Wednesday, March 12

Author: Patti Mohr

Patti Mohr is a U.S.-based journalist. She writes about global diplomacy, economics, and infringements on individual freedom. Patti is the founder of the Global Economic Report. Her goal is to elevate journalistic principles and share the pursuit of truth in concert with others.
Biden Defends Exit From Afghanistan, Cites Trump’s 2020 Agreement With The Taliban
Democracy, Types of News: Brief, Types of News: Videos, United States

Biden Defends Exit From Afghanistan, Cites Trump’s 2020 Agreement With The Taliban

Nation-Building Through The Military Does Not Work August 31, 2021--In a significant and riveting speech, President Joe Biden defended his decision to complete the withdraw of U.S. troops from war-torn Afghanistan. The speech is noteworthy not only for its forcefulness. It is also relevant for its acknowledgment of a failure and an end to a U.S. policy of promoting democracy through the use of military forces. Biden faced opposition in the United States and around the world for his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJRpSm4DdPk
In Emergency Meeting, G7 Makes Coordinated Plan on Afghanistan
Diplomacy, Foreign Aid, International Development, Geopolitics, Human rights, Types of News: Brief, Types of News: Videos

In Emergency Meeting, G7 Makes Coordinated Plan on Afghanistan

European Council Urges U.S. Military to Keep Kabul Airport Open 'As Long As Necessary' to Complete Evacuations August 24, 2021--In an emergency meeting on Afghanistan held virtually today along with heads of NATO and the United Nations, leaders in the G7 industrialized countries promised a series of steps to stay active in dealing with a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and the fallout of the ensuing humanitarian crisis. The G7 includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and Japan. Facing the largest humanitarian crisis of the year due to the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the G7 leaders met to coordinate a diplomatic strategy. Namely, the G7 leaders promised to take the following actions: Coordinate the immediate international humanitar...
Haitian Gangs Disrupted Lives Before the Quake; Now They’re Disrupting Relief Efforts
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Foreign Aid, International Development

Haitian Gangs Disrupted Lives Before the Quake; Now They’re Disrupting Relief Efforts

August 23, 2021--Even before the 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook Haiti and dislocated tens of thousands of people from their homes, thousands of others fled the safety of their homes imperiled by violent clashes between gangs. In fact, the small country experienced an "unprecedented rise" in gang violence this Summer. In June alone gang violence uprooted 5,000 people from their homes. "Widespread incidents of gang violence and the burning of hundreds of houses in the metropolitan area has led to numerous victims, deaths, and injuries," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported in June. Gangs Disrupting Aid Distribution Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Its population is heavily reliant on humanitarian aid, with about 40 percent of it...
IMF Making $650 Billion Available to Members On Monday
Global Economics, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, Types of News: Brief

IMF Making $650 Billion Available to Members On Monday

Fund Blocks Afghanistan And Venezuela From Benefitting From Special Drawing Right In an emergency decision, the IMF is creating reserves for nearly all members. Countries can exchange it for cash or keep as reserves. August 20, 2021--The International Monetary Fund is set to make available $650 billion in drawing rights on August 23 to nearly all of its 190 members. Creating Cash through Special Drawing Rights It's a historic distribution by the fund, made to mitigate the impact of the global pandemic. The IMF executive board approved the emergency decision in July. IMF members will be able to exchange the Special Drawing Right for hard currency with central banks of countries. They could also keep it as part of their reserves. The allocation is neither a donation nor a ...
Despite Falling Numbers, U.S. Still Locks Up More Prisoners Than Any Other Country
Democracy, Domestic Politics, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief, United States

Despite Falling Numbers, U.S. Still Locks Up More Prisoners Than Any Other Country

