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China’s Energy Crisis

By
Ali Raza
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0
energy crisis

China’s Energy Crisis

Over a couple of weeks, China’s half of the provinces have witnessed total blackout or rationing electricity conditions. Amid such a crisis, daily life has been disturbed, Elevators have turned off, stores’ timings shortened, and most of the industries were directed to decrease energy consumption to balance the electricity distribution around the country.

The Statistics

Being a highly industrialized country, China’s dependence on coal-based energy is disrupted after the world considered coal as a poison for the environment, and the price hike globally has made it difficult. Hence, the Chinese government has pledged to shift its energy consumption from renewables rather than consuming dirty coal. However, the data provided reality behind pledges and the implementation. According to the data, the country’s power generation is 70% dependent on coal-based projects. And the demand for coal substantially increased by 11% in the first half of 2021. These projections provide a stark review of the highly centralized government’s progress on the reduction of coal consumption.

The Blackout & Crisis

As recently the country has witnessed a blackout, and the government has committed to reducing prices amid globally increasing prices of fuels and other energy commodities due to the crisis situation. Therefore, the power-generators in China are currently running out of stockpiles which are coming to pose an alarming situation sooner or later. A data provided by Wind Financial Terminal, a hike in coal prices globally led to another crisis, as the coal plants reduced to purchase coal. From March 2020 to Aug 2021, thermal coal consumption rose from 3.3bn mt to 3.7bn mt, and thermal coal supplies reached 3.5bn from 3.4bn mt respectively.

The government has been trying to improve the electricity shortages by introducing flexibility to pricing in 2019, which made things worse. Power plants were given the ability to make long-term deals and contracts with grid operators at a certain price. But, after the pandemic shock, things started to get worsened, and the electricity prices somehow rose which was felt by the citizens too. The government strictly directed the grid operators to avoid a price increase, as argued by Laurel Myllvylrta in her piece of an article; “the regulators allowed plants to run-down stockpiles in a gamble to avoid electricity price-hikes and failed”. Currently, coal stockpile levels at power plants have fallen to a record level. The country has seen a low level in coal storage since November 2020s 70m mt to 40m mt in August 2021, recorded at the decade’s lowest level.

Use of Renewable Resources

Many analysts believe that the country has seen a recorded production and adoption of renewables, and the government is leaving no stone unturned to promote the use of environmentally friendly means of producing electricity, to protect the global commitments. Recently, China’s wind, solar, and nuclear power energy delivered a high in the period from July to August, increasing 16%, 10%, and 12% respectively, then that of preceding years. However, the country still has to improve its electricity power-generation resource methods, as it uses 70% of its electricity generated by coal. It must reduce it at the minimum possible level as soon as it can.energy crisis and solar

As the current power cuts are threatening the entire economy of China, the most suffered sectors are retail, services, high-technology manufacturing industries, and power generation. Presently, the government has had to face the grimmer issues of the real-estate sector also, but the power-generation quagmire will, directly and indirectly, leave a massive impact on the growing economy. If the government could not be able to resolve the issues, it will have to bear the brunt of economic losses. Currently, the mild seasons have been started, and the pressures on the power-distributing coal plants could be reduced at some point, plus the growing renewables are also contributing to the major causes. But, if the winter season starts, the government then must have to ensure the presence of electricity distribution to all consumers properly.

Due to the unprecedented situations that came with the arrival of the pandemic, the global community has had to have various issues about energy and food price hikes. Similarly, the Chinese government had to balance the situations in the country, to counter any social unrest. In the previous month, the central government imposed a ban on the credit facility to the real-estate sector (‘Evergrande’ investments) to balance the other industries including energy sectors. But, analysts believe, once China comes on its track and establishes its former capacity of power generation, the country could be seen starting the real-estate sector as its peak, and it will encourage more carbon emissions as before. But, at present, the government is counting to support the economic growth as the real-estate has slowed down.

According to The Guardian, the situation is serious in China. Ubiquitously, factories in at least 20 of China’s 31 provinces have lost power, and it has forced many production units to shut down. Besides, millions of households in the Northeast did lose power for a couple of days. The reports cited that the consumers were unable to use electricity to light their homes. All their situation occurred due to the rise in coal prices globally, as China is the world’s largest coal importer after Indian, and so it directly affected the production units and power generation plants.

Conclusion

China is still struggling to produce electricity as, since the beginning of the incumbent year, the country’s electricity production increased by 10% as a result of economic recovery after the pandemic situation. But the sudden hike in prices led the country to use stockpiles which gave temporary relief. Now, the stocks are ending, and the crisis is breathing at the moment. The government is currently trying to calm down the situation by waiting, and if the prices could befall, it will surely force Beijing to lift all the environmental restrictions which will increase the cost of producing energy with coal.

It is fact that the pandemic has given a tough time to all the nations around the world, including China. Energy crises in China and Lebanon have created a state of chaos inside the mind of decision-makers, and it will take months to grip on the situation. Price rises have been witnessed by many countries as demand increased. But the central government should keep the policies, about electricity crises, at the result-oriented level. Millions of households have suffered and industries too, and it will surely affect the fastest growing economy of China. Hence, the government must commit itself to shifting its power-generation resource from coal to renewables, which will take years, but gradually the dependency on coal will decrease.

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A Race That Will Confront Everyone

By
Ali Raza
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0
race

A Race That Will Confront Everyone

The world has witnessed many superpower races cumulatively, but, after the eighteenth century, the sole superpower concept emerged as Britain, at first, evolved and made itself the world’s largest empire covering 25% of the land surface. By and by, the U.S then took control, and by 1945 it emerged as the global leader of the free world. Subsequently, the U.S-USSR Cold War did make the U.S more powerful after the Soviet Union broke itself into the piece. At last, the U.S and China both took the world leadership seats economically, militarily, and by technological advancement.

