Miércoles, 11 de enero de 2017

President Putin playing ice hockey. Kremlin Press Office

Europa

It’s very possible that, in 2017, Donald Trump will attempt to bring Russia back into the fold of civilised nations by lifting sanctions. So understanding the populism of Vladimir Putin’s government is more urgent than ever.

In his remarkable book, How Russia Sees the West: An Anthology of Russian Thought, from Karamzine to Putin, published last November, Michel Niqueux defined the tenets of the dominant Russian ideology, inspired by Eurasian intellectuals and turned into policies by Putin:

Anti-West, moral and cultural conservatism, vertical power structure, assertion of military power, definition of a multipolar world as opposed to an unipolar power one headed by the USA, prize of Eurasian unity (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia) after Ukraine’s defection.…  Seguir leyendo »

Bangladesh has many programs aimed at modernising madrassa education and training imams. Andrew Biraj/Reuters

MundoAsia

Since gaining independence in 1971, Bangladesh - the world’s third-largest Muslim majority country – has made remarkable social and economic progress. Once branded a basket case, the rate of the country’s social progress is now faster than its neighbour India.

It’s been hailed as a model for reducing hunger and recently was identified as among top destinations for investment in Asia. Indeed, Japanese companies rate Bangladesh as their number one investment destination.

Despite this progress, Bangladesh has been experiencing a wave of violence by Islamic extremists since 2013.

Terror attacks

On the night of July 1 2016, five young local men armed with blades, guns and bombs stormed a restaurant in the neighbourhood of Gulshan in the capital Dhaka, and took foreigners who were dining there hostage.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Chicago! (Applause.) It's good to be home! (Applause.) Thank you, everybody. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you. (Applause.) All right, everybody sit down. (Applause.) We're on live TV here. I've got to move. (Applause.) You can tell that I'm a lame duck because nobody is following instructions. (Laughter.) Everybody have a seat. (Applause.)

My fellow Americans — (applause) — Michelle and I have been so touched by all the well wishes that we've received over the past few weeks. But tonight, it's my turn to say thanks. (Applause.) Whether we have seen eye-to-eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the American people, in living rooms and in schools, at farms, on factory floors, at diners and on distant military outposts — those conversations are what have kept me honest, and kept me inspired, and kept me going.…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaEconomía, , ,

En Barceona, tras año y medio de Ada Colau, vemos como las fórmulas del "sí se puede" resultan útiles para ganar, pero no tanto para gobernar una ciudad compleja. Tal incapacidad se detecta de forma especial en sectores como el turismo. En la campaña de 2015, los Comunes de Colau partían de un mensaje simple: la demonización del negocio turístico, con los hoteleros y los cruceros en el punto de mira, ya que éstos eran agentes de una gentrificación que expulsaba a los vecinos. "Los hoteles perjudican gravemente la salud", parecía que rezaran las papeletas de voto de Barcelona en Comú.…  Seguir leyendo »

ReflexionesPensamiento, Cultura y Ciencia, , , ,

En la era de internet, no hay nada que viaje más deprisa que un tópico lanzado en el momento oportuno. Hoy, ningún discurso está completo si no incluye una referencia a que vivimos en la época de la posverdad. Como si, hasta ayer, hubieran fluido sin cesar de los labios de políticos y periodistas las aguas puras de la verdad. Para no hablar de Joseph Goebbels, Josef Stalin y las grandes mentiras totalitarias diseccionadas por Alexander Solzhenitsyn y George Orwell.

Para calificar el peligro de la nueva situación es más apropiado un adjetivo más modesto: “postfactual”. De hecho, en Alemania acaban de elegir postfaktisch como la palabra del año.…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaEconomía

Los empresarios necesitamos desarrollar nuestra actividad con el menor número posible de obstáculos y uno de los más perniciosos es no contar con unas reglas mínimamente estables, lo que conlleva inseguridad jurídica. Limita la acción y la imprescindible previsión en las empresas, pero también toda la actividad económica, afectando, por ejemplo, a los planes de inversión y, por tanto, a la competitividad de las empresas locales, así como reduciendo el atractivo inversor para las foráneas.

