Feed aggregator

Il avait fallu la requête de la chancelière Angela Merkel, en visite en Russie début mai, pour que Vladimir Poutine daigne évoquer le problème tchétchène à demi-mot : la République du dirigeant Ramzan Kadyrov mènerait une véritable chasse aux homosexuels, de la torture jusqu'à la prison et même la mort. La position du gouvernement russe reste plus qu'ambiguë à ce sujet.

Die beabsichtigte „Entfesselung“ der Öl- und Gasbranche in den USA soll nach Ansicht des neuen US-Präsidenten Donald Trump vor allem über die Deregulierung bestehender Umwelt- und Klimaauflagen ausgelöst werden. Dessen ungeachtet ist jedoch damit zu rechnen, dass die USA ihre internationalen Klimaverpflichtungen verringern werden. Lateinamerika, das auf eine enge energie- und klimapolitische Zusammenarbeit mit den USA zurückblicken kann, befürchtet deshalb unruhige Zeiten.

In Morocco it is still the king who defines the boundaries of political discourse and action. The palace is increasingly placing obstacles in the path of its strongest adversary, the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD). This was seen most recently in the difficult and protracted coalition negotiations following the October 2016 parliamentary elections. At the same time, pressure on civil society critics is steadily intensifying. The inherent promise of political reform in Morocco’s comparatively inclusive model is increasingly eroding and gradually substituted with the promise of economic modernisation, potentially undermining the very bases of the kingdoms domestic stability. It is thus also in Europe’s interests for Morocco to uphold the progress it has achieved through the political reforms of recent decades.

 

 

Dieses Jahr will die Bundesregierung die Kooperation mit Afrika nachhaltig ausbauen. Ein Fokus liegt auf Ländern, die bereit sind zu echten Reformen.

Die Wahl Donald J. Trumps zum Präsidenten der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika hat die internationale Politik in Aufruhr versetzt. Was bedeutet die Wahl für die deutsch-amerikanischen Beziehungen? Der Arbeitskreis Junge Außenpolitiker der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung macht in drei zusammenhängenden Papieren Vorschläge, wie die deutsche Politik agieren sollte. In diesem zweiten Papier geht es um die Weiterentwicklung multilateraler Zusammenarbeit anhand der Beispiele Gesundheit, Klima und VN-Reform.

(B2) Le cru 2017 de la rotation des ambassadeurs de l'UE s'avère riche. Environ 40 personnes y figurent déjà. Quelques remarques : on trouve dans cette promotion beaucoup d'Italiens (10 selon notre comptage) comme d'Espagnols (5), nommés ou promus. A eux deux, ils fournissent plus d'un tiers de l'effectif. Une tendance déjà perçue dans le […]

During his first working visit to Mali, United Nations peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix met today in the capital, Bamako, with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and other senior Malian officials, whom he thanked for their constructive and sustained cooperation with the UN integrated mission in the country, known by the French acronym, MINUSMA.

During his first working visit to Mali, United Nations peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix met today in the capital, Bamako, with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and other senior Malian officials, whom he thanked for their constructive and sustained cooperation with the UN integrated mission in the country, known by the French acronym, MINUSMA.

La restructuration de l'armée sud-soudanaise annoncée par le président Salva Kiir a donné lieu mardi à un gros cafouillage, le gouvernement étant revenu sur sa décision d'en changer

read more

La nouvelle flambée de violences en Centrafrique a fait au moins 26 morts à Bangassou (sud-est), en plus des six Casques bleus tués la semain

read more

By Alireza Jafarzadeh

Last Monday, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani rallied his supporters in the northwestern city of Hamedan, where he decried the “violence and extremism” of his hardline opponents ahead of the national elections that are scheduled for May 19th.

In its reporting on the event, the AFP explained that Rouhani has “pushed his liberal credentials” since coming under coordinated attack from hardliners, who emphasize his failure to turn the Iranian economy around after helping to secure relief from international sanctions under the 2015 agreement over the country’s nuclear program.

But this sort of appeal to the progressive attitudes of the young Iranian population is meaningless in light of the previous four years, during which Rouhani presided over a breathtaking orgy of government violence and persecution that earned the condemnation of human rights advocates worldwide, and the dubious distinction of being named the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism.