US Supremecy

History is filled with mysteries as the world powers and their greed of consuming the world’s wealth and directing the other countries with power is all but inequality. As recent times have witnessed the same trade-wars, as in the past the U.S and Britain did to achieve world supremacy through Industrialization. History repeats that the U.S remained out of world-wars, and when the British Empire got itself broke into pieces, most of the military bases were ceded to the U.S, hence the U.S supremacy begins.

Nuclear Race

After the war situations, the newly emerging power came into effect. It is said that the USSR had the strongest and experienced land-based army after WW II and mostly it dominated Europe. Moreover, the Atomic Bomb age began after World-War-II which made all the countries rush towards making themselves atomic powers. In 1945, the term Cold-War was originated in an essay written by George Orwell. In his essay, he wrote a sentence that described the atomic-bomb race, “you and the atomic bomb”. He predicted that the nuclear race would end the world, but it will be enslaved by the American, Soviet, and Chinese powers.

After the age of the atomic race, then came the era of the USSR and the U.S rivalry which then gave birth to the new world order. During the 1970s, the USSR ought to pave its way to Afghanistan, the land of graveyards, and it tried to gain access to warm-waters and impinge communist ideologies which unlikely remained a dream. The U.S took interest in countering USSR through the military, which then made the matters worse for regional stability, in 1989, it made it possible to run USSR out of Afghanistan and to disintegrate the Soviet-Union power.

To put a glimpse on the newly emerged competitor to the U.S dominancy, it is evident and forecasted by the analysts that the Communist-China will leave the U.S economically behind by 2028. At the helm of affairs, Joe Biden is also continuing the same policies as his predecessor did. As the Biden regime is looking forward to imposing a 25% tariff on $250billion Chinese imported goods, a ban on 59 tech-giants, and to blunt the Chinese strategic economic projects. During Trump’s era, he did impose a ban on Chinese students and canceled visas for businessmen. The reason behind the slamming tariffs and ban is that the U.S is more concerned about its user data, which, according to the U.S it was constantly stolen by the Chinese tech firms. In addition, it has also blamed China over Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Uighur Muslims Concentration Camps issue which made the diplomatic relations more though between both the countries, as Blinken raise U.S concerns.

To conclude, it is proven that the U.S presence in the world’s most important routes and strong diplomatic power has made the country more stringent. But, China’s growing service-based economy and strategic projects such as BRIC, OBOR, and CPEC, are also a threat to the U.S domination over the world. In the past, it is evident that the power has remained in the hands of a sole country, and the U.S has ruled for decades. However, the newly emerging China and the U.S dominancy might lead the world towards a biological war.

In recent times, it is reported that more countries are trading with China than the U.S, plus the communist government has increased its dominancy in the South-China Sea, Taiwanese airspace, and it refused to cooperate on the investigations on Covid-19 origin. Furthermore, let’s wait and see until the full cookie crumbles, as the U.S has evacuated its last soldier from Afghanistan by ending the 20-years long war.

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Maritime – 5+ reasons why building a dynamic maritime sector is important

By
Ali Raza
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0
maritime sector port

Significance of building a dynamic maritime sector: A vital component of Pakistan’s national power

“We must free ourselves of the hope that sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.” -Aristotle Onasis

Earlier in history, the most famous empires such as Portuguese, Dutch, Romans, Greeks, and Persians used to achieve command over the maritime which directly or indirectly benefited them in every aspect. Similarly, in the modern world, the word “Maritime” defines itself as the means through which societies do export and import goods and services by using sea routes. Maritime is an important sector for modern societies and an essential element in terms of social and economic development. For decades, maritime has long been a major form of transportation. As today, thousands of commodities are transported around the world by different sea routes. If today we are getting fuel for our cars and other essential items which are imperative for our survival, but are not produced in our country, it is the maritime sector which helps us to get maximum satisfaction.

It is the maritime sector that connects the world, as before the people of the old world used to imagine that there is no world after them. The best example to define the importance of the maritime sector; the expedition of an Italian seafarer Christopher Columbus who sailed through thousands of miles and discovered America by using maritime techniques. Hence, maritime is the need of all the societies around the world as it is the cheapest form of trade.

Importance of maritime in the 21st Century.

With time, the importance and technological advancement of all sectors increased, and all the countries started to emphasize the term named “Blue Economy”. The Blue Economy refers to the form of economic activity through which revenue is generated by using sea resources and regional water dominance. For instance, China is using its sea power to dominate the world by building its artificial islands in the South China Sea, drilling for crude oil for its consumption, and consuming thousands of tons of fish, and deploying its army on the Islands for security.maritime power

According to the United Nations Sea-laws, “Legal status of the territorial sea, of the air space over the territorial sea and of its seabed and subsoil”. Another article says; “The sovereignty of the coastal state extends, beyond its land territory and internal waters and, in the case of an archipelagic state, its archipelagic waters, to an adjacent belt of the sea, described as the territorial sea”. The third law states that; “every state has right to establish the breadth of its territorial gap to a limit not exceeding up to 12 nautical miles”. These laws depict the importance of the sea as a means of economic opportunity for the coastal states. But somehow, rich countries are misusing these laws as they control more territorial water as abide by the law. Hence, China today uses more than that of the territorial waters up to 200m from its coastline.

The importance of the maritime sector is increasing as the population grows more, the government has to shift its economic zones to the coastal zones. And maritime industries should be the top-notch priority to be improved.

Maritime Sector: a key to Pakistan’s growth

Pakistan is a littoral state having 1050kms long coastline, and its proximity to oil-rich Gulf states plays a vital role in the importance of Pakistan for Central Asian states. Its land of costal ratio is 1.36%, having such a long coastline and vast connections with the energy-rich Gulf states, Pakistan can play a significant role in improving its trade and foreign direct investment opportunities.

