 |
| Osama Bin Laden |
The shadowy militant group
Al-Qaeda is expected to launch attacks on Ghana any time soon as a response to
the country’s participation in the so-called war on terror in Mali.
A confidential correspondence
from the Ghana Armed Forces dated January 22, 2013 says the attacks could only
be a matter of time”.
The correspondence from the office of the Chief of Staff, General
Headquarters details measures
which ought to be taken to contain such attacks.
It says “Security personnel at
border crossing points need to be extra vigilant and key vulnerable points
should be guarded at all times and VIP protection should be strengthened”.
“Troops on duty at security checkpoints in all
garrisons should be briefed continuously to be extra alert” it said.
The full text of the
correspondence is published below;
Office of the Chief of Staff
General Headquarters
Ghana Armed Forces
BURMA
CAMP
Tel 0302-772986
22 January 2013
GHQ/1001/24/COS14
See Distribution
LIKELY AL-QUEDA LINKED REPRISAL ATTACKS ON TROOP
COUNTRIBUTING COUNTRIES TO MALI
1.
With the ongoing campaign in Mali-against
Islamist rebels led by French fighter bombers, it is likely that the retaking
of the held Northern territory from the rebels will be a matter of time.
2.
Ghana has already indicated its readiness to
deploy an Engineer Detachment and could be a target of al-Qaeda linked attacks.
It has been widely announced by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) that any
country that contributes troops to the African-Led International Support
Mission to Mali (AFISMA) would be attacked. Kidnapping of some French nationals
on the African continent and the attack on the gas plant in Algeria have been
attributed to the involvement of France and Algeria in Mali. On 18 Jan.13, an
attack on Nigerian soldiers in the Kogi State that killed two (2) soldiers and
wounded eight (8) others has also been linked to AQIM. The group was reported
to have indicated that the attack was part of a mission to stop Nigerian troops
from joining Western powers in reclaiming the Mali Operation.
3.
From the foregoing, it has become apparent for
security agencies to be vigilant when on duty as there is the possibility of
the presence of Islamist sleeper cells hiding in Ghana. I am directed to
forward the following security guidelines for compliance with immediate effect:
a)
Security personnel on duty at border crossing
points need to be extra vigilant.
b)
Key and vulnerable points should be guarded at
all times and VIP protection should be strengthened.
c)
Troops on duty at security checkpoints in all
garrisons should be briefed continuously to be extra alert.
d)
Unauthorized vehicles should be prevented from
entering perimeters that have access controls like passes and permits.
e)
Haphazard parking should be, discouraged in all
military establishments.
f)
As a precautionary measure, only personnel who
work within any controlled perimeter and have designated parking spaces should
be allowed to apply for inner perimeter stickers.
g)
Others
should be encouraged to park at designated parking lots outside the perimeter.
h)
Temporary passes available at reception
rooms/areas and guard posts should be issued cautiously after checks have been
properly carried out on vehicles and /or individuals.
i)
Units should take additional precautionary
measures commensurate with peculiar potential risks.
4.
Respectfully submitted for dissemination and
strict compliance, please.
CL
BESSING
Commander
For Chief of Staff
EDITORIAL
WARNING
The warning by the Ghana Armed Forces that an
Al-Qaeda attack on the country as a response to Ghana’s role in the so-called
war on terror in Mali must be very worrying for all peace-loving citizens.
The compelling question is why
should Ghana get involved in this needless war which can completely upset the
peace and security of the country?
If indeed Ghana is concerned
about the spread of terrorist activities in West Africa, it should focus its
attention on those who recruit, train and finance the terrorists.
The evidence is that these
terrorist groups are the creation of the United States of America and its
allies.
The Al-Qaeda group led by Osama
bin Laden was recruited, trained and financed by the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) of the United States of America to wage war against the Soviet
Union in Afghanistan.
The weapons being used by the
rebels in Mali are some of those which were dropped by NATO airplanes to aid
the rebels who toppled Brother Al-Gadafi of Libya.
The USA and its allies have also
turned Syria into a huge factory and are busily producing terrorists for export
to the rest of the world.