Por eso, los empresarios consideramos que la seguridad jurídica en España queda en entredicho con la constante y permanente adopción de medidas de urgencia en materia tributaria que está llevando a cabo el Gobierno.…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaSanidad y Salud Pública

La ministra de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad, Dolors Montserrat, ha acudido a la Comisión de Sanidad y Servicios Sociales del Congreso de los Diputados para presentar las líneas generales de actuación de su departamento en esta nueva Legislatura. La ministra vino con talante dialogante y nos propuso un esfuerzo colaborativo de todas las fuerzas políticas para construir lo que ella llama el Estado del Bienestar del año 2050, afrontando los nuevos retos demográficos, los cambios sociales y tecnológicos. Y es verdad que acertó cuando expuso como piezas esenciales para construir ese futuro la prevención: prevención de la enfermedad, de la dependencia, de la pobreza; y la construcción de un nuevo modelo sociosanitario mucho más integrado que el actual que comparta objetivos, recursos e itinerarios.…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaModelo de EstadoModelo Territorial

Se presenta 2017 como un año crucial en nuestro devenir histórico. Tras la agitada convulsión gubernativa del 16, nos corresponde ahora consolidar la recuperación económica sobre la base de un presupuesto consensuado, reducir en más de 500.000 el número de parados, incrementar las medidas de solidaridad con los más desfavorecidos, asentar las bases de un pacto educativo, y precisar la ruta de una reforma pactada de la Constitución. Pero de todo este amplio programa, el llamado proceso soberanista de Cataluña es el principal foco de tensión política para los próximos doce meses.

El Gobierno de la Nación ha anunciado un cambio de actitud, por fin, y está pasando del tratamiento jurídico del tema al político, basado en el dialogo y en la búsqueda de vías para el entendimiento.…  Seguir leyendo »

ReflexionesTestimoniosEuropaUnión Europea,

La puerta de su despacho estaba siempre abierta para nosotros. Mário Soares mantuvo una relación muy especial con los corresponsales en Portugal. «Nunca me olvido de los periodistas extranjeros porque ellos estuvieron a mi lado en momentos muy difíciles de mi vida», nos recordaba con frecuencia. Una vez al año recibíamos la invitación para ir a cenar con él. El restaurante Faz Figura era uno de sus preferidos, en los que disfrutamos de largas veladas a su lado. Nosotros también intentábamos corresponderle con otro convite en variados locales de la capital. Y allí iba él, siempre sonriente, con buen humor, dispuesto a regalarnos en cada encuentro una inolvidable lección de historia de su país y de Europa.…  Seguir leyendo »

No es el congreso del PP

EspañaAspectos Generales

Las elecciones libres y los partidos son los instrumentos de participación política de la sociedad en democracia. Los partidos organizan las corrientes de opinión y sirven para canalizar los conflictos de interés de sociedades complejas y pluralistas. No hay democracia sin partidos. Pero la evolución de nuestro régimen de 1978 ha derivado hacia un Estado de partidos, hacia una partidocracia, que es un régimen de libertad limitada y una democracia representativa muy deficiente.

En 1994, Javier Pradera advirtió, en su libro La corrupción política, la deriva de la política española: “Los partidos ya no son representantes de la sociedad dedicados a defender los intereses de sus electores, sino instituciones autónomas que protegen ante todo sus propios intereses”.…  Seguir leyendo »

InternacionalTerrorismo Internacional, ,

El sitio de Alepo o el atentado de Berlín son dos expresiones de terrorismo que acaban teniendo consecuencias complementarias. En el primer caso, se trata de terrorismo de Estado, el más destructivo. El segundo representa la modalidad que en estos momentos amenaza de forma directa a las sociedades europeas. Toda forma de terrorismo actúa con crueldad programada basada en una concepción que relativiza del valor de la vida humana ante causas de supuesto valor absoluto. En el cálculo estratégico del terrorista, la dimensión comunicativa y psicológica es central. Y ahora mismo da toda la impresión de que el terrorismo yihadista está consiguiendo sus objetivos comunicativos.…  Seguir leyendo »

People walk in Red Square, with St. Basil’s Cathedral seen in the background, in central Moscow, Feb. 6, 2015. (Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters)

Europa, ,

With so much attention on how Russia tried to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election, it’s easy to forget that Russia had its own election in 2016. And that election, too, has had its democratic legitimacy questioned.

Our new research using election forensics techniques suggests that the 2016 Duma (legislative) election had the largest magnitude of fraud under Putin’s presidencies since 2000. What’s more, we suspect that the Russian government may have deliberately manipulated some results — in ways that show they’ve been reading papers on detecting election frauds!

Metaphorically, we suspect the Russians may be giving us the statistical finger.…  Seguir leyendo »

Egypt’s entrepreneurs

MundoOriente Próximo

Egypt’s core asset and main engine of growth is its youth. Its total population of more than 92 million is characterized by a demographic youth bulge, with a young median age of 23.8 years, compared to 37.9 in United States and 46.8 in Germany.