Approximately, 95% of Pakistan’s trade is through the sea routes, having many dependencies on the sea routes, Pakistan’s 100% of energy supplies are transferred through the sea. The maritime sector in Pakistan is currently dwindling due to the topsy-turvy policies and lack of interest of the decision-makers. Currently, the three largest ports are handling 80bn tones of trade annually. Among those three ports, Karachi Port Trust (established in 1882) handles about 60% of the nation’s cargo. KPT is an 11.5kms long approach channel with a depth of 12m and a turning basin of 600m. Second, Port Qasim is located at 35kms east of Karachi. Port Qasim is directly linked to the railway network through six tracks, and it is 15kms away from National Highway. Third, Gawadar Port is a project by China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. It is located in the Southwestern province of Pakistan (Balochistan), and it is 75Kms east of Iran and 400Kms away from the Strait of Hormuz. According to the research, the Gawadar port, if fully operational, can generate 10bn USD annually.

maritime port

Pakistan has a great opportunity to improve its security and naval strength to attract investment in the coastal region to further strengthen the maritime sector. It can improve the existing ports through investing in the infrastructure and the storage capacity and make an efficient and faster system for deliveries. Pakistan should build friendly relations with the coastal population to achieve greater benefit in terms of the Blue Economy.

CPEC is a major game-changer for Pakistan, having an important geostrategic location, can help to improve the existing downtrodden and slow business activities around the ports in Pakistan. Besides this, Pakistan has the advantage of giving transit trade a chance to its land-locked neighbors. Also, the CPEC connecting the Western province Xinjian of China to Gawadar, Pakistan is a brighter way forward.

The maritime domain is a vital component of Pakistan’s national power

The maritime nations have superiority over land-locked countries, due to the better economic opportunities. And those countries who are investing in the maritime sector are getting more prosper than they were before. In 2012, when the Chinese government started to invest in ports of different countries it felt the importance of sea trade. Since then, the country has gained a lot of benefits through mutual-trade investments.

Over 15m barrels of oil are shipped through the coast of Gulf countries, and Pakistan has greater potential and geo-strategical location which can help the country to get maximum benefit by providing many services to the busy route which is almost 400kms away from its port of Gawadar.

Pakistan is blessed with an Exclusive Economic Zone spread up to 240,000sqm, and the fish industry, especially, is an important way to get the benefit of sea resources. But, due to the lack of command and farsightedness, and land-oriented mindset of the decision-makers, the fish industry is rapidly depleting. Analysts believe that Pakistan has the potential to export fish worth 500m USD annually, plus the country can promote its services to various foreign ships. Unfortunately, the country’s decision makers’ negligence is not letting the fish and other marine-related industries grow.

Conclusion

The maritime sector plays an imperative role in helping a country grow and prosper through connecting it with the world. In the 21st century, it has been a matter of concern of all the countries including Pakistan, which is floating here and there in the maritime sector improvements. Pakistan’s economic growth is directly linked to its maritime sector, hence it must improve and ensure that no terrorism, human and drug smuggling, and piracy issues can create hindrance in the flourishment of its maritime sector. To see the maritime domain as a vital component for the country’s national power, the concerned authorities need to shift their land-oriented mindsets to the Blue Economy.

“Pakistan is good in making policies but poor in implementation”, says Ishrat Hussain.

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British Hate & Strategic Targeting of Muslims Across the United Kingdom

By
Wasi Ul Haq
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0
British Protests

Strategic Targeting of Muslims Across the United Kingdom & British Govt

Introduction

The World has been facing the grave and persistent problem of terrorism for as long the mankind can recall. Throughout history on several occasions’ terrorism was used to gain political benefits, religious ideologies and at times as an act of vengeance. Many modern nations such as the USA, UK, and Germany, etc. have been actively playing their role in eradicating terrorism, mainly by legislating, implementing strict surveillance programs, and screening any person suspected of carrying any terrorist activity. The latest counter-terrorism legislation introduced by the UK is the Prevent Strategy (2011) the main purpose and use of which is to curtail and stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

Muslims as ‘Suspect Community’

On several occasions in the exercise of the counterterrorism methods such as legislations and policies adapted by different nations a small faction or community comes under attack and is frequently labeled as suspects of terrorism (Francesco Ragazzi, 2016). The term ‘suspect community’ first emerged when the British Government made legislations against the terrorism of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) but soon all the Irish people were suspected of terrorism and constituted as terrorists (Hillyard, 1993). Similar to that through the Prevent strategy (2011) introduced by the British Government in 2011 Muslims were targeted as a ‘suspect community’ through several provisions where many Muslims living in the UK were either labeled as terrorists and suspected of carrying out any terrorist activities without discrimination (Awan, 2012).

The British Government

It is also disclosed that British Muslim men feel a sense of isolation, disability, and hatred towards Prevent Strategy (2011) and other counter-terrorism legislations. For instance, it was seen that the provisions of counter-terrorism laws related to stop, search and arrest without probable cause were interpreted and used by authorities in a broader perspective and especially was targeting Muslims which is unlawful and discriminative towards a certain race and part of the community. The British Government needs to be more cautious when making counterterrorism legislation and make sure that it is not used against only one community in particular.Image of British Protests

According to certain scholars, the level with which a certain population is attributed to suspicion is of three categories. First of which includes a small percentage of conventional dodgy persons who are controlled through orders and strict watch. The second one includes those people who are informal suspects and are occasionally searched and the third category includes all the Muslims residing in the UK who are targeted without prejudice through political campaigns, civil society, and journalism (Pantazis and Pemberton, 2011).