It bears noting that the Iranian president holds little real authority, since the supreme leader remains the final authority on all matters of state while all legislation is vetted for conformity with the regime’s fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic law. But Rouhani has not even demonstrated the intention to counter existing hardline policies or to otherwise live up to his liberal-sounding campaign promises.

His administration’s Intelligence Ministry has contributed to the ongoing crackdown against activists, journalists, and supposedly pro-Western or secular social trends. And the administration’s Justice Ministry is headed by a man who is well known for serving as one of the judges that condemned 30,000 political prisoners to death in the summer of 1988.

Rouhani’s leading opponent in the current presidential campaign is the mid-level cleric Ibrahim Raisi and it is notable that he also played a leading role in the implementation of the fatwa that led to that massacre. It is little wonder, then, that the main target of that massacre, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, has been organizing a boycott of the election to call attention to the fact that there are no seriously different options to choose between in this or any other Iranian election.

Unfortunately, a surprising number of Western policymakers were eager to embrace Rouhani as a potential source of moderation within the theocratic regime. It is time to change all of that.

The past four years have repeatedly proven the naivety of this position, which led to the nuclear agreement and a slate of associated concessions to the Islamic Republic. Global security and the stability of the Middle East have suffered as a result, as have the Iranian people, who are suffering under the present crackdown being carried out by regime institutions that have gained wealth and influence in the wake of sanctions relief.

Fortunately, the change of leadership in the United States has improved the prospects for a proper response to the forthcoming Iranian election. The administration of President Donald Trump was quick to put Tehran on notice over its illicit tests of ballistic missiles, its destabilizing interference in the affairs of its neighbors, and its provocative gestures toward US naval vessels passing through Middle Eastern waterways.

Since then, US officials have not shied away from calling out Iran’s bad behavior, such as last month when UN Ambassador Nikki Haley appealed to the Security Council to make Iran’s sponsorship of Hezbollah a leading priority in Middle East policy.

Neither Mr. Trump nor his foreign policy advisors have shown any impulse to distinguish President Rouhani from the regime that he serves. On this point the administration is in agreement with the Iranian opposition, which has insisted that there is no real alternative in the Iranian election, since all the candidates are vetted and approved by the mullahs: Iran’s Guardian Council blocks the candidacy of anyone who has not demonstrated strict fealty to the supreme leader and the theocratic system.

This is not to say that there is no difference between Rouhani and Raisi. But although the hardline challenger can be expected to play a more obvious role in the regime’s antagonism of the West, the underlying policy will remain unchanged after this month’s elections, just as it remained unchanged after the last election in 2013.

If any good has come from the past four years of US policy toward Iran, it is a renewed awareness of how little change can be expected in the country even when the most “liberal” faction of Iranian establishment politics has been empowered. Now that the US enjoys newly assertive foreign policy leadership, it is important to recognize that the same way of dealing with the Islamic Republic is called for regardless of the outcome of the May 19th election.

It will then be as important as ever to use sanctions and the support for home-grown democratic movements as a means to undermine the institutions of terrorist sponsorship and domestic repression, and to ultimately encourage the creation of a government wherein electoral choice is not just an illusion.

Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, is credited with exposing Iranian nuclear sites in Natanz and Arak in 2002, triggering International Atomic Energy Agency inspections. He is the author of “The Iran Threat” (Palgrave MacMillan: 2008). You can reach him at: Jafarzadeh@ncrius.org.

The post Iran’s Election Offers Voters Only a Rubber Stamp appeared first on Foreign Policy Blogs.

May 16, 2017 (YAMBIO) – A high-level committee from the government in Juba has arrived in Yambio to finalise the preparations and to graduate the former rebel South Sudan National Liberation Movement (SSNLM) forces who signed a peace agreement with the Government last year in April 2016.

Citizens riding bicycles in Yambio to promote peace April 17, 2017 (ST)

The Governor of the newly created Gbudue State, Daniel Badagbu said he had come from Juba with a high-level committee from the national government tasked with the final scrutiny and arrangement to graduate the SSNLM forces.

