The Week in Review
Middle East
Iran is expanding its ties in Latin America, a top U.S. military official said April 5 as he described developments the United States is watching with concern. Gen. Douglas Fraser, the U.S. Southern Command head, said Iran has almost doubled the number of embassies it has in Latin America, from six in 2005 to ten in 2010. Tehran is also building cultural centers in 17 countries in the region, he said. Last year, Tehran hosted heads of state from three of the region’s nations: Bolivia, Guyana and Venezuela. Iran’s strengthening ties with Latin American countries are being built on a staunch anti-American footing as these nations angle to bring the U.S. down.
The Egyptian government has halted construction of an underground security fence between its border and the Gaza Strip. Initiated by the Mubarak government two years ago, the barrier was designed to stop the flow of arms to Hamas from Egyptian soil through the hundreds of smuggling tunnels connecting the two regions. The construction reflected Egypt’s desire to do its part in diminishing the terrorist capabilities of Hamas. As the world anxiously wonders whether post-Mubarak Egypt is going to keep its peace pact with the Israelis, this construction freeze is an early indication that it will not.
The Israel Defense Forces reported Monday that 3,656 humanitarian supply trucks entered the Gaza Strip last month, despite the escalation of rockets being fired from Gaza. During March, terrorists in Gaza launched more than 90 rockets and mortar shells aimed at Israeli civilians. Israel also allowed an additional 1,100 trucks into Gaza carrying building supplies for construction projects.
Europe
France’s ban on Islamic face veils came into force on April 11. The law makes it illegal to cover the face in public, meaning that the niqab and burka, face coverings worn by an estimated 2,000 women in France, are both banned. Those who flout the ban could be fined €150 (us$215) or be forced to take citizenship classes. Harsher penalties apply for those who force others to wear veils—up to a year in prison and a €30,000 fine (us$43,000), or twice that for forcing a minor to wear a veil. France is the first EU nation to ban veils nationwide, but others are planning to follow suit. Last year, Belgium’s lower house of parliament passed a similar ban, but it still needs to be approved by the senate. Dutch politician Geert Wilders is pushing for a burka ban in the Netherlands, and hopes one will be passed into law this year. Several towns and cities in Spain, including Barcelona, have banned the full face veil in some public places. Watch for Europe to continue to push back against Islam.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble admitted for the first time on April 13 that Greece may have to restructure its debt. “Additional steps” must be taken if the European Central Bank and European Commission show it is unsustainable, he said. Schäuble is the first senior eurozone figure to admit this may be the case; others have maintained that Greece will be fine, out of fear of making Europe’s financial crisis worse. Europe’s bailout did not solve Greece’s problem, and Athens may still be forced to quit the euro or default on its debt. Greece’s credit rating is little better than it was a year ago. Spiegel Online reports, “Players on the financial markets simply don’t believe that Greece will be able to stand on its own two feet anytime soon.” With a Portugal bailout in the works, Europe still faces many more potential crises.
Germany offered to deploy ground troops in Libya to bring humanitarian aid to rebel-controlled parts of the country this week. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on April 7 that Germany would join an EU humanitarian mission if such a mission is launched. “In the last cabinet meeting [on Wednesday] the basic readiness was expressed … that if a request were made to the EU, Germany would live up to its responsibilities,” government spokesman Steffen Seibert said the next day. Westerwelle repeated his offer of ground troops on April 13. As the Economist asked, “So are we about to see the return of German troops to North Africa for the first time since the defeat of Erwin Rommel’s Afrikakorps in the Second World War? Maybe.”
Asia
In a landmark development, China and India determined on Wednesday to restore full defense cooperation between the two massive countries whose combined population is 2.5 billion. A high-level delegation of Indian military officials will travel to China in June, a visit Beijing had declined to host on India’s terms up until now. The deal emerged after Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Sanya, China, on the sidelines of the brics summit currently under way there. The agreement marks an end to the freeze on high-level defense deals between Delhi and Beijing that began in July 2010, when China refused to issue a proper visa to India’s Northern Army commander. During the 50-minute meeting, Hu and Singh also agreed to continue high-level talks regarding economic cooperation in order to achieve what Hu called a “win-win result.” China is already India’s largest trade partner, with bilateral trade in 2010 totaling more than $60 billion, and both sides are aiming to boost that figure to $100 billion’ worth of bilateral trade by 2015.
The Wall Street Journal wrote on Thursday that “the heroic and indispensable actions of Self-Defense Forces (Japan’s military) in the wake of the March 11 earthquake may have changed Japan’s relations with its military forever.” Since the end of World War ii, Japan has struggled over the legitimacy of its armed forces, and, for more than five decades, constitutional restrictions on Japan’s military have marginalized the nation’s role in global affairs. Attempts at expanding that role have always met resistance from the Japanese public, which is suspicious of moves toward militarism because of Japan’s actions in that war. But the Japanese military’s rescue missions in response to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami are causing the Japanese public to develop a newfound acceptance of the country’s armed forces. Over 100,000 troops, 40 percent of Japan’s military, were deployed in the aftermath of the disaster to work alongside U.S. forces in stabilization efforts. The wsj said the Japanese public’s shifting attitude could change “how Tokyo chooses to normalize the role of the military in protecting Japan’s interests abroad.”