Under the Terrorism Act (2000) the Police throughout the UK got the power to stop and search any individual without being suspected of any terrorist activity which acted as a founding stone for Muslims to be treated as a ‘suspect community’ (UNIDO, 2018). With the passage of time, and the introduction of similar legislation such as the Prevent Strategy in 2011 resulted in strict checks on Muslims more than any other ethnic segment of people (Pantazis and Pemberton, 2009). Similarly, Muslims were also targeted as a problematic sect without discrimination or conviction at the borders of the UK which also determines that they were considered to be a ‘suspect community’ (Choudhury and Fenwick, 2011).

More than that in another case the Prevent Strategy (2011) targeted the Muslim community by sanctioning undercover operations where undercover police officers of the North West Counter- Terrorism Unit acting as Muslims used to enter into mosques and Muslim centers of education to make sure that the education given there and religious practices offered are not related to terrorism or teaching anything of such sort. Many members of the Muslim community reflected their concerns that they have never ever heard of any sting operation being held in a church or synagogue which is a clear show of motive to consider Muslims as a ‘suspect community’(Awan, 2012).

Conclusion

In the light of the aforementioned research and observations, it can be clearly evaluated that the new counter-terrorism laws introduced by the British Government in the form of Prevent Strategy (2011) are targeting Muslims as a ‘suspect community’. There are certain attributes constituted to Muslims through counter-terrorism legislation that leaves them stranded from other segments of society. It also reflects that without any cause, probability, or proof Muslims are being separated from all the communities by negative actions of police, local councils, and other law enforcement agencies all across the UK. In addition to that, it is not something happening for the first time as we have seen examples of the Irish People being bothered and treated as a ‘separate community’ in the past similar actions are happening with Muslims in the present. Moreover, without discrimination Muslims are being extra scrutinized, seen as a symbol of terrorism and problems, and hence seen as a suspect for something which has no evident signs. The evident purpose of the Prevent Strategy (2011) was in reality to monitor anyone suspected of terrorism not just one segment of society. If Muslims are considered as a threat towards terrorist activity, persons of other faith can equally harm or be suspected of doing anything questionable because terrorism does not constitute itself with race, religion, or outlook of a person.

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World War I: Causes and Consequences

By
Iqra
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0
Troops in World war I

World War I: Causes and Consequences

World War I, also known as the War of Secret Alliance and the world’s first global conflict. Also called the “Great War” and “War to End All Wars.” The First War began on July 28, 1914, and ended on November 11, 1918.

It was extremely bloody and was fought between Allied Powers and the Central Powers. Here is the chart of those countries that fought in World War 1.

World War 1 participantsCause of World War I

The list below provides an overview of the causes of WWI.

Militarism

World War I: Militarism

Maintain a strong military, increase military forces and weapons to prepare for war (Arms Race).

Alliances

Nations signed treaties or defense agreements to protect each other if war broke out. European powers formed rival alliances to protect themselves.

Imperialism

Control or dominance over another country politically and economically. After 1870, the European nations started to acquire colonies in Asia and Africa.

Nationalism

World War I: Nationalism

Love of country and sacrifice for it. Extreme pride in your country but in WW1, nationalism became aggressive because every country in Europe wanted to be independent and most powerful.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

World War 1: Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 by Gavrilo Princip, a member of a Serb terrorist nationalist organization called the “Black Hand.”
And that was the immediate cause of WWI because Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for Franz Ferdinand’s death and declared war on Serbia.

  • Russia sent troops to defend Serbia because Russia had a treaty with Serbia.
  • Germany declared war on Russia because Germany had a treaty with Austria-Hungary (The Triple Alliance).
  • France declared war on Germany because France had a treaty with Russia (The Triple Entente).
  • Then Germany invaded Belgium to attack France.
  • Britain declared war on Germany because Britain guaranteed the neutrality of Belgium.
World War I: Alliances

And so the war begins!

Consequences of World War 1

  1. More than 9 million soldiers were killed in WW1.
  2. Four Empires collapsed such as Germany, Austria-Hungary, Türkiye and Russia.
  3. New nation-states were formed. Such as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Yugoslavia, Poland, and Hungary.
  4. New ideologies emerged.
  5. Unemployment and inflation.
  6. Changes to Society — Many soldiers were killed in the war so women had to run businesses and give equal rights and equal opportunities to women.
  7. Many people suffered from the disease.
  8. New Boundaries created problems.
  9. League of Nations was formed.
  10. World economy damaged.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, we can say that WW1 was also known as the War of Secret alliance because in WW1 every country had secret agreements with other countries. Basically, aggressive nationalism became the reason for WW1 because every country in Europe wanted to be independent and every country wanted to be the best and most powerful so they began to acquire colonies and ultimately it led to World War 1.

So, World War I also became the reason for World War II because Germans believed that the treaty of Versailles treated them too harshly and imposed heavy reparations after WW1. So that was the major factor in the outbreak of World War II.

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10 Times when United Nations did fail to perform its peacekeeping duties

By
Daniyal Khan
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0
United Nations banner

10 Times when United Nations failed to prevent war and perform its peacekeeping duties

In 1956, the United Nations was established in reaction to the Second World War, with the goal of creating a more stable, safe, and peaceful world. If one goes back in history, there haven’t been many large-scale hostilities after WWII, with the exception of a few bilateral confrontations such as the Vietnam War, the Indo-Pak War, and the US intervention in Afghanistan. Despite the fact that the nature of war has changed from inter-state to intra-state, one might argue that the globe is more secure and peaceful now than it was before WWII. In this context, Ramesh Thakur observes that the United Nations has made the world a better and peaceful place than it would have been without it. However, given the current global situation, it would not be incorrect to assert that the United Nations has failed to perform its critical role in resolving both hard and soft security challenges.

