Marshmallow permission-granting model is under attack (Pierluigi Paganini, Security Affairs)

Malware researchers are warning Android’s latest permission-granting model in version 6.0 Marshmallow is now been targeted by Mobile malware authors

http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/47865/malware/android-marshmallow.html

US-CERT warns MEDHOST medical app contains hard-coded credentials (Pierluigi Paganini, Security Affairs)

The US Computer Emergency Response Team has issued a warning after the discovery a security issue the popular medical application MEDHOST PIMS (PIMS)

http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/47855/security/medhost-hard-coded-credentials.html

Hacker Interviews – Speaking with Mikko Hypponen (Pierluigi Paganini, Security Affairs)

Mikko Hypponen does not need any introduction, he is a true star, one of those professionals who have indelibly marked the evolution of the cyber security industry.
I consider Mikko a legend, and I’m happy to share with you this interview

http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/47845/breaking-news/mikko-hypponen-interview.html

Highly targeted ransomware campaign hit Swedish Telia customers (Pierluigi Paganini, Security Affairs)

According to a new analysis published by experts at Heimdal Security a new Ransomware campaign targeted millions by spoofing Telco giant Telia

http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/47834/malware/telia-ransomware-campaign.html

Thanks for the memories, Stephen Harper (Antonia Zerbisias, Al Jazeera)

Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper [Getty]

There's no question that Stephen Harper, Canada's former prime minister, will be leaving a legacy when he quits parliament this summer

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/memories-stephen-harper-160529083026503.html

We are gaining ground on the evil of authoritarianism (openDemocracy)

If we take into account that the Universal Declaration dates from 1948, and that subsequent legislative instruments are relatively new, then we can see that the rate of progress is very rapid

https://www.opendemocracy.net/democraciaabierta/francesc-badia-i-dalmases-emilio-lvarez-icaza/we-are-gaining-ground-on-evil-of-aut

Choosing the next UN Secretary-General: real change ahead? (Ourania S. Yancopoulos, openDemocracy)

For the first time in the UN’s history, the global public is having the chance to hear about the individual agendas and the visions of all the nominees for next UN Secretary-General

https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/ourania-s-yancopoulos/choosing-next-secretary-general-real-change-ahead

In Estonia, we should be careful not to overstate the impact of the information war (Vassilis Petsinis, openDemocracy)

The Baltic States are now seen as the next frontline in Russia’s hybrid war. But the political preferences of ethnic Russian communities are more complicated than meets the eye

https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/vassilis-petsinis/in-estonia-we-should-be-careful-not-to-overstate-impact-of-information-w

A treaty to protect the rights of older people is long overdue! (openDemocracy)

As the world’s population ages, now is the time to begin work on a treaty to give explicit protection to the rights of the elderly

https://www.opendemocracy.net/openglobalrights/gordon-digiacomo-martine-lagac-caroline-andrew/treaty-to-protect-rights-of-older-pe

Concentric cages: the hotspots of Lesvos after the EU-Turkey agreement (Martina Tazzioli, openDemocracy)

Hotspots used to be mainly areas for registration, but now they are used to sort and detain people in preparation for their deportation

https://www.opendemocracy.net/mediterranean-journeys-in-hope/martina-tazzioli/concentric-cages-hotspots-of-lesvos-after-eu-turkey-

Making supply chains work for workers? The 2016 International Labour Conference and beyond (Neil Howard, Genevieve LeBaron, openDemocracy)

Employers, worker’s organisations and politicians are gathering to discuss decent work in global supply chains. Today, BTS launches three months of multimedia analysis asking how – if at all – we can guarantee it

https://www.opendemocracy.net/beyondslavery/ilc/neil-howard-genevieve-lebaron/making-supply-chains-work-for-workers-2016-international

The ILO report on ‘decent work in global supply chains’ - much ado about nothing? (Andreas Rühmkorf, openDemocracy)

The background report for the International Labour Conference 2016 raises important questions about supply chain responsibility, but does not provide enough answers about the way forward

https://www.opendemocracy.net/beyondslavery/ilc/andreas-r-hmkorf/ilo-report-on-decent-work-in-global-supply-chains-much-ado-about-noth

Carry on flying: why activists should take to the skies (Jem Bendell, openDemocracy)



Protesting against air travel might displace attention away from the actions required to reduce carbon emissions at the necessary scale

https://www.opendemocracy.net/transformation/jem-bendell/carry-on-flying-why-activists-should-take-to-skies#