The leaders of SSLNM who have been in Juba after signing the peace agreement in April last year also came along with the commanders of SPLA-IO who surrendered to the government to call upon their forces to surrender.

“I went to Juba without your notice because I don't want to lie, but I brought a high-level committee headed by John Daniel from National Security to finalise arrangement and graduate the SSNLM,” said Governor Badagbu.

The Governor urged all the armed groups who are still in the bushes to come report themselves to the government and join their colleague for the graduation. He went on to encourage the groups to present their grievances before the graduation because there shall be no more peace agreement
with the armed groups in the State.

He thanked the citizens of Gbudue State for listening to his call to stop fighting and to “silence the guns” since his appointment early this year. He reiterated his calls for peace and armed men to come back home to end the suffering of the citizens of Gbudue.

Meanwhile, Major General John Daniel who headed the delegation from Juba said a representative from the police would be in charge or organise the integration of the forces. Daniel added that a representative from South Sudan Defence Force and National Security would also continue to finalise the arrangement and would immediately graduate SSNLM in few days.

Major John urged all the stakeholders and commanders of SSNLM to cooperate because the ranks they were going to receive would be screened according to the retirement in the military provision.

He went on to warn the SSNLM and SPLA-IO not to arrest any civilian, along with desisting from any further criminal activities that would affect their graduation.

Several reports came to the County authority in Yambio accusing the SSLNM of arresting civilians and demand money from them.

(ST)

Two senior US intelligence officials reacted with dismay after learning moments before taking the stage at a speaking event in New York that the director of the FBI, James Comey, had been fired.

“James Comey has been officially fired,” said Charles McGonigal, special agent in charge of the FBI’s counterintelligence division at its New York field office. He spoke alongside William Evanina, director of the Counterintelligence and Security Center at an event organized by the Foreign Policy Association.

“I think we both felt that Director Comey was probably one of the most loved leaders that we’ve had in a number of years commanding a leadership role in the FBI,” McGonigal said. “I think many of us who were nominated for leadership positions by him will forever hold him in esteem as we progress through our FBI careers.”

President Donald Trump made the decision Tuesday to terminate Comey, who assumed the role as the US’s top law enforcement official in 2013. The White House’s account of Trump’s reasoning for the move has varied, but it immediately caused alarm that the president was attempting to curb a FBI investigation into Russia’s meddling in last year’s election and whether his campaign colluded with that effort.

The event was billed to cover foreign influence operations and counterintelligence, and Comey’s dismissal added gravity to the topics the intelligence officials covered.

The two sought to set the record straight about the extent of Russia’s election operation.

“No voting machine was hacked during the election. That is a fact,” McGonigal said.

“The precincts were not connected,” Evanina added. “At the end of the day and looking toward the next presidential election, this will end up helping us because of a lack of connectivity.”

McGonigal, who leads 150 counterintelligence agents in New York, told anecdotes about his career investigating traditional and economic espionage and technology proliferation cases. He said that of the 14 million visitors that come through John F. Kennedy Airport every year, he is certain that “non-traditional collectors,” individuals obtaining information for a foreign government, are among them.

“The FBI is aware that there are non-traditional collectors coming into the country for the sole purpose of collecting information,” he said. “ We are very mindful of that. We do our best to screen that, keeping in mid the rights and privacy of individuals traveling in the United States.”

On the other hand, Evanina said at NCSC his “optic is to drive strategic policy guidance for counterintelligence security across the US government.” He said that every year his organization creates a strategy signed by the president that is sent to the wider intelligence community including the FBI, CIA and NSA.

When inspecting a suspicious email, he said, take extra time to determine a link is legitimate by hovering the mouse over it and analyze what it is linked to. Over half of American adults have been victimized by theft of personal identifiable information, according to Evanina. More than 90 percent of those thefts occurred from spear phishing, or sending emails linked to malware.

When traveling overseas and a link is clicked on a foreign government’s internet or cell network, malware can be installed that allows that government to “own your phone forever,” Evanina said.

“When you turn your phone on, your phone is now the property of wherever you landed,” he added. “Not just your phone. Your emails, your texts, your database, your contacts is owned by them.”

He ultimately suggested buying a simple, cheap phone when going abroad and saving key contact numbers for the trip.