United Nations Security Council

The UN Security Council, as the most important organ of the UN, has the following powers and functions: to maintain international peace and security, to inspect any conflict or scenario that could lead to an international dispute, to recommend methods of resolving such disputes, and to develop strategies for the formation of a system to restrict armaments, to decide if a threat to peace or an act of aggression exists, and to urge members to impose economic sanctions and military measures against any aggressor, according to the UN Charter. Yet there have been certain events in world history where the United Nations failed to perform its peacekeeping duties. Among those dozens of events, ten major events are discussed below where the UN couldn’t solve issues that it was supposed to resolve since its inception.

1. Israeli Occupation (1948-Now)

Since the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948, Palestinians have just been fighting what a United Nations investigator previously described as “ethnic cleansing” by Israel. From 1947 to 1949, more than 10K Palestinians were killed, and 750K Palestinians had been compelled to flee their homes. Israel now controls more than 80% of historical Palestine. Additionally, despite numerous UN Security Council resolutions asking for a stop to such acts, it imposes a punitive blockade on Gaza and continues to build Jewish settlements on the stolen territory.

2. Kashmir Dispute (1948-Now)

Despite numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, the ongoing struggle in Indian-occupied Kashmir has turned into one of the greatest humanitarian disasters in the world, marked by arbitrary murders, abuses, incarceration of protestors, humiliation, and abductions of Kashmiris. After 1989, various Muslim organizations in Indian Occupied Kashmir gained momentum in their quest for either a union with Pakistan or an independent Kashmir. Over 70,000 individuals have been slain by Indian paramilitary troops since then. Moreover, the Indian government has unilaterally scrapped the special status of the Kashmir valley and since then the people of Kashmir are living in a military cage.

3. Violence in Cambodia (1975-1979)

After the Vietnam War and the Cambodian Civil War ended in 1975, the Khmer Rouge regime took control of Cambodia and implemented ultra-Maoist measures to transform it into a communist country. Till 1979, the national politicians executed atrocities, killing 2 million people, or roughly a fifth of the population. The horrors perpetrated by the Khmer communist government were put to an end by the Vietnamese assault. Amid worries about humanitarian crimes, the United Nations Security Council welcomed the Khmer Rouge leadership.

4. Civil War in Somalia (1991-Now)

The country has indeed been mired in a decade’s long civil war between competing tribes since the Somali Rebellion toppled autocrat Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. The United Nations peacekeeping mission, UNOSOM, to supply relief aid to residents surrounded by civil conflict and hunger has stalled due to a lack of government communication and constant attacks targeting UN personnel.

5. Rwandan Civil War (1990-1994)

The armed conflict in Rwanda between both the Rwandan Regular Army and the Rwandan Patriotic Front started in 1990 and continued for four years, rendering this one of the bloodiest racial mass killings since WWII. Within only 3 months, Hutus massacred roughly 80K Tutsis and assaulted nearly 250K females in Rwanda, while United Nations forces simply deserted the wounded or stayed by as spectators while the carnage unfolded.

6. Massacre of Srebrenica (1995)

Herzegovina and Bosnia proclaimed autonomy after a referendum in 1992. Following the declaration of independence, Serbs of Bosnia, with the help of the government of Serbia, pushed their soldiers into the land, beginning the conflict. The troops of Serbs under retired General Mladic slaughtered 8K males in Srebrenica in July 1995, the largest human slaughter on the soil of Europe since WWII.United Nations council

7. Iraq Invasion (2003-2011)

Since the US-led invasion in 2003, more than 1,000,000 people have died as a direct consequence of the violence in Iraq. Iraq has been left with political and economic instability as a result of the US invasion and government upheaval, making it vulnerable to ISIS terrorism in the upcoming decades. UNSC Resolution 1483 tried to legalize the incursion, which was performed on the fake premise that Saddam’s administration had Weapons of Mass Destruction, as said by the US and its allies.

8. Civil War in Syria (2011-Now)

In March 2011, the regime in Syria initiated a savage assault on nonviolent demonstrators who came to the roads, with President Assad vowing to “persistently confront fanatic forces”—reference peaceful demonstrators who supported democracy. The United Nations attempted to approve multiple resolutions to tackle the situation in the next year; however, Russia utilized its veto authority to protect its ally Assad at least a dozen times.

9. Yemen Civil War (2014-Now)

The situation of Yemen eventually turned into a civil war in 2014 when the Saudi-supported President Hadi and its supporters confronted the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. In 2015, the situation of war became more severe when the Saudi coalition initiated military operations and bomb attacks against the Houthi rebels. The alliance intervened in 2015, exacerbating the conflict and leaving the Arab world’s poorest state in a condition of catastrophe. Despite a siege placed on the war-torn country, the UNSC failed to deliver relief, shelter, and medications to the citizens of Yemen.

10. Rohingya Crises, Myanmar (2017-Now)

Myanmar began a huge military onslaught on the Muslim racial community on August 24, 2017, murdering almost 750,000 people, including children and women, and forcing many to escape to Bangladesh. China-backed Myanmar in the Rohingya crisis, blocking United Nations Security Council measures to help the Rohingya.The United Nations Assembly

To summarize the entire issue, despite accolades from numerous experts that the UN has effectively prevented a Third World War, it is important to note that the United Nations has failed to prevent inter-state and intra-state wars, as well as perform its peacekeeping obligations. Because the worlds of 1945 and 2021 are not the same, the UN must be overhauled, with the veto mechanism abolished and decisions made by a majority. Although the UN is unable to operate impartially due to great global politics, the world would be more chaotic and unstable without it. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan argues that sustainable and healthy societies are built on three main pillars: peace and security, sustainable development, the rule of law, and human rights respect. There can be no long-term stability without long-term development, and no long-term prosperity without long-term security. 10 As a result, the United Nations must be protected and nourished in order to benefit the people of the world.

