Friday, December 27

Political Systems, Domestic Politics

Syrian Constitutional Committee Begins in Geneva
30Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Middle East, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief, UN Security Council

Syrian Constitutional Committee Begins in Geneva

October 30, 2019-As fighting again broke out in northern Syria, representatives the Syrian government, opposition forced and civil society met today in Geneva to negotiate a new constitution for the country plagued by eight years of civil war. "The task you are about to take is momentous," UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen told the 150 delegates. "You are mandated to prepare and draft for popular approval a constitutional reform as a contribution to the political settlement in Syria." UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen said he knows it "is not easy" for members to be present next to one another. (See video.) The directive is part of Security Council Resolution 2254, adopted unanimously in 2015, which sets out goals for a political solution for a sovereign state of Syria. Th...
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Ukraine to Sell 800 State-Owned Enterprises
21Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Domestic Politics, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief

Ukraine to Sell 800 State-Owned Enterprises

October 21, 2019- Privatization is seen as a key to addressing widespread corruption in Ukraine, where the state is the largest asset owner. The government is preparing a list of 800 state-owned assets for sale, a top Ukrainian official told a gathering of business and government leaders in Washington, DC last week. "There are 61 central authorities running state-owned companies with no accountability whatsoever, and these guys are messing up the competition in every market you can think of," Tymofiy Mylovanov, Ukraine's Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture, told members of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council in Washington, DC last week. "We have to get them under control." Mylovanov announced plans to list up to 800 of the 10,000 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) for ...
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Pro-Democracy Movement In The 2019 Hong Kong Elections
29Sep By Patti MohrNo Comments
Communism, Dictatorship, Democracy, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Bit

Pro-Democracy Movement In The 2019 Hong Kong Elections

November 25, 2019—In the first six months of increasingly violent protests in Hong Kong, the pro-democracy candidates made significant gains in the district council elections. They won 347 of the 452 seats -- nearly 77 percent -- of the city's district council. Meanwhile, pro-establishment candidates won 60 seats, leaving 45 seats to independents. (South China Morning Post. , Nov. 25, 2019) The protests started in response to an extradition bill that would have allowed mainland China to capture and try Hong Kong residents. UPDATE: Over time, however, the island nation would succumb to the Chinese Communist Party's rule.
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WTO Deals Blow to U.S. Case Against China’s State-Subsidized Pricing
18Jul By Patti MohrNo Comments
Communism, Dictatorship, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

WTO Deals Blow to U.S. Case Against China’s State-Subsidized Pricing

July 18, 2019-- The world's litigation body for trade disputes dealt a new blow to a multiyear effort by U.S. representatives to counteract pricing impacted by state-owned enterprises. The decision impacts a wide range of products, including solar panels and aluminum. More striking, it weighs in on the mounting tension in the global economy between competing economic systems. What: This Week's Action Late Tuesday, a World Trade Organization appellate body upheld a decision by a lower panel regarding U.S. tariffs on a series of mostly industrial products imported from China that U.S. officials believe to be subsidized and under priced. Products impacted include solar panels, wind towers, steel cylinders and sinks, kitchen shelving, lawn groomers, aluminum extrusions and a serie...
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U.S. Puts Global Companies Doing Business in Cuba on Notice
4Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Communism, Dictatorship, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Puts Global Companies Doing Business in Cuba on Notice

March 4, 2019-In an effort to increase pressure on the Cuban government to stop its support for embattled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and end human rights abuses within its own country, the U.S. State Department announced plans to allow U.S. lawsuits against Cuban entities accused of confiscating private property following the 1959 Cuban revolution. "We should remember that after Fidel Castro seized power, he confiscated private property of thousands of private individuals and companies without any compensation," a senior State Department official said. "And to date, there’s really been no justice for this theft." The list of restricted Cuban entities of restricted entities in Cuba at risk of lawsuits includes government ministries, hotels, stores, holding companies, marinas ...
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Britain, Ireland in Turmoil As Brexit Vote Cancelled
11Dec By Patti MohrNo Comments
Domestic Politics, Global Trade, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Analysis

