aprilie 30, 2010

Amnesty laws in Spain and Brazil. Double standards and a judge without friends ²

by Andreea Nicutar • Analysis, Andreea Nicuţar, English content, International Affairs, Posts by author • Tags: Argentina, Baltasar Garzón, Barack Obama, Brazil, carapintadas, democracy, El Salvador, EU, European Court of Human Rights, Guatemala, Human Rights Watch, Inter-American Court of Human Rights for Brazi, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Luis Moreno Ocampo, Lula da Silva, Raúl Alfonsín, ruptura pactada, Rwanda, South America, Spain, Truth Commission Nunca mas, UN Human Rights Committee

Brazil and Spain are two countries that share a curiously similar dilemma these days. One may be tempted to think this has to do with their economies in these times of crisis, or maybe with the high visibility of their leaders. Time 100 has just chosen Brazil’s President Lula da Silva as the world’s most influential politician of the year (Obama reached only the fifth place) and he is a truly beloved leader preparing his succession in a booming country on the global scene. Spain is also on the front pages as it represents EU’s rotating Presidency with a very ambitious program. However, their dilemma is not one about the present or the future, but about their past. More…

martie 8, 2010

The perils of arming Russia ^Răspunde

by George Visan • Analysis, English content, George Visan, International Affairs, Posts by author • Tags: alliance solidarity, Alstom, arms race, arms sales, Brazil, Bulgaria, Central and Eastern Europe, Cold War, DCNS, Dmitry Medvedev, Estonia, EU, François Fillon, France, Gazprom, GDF Suez, IFRI, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Imants Liegis, India, Ivan Rogov class, latvia, LHD, Lithuania, Mistral class, NATO, Nicolas Sarkozy, Nord Stream, Poland, Rasa Jukneviciene, Robert Gates, Romania, Russia, Russian foreign policy, the Baltic, the Black Sea region, Thomas Gomart

Mistral (L9013) at anchor in Brest harbor courtesy of Wikipedia

The last week’s visit to France of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has further strengthen Franco-Russian relations, while at the same time endangering European security. During this visit France and Russia concluded a series of economic agreements concerning the energy market (GDF Suez wil participate in the Nord Stream pipeline project), a partnership between the French rail company Alstom and its Russian counterpart TMH and opened exclusive talks on buying four Mistral class amphibious assault ships (LHD). Although France has not yet decided to sell the ships, this military deal seems almost certain and the bilateral talks between France’s president Nicolas Sarkozy and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev seem to confirm that few details remain to be settled before the green light is given.

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februarie 26, 2010

Regional integration or regional delusion in Latin America? ⁵

by Andreea Nicutar • Analysis, Andreea Nicuţar, English content, International Affairs, Posts by author • Tags: ALBA, Alvaro Uribe, Amnesty International, Argentina, arms race, authoritarian trend, Barak Obama, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Castro Regime, Chile, Colombia, Cuban dissidents, democracy, Falkland Islands, Fidel Castro, Great Britain, Honduras, Hugo Chavez, human rights, Jose Miguel Insulza, Las Malvinas, Latin America, Lula da Silva, Michelle Bachelet, OAS, off-shore drilling, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, Porfirio Lobo, Raul Castro, regional integration, Rio Group, rising powers, rule of law, Venezuela

The Cuban political dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo died in prison on February 23 after 85 days of hunger strike to protest against severe beatings in jail. Initially sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for contempt, public disorder and „disobedience”, he later was sentenced to 36 years for disobedience in jail. Actually, he was the victim of a very harsh regime of beatings and other privations, a situation very often mentioned in reports of various human rights organizations, Amnesty International being one of them. More…