 

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Problems of more than 2.5 Million Refugees and their status in IHL Uncovered

By
Daniyal Khan
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0
Refugees carrying their belongings

Problems of Refugees and their status in IHL

Conflict always has been a significant driver of population displacement, causing the largest and perhaps most spectacular transfers of refugees. The “Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa” affirms the interpretation of refugees in the Refugee Convention, which states that “every person who is compelled to leave his place of habitual residence because of external aggression, occupation, foreign domination, or events seriously disturbing public order in either part or whole of his country of origin or nationality, to seek refuge in another place outside his country of origin or nationality”. Around 2.5 million refugees are being supervised by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with more than half of them residing in Europe. Of the approximately 300,000 refugees who did not have the alternative to deal with the problem of their unrestricted existence at the start of this year, 70,000 are still living in precisely 200 camps in Germany, Austria, Italy, and Greece, and maybe in the range of 15,000 are sick for financial inclusion anywhere, either because they are too much old or for some other reason. Beyond Europe, there are still unresolved challenges, such as scattered groupings of exiles in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt throughout the Middle East. Furthermore, according to UNHCR, Pakistan and Iran have the greatest concentrations of Afghan refugees, with approximately 1.4 million and 780,000, respectively, as of mid last year. Before the Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan, border checkpoints were closed, but they were eventually partially restored. In the contemporary world, International Humanitarian Law has a major role to play as far as the problems of refugees are concerned. They both cannot be divided from each other as the international humanitarian law is only applicable during war or conflict-like situations, where it is supposed to protect the refugees from various damages.

Refugees Statistics

According to the UNHCR, almost 80 percent of those arriving in Europe by the sea in 2015 were from the top global refugee-producing countries. Almost 50 percent were Syrians, 15 percent were Afghanis, 6 percent Eritreans, and 4 percent Iraqis, all of which are under conflict or in a humanitarian crisis.

The observation of many renowned scholars has time and again proved that International Humanitarian Law has failed to secure the rights of refugees and mitigate their sufferings throughout its history. Their arguments are based on the sufferings of 70.8 million people far and wide who have been compelled from home by battle and oppression after 2018. Among them are just about 30 million displaced people, over a bit of whom are more youthful than 18. There are also a large number of stateless people, who have been denied nationality and permission to fundamental rights, for instance, guidance, clinical administrations, business, and a chance of advancement.

Refugee camps
Refugee Camps

1. Challenges getting lawful acknowledgment and Individual documents

The challenges, complications, and delays in the processes of obtaining refuge and associated authentic documents from UNHCR and community professionals, as well as the real consequences of not possessing them, are emphasized by evacuee youngsters.

2. Trouble in getting to quality learning, instruction, and abilities building opportunities

Youthful exiles reliably recognize the trouble of getting acknowledgment for their current capabilities as a genuine test. Getting to quality learning, formal instruction, and aptitude building openings are additionally repetitive issues.

3. Separation, bigotry, xenophobia, and “culture conflict”

Youthful displaced people note that separation, prejudice, and xenophobia across all districts leave them feeling segregated and underestimated.

4. The dearth of employment and job opportunities

Displaced person adolescents underscore they would prefer to work than rely upon philanthropic guide and express disappointment at the restricted business and vocation openings accessible to them.

5. Gender disparity, separation, misuse, and viciousness, including for LGBT

Youthful outcasts feature worries about sex imbalance and separation as difficulties all by themselves yet in addition as hidden reasons for sexual abuse and sex-based viciousness (SGBV).

6. No access to Healthcare

Outcast adolescents feature an absence of admittance to quality medical services as a significant concern and especially note the requirement for youth-touchy sexual and regenerative medical care and psychosocial uphold.

7. Absence of Safety, Security, and freedom of movement

Displaced person adolescents express worry about wellbeing, security, and opportunity of development connected to xenophobia and their trouble getting reports.

8. Challenges for youth

Displaced people pressure the particular assurances and down to earth difficulties for unaccompanied youth, including the troublesome progress and an absence of groundwork for the individuals who turn 18, along these lines “age out“, and are not, at this point managed the cost of extra security and backing, however frequently still need direction and help just as admittance to rights and insurance.A group of refugees

International Humanitarian Law offers refugees who wind up in a state encountering outfitted clash two-layered protection. To start with, given that they are not taking an immediate part in conflict, as regular folks displaced people are qualified for assurance from the impacts of war. Besides, notwithstanding this overall security, humanitarian law awards displaced people extra rights and insurances taking into account their circumstances as outsiders in the region involved with contention and their ensuing explicit weaknesses.

In the end, it is pertinent to mention that International humanitarian law and international refugee law are intertwined. Both arose from the need to handle the stability and security of those people who are in the hands of a country where they are not citizens. International human rights law, on contrary, was created to protect people from state abuses. Over time, international humanitarian law and civil liberties legislation have become more closely aligned. Human rights law has indeed been recognized as applicable to all or any people inside the boundaries of authority of a State, even if only briefly, including during situations of violent crisis, and international humanitarian law has expanded its scope into non-international armed conflicts. Similarly, changes in refugee legislation are beginning to emerge, but a complete overhaul is required. It is high time for the United Nations and the world community to come forward for the implementation of the International Humanitarian Law to protect the refugees around the world.

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War in Syria and Threats to Non-Combatants

By
Tayyab Sagheer
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0
Syrian War bombings
Bombings in Syria

War in Syria and Threats to Non-Combatants

This paper will analyze the War in Syria which has been a threat to non-combatants. The civilians are suffering simultaneously in the crises and the humanitarian laws are unable to defend them. Since the causalities are evident that civilians are also being targeted in the war. The conflict started in 2011 after the spring revolution and was first considered an internal disturbance. Later, the situation intensified between the state and armed non-state actors (ICRC, 2012). The situation was then declared as the Non-International Armed conflict (NIAC) which is defined by International Humanitarian Law (IHL, 2006) as the assertion between the state and armed non-state actors within the boundary of the country.