A special report published by Reuters on Thursday says that, in this era of increasing cyberspying between China and the U.S., many experts believe Beijing has gained the upper hand. “[A] series of secret diplomatic cables as well as interviews with experts suggest that when it comes to cyber-espionage, China has leaped ahead of the United States,” the report says. U.S. investigators say China has already stolen terabytes of top-secret American data, including passwords and usernames for State Department computers and blueprints for multibillion-dollar weapons. And cyberattacks from China are on the rise. “The attacks coming out of China are not only continuing, they are accelerating,” said Alan Paller, research director at a Washington d.c.-based information-security training group. In the light of such reports, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that China’s rise bodes poorly for the West.
Latin America/Africa
German companies should invest more in Colombia, President Juan Manuel Santos said after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel on April 13. “There are big opportunities in Colombia thanks to the programs we have begun,” he said. He spoke on the same day trade officials formalized a trade deal between the EU and Colombia. Merkel stated, “The agreement ought to be able to go into force in 2012 at the latest.” Germany and Colombia also both hold rotating seats on the UN Security Council. “We have agreed we will cooperate very closely with one another on the matter of reforming the Security Council,” said Merkel. Spain also promised to invest in Colombia. “We have special interest in the development plan for Colombia from 2011 to 2014, with an expected investment of $300 billion, and we want to be involved,” said the president of Spanish business group ceoe, Juan Rosell, local media reported on April 12. The day before, several Spanish members of the European Parliament expressed their support for the free-trade agreement between the EU and Colombia. Earlier, Santos said he was “desperately seeking Spanish investment.” He also stated: “Colombia needs Spanish technology, its investment and important works, and you require, with the difficulties that Spain and Europe are suffering, business opportunities.” Colombia is clearly turning to Europe to help develop its economy. Watch for Europe to continue to build strong economic and political links with Latin America.
Ivory Coast’s former president, Laurent Gbagbo, was arrested by opposition forces April 11, ending the fighting in the nation. Gbagbo narrowly lost a contested election to Alassane Ouattara four months ago. Ivory Coast’s constitutional court ruled that Gbago won 51 percent of the votes, and Ouattara 49 percent. However, the Independent Electoral Commission says that Ouattara won. Gbagbo refused to step down, and so Ouattara, backed mainly by French forces, removed Gbagbo by force. This fighting in Ivory Coast, as well as fighting in Libya, shows Europe’s growing will to get involved in foreign conflicts.
Anglo-America
Judges at the European Court of Human Rights (echr) ruled that Britain must reverse its 140-year-old ban on prisoners voting, on April 12, in a blatant attempt to overrule Britain’s Parliament. The court gave Britain six months to change its laws. This comes two months after Britain’s Parliament voted by 234 votes to 22 to keep the ban. The showdown with echr “judges” (no actual experience judging is required to become a echr judge) is causing the British public to rally in support of their Parliament against any organization that challenges its sovereignty, whether it be the echr or the European Union. Watch for Britain to grow more assertive in maintaining its own sovereignty, even if the government caves in on this issue.
After capturing 17 Somali pirates in February, the Royal Navy frigate hms Cornwall simply fed and then released them, journalist Tom Mangold said on bcc Radio 4 on April 12. “They were given a nice cup of tea,” he said. “Their cigarettes were taken away. They were only allowed one cigarette a day and one guy who suffered from nicotine withdrawal was given a nicotine patch. And they were taken together with their skiff and taken back to homeland Somalia and put on the beach and let go.” The pirates were caught aboard a hijacked boat they used as a mother ship with nine ak47s and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. “The Brits do not want Somali pirates on trial in London,” said Mangold. “I don’t know why. I suspect they’re slightly worried that if the pirates are found not guilty they’ll claim asylum.” Commenting on this debacle for the Telegraph, Con Coughlin observed, “In Nelson’s time the Royal Navy made its name by striking fear into the hearts of Britain’s enemies through its daring and ruthlessness. Now we find that our Senior Service is more committed to observing the strictures of human rights and health and safety legislation than the defense of the realm” (April 12). No wonder the Royal Navy has lost its effectiveness.
American inflation was at 9.6 percent in February, if measured using 1980s reporting standards, the Shadow Government Statistics newsletter said this week. Since the 1980s, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has changed the way it calculates the inflation index. A high inflation rate means that the U.S. dollar, and hence America’s savings accounts, lose value.
