ANALYZING THE WORLD FROM A RUSSOCENTRIC VIEW.
This site will be attractive and a motivational experience to those who want to learn the real image of Russia, from its history, millenary culture and its identity discourse. It is relevant that we are in the Southern Cone, where our perceptions are similar to the whole Global South, so far from the Western capitals. MARCELO MONTES
Xinjiang’s Party secretary told journalists on Tuesday that the Islamic State (IS) is successfully recruiting Uyghurs to join its ranks. Secretary Zhang Chunxian made the remarks in a press conference held on the sidelines of China’s National People’s Congress.
China’s Global Times had previously reported that around 300 Chinese nationals were fighting alongside IS. Last September, the Iraqi Defense Ministry claimed to have captured a Chinese national involved in the fighting. However, this was the first time a Chinese official publicly drew a link between Xinjiang extremists and IS.
Zhang said that Islamic State “has a huge international influence and Xinjiang can’t keep aloof from it and we have already been affected,” according to the BBC. Zhang called IS a global threat and said international efforts would be required to face the problem. So far, however, the U.S. has had little luck convincing China to support its military operations against IS.
Zhang also told reporters that Xinjiang officials “recently broke up a terrorist cell run by those who returned from fighting with the group,” according to China Daily. He declined to give any specific details, saying that secrecy was essential for ensuring security and preventing future attacks. In the past, human rights groups have criticized China for not revealing specific information regarding alleged terrorist activity in Xinjiang.
Beijing, like government around the world, is concerned about its citizens joining up with IS and other extremist groups and then returning home to carry out attacks after receiving training and fighting experiences. Zhang’s remarks are the first public indication that this fear is becoming reality; extremists from Xinjiang are traveling to Iraq and Syria to join IS, and at least some have made it back home to China.
China is far from the only country having to worry about its citizens casting their lot with IS. In February, U.S. officials told the House Homeland Security Committee that IS has an estimated 20,000 foreign fighters from 90 countries, including 3,400 from Western countries. The officials believe that around 150 U.S. citizens have tried to join IS, although not all have made it to Iraq and Syria. A separate estimate from the Brookings Institution in November 2014 said at least 900 foreign fighters from France were now in Syria, with another 500 from the U.K. and between 300 and 500 from Germany (it should be noted, however, that many of these fighters may be affiliated with other militant groups in the region, rather than with IS in particular).
For its part, China has responded to this problem by stepping up border controls and cracking down on groups allegedly helping smuggle Uyghurs outside the country – including 10 Turkish citizens arrested in November for supplying false passports to Uyghurs. Beijing is also seeking increased law enforcement cooperation with countries known to serve as way stations for IS fighters, such as Turkey.
In his comments, Zhang emphasized that, compared to the rest of China, Xinjiang bears the brunt of the threat of terrorism and extremism. “Xinjiang also has to pay the price when extremists fight back,” Zhang said. Because of that, Zhang said, Xinjiang plays an outsized role in preventing the spread of terrorism to the rest of China. “The region has done a lot to ensure social stability in China,” Zhang said, pointing out that police officers in Xinjiang are 5.4 times more likely to be killed in the line of duty than their counterparts in the rest of China.
Se parece más a un astuto letrado judío de Nueva York que a un temerario comandante israelí. Al contrario que sus predecesores en el Partido Laborista Isaac Rabin y Ehud Barak, que llegaron al poder después de haber sido jefes del Estado Mayor, Isaac Herzog, de 54 años, sólo se ha dedicado a la abogacía y a la política, donde ha mostrado hasta ahora un perfil relativamente bajo.
Asumió a finales de 2013 la jefatura del principal partido del centroizquierda, que se encontraba en horas bajas tras dos derrotas consecutivas ante el Likud de Benjamín Netanyahu. Ha esperado con discreción a que el primer ministro conservador convocara elecciones adelantadas. Hace apenas tres meses todo apuntaba a que Netanyahu volvería a ganar los comicios, que se celebran el miércoles que viene, para convertirse en el jefe de Gobierno que más tiempo ha ejercido el poder desde la fundación del Estado de Israel.
Pocos creían que “Bougie”, el apodo familiar de Herzog, estuviera en condiciones de desafiar al veterano “Bibi” Netanyahu. Pero el líder laborista sorprendió a los analistas políticos al aliarse con la exministra centrista Tzipi Livni. Ambos parecen complementarse y han forjado una estrecha cooperación en la llamada Unión Sionista. Incluso se han comprometido a turnarse al frente de la jefatura del Gobierno tras dos años de mandato. “Prefiero perder con Tzipi antes que ganar en solitario”, ha declarado el cabeza de lista del centroizquierda para expresar su absoluta confianza en su socia de coalición electoral.