"More and better mandarins!": lessons from my adventures as a government minister (Marco Biagi, openDemocracy)

Government is weird. And other thoughts after stepping down as Scotland's minister for local government and community empowerment

https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/marco-biagi/more-and-better-mandarins-lessons-from-my-adventures-as-government-minister

UK Labour Party Inquiry: Deny, Divert, Cover Up (Douglas Murray, Gatestone Institute)

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8153/labour-party-inquiry

UK's Co-operative Group - Boycotting Israeli Produce (Myra Carr, Gatestone Institute)

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8154/co-operative-group-israel-boycott

Germany's New "Integration Law" (Soeren Kern, Gatestone Institute)

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8145/germany-integration-law

Obama Names Official Linked to MB as Gov't Liaison to Muslims (The Clarion Project)

Zaki Barzinji worked for ISNA, an org. named as a Muslim Brotherhood entity by the Jsutuce Dept.His grandfather was a MB terror suspect

http://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/obama-names-official-linked-mb-govt-liaison-muslims

UK Launches Government Review Of Sharia Councils (The Clarion Project)

Leading women's rights campaigner Baroness Caroline Cox expressed concern the review would not be robust enough or help women swiftly

http://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/uk-launches-government-review-sharia-councils

5 Ways the Iranian Regime Is Crushing Dissent (The Clarion Project)

From lashing revelers at a graduation party to electing the most radical cleric to head the all-important Assembly of Experts

http://www.clarionproject.org/news/5-ways-iranian-regime-crushing-dissent

CAIR Official Stands By Memorial Day Criticism of US Troops (The Clarion Project)

For the third year in a row, the executive director of CAIR's San Francisco Bay Area chapter, Zahra Billoo, bashed the U.S. military on Memorial Day

http://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/cair-official-stands-memorial-day-criticism-us-troops

Argentina’s Eternal Debt Problem (Carmen Reinhart, Project-Syndicate)

Argentina recently emerged from nearly 15 years of the most litigious sovereign default in modern times, if not ever. Now it has the opportunity to reenter the global financial system and build a more stable and prosperous future. It is a chance that the country must be careful not to squander

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/argentina-debt-crisis-resolved-by-carmen-reinhart-2016-05

How Asians might lose their jobs (and find new ones) (Saadia Zahidi, WEF)

Indonesian youths fill up job application forms on laptops during the Career & Higher Education Fair in Jakarta, April 10, 2015.

The office of Kudo, with its millennial workforce, ping-pong table, open-plan seating and inspirational quotes on multicolour walls, could easily be located somewhere in Silicon Valley. Instead it is in Jakarta, Indonesia

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/jobs-and-careers-in-indonesia-asean

Will Electric Cars Destabilize the World? (David Koranyi, The National Interest)



After a deep dive, oil prices are slowly crawling back up on the back of resurging demand from China and India in particular, as well as looming supply shortages from Nigeria to Venezuela. Yet oil markets are in for a rough ride, as uncertainties mount regarding oil’s continued predominance as transportation fuel in the coming decades. An accelerated adoption of electric vehicles would hasten the end of the oil era, and could cause significant geopolitical turbulence as producer countries heavily reliant on oil revenues will struggle to diversify their economies. We are already witnessing the destabilizing effects of low oil prices in the Middle East, while Russia’s aggressive behavior can also be partially explained by its domestic economic woes

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/will-electric-cars-destabilize-the-world-16387

The Folly of Lobbying to Carve Up Iraq (Luay al-Khatteeb, The National Interest)



“It was the Kurds,” wrote Thomas Friedman in 2014, “who used the window of freedom we opened for them to overcome internal divisions, start to reform their once Sopranos-like politics and create a vibrant economy that is now throwing up skyscrapers and colleges.”