***

Are you interested in attending the Foreign Policy Association’s next lecture?

What: The sovereign citizen, a talk with HSH Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein

Who: HSH Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein
When: Thursday, May 25, 5:30pm to 8pm
Where: Harvard Hall, Harvard Club
35W 44th St, New York, NY 10036
New York, NY

Please click here for more information.

The post US Intel Officials: Comey Was ‘One Of The Most Loved Leaders’ appeared first on Foreign Policy Blogs.

May 16, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) Tuesday said it will launch an appeal to provide relief to meet needs of the increasing influx of South Sudan's refugees.

Nearly 500,000 refugees from neighbouring South Sudan, United Nations Higher Commissioner Refugees (UNHCR) estimates show, have fled to Sudan since mid-December 2013.

Famine was officially declared in South Sudan in February, where the government and the U.N said 100,000 people are facing starvation, with one million people classified as being on the brink of starvation.

Speaking at a press conference in Khartoum Tuesday, SRCS Secretary General Osman Gaafar said they are “in the process of launching an appeal within the next two days to provide assistance to the refugees coming from South Sudan”.

He pointed to the continued and increasing influx of South Sudanese refugees crossing into the border states, saying “the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) will release the reserve fund to provide the necessary assistance to South Sudan's refugees”.

The world's newest nation has been engulfed by war since 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his rival and former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup.

The troubled country has reportedly now become the world's fastest growing refugee crisis with more than 1.8 million refugees, including one million children, having sought safety in Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR).

The UN humanitarian agencies said they are seeking $1.4 billion to provide life-saving aid to South Sudanese refugees in the six neighbouring countries until the end of 2017.

(ST)

Poverty continues to impact the lives of Middle Eastern and Northern African children, according to new analysis from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which highlights that millions of the region’s young people live without quality health care or decent housing.

Le comité local de La République en marche au Maroc a refusé de soutenir la candidate Modem Leila Aïchi, investie par LREM pour la 9e circonscription des Français de l’étranger, à cause de propos tenus sur le Sahara occidental.

Photos

jQuery(document).ready(function(){jQuery("#isloaderfor-xhgjye").fadeOut(2000, function () { jQuery(".pagwrap-xhgjye").fadeIn(1000);});});

“Art is love and love is peace—art is the international language to convey a message,” Syrian painter Rehab Bitar told an IPI-MENA audience at the May 15th opening of an exhibition of artwork conveying messages of peace. Ms. Bitar, the Head of Peace and Culture Bridges Organization in the United States, was one of seventeen participating female artists in the “Women in Art for Peace” exhibition in Manama.

Other featured international artists included Marwa Rashid Al Khalifa (Bahrain), Karima Ben Otman (Libya), Miranda Rumina (Slovenia), Cezara Kolesnik (Belgium), Fatma Abdullah Lootah (UAE), Alexandra Nechita (USA), Alham Ali (Yemen), Unni Askeland (Norway), Cassandra J. Wainhouse (France), Hripsime Margaryan (Armenia), Eleonora Romanescu (Republic of Moldova), Mona Chouk (Tunisia), and Wedad Al-Bakr (Saudi Arabia).

The “Women in Art for Peace” exhibition adds to IPI-MENA’s cultural outreach activities to raise awareness about the importance of women’s participation in peacebuilding and peacekeeping. The initiative aims to encourage female artists to participate actively in the culture of peace.

“These inspiring women are the real ambassadors of peace—capable of conveying the message and the culture of peace through their artistic creation,” Nejib Friji, IPI-MENA Director, said in his opening remarks. “We are encouraged by their gathering in Bahrain.”

A large audience of diplomats, government officials, artists, private sector representatives, members of civil society and media attended the event.

Ms. Al-Bakr, a Saudi painter, peace advocate and co-founder of “Women in Art for Peace,” said, “Art is the strongest force in bringing people together. Let us celebrate it. Art serves to unite rather than divide.”

A reception gala followed the event and was attended by Sheikh Rashid Al-Khalifa, Honorary President of the Bahrain Fine Arts Association. Touring the exhibition with Mr. Friji, Shaikh Rashed, also a painter, interacted with the participating female artists. “There is nothing worse than families suffering from catastrophes and conflicts,” he said. “Eradicating such inhumane actions is the main goal.”