El empate técnico entre el Likud y la Unión Sionista que han reflejado los sondeos en las últimas semanas parecía abocar a otra reedición de un Gabinete encabezado por Netanyahu –con sus actuales asociados o incluso en una gran coalición entre las dos principales fuerzas--, pero Herzog ha vuelto a dar la sorpresa al adelantar a su principal rival por 24 escaños (de los 120 de la Cámara) frente a 21. Hasta el 17 aún queda partido por jugar.
Sorprendió a los analistas políticos al aliarse con la exministra centrista Tzipi Livni
“Los israelíes se van dar cuenta de que la nuestra es una candidatura de éxito”, ha explicado Herzog en un alarde de autoconfianza en varias entrevistas. Herzog, que esgrime su “inteligencia emocional” frente a la mano dura de un rival al que considerad desgastado por la permanencia el poder. Juega con la ventaja de que la mayoría de los electores ven las actuales elecciones como un referéndum sobre los anteriores seis años de mandato como primer ministro de Netanyahu (nueve si se incluye la legislatura de 1996 a 1999).
Hijo de un general que llegó a ser presidente de Israel, nieto del primer gran rabino askenazi del país, sobrino de legendario Abba Eban (ministro de Exteriores durante la Guerra de los Seis Días de 1967)… Herzog pertenece a una influyente dinastía política israelí.
Tras desempeñar el cargo de jefe del gabinete interno del primer ministro Ehud Barak, ocupó carteras tradicionales del laborismo, como Vivienda o Asuntos Sociales. Partidario de la solución de los “dos Estados” para poner fin al conflicto palestino, prefiere dar pasos graduales, como el establecimiento de fronteras aceptadas por ambas partes antes de firmar un acuerdo definitivo.
El mercadeo de los pactos poselectorales aún parece favorecer a Netanyahu. Pero Herzog ya ha recibió un guiño de apoyo de Ayre Dery, líder del partido religioso Shas, mayoritario entre los judíos ortodoxos sefardíes, después de que los árabes israelíes le hayan anticipado su respaldo.
El escritor Ari Shavit lo resume en su artículo en “Haaretz” como una especie de conjunción planetaria que puede dar alas al centroizquierda de Herzog: “La izquierda se ha movilizado esta vez. La derecha parece confusa y dividida. Los medios de comunicación airean escándalos del Gobierno. El Ombudsman critica los gastos suntuarios de la familia del primer ministro y denuncia la carestía de la vivienda… parece un asalto a la Bastilla de Netanyahu por todos los flancos”.
A recent announcement by Uganda's Oil Ministry that a Russian company - RT Global Resources - won the bid to build a $3bn oil refinery highlights the Kremlin's attempts to return as a major player in Africa.
RT Global Resources is a subsidiary of Russia's largest state-backed corporation Rostec whose CEO, Sergey Chemezov, is on US and EU sanctions lists after Russia's moves in Ukraine.
Chemezov, nicknamed "Putin's arms dealer" and a longtime friend of the president, is leading the company in moves designed to ease Russia's access to strategic minerals, build much-needed trade, and bolster employment in Russia, analysts say.
Moscow's interest in Africa is also about "soft power", said Keir Giles, director of the UK's Conflict Studies Research Centre.
"They are alert to ways of gathering influence through third-party nations in order to increase their relative weight in international bodies like the United Nations," Giles told Al Jazeera.
China's many interests in Africa have received strong attention, but the return of Russia to its former Cold War theatre of operations has been mostly ignored, except by a few regional specialists.
Last year Russia launched a satellite system in partnership with South Africa, known as Project Condor, providing surveillance of the entire African continent, according to spy cables leaked to Al Jazeera.
The cables identify South African and Russian military intelligence (GRU) as being the "key role players" in the project.
In Soviet times
Relations between the former Soviet Union and Africa took hold when Nikita Khrushchev came to power following the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953.
At the same time Africa was kicking off the reins of colonialism and a wave of independence movements came to the forefront of African politics. Russia and the US then became locked in a geopolitical tussle that saw them backing constantly shifting rebellions by funding and arming opposing sides.
Within two years the Soviet Union made its first major arms transfer to Africa in a deal with Egypt.
But attempts to promote socialist revolutions among countries the Kremlin supported backfired with a series of military coups in Algeria, Ghana, and Mali.
Several African leaders were educated in Moscow and the USSR invested huge amounts of money and manpower in the form of military advisers, equipment and support from the KGB - the Soviet security service.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, more than 50,000 Africans had studied in Soviet universities and military institutes, and at least another 200,000 Africans had received Soviet training in Africa.
Then Russia lost interest in Africa - until recently.