Tapping on these underutilized resources is critical for unleashing Egypt’s vast potential. Attaining high economic growth and creating jobs through efficient utilization of Egypt’s young human capital requires the transition from an efficiency-driven economy towards a more innovation one. This ambitious aim is based on strong fundamentals that currently exist in Egypt, which necessitate the political will that advances the right economic reforms, and creates a conducive environment with more efficient labor and financial markets, and more conducive frameworks — key ingredients that Egypt currently is heading toward.…  Seguir leyendo »

Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in Tehran in 2010. He died on Jan. 8 at age 82. (Atta Kenareatta Kenare/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

MundoOriente PróximoReflexionesTestimonios

Shortly before his death, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran’s former president and clerical major domo, mused on the Holocaust. “For instance, it is said that six million Jews died. Later accounts reveal that although people died, many Jews were in hiding during those days; ‘the dead’ are actually still living.” The larger point of the interview was to remind Iranian officials not to quibble publicly with the fraudulent Western narrative of the Holocaust, for it only empowers Israel. Such was Rafsanjani’s method and guile: He frequently brandished a moderate image that concealed the reality of his militancy.

Most of the cleric’s obituaries in the Western press lament the death of a “pragmatist” who in reality was the most consequential architect of the theocracy’s machinery of repression and regional ambitions.…  Seguir leyendo »

People take pictures of a makeshift memorial in front of the Reina nightclub on Jan. 5 in Istanbul, four days after a gunman killed 39 people. (Ozan Kose/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

EuropaInternacionalTerrorismo Internacional,

Sometimes a tragedy can unite a family — or a nation. Across Europe, the citizens of various countries that have been hit by Islamic State terrorism displayed a heartfelt solidarity in their moment of national grief. There were candlelight vigils, outpourings of sorrow on social media, a general sense of “We are in this together” across the political spectrum.

This is not happening here in Turkey. Each and every terrorist attack over the past year — and there have been at least a dozen — pulled us further apart as a country, threatening identities and lifestyles, triggering dormant fault lines and getting us at each others’ throats.…  Seguir leyendo »

A cemetery in the rebel-held town of Douma, Syria, on the eastern outskirts of the capital city of Damascus, this month. Credit Abd Doumany/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

MundoOriente Próximo,  

Now that forces supporting the Syrian government have completed the takeover of Aleppo, and Russia, Turkey and Iran have negotiated a tenuous cease-fire, it is more than likely that President Bashar al-Assad and the regime he oversees will continue to govern Syria, in one form or another. In an interview with French media published last week, Mr. Assad stated that Aleppo signaled a “tipping point in the course of the war” and that the government is “on the way to victory.”

But if that is the case, what will Mr. Assad actually win?

Let’s take a look at the numbers. (While the following statistics are estimates, they will, if anything, get worse with the continuing matrix of wars in Syria.)…  Seguir leyendo »

Europa,

Martin McGuinness has resigned as deputy first minister of Northern Ireland. In doing so he has also, effectively, sacked the first minister, Arlene Foster – for under the Good Friday agreement, neither post is filled without the other. What shocked reporters even more than the announcement yesterday afternoon, though, was the apparent sharp deterioration in McGuinness’s health; yet he was adamant that this did not feature in his decision, despite speculation he is suffering from a heart condition.

To underline the point that the political context has radically changed, he said that the party would not appoint a successor but would trigger an election.…  Seguir leyendo »

EuropaUnión EuropeaEconomía

Orgueil ou naïveté, nous avons longtemps cru que notre leadership technologique était acquis. La crise économique, dont nous sortons à peine, a été un dur retour à la réalité en France et en Europe. Le monde a changé, les règles ont changé. Nous ne pouvons plus être naïfs et fermer les yeux sur la situation actuelle. Pour surmonter la crise de confiance qui la paralyse, l’Europe doit recréer du lien avec les citoyens en se montrant à la hauteur du défi et assumer une véritable politique industrielle européenne.

L’industrie est au cœur de notre économie. En France, elle représente plus de 12 % du PIB, 3 millions d’emplois, 70 % de nos exportations et les trois quarts de la recherche privée.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoOriente Próximo, , ,

2017 will mark the sixth anniversary of the Syrian conflict -- a war that has left nearly half a million dead and forced millions of others from their homes.

The new year brought a ceasefire brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey. But the ceasefire is serving as cover for "business as usual". The Syrian government continues to use illegal means of war to crush political opponents and citizens, forcing them to accept an uncertain and unjust "peace". But peace achieved by these means cannot, and will not, hold.

This should come as no surprise. Fundamental flaws are baked into this agreement.…  Seguir leyendo »

President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani addresses the Parliament after being sworn in for a second term in office 04 August 1993

MundoOriente PróximoReflexionesTestimonios

The news of the sudden passing of Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has utterly shocked Iranians of all walks of life.

The prominent statesman had been involved in public life going back to his youth during the Shah's dictatorial regime, when he was a leading activist and endured years of prison, torture, and exile.

After the success of the Iranian revolution in 1979 and the return of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to the country, Rafsanjani emerged as the closest aide and confidant to the revolutionary father and would play an instrumental role in managing the country under his leadership.

Centrist leader

After Saddam Hussein's Iraq invaded Iran in 1980, Rafsanjani juggled serving as speaker of parliament and a top war commander for eight years.…  Seguir leyendo »