A fascinating approach to post-Brexit Britain: trade with other countries outside of the EU. The Guardian explains why “senior ministers are getting out into the world to promote what Theresa May calls “global Britain”.” She and other senior ministers have been traveling to countries from India to Saudi Arabia to east Asia trying to forge new agreements. To note how difficult this strategy would be, 44% of British exports currently go to others members of the EU, so it would take decades for Britain to make up for this loss. This seems very ironic considering the overwhelming sentiment behind the Brexit campaign was anti-globalization.
Month: April 2017
Another chemical weapons attack in Syria – when will the UN collectively act?
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting yesterday to address the chemical weapons attack that killed over 80 innocent civilians in Syria this week. The U.S., Britain, and France blamed the Syrian government for the attack and criticized Russia for objecting a draft resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons.
In her speech to the UN Security Council, Haley warned that “when the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action.” Will the U.S. take sole military action in Syria? President Trump said that the attack “crossed a lot of lines,” but any type of intervention strategy remains to be foreseen either by the U.S. or the UN Security council as a whole.
Worst Chemical Attack in Years in Syria; U.S. Blames Assad
It seems that the UN security council can hardly make an effective resolution on chemical attach in Syria because of Russia and China. Also, the US, currently, was unlikely to change its posture toward Mr. Assad “because of ‘political realities in Syria.'”
The EU is under pressure either. “Today’s chemical attack was a direct insult to the #EU.” There had already been debate about whether EU’s supplying reconstruction funds shall be conditional as “a significant political transition, or at least power sharing in Syria”.
Faced with various types of domestic issues, western countries have show no strong willingness to intervene in Syria issue and it makes all their dilemmatic condemnation looks powerless.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/world/middleeast/syria-gas-attack.html
How Trump and China’s Xi could stumble into war
When we look back to history, hot wars take place when the shifting balance of power happens. Under Trump’s administration, it seems that the US –“the world police” want to withdraw from its “deep” intervention in a series of international affairs. However, the rising power, China or other countries may not be ready for taking that responsibility. Also, Trump shows heavy dissatisfaction about current China-US trade relationship.
Although sino-american relation is highly inter-dependent, the danger of war probably increase under today’s situation. “The danger is that amid the structural stress caused by China’s rise, and exaggerated by Xi’s and Trump’s clashing visions, inevitable crises that could otherwise be contained will result in outcomes neither side wants.”
If one side misjudge its competitors’ strategy, the world war may take place. The catalyst might be Taiwan or North Korea.
South Korea brings China’s THAAD retaliation to WTO
China has been retaliating against South Korea economically for agreeing to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) with the United States. As BBC points out, China is South Korea’s largest trading partner. China has set up several trade barriers, such as stopping travel agencies from selling South Korea tour packages, banning the sale and distribution South Korean TV shows, and not allowing South Korean entertainers to perform in China. In addition, China has close down almost all of Lotte Group’s supermarkets. Lotte is a target for China as it has offered land for the deployment of THAAD.
In response, South Korea has filed a formal complaint with the WTO that China has been treating South Korean companies with unfair practices.
If the WTO finds that China has been impeding the imports from South Korea or makes a judgement against China, how will they be able to stop China from banning South Korean imports?
China’s bans does not seem to stop South Korea from cooperating with the U.S on the THAAD deployment, especially now with the threat of North Korea looming over the region. As Tony Zhao, a fellow from the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, shares with BBC:
“Threats of economic sanctions are part of coercive diplomacy, but they may not be useful in addressing the Thaad issue…These forceful measures would likely be seen as a sign of disrespect and a direct threat to South Korea’s interests – which could ultimately push South Korea to bolster its military alliance with the United States.”
CYBER WARFARE, UNCHECKED, COULD TOPPLE ENTIRE EDIFICE OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY, SAYS SPEAKER IN FIRST COMMITTEE AT CONCLUSION OF THEMATIC DEBATE SEGMENT
The growing prospect of cyber warfare needed to be addressed urgently before such weapons broke down the entire edifice of international security, heard the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) as it considered other disarmament measures, before concluding its thematic debate.
Touching on the more pernicious uses of information and communications technologies, the representative of Pakistan said that technological innovations had been used in recent years for indiscriminate surveillance and as a means of waging cyber-attacks. In view of those dangerous developments, it was essential to regulate their production and use “sooner rather than later”.
source The UN Economic and Social Council
New Cyber Index Ranks Ability of G20 Nations to Withstand Cyber Attacks, Harness Digital Environment; United Kingdom and United States Cyber Power Leaders, Other Major Economies Unprepared
A new benchmarking study of 19 of the world’s 20 leading economies found that the United Kingdom and the United States lead Group of 20 (G20) countries in their ability to withstand cyber attacks and to deploy the digital infrastructure necessary for a productive and secure economy. The index also found that several major economies–Argentina, Indonesia, Russia and Saudi Arabia–do not have cybersecurity plans and do not appear to be developing them. The index is at www.cyberhub.com .
The Cyber Power Index, developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, measures both the success of digital adoption and cyber security, and the degree to which the economic and regulatory environment in G20 nations promote national cyber power.
source :http://www.m2.com/m2/web/page
Workers Harmed By Global Trade Need Help, Not Talk
Politicians (especially Trump and his administration) talk a lot about helping workers who have been adversely affected by global trade. But, this article argues, they rarely offer solutions. This article argues that the loss of these jobs are largely due to automation and not free trade, so those jobs are not going to come back regardless of changes in trade policy. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made this disturbingly inaccurate statement about the automation of work: “It’s not even on our radar screen … 50-100 more years.” Further, this article argues that all players (schools, businesses, state governments, etc.), not just the federal government, have to address the problem seriously and come up with solutions.
The effects of global trade measured in deaths
Researchers found that in 2007 alone, about 762,400 people around the world died prematurely because they were exposed to pollution emitted to make goods used somewhere else. By outsourcing jobs to other countries with fewer regulations and more pollution, US workers have avoided a lot of premature deaths. About 102,000 premature deaths of citizens in other countries were the result of pollutants emmitted during the production og goods and services used in the US. The US ranks second on this list, Western Europe ranks number 1. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-pollution-trade-deaths-20170331-htmlstory.html