A good deal could potentially generate more wealth, it could generate more jobs and development but a bad deal could leave Uganda subsidising an inefficient refinery.
George Boden, Global Witness
Giles said what's interesting is when Russia tried to resuscitate these Cold War links with Africa, "how much of a role was played by those who were active in Africa during those days - the military, the KGB always seems to be the first line into actually getting something done".
Uganda's developing story
For Uganda, the refinery is an opportunity to develop its newly found oil on the western borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The oil offers the nation a chance to transform itself into an important economic power in the region.
The project involves building a refinery with a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day, storage facilities on site, as well as a 205km pipeline to a terminal near the capital city, Kampala.
Foreign oil companies that have contracts to exploit the Ugandan oil blocs, including Tullow Oil and Total, wanted to build a pipeline to the coast in Kenya. Uganda's oil is "waxy" so the pipe would have to be heated for the oil to flow.
Ugandan journalist Angelo Izama said a pipeline to the Indian Ocean coast would mean that Uganda would lose economic independence and the benefits of an internal market, thus a homegrown refinery would prevent the type of commodity export economy that went bust in the 1960s.
"Despite talk of industrialisation, countries like Uganda never recovered from the process of trying to build indigenous industries," Izama said.
George Boden, from the activist group Global Witness, told Al Jazeera: "A good deal could potentially generate more wealth, it could generate more jobs and development. But a bad deal could leave Uganda subsidising an inefficient refinery - particularly with people counting the social and environmental costs."
Some analysts fear the new-found oil wealth may cause Uganda to suffer from a "resource curse", in which corrupt governments collude with oil companies to siphon off funds leading to a failure in public trust and an increase in political tension.
Izama said transparency in oil deals is vital. "It is a prophylactic against the kinds of excess we see in other countries - public access allows countries to build consensus around decisions it makes, therefore lessening the possibility for conflict," he said.
Classified informationRostec, through its subsidiary Rosoboronexport, is the Russian state's major defence company.
"There will be questions as to whether the oil refinery is the only part of the deal, or is it part of a broader package," Boden said.
A Sukhoi fighter jet [AFP/Getty Images]
Rosoboronexport supplied six Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets to Uganda in a 2011 deal that was said to be worth at least $744m. It was mired in controversy when it emerged the money was obtained from the Bank of Uganda, without parliamentary approval.
Uganda is a highly militarised nation with military officers holding 10 parliamentary seats, including General Aronda Nyakairima in the cabinet as the internal affairs minister.
By positioning itself as a key ally in the "war on terror" and sending troops to Iraq and Somalia, Uganda has developed strong relations with the United States.
Uganda is also giving military support to Salva Kiir in neighbouring South Sudan.
Officials close to the negotiations for the refinery contract - who spoke anonymously because they weren't authorised to talk to the press - said initially Russia didn't seem interested. Rostec appeared to be favoured only after President Yoweri Museveni dispatched the permanent secretary of the energy ministry to Moscow and "backchannels" were opened.
Giles explained this is the Russian way of doing business.
"You have a closed network of people who, despite the Russian system, have learned to trust each other because they go a long way back to military or KGB service," he said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a security source told Al Jazeera the refinery deal is a problem.
"The Ugandan military, which has a good relationship with the Russian government, is at the centre of it. Seen from their perspective, it does make sense because they can provide concessionary terms for weapons."
US trains Ugandan forces
Within days of the refinery deal announcement, Uganda media claimed the army was requesting $168m to buy military equipment and the Ministry of Defence had already negotiated a procurement loan of $170m from a bank in Russia with help from Rosoboronexport.
When asked if the story was true and whether the refinery contract was linked to a weapons deal with Russia, Ugandan military spokesman, Lt Colonel Paddy Ankunda, told Al Jazeera: "That is classified information and I can't discuss that."
He insisted the refinery contract was not linked to a weapons deal.
Professor Andrey Makarychev of Tartu University told Al Jazeera that Russia's economic woes could weigh heavy on the deal with Kampala.
"The Uganda project looks problematic against the backdrop of growing financial problems inside Russia where funds are in deficit, the rouble is unstable, as is the banking system. Russia's credit rating is at junk level."
"Huge investments abroad in a situation of austerity measures at home might only exacerbate Russia's troubles," Makarychev said.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, endureció este lunes la posición de Washington ante Venezuela al declarar una “emergencia nacional” frente al país sudamericano por la “amenaza inusual y extraordinaria a la seguridad nacional y política exterior” que, afirma, supone la situación de derechos humanos y la corrupción en esa nación para Estados Unidos. La decisión, el paso más fuerte dado por Washington contra Caracas desde la llegada de Nicolás Maduro al poder en 2013, viene acompañada de sanciones para siete funcionarios venezolanos.