Photo by Hédi Benyounes August 18, 2021--The U.S. prison population fell to the lowest level in 2019 since 1995, according to recently released data from the U.S. Justice Department. In 2019, U.S. correction facilities held 6.3 million people, about 65,200 fewer than the previous year. That represented about 1 in 40 U.S. residents under correctional supervision in America. Though the figure declined by about 3 percent over a decade, it still represents the world's largest per capita imprisonment, according to the data available by the World Prison Brief. China's Numbers Aren't A Total It's significant to note, however, that the imprisonment rate in China does not include people held in pre-trial detention – a figure that might total more than 650,000, or up to one million Uyghu...
And Just Like That, The Taliban Seize Control Of Afghanistan
Geopolitics, Types of News: Analysis

And Just Like That, The Taliban Seize Control Of Afghanistan

August 16, 2021--The writing was on the wall even as representatives from Russia, China, the United States, and Pakistan met with Afghan and Taliban political leaders last week in Qatar. Their goal was to negotiate a political settlement. But as they met, Taliban fighters were taking city after city under their vengeful control. By Saturday, they had circled Kabul, the nation's capital. The next day, they took that too. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country, saying that he left to avoid bloodshed. Soon, Taliban fighters posed for photos in the presidential palace. They removed the Afghanistan flag, rolled it up, and waited for their political leader to return from Qatar. "I spent eight years in Guantanamo Bay," a Taliban commander behind a large, ornate desk in the president...
No Foreseeable Change In US-China Trade Status, Despite Push By U.S. Businesses
Global Trade, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Analysis

No Foreseeable Change In US-China Trade Status, Despite Push By U.S. Businesses

Image of port by Maksym Kaharlytskyi via Unsplash US Business Leaders Cite 'Core Structural Economic Concerns' in US-China Relationship August 11, 2021--Even as competition and disagreements intensify between the world's largest two economies, U.S. business leaders are urging U.S. and Chinese trade representatives to return to the negotiating table. More than 30 business, agricultural and trade organizations signed a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai late last week. The industry leaders asked U.S. trade representatives to work with the Chinese government on implementing an existing trade deal. Furthermore, they asked for relief from tariffs and retaliatory tariffs. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, is emphasizing domestic renewal...
Interpol Cracks Down On Human Trafficking Worldwide
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, Types of News: Brief

Interpol Cracks Down On Human Trafficking Worldwide

Interpol launched a five-day effort to crack down on trafficking of persons this Summer. Five-Day Operation Shows Scope of Human Trafficking Worldwide August 10, 2021--Interpol investigators rescued 430 victims of human trafficking and arrested 286 suspects in a collaborative sting operation against criminal trafficking this Summer. It was a five-day enforcement operation in July that included law enforcement officials from 47 countries. They called it "Operation Liberterra." The result was a crackdown that identified 4,000 irregular migrants from 74 countries. That's in addition to making arrests of suspected traffickers and helping victims. Five-Day Snapshot of Global Trafficking “Operation Liberterra is a five-day snapshot of the global trafficking and smuggling situation...
Earth To Warm By 1.5 Degree Celsius By 2040, UN Report Warns
Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Types of News: Brief, Types of News: Videos, UN Security Council

Earth To Warm By 1.5 Degree Celsius By 2040, UN Report Warns

Consensus Now Says Human Influence on Climate Warming Is 'Established Fact' August 9, 2021--In a massive 3949-page report, a United Nations working group warns that the climate is warming and humans influence is a cause. The report covers every area of the world. It discusses both the cause and effect. Most notably, it warns that even under the best-case scenario, scientists predict the Earth will warm by 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040. "It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land," the report said."Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred." It is the sixth of eight reports by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report comes in advance of the UN Climate Change Conference i...
UN Security Council Looks At Syrian Chemical Weapons
Diplomacy, Sanctions, Types of News: Brief, UN Security Council

UN Security Council Looks At Syrian Chemical Weapons

August 6, 2021--Since Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has worked to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons program. On Wednesday, UN Security Council members met to discuss that work. 'Gaps, Inconsistencies And Discrepancies' Thomas Markram, deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, addressed the council with an update. First, the COVID-19 pandemic has faced greater difficulty advancing progress. Second, the Syrian government has yet to fully disclose and destroy its chemical weapons program. "As a result of the identified gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies that remained unresolved," Markram said he could not consider Syria's declaration to be "considered accurate and complete i...

Contact Us