TRENDS

25

Aug

COVID-19, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, North Korea, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Covid-19: The unsung stories of nations with ‘zero’ cases

BY: Chaitra Arjunpuri When Covid-19 hit China and eventually spread to Southeast Asia, other countries, particularly the West, looked keenly wondering if they would ever have to face the virus on their doorsteps. However, very soon the coronavirus became a pandemic not sparing any country, whether developed or underdeveloped. While the US, Mexico, Brazil, India, are still hotbeds of Covid-19, there are countries that have been not touched by the novel coronavirus.  As of August 10, 12 countries in the world have not reported any Covid-19 cases, according to the tracking system generated by Johns Hopkins University, or Worldometers.com. JHU’s Center for…

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25

Aug

Blockade, China, coronavirus, COVID-19, Eid Al Fitr, Gaza, Hebron, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, West Bank

Blockade and COVID-19 Effects in Palestine

BY: Reema Aburamadan PEJOURNAL - As the citizens of the world are experiencing restrictions on movement because of COVID-19, Palestinians in Gaza and in the West Bank have been experiencing it for decades. Since 2006, the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian Territories has been under complete blockade, air, land, and sea. People living in Gaza have difficulties regarding travel either for seeking medical treatment, education, or even vacation. The world finds it very difficult and, in some places, people believe that the restrictions taken because of the coronavirus are limiting their freedom. On the other hand, for people living in…

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25

Aug

Belarus, Canada, Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, China, COVID-19, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO, Russia, Ukraine

Is NATO prepared to celebrate its centenary?

BY: Jacobien van der Kleij PEJOURNAL - NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated, following the meetings of NATO Defence Ministers on 17 June 2020, that the dire situation of COVID-19 does not imply that other challenges have gone away. With 70 years behind them, NATO member states have been hit with numerous historic consequential shifts and threats, shaping the direction of NATO, its deterrence and defence strategies, and indeed its very structure. These include the Readiness Action Plan, launched in 2014 and the Readiness Initiative in 2018, aiming to enhance the readiness of existing national force and new security challenges.…

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20

Aug

Belarus, Belarus Elections, Dmitry Medvedev, Lukashenko, Minsk, NATO, Russia, Soviet Union, Svetlana Tihanovskaya, Tikhanovsky, USA

Russia; Winner of Belarus Elections.

BY: Oğuz Fırat PEJOURNAL - After the Soviet Union collapsed, Belarus began to move away from Russia to improve its deteriorating economy and relations with the West. While during this period, the newly established Russian government tried to control the post-Soviet space by establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1991. On the other hand, Russia was concerned that interfering with close states such as Belarus, would risk the relations it was trying to establish with the West. But it realized that NATO's borders were widening eastward and so the West was starting to build sovereignty in the areas that…

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15

Aug

arms embargo, Iran, U.S., UNSC

UNSC defeated a U.S. resolution to extend arms embargo on Iran

PEJOURNAL - The U.N. Security Council on Friday resoundingly defeated a U.S. resolution to indefinitely extend the U.N. arms embargo on Iran, with the Trump administration getting support from only the Dominican Republic. The vote in the 15-member council was two in favor, two against and 11 abstentions, leaving it far short of the minimum nine “yes” votes required for adoption. Russia and China strongly opposed the resolution, but didn’t need to use their vetoes. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the defeat of the resolution ahead of a very brief virtual council meeting to reveal the vote. The…

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12

Aug

Crisis, Houthi, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Yemen Crisis; External Intervenes

BY: Daniel Ranjbar PEJOURNAL - War and violence have dominated the contemporary history of Yemen, a nation that has survived decades of armed rebellion and uprising to split and reunite into two countries. The civil war in Yemen has been a battle between the two factions, each calling itself the Yemeni government since 2015 with its supporters and allies. The war between the government forces of Abdul Mansur Hadi and southern Aden is based on the conflict between Aden and former forces of Ansarullah and pro-Ali al-Saleh. Ansarullah’s forces marched into Taiz Province on March 22, invading other parts of…

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12

Aug

Brexit, EU, Farming, Food, Security, UK

Farming and Brexit

BY: Navomee Ponnamperuma PEJOURNAL - In the UK, until the recent pandemic, Brexit was the most common topic of conversation. From immigration to sovereignty, it was a heavily contested topic with extensive media coverage. Nevertheless, amidst the chatter, one aspect of Brexit appeared amiss despite its economic and social value. British farming represents one of the UK’s largest manufacturing sectors, contributing an estimate of over £120 billion to the national economy. It provides a secure food system in the UK and generates employment in rural areas, as current figures show over 4 million people employed in this sector. Prior to…

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12

Aug

Afghanistan, Belt and Road Initiative, China

China’s Cautious Move to Boost Relations with Afghanistan

PEJOURNAL - The Chinese are very serious about improving relations with Afghanistan and have clear policies, but as long as the Americans are in Afghanistan, it looks like Beijing will move with caution. After a general agreement was reached between Pakistan and China called “One-Road One Belt” under which China invested about $65 billion in Pakistan, the idea of construction of a road from Qaraqorum to Karachi and from Karachi to the port of Gwadar known as Makran Road built by the Chinese was raised. In fact, the Chinese are building a highway from Kashgar, the capital of Xinjiang, to…

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11

Aug

coronavirus, COVID19, Putin, Russia, vaccine

This morning, for the first time in the world, a vaccine against the new coronavirus was registered in Russia

"This morning, for the first time in the world, a vaccine against the new coronavirus was registered in Russia." President Vladimir Putin said Russia's Health Ministry has given regulatory approval for the world's first COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. Putin added that the vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, has proven efficient during tests and promises to offer "sustainable immunity" against the coronavirus. "I would like to repeat that it has passed all the necessary tests,'' Putin said. "The most important thing is to ensure full safety of using the…

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09

Aug

ASEAN, ballistic missile, China, COVID19, hypersonic missiles, Military, Pooya Mirzaei, South China Sea, Thailand, USA

What is the US looking for in Thailand amid pandemic?

PEJOURNAL - Thailand, one of the first countries to be affected by the outbreak of coronavirus, ranked high in the fight against corona and has not had a single new case of infection in the last two months. In this regard, the Corona Fighting Headquarter in this country has created very strict rules and protocols for people and foreign tourists, and this decision has been very effective. On August 3, at 7:00 AM, 71 U.S. troops from the island of Guam flew OAE6555, a privately-owned passenger aircraft, to U-Tapao Airport in Sattahip District, Thailand. The U.S. troops, under Alternative State…

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