La declaración de “emergencia nacional” es un instrumento que le permite al Ejecutivo, en determinadas circunstancias, ir más allá de lo que haya aprobado el Congreso a la hora de dictar sanciones contra un país, en este caso contra altos funcionarios de Caracas. La primera oleada de afectados son, desde este lunes, siete altos responsables de seguridad y justicia del Gobierno de Maduro, a los que señala como “responsables de la erosión de los derechos humanos” en el país desde las protestas sociales del año pasado.
Los sancionados son el director general del Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional (SEBIN), Gustavo Enrique González López, y su predecesor Manuel Gregorio Bernal Martínez; Manuel Eduardo Pérez Urdaneta, director de la Policía Nacional Bolivariana de Venezuela; Antonio José Benavides Torres, exdirector de las operaciones de la Guardia Nacional Bolivariana (GNB) durante las protestas de 2014; el también excomandante general de la GNB Justo José Noguera Pietri, actualmente presidente de la estatal Corporación Venezolana de Guayana (CVG); la fiscal Katherine Nayarith Haringhton Padrón —responsable, entre otros, de la acusación contra el alcalde de Caracas, Antonio Ledezma— y el inspector general de la Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana (FANB) Miguel Alcides Vivas Landino. Las sanciones implican la congelación de cualquier activo que los señalados puedan tener en territorio estadounidense y la prohibición de realizar transacciones comerciales con ellos. Washington también ha bloqueado su entrada en el país.
“Estamos comprometidos en hacer avanzar el respeto por los derechos humanos, en proteger los institutos democráticos y el sistema financiero de EE UU de los flujos financieros ilícitos de la corrupción pública en Venezuela”, subrayó la Casa Blanca. “Acciones corruptas por funcionarios venezolanos privan a Venezuela de necesarios recursos económicos que podrían ser invertidos en los venezolanos y usados para impulsar el crecimiento económico”, acotó el secretario del Tesoro, Jacob Lew, encargado de implementar las sanciones.
Las medidas se basan —aunque según la Casa Blanca van más lejos aún— en la Ley de Defensa de los Derechos Humanos y la Sociedad Civil de Venezuela 2014. Obama la rubricó el pasado 18 de diciembre, justo un día después de anunciar la normalización de relaciones con Cuba, el principal aliado de Caracas. Ya en su momento el Gobierno de Maduro calificó la ley de “medida insolente” y anunció una respuesta, algo que ha vuelto a hacer su canciller, Delcy Rodríguez, tras conocer las nuevas sanciones, informa Alfredo Meza. “Pronto daremos a conocer la respuesta de Venezuela sobre el alcance de estas declaraciones”, dijo a la prensa en Caracas.
Poco después, Rodríguez anunciaba por Twitter que ha llamado a consulta "de inmediato" al encargado de negocios en Estados Unidos, Maximilien Arveláiz, el más alto representante venezolano en Washington.
Maduro ya había anunciado la semana pasada la reducción del centenar de funcionarios diplomáticos de la Embajada de Embajada de Estados Unidos en Caracas a niveles similares a los 17 que mantiene su Gobierno en Washington. El Gobierno venezolano también dispuso que se solicite visado a los estadounidenses que visiten el país.
Washington, por su parte, no ha revelado hasta qué punto afectará la congelación de bienes en EE UU a los funcionarios venezolanos. No es ese además el propósito principal de las sanciones, afirma. “El objetivo es realzar una práctica, la de los abusos a los derechos humanos y la corrupción (en Venezuela) y persuadir al gobierno venezolano de que cambie su forma de actuar y proteja los derechos humanos”, explicaron fuentes oficiales bajo condición de anonimato.
Las sanciones suponen un paso más en las medidas punitivas decretadas por Washington contra el Gobierno de Maduro desde las protestas sociales de febrero de 2014. Comenzaron con la revocación de visados de varios funcionarios venezolanos en julio y continuaron con la aprobación de la ley de diciembre, que con estas nuevas sanciones empieza a ser aplicada.
El Gobierno de Obama siempre ha rechazado las acusaciones de Caracas de estar detrás de los presuntos intentos de derrocamiento de Maduro.
El nuevo enfrentamiento se produce a un mes de que Obama y Maduro se vean cara a cara, en la Cumbre de las Américas de Panamá, el 10 y 11 de abril, a la que por primera vez también acude invitado el presidente de Cuba, Raúl Castro. “Es lamentable que en momentos en que nos hemos abierto a interactuar con todas las naciones en las Américas, Venezuela haya optado por ir en la dirección opuesta”, resaltó la Casa Blanca.