Britain, Ireland in Turmoil As Brexit Vote Cancelled

Dec. 11, 2018-A day after British Prime Minister announced she would not submit her Brexit deal to the parliament today as planned, both the draft plan she negotiated and her own political future face a potential end. May said the agreement her government negotiated with the European Union would have been rejected by the parliament had it gone to a vote. That leaves few options for Britain: schedule another parliamentary vote on the current deal, have a messy no-deal exit from European Union treaties and governance structures, or hold another U.K. referendum on whether to leave. Border and Money May said the deal would honor the result of the 2016 referendum that called for leaving the European Union. "We will take back control of our borders, by putting an end to the free m...
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Mexico’s New President Promises to Root Out Corruption, Reverse ‘Neoliberal’ Policies
3Dec By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief

Mexico’s New President Promises to Root Out Corruption, Reverse ‘Neoliberal’ Policies

Dec. 3, 2018--Mexico swore in Andres Manuel López Obrador as its new president on Saturday, bringing in a new era of governance and a dramatic shift in direction for Latin America's second largest economy. Mr. López Obrador, known by his populist name "AMLO," ran on a campaign to root out corruption and cronyism and eliminate government privilege. He also promised to empower the people, especially in poor and indigenous regions, both economically and through direct representation, such as referendums. It was perhaps that message or simply a wariness against the corrupt status quo that brings López Obrador to power. He won office last July in a landslide victory. He secured with 53 percent of the vote -- 30 percentage points above the closest rival. While The Economist magazine sug...
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Reactions from Around the World to the Kim-Trump Meeting
13Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Communism, Dictatorship, Diplomacy, Sanctions, Types of News: Analysis

Reactions from Around the World to the Kim-Trump Meeting

NEWS ANALYSIS June 12, 2018--People say the devil is in the details. And with the joint statement signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-Un, the world has very little details with which to judge the outcome. In essence, the statement speaks to the leaders' intentions to establish relations between the two countries and to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. It is non-binding, and it probably carries less wait in the world of global politics than any one of Trump's tweets. Still, it made for a good photo opportunity for both leaders. Promises Pledged Trump said he would guarantee security to the North Korean (DPRK) government regime and end joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises. Kim said he would work toward denuclearization of the Korean Pen...
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Merkel Wins 4th Term as German Chancellor
14Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Democracy, Europe, EU, Eurozone, Types of News: Brief

Merkel Wins 4th Term as German Chancellor

March 14-After months of uncertainty over the leadership of Europe's largest economy, the German Bundestag voted 364-315 in favor of giving Angela Merkel a fourth term as chancellor. A coalition of her own Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party elected her today after a standoff among six parties won support in the general election in September. Since Merkel first won the position in 2005, she has wielded a great deal of influence over European Union policy. She advocated for open intra-European borders and migration from abroad, against criticism from far-right nationalists in Germany and Europe. During Merkel's last major policy speech in January, she called on Europe to take its own destiny within its hands in regards to the digital economy, defense and fore...
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Trump Adds ‘Human Rights’ to Foreign Policy Agenda
13Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Democracy, Diplomacy, Human rights, Types of News: Analysis

Trump Adds ‘Human Rights’ to Foreign Policy Agenda

March 13-In an apparent shift in strategy, U.S. President Donald Trump now views human rights as an essential part of its "American First" foreign policy, a White House release said on Monday. The statement carefully interposed the idea of human rights between respect for national sovereignty and American values. "As a corollary, governments have a responsibility to their citizens," the White House statement asserted, while referencing Trump's speech before the UN General Assembly last September. "In other words, legitimate national sovereignty must begin with a respect for human rights." While the United States government has traditionally included democracy promotion and human rights as part of its foreign policy umbrella, Trump differentiated himself by putting forward a differ...
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