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-folly-lobbying-carve-iraq-16385

5 Reasons Trump Is Dominating American Politics (Robert W. Merry, The National Interest)

One remarkable element of American politics is the extent to which unthinkable developments become commonplace once they happen. Consider simply the men who have become president by defying the conventional wisdom that said they could never reach that office, because they weren’t right for the times and the times weren’t right for them. They include Abraham Lincoln, considered a western bumpkin with only a single congressional term under his belt and no discernible sophistication about him. Or Ronald Reagan, considered a failed actor, a man whose detractors felt he was simply too dumb to be president. And let’s not forget Barack Obama, clearly an accomplished and polished politician whose race, it was believed by many, would constitute a barrier because the country wasn’t yet ready for a black president. But when these men actually reached the White House it seemed entirely natural. The country casually absorbed the reality of something that previously had seemed impossible

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/5-reasons-trump-dominating-american-politics-16384

Maghamsi and the new jurisprudential speech (Turki Al-Dakhil, Al Arabiya)

Many have predicted that Saudi Sheikh Saleh al-Maghamsi will play a distinctive role in the field of Islamic jurisprudence. He studied for years at the Prophet’s Mosque, where he learnt about Mohammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti, Abi Bakr al-Jazairi and Attia Salem

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2016/05/30/Maghamsi-and-the-new-jurisprudential-speech.html

Modest objectives of the Gulf-Russia dialogue (Raghida Dergham, Al Arabiya)

The objectives of the strategic dialogue between Russia and the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are not complicated, but fulfilling them requires the Gulf states to take clear decisions on several issues. This week in Moscow, a new round of the strategic dialogue was held under Saudi’s rotating presidency, amid radical differences over Syria as both sides themselves admit

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2016/05/30/Modest-objectives-of-the-Gulf-Russia-dialogue.html

The most agonizing wait in US history (Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Al Arabiya)

The 20th of January 2017 will witness the birth of the most influential person on earth, an individual chosen by American voters to be their new President, Commander-in-Chief and Leader of the Free World. The air is filled with excitement but also with dread in equal measure

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2016/05/30/The-most-agonizing-wait-in-US-history.html

An Introduction to Trumpology (Hamid Dabashi, Al Jazeera)

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump [Reuters]

A couple of weeks ago while visiting a local bookstore on Columbia University campus in New York I ran into a book on the front counter of the otherwise perfectly respectable establishment with a strange title: Assholes: A Theory of Donald Trump (2016)

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/introduction-trumpology-160529081538213.html

What's behind Turkey's bill of immunity (Ahmed al-Burai, Al Jazeera)

The new leader of the AKP, Binali Yildirim [centre] poses with MPs as he casts his vote during a debate to lift the immunity of Turkish parliamentarians [Reuters]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly been calling for the prosecution of the mainly Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) members of the parliament, accusing them of acting as a political wing of the outlawed terrorist organisation, Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/turkey-bill-immunity-160529083635081.html

The lost generation: Children in conflict zones (Adel Abdel Ghafar, Fraus Masri, Al Jazeera)

Increased funding could build temporary schools, revitalise the curriculum, and train more teachers to handle the influx of children, write Ghafar and Masri [Reuters]

A catastrophic by-product of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East is a lost generation of unschooled children. These children find themselves, through no fault of their own, not only displaced but lacking the opportunity for proper schooling and thus, denied a chance to learn and develop the necessary skills to become fully functional members of society. This lost generation is the tragedy of our time

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/lost-generation-children-conflict-zones-160523131951007.html

The US election is about the past (Mark Perry, Al Jazeera)

Oddly, the only other candidate who has stood with Trump on the Iraq War is Bernie Sanders, who has attacked Hillary Clinton for supporting Bush's intervention, writes Perry [AP]

The first evidence that something was amiss in the American electorate came last February 20, when Donald Trump won the South Carolina primary. You don't need to be steeped in the minutiae of United States politics to work out why that happened - all you have to do is clear out all Trump's talk about walls and borders and focus on the US' intervention in Iraq

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/election-160526102649958.html

Off-the-shelf opportunism (Andrew Davies, ASPI The Strategist)

SR

While researching a recent post, I went to the Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) website, looking for notifications of sales to Australia on its Major Arms Sales page. I didn’t find what I was looking for (a story for another day), but I did find a couple of other interesting items that have been otherwise unremarked upon

http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/off-shelf-opportunism/

Australia in the South China Sea: time to act, not react (Tom Hanson, ASPI The Strategist)



The rapidly changing strategic landscape in the South China Sea threatens to marginalise Australia unless the government takes positive action now to remain a relevant and influential player in the region’s strategic calculus

Agenda for Change 2016: border security and law enforcement (John Coyne, David Connery, ASPI The Strategist)

Image courtesy of Flickr user U.S. Pacific Fleet

Australia’s law enforcement and border security operating environment is becoming increasingly complex and is evolving rapidly. For the strategic leaders of Australia’s law enforcement and border security agencies, uncertainty in the current operating environment is matched by pervasive policy and funding uncertainties

http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/touchstone-border-security-law-enforcement/


