Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the most dangerous place on earth

2011/05/13 Reuters Video
 

Reuters: Exclusive interview with World Bank president Robert Zoellick

World Bank president on the Stabilization of Volatile Food Prices



Zoellick on the World Bank's Role in Developing Nations



Zoellick on Unemployment in the Middle East

Weighing in: Nuclear Power, a Long-Term View

March 23, 2011

By Danny Wilson

Despite being an isolated island nation devoid of great natural resource wealth, Japan ranks third globally in national energy production. As industrialization in Japan increased exponentially after World War II, the nation gradually diversified its energy sources. A key component of this diversification was the incorporation of nuclear power; before the disaster at the Fukushima Plant, 30% of Japan’s energy came from nuclear sources. In comparison, the United States receives roughly 8% of its energy from nuclear power. Nuclear power is the largest single source of energy in Japan, and has had an enormous role in its quest for energy independence.

A/S POSNER ENGAGES WITH CIVIL SOCIETY, POLITICAL OPPOSITION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CAIRO 000145  
SIPDIS DRL FOR A/S POSNER FOR NEA, NEA/ELA AND DRL/NESCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2035/01/31 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM EG SUBJECT: A/S POSNER ENGAGES WITH CIVIL SOCIETY, POLITICAL OPPOSITION REF: CAIRO 64; CAIRO 47; 09 CAIRO 2111; 09 CAIRO 1997; 09 CAIRO 1977 CLASSIFIED BY: Margaret Scobey, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B), (D)  

繞1. Key Points: -- (C) In meetings January 13-14, A/S Posner told activists and
opposition politicians that the U.S. is seeking ways to advance human rights and political participation over the coming 12-18 months. -- (C) Activists urged the U.S. to end a "double standard" on Israeli human rights violations, close Guantanamo and speak out against GOE repression. -- (C) Opposition political leaders agreed that prospects for significant political reform are slim while President Mubarak remains in office. Most expected Mubarak to be a candidate in 2011, and predicted the military would play a role in succession to ensure stability. -- (C) Former Presidential candidate Ayman Nour urged A/S Posner to press the GOE to stop interfering with opposition political activity, and to allow him to work and travel.  

穆斯林兄弟會令美歐焦慮

中評社北京2月13日電／環球時報報道，“軍官團”後面是“兄弟會”，有人用這句話來形容中東國家可能出現的變局。在奉行強人政治的中東，國家領袖往往是來自“軍官團”的軍事強人或牢牢掌握軍隊的王室成員。然而，隨著埃及社會動蕩的延續，一股長期“被忽視”的力量異軍突起、走上前台。對於十分低調且處處體現自身包容性的穆斯林兄弟會，西方媒體坦言，“它對埃及的作用複雜得讓西方害怕”。英國廣播公司（BBC）稱，該組織從80多年前成立時“就為埃及擺脫英國的統治以及清除西方影響而努力”。近日，美國白宮急於否認同埃及穆斯林兄弟會有過接觸，也不贊同該組織的聲明，而總統奧巴馬卻公開宣稱“穆斯林兄弟會遠沒有外界評論中的那麼可怕”。美歐發出的矛盾信息說明，幾年前在民主選舉中有過驚人表現的穆斯林兄弟會似乎才是西方真正擔心的對象。

埃及的光榮革命？埃及獨裁總統下台，埃及向民主政治邁進: The People made President Mubarack blink first.

Egypt's Mubarak resigns as leader 11 February 2011

Vice-President Omar Suleiman made the announcement on state television

Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as president of Egypt, after weeks of protest in Cairo and other cities.

The news was greeted with a huge outburst of joy and celebration by thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square - the heart of the demonstrations.

Mr Mubarak ruled for 30 years, suppressing dissent and protest, and jailing opponents.

US President Barack Obama said that Egypt must now move to civilian and democratic rule.

This was not the end but the beginning and there were difficult days ahead, the US president added, but he was confident the people could find the answers.

"The people of Egypt have spoken, their voices have been heard," Mr Obama said. "Egypt will never be the same again."

"They have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day."

'Historic change' 重要的歷史轉捩點＆世界其他強權對此事件之反應

There was jubilation throughout the Middle East and North Africa, including in Tunisia, where people overthrew their own president last month.

For the Arab League, Mr Moussa said events in Egypt presented an opportunity to build a national consensus.

Meanwhile, Iran described the recent events as a "great victory".

A senior Israeli official expressed the hope that Mr Mubarak's departure would "bring no change to its peaceful relations with Cairo".

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he respected the "difficult decision" taken in the people's interests, and called for an "orderly and peaceful transition".