How does the war affect others?

The war within the boundary has multiple effects on the people who are not part of the conflict and living in the country. The Humanitarian law has been formed which is also known as the law of war. According to the definition of International Humanitarian law, such conflicts require rules and laws for those who are not part of the conflict, those who are not taking part in the war from any of the sides will be protected by the law, they will be protected through the law. If a person takes part in a conflict, then he will lose protection from the attack. This says that any attack on the civilian structure is forbidden and it will be against the customary laws and states must follow it. Despite the presence of International Humanitarian law, civilians are suffering and being targeted in the Syrian war. Reports are there to show the civilian causalities in the crises.

Number of Casualties due to the War

It is the civilians who are getting killed or have faced problems due to the fights between the government and Jihadists. International Humanitarian Law being the supreme authority is unable to provide safety to the people of Syria. According to the reports of the Syrian Observatory for Human rights (SOHR, 2021), almost 606,000 civilians have died in the war which started eleven years ago. The number of children who were killed in the war is 25,048 and the number of women is 15,135 in numbers. Amnesty International (2021) reported that people between 5000 to 13000 have been executed in jail by the government and there are thousands more who have died in the war.

United Nations and Arab League envoy (2021) has estimated that almost 800,000 people died in the Syrian War. They analyzed the population of Syria which was 20.8 million in 2011 and the figure suggests that 2% population of Syria died in the ongoing war.

Role of the Syrian Government

Ole Solvang from Human Rights Watch reported that bakeries that are considered as civilian structures were being bombed and targeted by the Syrian government. It was not used by the combatant’s Jihadists, but it was used by the civilians who were killed, and many got injured.

Oweis (2012) claimed that continuous bombing and firing resulted in the destruction of civilian structures and there were civilian causalities as well. Somehow, Syria did not ratify Additional Protocol 2 of the Geneva convention which says asks for the protection of the civilians in the Non-International Armed Conflict, but still, there are International Humanitarian Law and customary laws that are there to protect the civilians. Moreover, there is a video message of the well-known Islamic scholar who was encouraging people to kill those who are in favor of the government (Alqaradawi, 2013). Either they are fighting or not, so these are the incidents that claim the threats to civilians even in the presence of humanitarian laws.

The violence of these combatants’ groups was not limited to the civilians, but it targeted doctors, paramedics, aid workers, and those places where all these healthcare facilities were provided. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent is a humanitarian organization that was providing humanitarian assistance during the conflict claimed that their seven workers were being kidnapped by the extremist group, later four of them were released and no one even know where the rest of them are (Nebehay and Holmes, 2013). This incident changed the scenario and the non-governmental organizations who were willing to work there stopped their aid process and limited their movement in fear.

Irina Bokova who is the head of the educational and cultural organization (UNESCO) claimed that the biggest threat in Syria is not only about the devastation of civilian buildings, but they are targeting the historical sites, and this is not in the mainstream and media are not showing this news to the world (Charbonneau, 2013). It has been observed that they are sending valuable things to other countries to sell it and this will bring the huge money in return. The UN high commissioner of human rights (2019) warned of the causalities and the killings of civilians caused by the airstrike in Idlib and other various parts of western Syria.

The continuous ten days airstrike caused at least 103 civilian causalities including 26 children. She claimed that these causalities are not on the radar of the international media (Geneva, 2019). The Syrian Network of Human Rights (2020) claimed in its report that 1734 civilians died in the calendar including 99 were killed in December. The report says that there were killing of IDPs and bombing in the land mines. Moreover, the Syrian Network of Human Rights (SNHR, 2021) report claims the deaths of 723 civilians in the first half of the year including 22 children and there were 8 women in that extrajudicial killings. Human rights watch (HRW, 2021) has reported, since the ceasefire was placed in March 2020, the Syrian- Russian military alliance kept on targeting Idlib which was the last foothold of the anti-government alliance in Syria. This alliance has attacked discriminately to the civilians and civilian infrastructure which resulted in thousands of civilian casualties. The Covid pandemic was on the rise at that time, this operation almost destroyed 50% of the health facilities and the civilians were left with an open sky without having any medical facility in the middle of the pandemic.

It has been evident from the reports of the authentic agencies that there are clear violations of human rights or what the protection has been given to the non-combatants by the International Humanitarian Law. Since the start of the conflict, nothing has been done by the international actors to at least preserve the rights of the civilians. There have been continuous violations and civilians are suffering the most. The situation is likely to get serious with time, because of no check and balance from any authority. If the international actors are involved then it will be the next Libya and Iraq, where multiple actors will fight to get their interests. There are already several international actors who are supporting armed forces who are actively taking part in the conflict. Since the world is anarchic, everybody is struggling to pursue their interests, there are strategic interests of the international actors in the ongoing conflict, that’s why they are not actively participating to avoid humanitarian violation on the ground level. So, humanitarian Law is unable to defend the rights of the Non-combatants and there is a threat to their lives and structure in the Syrian Crises.

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Religion and Politics – Political Development Incompatible with Islam?

By
Irfan Nawaz
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0
Political Development

Is Political Development Incompatible with Islam?

It is widely believed that Islam and modern political development – in general, and democracy in particular – are perfectly incompatible. They cite some of the Arab countries where there is a strong authoritarian hold and conclude that “Islam the faith itself” has certain cultural barriers which are hampering its way towards modern political development: which is absolutely not certain.

Also Read about The Faded line between Religion and Culture.

Role of Corrupt Leaders

The resistance to political change in the Islamic world has nothing to do with “Islam the faith itself” rather it has more to do with the rulers who do not want to share power with others by interpreting Islam narrowly, like the Saudi king justifies Wahabism to perpetuate his dynastic rule.