World Humanitarian Summit: Meeting Expectations or Falling Short? (Alistair D. B. Cook, RSIS)

The World Humanitarian Summit held in Istanbul, Turkey on 23 and 24 May 2016 saw 9,000 delegates from governments, United Nations agencies and civil society come together to address a ‘broken humanitarian system’. Did it achieve what it set out to do?

http://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/nts/co16129-world-humanitarian-summit-meeting-expectations-or-falling-short/#.V0vi3zWLTIU

Japan’s Disappointing Entrée into the Global Arms Market (Richard A. Bitzinger, RSIS)

Japan’s failure to win the Australian submarine contract highlights the challenges of entering the global arms market. Japan may secure export sales in the future, but it will likely have to start small and be realistic

http://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/rsis/co16128-japans-disappointing-entree-into-the-global-arms-market/#.V0vh5zWLTIU

Agriculture and ASEAN Economies: Still Key for Growth (Paul Teng, Andrew McConville, RSIS)

Despite its declining contribution to the GDP of ASEAN economies, agriculture remains a major source of employment for rural populations and provides much value add for agrifood industries. The ASEAN region needs to tap more public-private synergies so that agriculture’s contribution to economic growth is fully utilized

http://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/nts/co16127-agriculture-and-asean-economies-still-key-for-growth/#.V0vgXDWLTIU

RSIS Distinguished Public Lecture by Mr Shaarik H. Zafar, Special Representative to Muslim Communities, Department of State, United States of America (RSIS)

America’s economic and strategic opportunities are among the most compelling in the Asia-Pacific. The U.S. rebalance to Asia is focused on deepening strategic, economic, and diplomatic ties with the region commensurate with its importance, as the region is home to four of the U.S.’s top ten trading partners, five of the U.S.’s seven treaty alliances, and the world’s largest and fastest growing economies—including 40 percent of overall global growth and nearly two-thirds of the global middle class. Among the challenges present in the region, countering violent extremism has certainly captured the world’s attention in the past two years, a phenomenon recently associated with the establishment of a so-called Caliphate by the Islamic State group. Home to sizeable Muslim communities and encompassing a wide variety of Islamic practices and traditions, countries in Asia find themselves challenged by fractionalization of Islamist political outfits, growing rates of Islamophobia and youth radicalization.

In light of this, the region struggles to address some of its political limitations, such as the mischievous exploitation of race and religion for electoral and political purposes, the failure to focus on sustainable development and education, and the failure to craft policies aimed at enhancing multiculturalism. In this seminar, the speaker will explain how the USA engages Muslim communities in Asia, to address the challenges posed by violent extremism, to enhance its relations with the Muslim communities and to find innovative solutions to the common challenges faced by the US and Muslim communities in Asia

http://www.rsis.edu.sg/event/rsis-distinguished-public-lecture-by-mr-shaarik-h-zafar-special-representative-to-muslim-communities-department-of-state-united-states-of-america/#.V0ve2DWLTIU

Strike one for trade agreements in Northeast Asia (Editors, East Asia Forum)

South Korean President Park Geun-hye walks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to hold a trilateral summit at the presidential house in Seoul, South Korea, 1 November 2015. (Photo: AAP).

Northeast Asia is a geo-politically complicated region. The two Asian giants Japan and China have at best a difficult political relationship. South Korea has unresolved history issues with Japan. The cross-Strait relationship between Taiwan and China appears to be improving but will always have to be treated with care. North Korea’s isolation and unpredictability hang over the region like a dark cloud

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/05/30/strike-one-for-trade-agreements-in-northeast-asia/

South Korea–China FTA falls short on reform (Jeffrey J. Schott, Euijin Jung, East Asia Forum)

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang shake hands ahead of their talks at the presidential office in Seoul, 31 October 2015. (Photo: AAP).

