International

Brazil: Tumultuous Politics

THE entire political class in Brazil, cutting across the ideological divide, seem to be living on a knives edge. An activist section of the Brazilian judiciary has been energised since the ouster of President Dilma Roussef last year. There were no specific corruption charges against Dilma Roussef. The accusations against her were that she lied about the size of the government deficit and that she borrowed from a state owned bank to cover up the budgetary deficit.

North Korea’s ICBM Test

THE two successful test firings of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile  (ICBM) by North Korea on July 4 has added a new dimension to the crisis in the Korean peninsula. President Donald Trump had pledged after taking over that he would not allow Pyongyang to gatecrash into the elite club of nations possessing this kind of missile technology under his watch. “It won't happen”, Trump had tweeted in January.

ILC Holds its 106th Session in Geneva

THE 106th International Labour Conference was held on June 5-16, at Geneva. The governing body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) after several rounds of meetings held throughout the year finalised four topics for discussion and adopting resolutions. They were- i) labour migration; ii) employment and decent work for peace and resilience; iii) recurrent discussion on the strategic objective of fundamental principles and rights at work; iv) abrogation of certain old conventions.

Iranian Elections: ‘Democracy’ Within the Framework of Theocracy

THE presidential elections in Iran on May 19 saw the re-election of President Hassan Rouhani for a second term of office. As was widely expected by most Iranian observers, this was the most convenient outcome for the theocratic regime in Tehran. The election, from the opening of nominations, the vetting of candidates, the televised debates, during a three-week-long campaign, followed the normal practice of a carefully state-managed show.

Fourteenth Congress of the SACP Held Successfully

THE 14th Congress of the South African Communist Party (SACP) held in Birchwood Conference Centre, Ekurhuleni, near Pretoria from July 10-15, 2017 was a resounding success.  The key slogan was: `Defend, Advance, Deepen the National Democratic Revolution and the Vanguard Role of the SACP’.  The key task focused by the party was to anchor its medium term strategic outlook around driving a second and more radical phase of the transition in the country with the demonopolisation of the economy of South Africa. 

New War Clouds over Syria

WITH the Daesh (Islamic State) in retreat and the Syrian army and allied militias advancing all over Syria to recapture national territory, the Americans and their proxy forces have also started redoubling their efforts to foil Syrian reunification. The Syrian army, supported by the Russian air force is advancing towards Raqqa, the “capital” of the self proclaimed Islamic State. Mosul has been declared a liberated city in the second week of July by the Iraqi prime minister, Haider al Abadi. The city has been reduced to rubble with thousands killed and tens of thousands more made homeless.

India Joins the SCO: Next Step OBOR!

INDIA and Pakistan formally became the latest members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at the latest summit of the grouping held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, in the second week of June. The two countries had enjoyed observer status in the organisation for many years and have now been elevated to full membership. Iran is the next country that is expected to join the grouping in the near future. The original members of the grouping initially known as the Shanghai Five that was established in 1995 were Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

On President Rouhani’s Second Term

THE emphatic electoral victory registered by the incumbent president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani in the third week of May is proof that the vast majority of the Iranian people still repose great deal of trust in him and his reformist policies. The voter turnout was exceptionally heavy with young voters coming out in larger numbers than before. Rouhani won 57 per cent of the votes. More than 70 per cent of Iran's 56 million voters cast their ballots despite calls from opposition groups based in western capitals for a boycott of the polls.

Qatar Crisis

THE attempt by Saudi Arabia and its allies in the region to isolate and undermine the Emirate of Qatar, seems to be failing. The American military establishment, despite President Donald Trump's repeated tweets supporting the Saudi position, seems to have decided against regime change in the Emirate. The evidence of this is the signing of a $12 billion deal by the Americans to sell 36 F-15 fighter jets to Qatar. Even within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Oman and Kuwait are not supporting the Saudi move for regime change in Qatar.

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