European Union leaders reacted positively to the news of Mr Mubarak's resignation.

Foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton said the EU "respected" the decision.

"It is important now that the dialogue is accelerated leading to a broad-based government which will respect the aspirations of, and deliver stability for, the Egyptian people," she said.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron said this was a "really precious moment of opportunity to have a government that can bring the people together", and called for a "move to civilian and democratic rule".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the "historic change" in Egypt.

US Vice-President Joe Biden said Egypt had reached a pivotal moment in history.

SOCHUM-議題相關新聞之二

我們將討論SOCHUM委員會(Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee)的議題。

請大家務必將SOCHUM的Study Guide委員會導引讀物讀過。

議題有二：ㄧ為「原住民之權利」(Rights of Indigenous People)；ㄧ為「如何處置避難者」(The Treatment of Refugees)。

與「如何處置避難者」相關之新聞6則：

Sochum-議題相關新聞

Dear Muners,

我們下週寒訓有兩天的迷你模聯會議。

我們將討論SOCHUM委員會(Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee)的議題。

請大家務必將SOCHUM的Study Guide委員會導引讀物讀過。

議題有二：ㄧ為「原住民之權利」(Rights of Indigenous People)；ㄧ為「如何處置避難者」(The Treatment of Refugees)。

與「原住民之權利」相關之新聞4則：

開羅廣場是否演變成天安門事件？Who will blink first, the protesters or President Mubarak?

BBC NEWS:

Tense stand-off in Cairo's Tahrir square February 2011 Last updated at 12:47 GMT

There is a tense stand-off in the Egyptian capital's main square, after fights broke out between supporters and opponents of beleaguered（adj:圍困、被包圍的） President Hosni Mubarak.

專訪：中美清潔能源合作進展顯著 挑戰猶存

專訪：中美清潔能源合作進展顯著 挑戰猶存
——訪約翰斯‧霍普金斯大學能源專家孔博

    新華網華盛頓１月１９日電（記者 任海軍 王薇）美國約翰斯‧霍普金斯大學能源、資源及環境項目主任孔博博士日前在接受新華社記者專訪時表示，中美兩國在清潔能源領域的合作從廣度、深度上都有很大進展，但也面臨挑戰。
    孔博表示，從合作領域看，中美清潔能源的合作涉及很多方面，包括清潔煤、建築節能、電動汽車、頁岩天然氣等領域；從合作參與者講，除兩國的能源企業和能源研究機構，民間組織等也大量參與進來。此外，兩國在２００９年達成協議，成立中美清潔能源研究中心，清潔能源貿易快速發展。可見，從各個層面講，兩國清潔能源合作在過去幾年中取得很大進步。

美國防長蓋茨，一個對華務實派

新華網 2011年01月15日

新年伊始，在胡錦濤主席訪問美國前夕，美國國防部長羅伯特‧蓋茨于1月9日~12日訪問中國，隨即還將前往日本和韓國。毫無疑問，在朝鮮半島局勢復雜、中美關係磕磕絆絆之際，蓋茨的亞洲之行必定與應對半島局勢、推進兩軍交流等議題有關。

而據媒體透露，蓋茨將于2011年年底退休。這位“奧巴馬團隊中的核心成員”、“美國歷史上惟一一位在執政黨更替後留任的國防部長”，究竟是個什麼樣的人？

推動兩軍交流，但擔憂中國軍力

蓋茨是由情報專家出任防長的。在中情局工作期間，他負責主管蘇聯和東歐事務，但已開始關注中國。在喬治敦大學攻讀歷史學博士學位時，其博士論文《蘇聯的中國學——克裏姆林宮對中國當代事件的看法與爭論》便是通過蘇聯的視角來看待中國的變化。在中情局工作期間，蓋茨曾于1980年和1987年兩度訪華；出任防長後，也曾于2007年11月訪華。綜觀蓋茨就任防長四年來的涉華表態可見，其對華態度總體務實，較少意識形態上的成見，但對中國軍力發展的擔憂始終難以抹去。

From Model UN to the Real UN

At a special session of the United Nations Security Council held earlier today, youths from around the world set the agenda and asked their most pressing questions via e-mails and YouTube videos. 150 students — including 20 from Global Classrooms — got the chance to visit the Security Council, ask questions of the Security Council members and Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and have a pizza party with US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice!

WikiLeaks: SUPPORTING THE EU ARMS EMBARGO ON CHINA

Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
10STATE13969	2010-02-17 16:04	2010-12-15 12:12	CONFIDENTIAL	Secretary of State

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 013969

Inside the Chain-Link Fence

UN Climate Summit Needs an Overhaul

By Christian Schwägerl

Activists protest at a beach in Cancun on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Summit.