The South Korea–China Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which entered into effect in December 2015, has proved disappointing. The pact excludes too much economic activity and does too little to propel growth in both countries. As a result, South Korea and China have missed an opportunity to set a new precedent for East Asian economic integration

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/05/29/south-korea-china-fta-falls-short-on-reform/

Sunday 29 May 2016

How Bad Is Trump’s Brand of Authoritarianism? (Christopher A. Preble, The National Interest)



Oftentimes, American foreign policy elites see public sentiment as irrelevant, because it can be shaped, stretched and molded like silly putty in the hands of an effective leader

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-skeptics/how-bad-trumps-brand-authoritarianism-16386

How the Next President Can Uproot Terrorism (Stuart Gottlieb, The National Interest)



Up until now, America’s 2016 presidential campaign season has been dominated by wrangling over Wall Street speaking fees on the Democratic side, and the Donald Trump show on the Republican side. But there is one inescapable reality that the eventual winner will need to confront: he or she will inherit the most acute global terrorism challenge since September 11, 2001

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-the-next-president-can-uproot-terrorism-16379

Could Russia's Cold War Super-Jet Last 100 Years? (Robert Farley, The National Interest)



Military aircraft can have notoriously short lifespans, especially during periods of technological ferment. The most elite aircraft of World War I could become obsolete in a matter of months. Things weren’t much different in World War II. And at the dawn of the jet age, entire fleets of aircraft became passé as technologies matured. The advanced fighters that fought in the skies over Korea became junk just a few years later

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/could-russias-cold-war-super-jet-last-100-years-16378

Hologram for a King might trigger US soul-searching (Rachel Shabi, Al Jazeera)

The UK premiere of A Hologram For The King at British Film Institute, on the Southbank, in London [Getty]

That it is irritating is a given: It is, after all, a Hollywood film. So yes, if you're watching the new Tom Hanks movie, A Hologram for the King, set in Saudi Arabia, you're going to be gritting your teeth at quite a bit of sappiness - and also, at the general condescension to a viewer's intelligence in its delivery of plot or character development

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/hologram-king-trigger-soul-searching-160526075531209.html

The Trans-Pacific Partnership as a set of international economic rules (Tsuyoshi Kawase, The E15 Initiative)

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement was finally signed in February 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand. The negotiations involved only 12 countries, but had to go through many twists and turns because of a crisscross of confrontational relationships — large advanced economies versus emerging economies; exporters (“Cairns group”) versus importers (“G-10”) in agricultural trade; and market economy countries versus state capitalist countries. Despite such difficulties, at a time with no evident signs of hope for the Doha Round of negotiations under the World Trade Organization (WTO), the successful conclusion of the TPP negotiation, an ambitious trade liberalisation initiative, is surely an event worthy of celebration

http://e15initiative.org/blogs/trans-pacific-partnership-as-a-set-of-international-economic-rules/

A new global food system for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (Shenggen Fan, The E15 Initiative)

The Sustainable Development Goals are charting a path towards meeting current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Over half of the SDGs relate to global food security and nutrition, including the goals that relate to poverty, gender equality, water and sanitation, responsible production and consumption, and climate change

http://e15initiative.org/blogs/new-global-food-system-achieving-sustainable-development-goals/

The Internet and international data flows in the global economy (Joshua Paul Meltzer, The E15 Initiative)

Data flows underpin how the global economy works. Trade, supply chains and business operations are all enabled by the ability to move data globally. Data flows rely on the global Internet, but are not limited to it since data also flows over the industrial Internet and along internal networks within companies. When downloading software or music or when consuming services online, data itself can be a form of trade. But data can also enable trade, since data flows are needed to use Skype or access email

http://e15initiative.org/blogs/the-internet-and-international-data-flows-in-the-global-economy/

Saturday 28 May 2016

The WTO Appellate Body at 30: Exploring the Limits of WTO Dispute Settlement in the Next Decade (Alan Wolff, E15 Initiative)

This paper explores how far the WTO dispute settlement can take the organization as it faces the third decade since its establishment in 1995. As the capacity of the WTO to resolve trade problems is increasingly reliant on dispute settlement, since the negotiating function of the WTO continues to experience a member-induced coma, the author seeks to determine to what extent the void can successfully be filled by the current Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) and whether there might be room for innovation. The paper conducts a thought experiment to delve into what types of matters the WTO dispute settlement might deal with over the next ten years, in a rapidly evolving global trade environment, and evaluates how well equipped the Appellate Body (AB) is to address them alongside regional and plurilateral trade agreements

http://e15initiative.org/publications/the-wto-appellate-body-at-30-exploring-the-limits-of-wto-dispute-settlement-in-the-next-decade/

Russia's emerging naval presence in the Mediterranean (Luke Coffey, Al Jazeera)

A Russian sailor stands guard on the deck of a Russian nuclear-powered missile cruiser docked in the Cypriot port of Limassol [AFP]

The centenary of the Sykes-Picot Agreement this month has focused attention on the division of the Middle East into French and British zones of influence after World War I

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/russia-emerging-naval-presence-mediterranean-160526074150359.html

Memorial Day Weekend Reading (Steven A. Cook, CFR)

Almost three thousand American soldiers—of whom 287 remain unknown—are buried just outside of Tunis (Photo by Steven A. Cook).