Political History and Culture

To start with, Sunni Islam(the largest sect of Islam) suggests that decision making power laid with the trusted companion of the Prophet, Caliphs were ideally elected by the people and there was a representation of different tribes either selected or elected, thus making it harmonious with the modern-day election and representative government.

The scripture of Islam and the teachings of the prophet recognizes Judaism and Christianity as its forerunners teaching equality, justice, and human dignities like Christian reformation and American and French revolutions making it perfectly compatible with pluralism and modern political development.

Examples from around the World

Countries like Turkey and Indonesia can serve as a kind of role model for non-democratic Islamic countries in their way towards democratization. One-fifth of the Muslim population lives in Indonesia and turkey and in both countries faith has very little effect on politics.

Indonesia (the world’s largest Muslim populated country) had made a successful transition from the decade-long iron rule of Suharto (1967-1998) to democracy and after the end of his authoritarian rule, five new governments were elected through a transparent election.

Pew research center (an American based think tank) found in 2018 that 65% of Indonesian were optimistic about the functioning of democracy, granting them their basic rights, like the right to vote, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, rule of law, a more tolerant religion than under authoritarian regimes,   and a booming economy. The acceptance of democracy in Indonesia reveals that Islam is open and compatible with modern political development rather than resisting it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is stated that if Islam had any barriers to modern political development then the largest Islamic country would not have adopted it The successful political development in Turkey and Indonesia manifests that Islam doesn’t defy political development rather it’s the rulers of Islamic countries who interpret Islam narrowly to perpetuate their dynastic rule.

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Climate Change Urgency – Case Study of Wildfires

By
Saghar Khuwaja
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11
Climate Change - Wildfires
An Image showing Wildfires.

Climate Change Urgency – Case Study of Wildfires

Global warming is an indisputable fact, and global climate change is known as a major environmental issue, becoming the Centre of attention in various fields. Vegetation and climate change have an intricate relationship since climate change ascendancy the state of vegetation, and vegetation deviation has a specific response influence on the regional climate.

Wildfires are often caused by humans with devastating consequences; types of wildfires may include:

  • Forest
  • Brush
  • Peatland

Wildfires require three compounds called the fire triangle:

The heat source; oxygen and organic fuel (wood and leaves). The heat source can be the sun, a hot bolt of lightning, or a smoldering match that can supply sufficient heat to start a fire. And when fuel or any combustible material is present, the spark then turns into flames, and fuel can be the dry leaves or green vegetation known as green fuel (pine and evergreen trees). As the combustion happens, the resulting flames feed on oxygen. When air moves, not only is the oxygen given to the fire, but it may also increase and spread the fires with a huge volume. As wildfires happen outdoors, they have a nearly sufficient supply of oxygen to incinerate. Climate change is favoring all these processes at a very quick pace. However, 90% of wildfires are caused by human activity directly or indirectly.

How is Climate Change contributing to Wildfires?

Climate change has been a key component in extending the peril and magnitude of wildfires. Wildfire threat relies upon some of the elements, including temperature, soil moisture, and the presence and type of trees, shrubs, and many other fuels. All those elements have robust direct or indirect ties to climate variability and climate change. Climate change complements the drying of natural organic material in forests and has doubled the number of large forest fires from 1984 to the present day. The central reason for that disaster is climate change, Climate change generally is making wetter areas wetter and drier areas drier, as the drier season gets longer vegetation gets drier and it becomes Tinder box and ideal conditions for the spread of wildfires such that just one single spark can lead to a wildfire that spread over thousands of acres.

The One Degree change and its effects

We have already had more than one Celsius warming since the industrial era as a result of human emissions like exhaust fumes and industrial releases into the atmosphere. That kind of cloaks the plant heating up everything below it. As we have been observing there is variation in the water cycle and also we are seeing the land dry out more frequently and protracted periods of high temperature. a kind of a reinforcing climate feedback mechanism as more fire burns more fuel burns, they releases more carbon into the atmosphere which means more global heating and that’s lead to more wildfire.

The drought is the perfect fuel for epic conditions but it is climate change that creates the infernos larger than ever with the vortex of smoke so powerful enough to spawn its own weather systems, the unimaginable is becoming the routine. The extreme conditions aren’t new. The intensity and duration in recent years are that some areas of the globe were buried under the historic snow and ice and some part of the globe break the records of temperature by getting the highest temperature of 54.4°C, tropical storms and hurricanes are formed earlier in the seasons, catastrophic floods and wildfires are becoming the routine.

In July, when heatwaves hit one of the world’s coldest regions, we knew that something was not right. Siberia is the region in which about 20 towns are on fire and 1.5 million hectares of land has been charred.

Catastrophic wildfires take a tremendous economic toll on communities through property losses, shortfalls in tourism, even modifications of the long-term structure over the provincial/local economy. only in California’s 2018 wildfires cost the US economy $148.5bn  (0.7% of the country’s annual GDP)

We must work on natural defenses because plantations and monocultures are much more vulnerable to fire, so we need to think about how we plant things so that nature has a chance of defending itself. At the same time, the best and biggest thing we can do is to reduce carbon emissions as quickly as possible, at the very least that buys more time to look for solutions and spread out the impact, it’s very clear that fires are getting worse because of climate change. We are in an emergency and if we don’t treat it as an emergency it’s going to get even worse. And the GHG greenhouse gases must be reduced as start to the solution as scorching fires burn the forest, toxic smoke drifts thousands of kilometers and choke many populous areas.

We have a wildfire pandemic so Stanford woods institute for the environment researchers are working on the solution to encounter this type of threat and they gave the most promising solution for that pandemic.

  • Long term solution chemical retardants, such as a Stanford developed HYDROGEL formulation
  • Building resilient communities: proactive planning, including better building codes and zoning.
  • Sensors and drones help to predict the spread of fires
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