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Pentagon's Anticipated Global Troop Rebalance
Isha saxena
The US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has indicated that a global troop rebalance is to take place this year to counter the challenges from Russia and China. He mentioned the possibility of repositioning troops at Miami, as a step in the direction of a new mission in Latin America. The purpose of this mission is to channel more troops towards Asia and send the rest back to the US from other parts of the world. There isn't any fixed period evident, within which we can expect the rebalance to occur, from the Defense Secretary's specific remarks.
Analysts have further explained that this plausible move of the US government is an overdue effort, which is now underway due to the military advances in China. The attention of the US military has, so far, been centered around counter-terrorism in Islamic nations like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, etc. The uncertainty like this shift surmounts due to the ongoing hostility with Iran, as well as the upcoming elections. The scheduled review in Africa has predicted a reduction in US troops in West Africa and the Southern Command as a whole, where the US concerns again lie in hindering the growth of Islamic militancy.
Esper, however, attempted to 'dispel the notion of how 'rebalance' could only mean 'reduction' as he suggested a possible increase in the stationing of forces. The Southern Command highlighted the fact that the challenge of China could be dealt with aggressively through Latin America. The US interests are inclined with the prevention of the growth in security threats from Russia and China. Hence the probable global troop rebalance is expected to shape up accordingly.
Peace to Prosperity: Deal of the Century
Bhavya Bana
Calling it a 'win-win' situation for both sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict, Donald Trump released the much-awaited peace deal last week. The plan supports the two-state solution and plans to provide statehood to Palestinian enclaves, while also authorizing Israel to annex the Palestinian territory it currently controls. The city of Jerusalem is proposed to be given to Israel, while the Palestinians are granted the right to create their capital in Abu Dis, a village in the West Bank. The plan allows for four years to develop the Palestinian state, under the surveillance of Israel, with the final say in the statehood belonging to Israel, depending on whether Palestine can meet the stringent requirements. In what may be considered as an attempt to deem Israel's occupation illegal, the plan promises economic projects to unleash the full potential of Palestine.
An investment of $50bn over a period of 10 years has been set aside to formulate a Free Trade Agreement, develop a port in Gaza, improve education, healthcare, and governance and provide compensation to Palestinian refugees if they agree to give up their right to return. This 'Deal of the Century' was negotiated with Israel, with no inputs whatsoever, from Palestinian representatives, who had cut off all ties with the US in 2017 following the US's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The plan has thus been rejected by not only Palestine but also other Arab states, viewing it as too Israel centric with no scope for a long-lasting solution to the conflict.
Coronavirus: A global emergency
Sayali Phanse
Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) at a conference in Geneva in the wake of its spread well beyond China. In the past, the WHO has declared a similar state of international emergency five times, including during the Ebola outbreak and that of the Zika Virus.
Coronavirus is a large family of viruses causing illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Zoonotic in nature, the novel coronavirus is a strain that was earlier unidentified in humans. The death toll in China, from this outbreak, has risen to over 700 and infected about 34,800 people nationally with it spreading on global scale as well. The central province of Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, has been effectively quarantined with numerous transport restrictions in place, to contain the spread of the virus.
The WHO Emergency Committee advised China to enhance surveillance, collaborate with the organization and continue strengthening efforts to identify the animal-to-human source of information, encouraging China's stringent exit screening measures at international ports and airports for early detection of any possible cases. It has also recommended all countries to regularly communicate any development concerning the outbreak, urging for a robust health system to be supplemented by an efficacious evacuation mechanism to contain the respiratory disease. Meanwhile, low and middle-income countries are to be provided with vaccines, drugs, better surveillance and diagnostic tools. Efforts are being undertaken worldwide to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Bangladesh Grants Rohingya Children Formal Education.
Epcita Shukla
A moment of joy arrived for Rohingya refugees, as Bangladesh decided to lift the ban on formal education for the children. This move has been widely welcomed by Human Rights groups. More than 700,000 ethnic Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017 after Myanmar's military carried out a series of operations that the United Nations (UN) described as having "genocidal intent" against the minority community, taking the total refugee population in Bangladesh to almost a million. A plethora of informal learning centers, started by aid groups and the Rohingyas themselves, already exist in the camps. However, these offer only early primary school lessons and are mostly unstructured. Bangladesh had earlier forbidden charities and even the UN from giving formal education in the camps to prevent forming the impression that the refugees would be settled there permanently.
In April 2020, a pilot program led by the UNICEF and Bangladesh government will initially enroll around 10,000 Rohingya children up to the age of 14 in the sixth to ninth grades, where they will receive skills training apart from just formal education. 'They will follow Myanmar curriculum,' said the country's foreign minister, AK Abdul Momen. However, the formal education will stop at class 9 and the pilot will only reach 1 out of every 40 Rohingya children. This move, while largely celebrated as a step in the right direction, is also a reminder of how much farther the dream for all refugee children to get a full formal education and hopefully pursue a university education remains still.
Greece to Use Floating Barriers to Stop Migrants
Pranali Deshmukh
Greece is currently experiencing a major influx of immigrants from its neighbor Turkey. To curb this, the government has decided to build a floating net barrier that will avert the smuggling boats. The 2.7 km long barrier will be installed in the sea off the island of Lesbos, rising 50 meters above the water and with flashlights to make it visible at night. According to the UNHCR, last year 59,726 immigrants and refugees reached Greece's shores out of which 80 percent arrived on the shores of Chios, Samos, and Lesbos.
Amnesty International has strongly condemned the plan, forewarning that it would put the lives of the asylum-seekers and refugees in danger. But despite criticism from the international community, Greece's minister for Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, defended the plan saying that it will send a strong message that Greece is serious about safeguarding its borders. But Greece's former migration minister Dimitris Vitsas criticized the plan suggesting that it will be ineffective in curbing the arrival of migrants.
The barrier is expected to be constructed by the end of April. According to official sources, it will be built by the military which has previously removed camps from all across Greece. The barrier will be built using non-military measures to adhere to international maritime standards. If successful, more parts will be added to it soon extending it up to 15 km.