In the national collective memory of World War II, the North African campaign is often forgotten. Almost three thousand Americans were killed there in battles that took place between 1941 and 1945. Some of the earliest direct engagements of the war between U.S. and German forces took place in Tunisia, between the cities of Sidi Bouzid and Kasserine. There is no better book about this period than Rick Atkinson’s An Army At Dawn. Enjoy

http://blogs.cfr.org/cook/2016/05/27/memorial-day-weekend-reading/

Campaign 2016 Friday Foreign Policy Roundup: Donald Trump Talks Energy (James M. Lindsay, CFR)

Donald Trump addresses supporters in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Donald Trump laid out his “America First Energy Plan” yesterdayat the annual Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck, North Dakota. As with his America First foreign policy address last month, Trump made big promises and got a lot of facts wrong

http://blogs.cfr.org/lindsay/2016/05/27/campaign-2016-friday-foreign-policy-roundup-donald-trump-talks-energy/

The Violent Extremism that Dare Not Speak Its Name (Elliott Abrams, CFR)

The Department of State and USAID have just issued a report entitled the “Joint Strategy on Countering Violent Extremism.”

http://blogs.cfr.org/abrams/2016/05/27/the-violent-extremism-that-dare-not-speak-its-name/

Cyber Week in Review: May 27, 2016 (Adam Segal, CFR)

CFR Cyber Net Politics G7

http://blogs.cfr.org/cyber/2016/05/27/cyber-week-in-review-may-27-2016/

This Week in Markets and Democracy: Deadly Kenyan Protests, Vietnam’s Labor Rights, Still No Haiti Election (CFR)

A riot policeman fires a teargas canister to disperse supporters of Kenya's opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) during a protest at the premises hosting the headquarters of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to demand the disbandment of the electoral body ahead of next year's election in Nairobi, Kenya, May 23, 2016 (Reuters/Thomas Mukoya).

http://blogs.cfr.org/development-channel/2016/05/27/this-week-in-markets-and-democracy-deadly-kenyan-protests-vietnams-labor-rights-still-no-haiti-election/

Friday Asia Update: Five Stories From the Week of May 27, 2016 (CFR)

Obama-Vietnam-speech

http://blogs.cfr.org/asia/2016/05/27/friday-asia-update-five-stories-from-the-week-of-may-27-2016/

WHO’s Fairy Dust Financing (Laurie Garrett, CFR)

With the world now facing epidemics of yellow fever and Zika virus, both of this week’s high-powered gatherings of the G-7 leaders in Ise-Shima, Japan, and the annual World Health Assembly in Geneva had outbreak control placed high on their agendas. But it will take a lot more than minor reorganization and promises of cash to bring the World Health Organization (WHO) and its 194 member nations up to readiness status for these and future epidemics. That kind of preparedness begins with leadership and mutual trust between the institutions of public health, political leaders, and the populations they are supposed to serve. This is a feat that WHO has not, by any measure, accomplished

http://www.cfr.org/international-organizations-and-alliances/s-fairy-dust-financing/p37913

'The Pragmatic Superpower: Winning the Cold War in the Middle East' (CFR)

Ray Takeyh and Steven Simon discuss The Pragmatic Superpower, their new book that reframes the legacy of U.S. involvement in the Arab world from 1945 to 1991 and sheds new light on the makings of the contemporary Middle East

http://www.cfr.org/middle-east-and-north-africa/-pragmatic-superpower-winning-cold-war-middle-east/p37878

U.S. Relations With India (Alyssa Ayres,CFR)



In testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on May 24, 2016, Alyssa Ayres discussed areas of progress and the importance of managing expectations in U.S.-India relations. Drawing on recommendations made by the 2015 CFR Independent Task Force on U.S.-India Relations, Ayres recommended reframing the bilateral relationship as a joint venture instead of as a not-quite alliance, arguing that such a shift would allow for increased cooperation in areas of convergence without letting differences undermine progress

http://www.cfr.org/india/us-relations-india/p37905