At the UN climate summit, thousands of delegates are under immense pressure to negotiate sensible solutions in a matter of days. It's no wonder that such meetings often end in failure. But there are alternatives to the large-scale approach.

Cancun Climate Summit 2010

Relief at Modest Progress

Cancun Talks Reach Global Climate Deal

-- Markus Becker and Christoph Seidler

It is a triumph for Mexico and a step forward in the fight against global warming: the Cancun climate conference reached a compromise in a dramatic conclusion to negotiations on Saturday. The deal preserves the UN's leadership in climate talks. But the compromises reached were modest.

維基揭密：中國資助阿富汗神學士組織 WikiLeaks: Leaks on China conventional arms transfers to Iran

新頭殼newtalk 2010.12.11 洪聖斐/編譯報導


儘管阿富汗神學士政權早已在2001年911恐怖攻擊後不久，便被北約組織推翻，但神學士的餘黨迄今仍然活躍，不但控制一些地區，而且火力強大。本期《航空週刊》(Aviation Week)相信，中國顧問協助了神學士餘黨取得軍火與通訊器材。

一位英國軍官向撰寫這篇報導的記者說，有人看到中國專家訓練神學士武裝人員使用地對空飛彈。「維基揭密」最近公布了一則美國官員於2008年5月13日所發出的密電，也證實了美方曾針對中國輸出飛彈的問題詰問過中國官員。美國的密電顯示，中國製的軍火經由伊朗，被運送到阿富汗和給伊拉克的恐怖份子手中。

學者:北韓開火 內政目的高於軍事 (劉必榮)

學者:北韓開火 內政目的高於軍事

北韓為何要對南韓發動炮擊？研究東北亞的國際學者認為，北韓在內政與外 交的目的勝於軍事戰略上的盤算，除了為鞏固金正日兒子金正恩的接班體系，也要逼美國重啟六邊會談，挑釁意味大，但會不會有進一步行動，其實還要看美國和中國的態度。

北韓在23號下午突如其來炮擊南韓延坪島，引起國際震驚，雖然北韓聲稱是為反擊南韓軍演時向北韓領海發射炮彈，但學者觀察認為，北韓的真正目的不是為採取軍事措施，而是要在內政和外交上換取更多籌碼。

學者認為，北韓以軍事衝突手段來升高南北韓緊張關係，對內很可能是為了鞏固金正恩的接班地位，表現領導能力；外交上則要逼迫美國重啟六邊會談。其實在韓戰後，兩韓之間在海上常有擦槍走火的事件，也有學者形容北韓這一次對南韓炮擊，又是一次小孩子打架，挑釁意味較大。

北韓在向美國科學家展示全新的核濃縮鈾提煉廠、並已安裝數百具離心機，展現其發展核武的能力後，再向南韓開火，學者表示，這可能也是要測試國際間的反應，尤其北韓會不會有進一步的軍事行動，美國和中國的態度將會是重要的觀察指標。

記者 王琪如 莊志成 台北報導
(2010-11-24 20:00) 公視晚間新聞
http://news.pts.org.tw/detail.php?NEENO=164827

source: http://ntpumun.blogspot.com/2010/11/blog-post.html

Obama Backs India for Security Council Seat

President Obama delivered a speech to India’s parliament on the third and final day of his visit to the country on Monday.

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

Published: November 8, 2010

NEW DELHI — President Obama announced here on Monday that the United States will back India’s bid for a permanent seat on an expanded United Nations Security Council, a major policy shift that could aggravate China, which opposes such a move.

Global News and Issue: 中國為什麼對俄羅斯天然氣不感興趣？

中評社香港9月30日電／英國《金融時報》9月29日載文《中國對俄羅斯天然氣不感興趣？》，摘要如下：

　　俄羅斯總統德米特裡•梅德韋杰夫本周正在中國會談，試圖讓全球最大的能源生產國和消費國結成新的合作夥伴關係。然而，中國儘管迫切需要新的油氣供應，却表現出一副不感興趣的樣子。

　　俄羅斯副總理伊戈爾•謝欣周一在北京對記者表示：“俄羅斯已準備好滿足中國所有的天然氣需求。”

　　但幾個小時後，國有的中國石油天然氣集團公司宣布在土庫曼斯坦發現大型天然氣田，這可以增加中亞天然氣向中國的輸送，降低對其他供應的需求。

　　中石油已經在幫助開發土庫曼斯坦東部巨大的天然氣儲量。該公司表示，在阿姆河左岸新發現的天然氣儲量超過1000億立方米，有可能成為一塊高產氣田。