Sheikh Rashid added that the “Women In Art For Peace” exhibition should spread peace awareness. “It is very noble,” he said.

Shaikha Hind bint Salman Al Khalifa, Chairperson of the Mother and Children Care Association, praised the exhibition’s laudable goal, saying, “I am very impressed that there is a lot of movement towards the culture of peace. Women who are participating have the potential to be leaders.”

The main event was concluded with Mr. Friji expressing his sincere gratitude to the female artists and his aspiration to see this initiative create momentum whereby women play a more meaningful role in conflict prevention, resolution and in post-war peacebuilding. “In that regard, women are social, cultural and political leaders,” he said.

The exhibition was hosted in collaboration with Europe’s Art Gallery and Art, and will be open to the public from 9 am-5 pm on May 16-18, and May 21-22, 2017 at the IPI-MENA offices.

May 16, 2017 (JUBA) – A prominent Dinka tribal leader has praised the patriotic role played during the 2013 conflict by the former army chief Paul Malong Awan, claiming he safeguarded the nation from disintegration.

Malong recruited the Dinka youth from Bahr el-Ghazal region to fight the SPLM-IO rebels led by the former Vice-President Riek Machar. With the support of Ugandan troops, he successfully stopped the progress of the opposition troops towards the capital Juba.

"This was the man who saved the country. He saved the lives of millions of people who could have fallen victims of hatred and revenge," said a prominent member of the self-appointed Jieng Council.

"Indeed the patriotic role General Paul Malong played helped the country, it would have collapsed, disintegrated if it were not the efforts he and others made from the region,” he further emphasised in a statement to Sudan Tribune under the cover of anonymity.

This is the first time that a tribal leader voices his support to Awan, braving the unanimous public approval of his dismissal.

The member of the tribal body described Malong as someone who would not be bullied into submission, pointing out that that is a trait of a leader.

“He is bold and you cannot fool him, he is someone you can trust. Malong is very respected in the army and it would be surprising why he would not be respected in the whole country,” the council member added.

After his removal, Awan abruptly left the capital heading to his home region in the northern Bahr el-Ghazal region, but President Salva Kiir forced him to return to Juba.

His return followed reports that he would foment a coup against the President Kiir.

Observers say his sack was a result of several reports by the security services against him.

Infighting in the government has focused on the future of President Salva Kiir, who has faced several scandals and continuous allegations of incompetence from opposition parties during his presidency.

(ST)

May 16, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - A visiting team from the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) Tuesday has started a visit to Darfur to assess the situation in the restive region.

The AUPSC delegation on Tuesday met with the governor of North Darfur state Abdel-Wahid Youssef and the security committee in El-Fasher to discuss the recent developments in the state.

Youssef has briefed the African team on the security and humanitarian situation besides refugee issues and development and services programs, pointing to the coordination between his government and the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

He also pointed to challenges facing his government including illegal migration, human trafficking and arms proliferation, mentioning efforts to collect illegal arms and address employment, refugee and IDP's issues.

The security committee, for its part, gave a detailed explanation of the political, security and humanitarian developments besides efforts to impose state authority across the state.

In press statements following the meeting, the Ugandan envoy and head of the AUPSC delegation Molu Katandi said they came to assess the situation in Darfur, pointing the team will also visit Central Darfur's state capital, Zalingei.

He praised the significant improvement of the situation in the region, pointing to the joint cooperation between North Darfur government and UNAMID.

MEETING UN PANEL OF EXPERTS

Meanwhile, the governor of North Darfur has met with the United Nations Panel of Experts on the Sudan established pursuant to the UN Security Council resolution 1591 (2005).

In press statements after the meeting, Youssef said he briefed the delegation on government efforts to combat illegal migration and human trafficking operation on the border.

He pointed to cooperation between his government and the UNAMID, saying the people of Darfur are the most affected by the sanctions imposed on Sudan.

UN Security Council Resolution 1591 imposes travel bans and asset freezes on parties involved in the conflict in the western Darfur region.

Also, it imposes an arms embargo on Darfur and called on states that supply Sudan with military equipment to take measures to prevent its use in Darfur.

(ST)