Interestingly Ghana has joined
forces with the creators of terrorism to wage a particularly reckless war whose sole objective is recolonialisation.
The Insight urges the Ghanaian authorities to
rethink their participation in this war and withdraw our soldiers immediately.
The report Danquah Institute Distorted
Turkey has held a cargo plane carrying 1.5
tons of gold from Ghana to Dubai, reportedly for its failure to present
necessary documents.
The Turkish aircraft had landed in Istanbul's Atatürk Airport on January 1 to refuel and change personnel, Turkey’s Hurrietdailynews reported on Sunday.
The starting point and the destination of the plane is not clear yet but the report said it may have departed from Algeria and was headed for another country.
The aircraft has reportedly been locked up and sealed for security reasons.
WHO IS A PROPHET?
The dictionary defines a "prophet as a person who initiates and supports good intentions of others and of mankind". So a prophet is not
necessarily a person who reads a bible; neither a man of God nor Nyame Nyimpa.
 |
| Dr. Kwame Nkrumah |
Our past and present historians have written about people, who
have in one way or the other initiated and supported good intensions of others
for greater achievements. People like the Biblical Moses, Joseph, Isaac, Jesus
(the Christ}, Abraham and Mohammed. Then came Marcus Garvey, Abraham Lincoln,
Mahatma Ghandi, George Padmore, W.E. DuBois, Nnamdi Azikive, Julius Nyerere,
John F. Kennedy Patrice Lumumba, Jomo Kenyatta and our own first President-
Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah down to the living prophets likee Nelson Mandela,
Bishop Desmond Tutu and others.
Our late prophet Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah; who immediately we
gained our Self Government in 1951, initiated so many projects for our dear
country Ghana, and supported good intentions of the United Nations for peace
and prosperity. And so as he put it "Industrialization starts with
education". So within the 15 years that he ruled the country, Osagyefo
built about 50 factories and so many secondary schools with the same plan as
the Tema Secondary school, Accra Girls and the Mfantsiman Girls Secondary
School. The plan of the Cape Coast Ghana National was different because he
built it to honor the dedicated teachers and students who were sacked from the
Adisadel, Mfantsipim and St. Augustines Secondary Schools for taking part in
the 1948 "Positive Action Strike". He first started the school with
his own pocket money, before the present permanent structures.
In the midst of all human calamities including "Pull Him
Down" attitude, he was able to complete his 1st and 2nd
Five (5) years Development Plans. The 3rd Seven years development
plan on the drawing board to be initiated included the following:
A 200 Bed hospital at Half Assini
A Railway line from Awaso through Kumasi, Sunyani, Kintampo,
Tamale and Bolgatanga to Burkina Faso. Those who could remember the "AXES
OF PAGA" by President Kwame Nkrumah and Maurice Yameogo.
A railway line from Shai Hills to Akosombo Construction of Alumina
Plant at VALCO to produce Alumina from the Bauxite at Kibi and Nyinahin to feed
VALCO, so as to stop the importation of alumina from Overseas.
Construction of BUI Dam to feed from the Ashanti to the North as
Akosombo was meant to supply 50% to VALCO and 50% for Southern Ghana.
Exploration of oil at Keta, Saltpond and Tano. Creation of Tema
Region from Nungua to Akosombo and back with Tema as the Capital and to be
renamed Tema City like Panama City or New York City. All these results came
from the findings of the Soviet Union and the Romanian Geological Survey Teams,
which toured the country between 1962 and 1965. They also discovered Clinker,
Iron and other minerals in the country.
 | |
| Congolese President Patrice Lumumba |
He also directed that the Accra Plains should be turned into
Agriculture and to be irrigated with the water from the Densu Lake. The
construction of mini dams on all the big rivers to supply energy to their
vicinities and for irrigation as well.
All these projects could not materialize due to the 24th February
1966 Coup which was organized by the United Party in collaboration with the
C.I.A. of America for only 10,000 Dollars. They were promised to bring
Osagyefo's body dead or alive for another 30,000 Dollars. We are very grateful
to Prophet Sekou Toure of Guinea who refused to hand over the body to them. It
could be recalled that the first Coup attempt was in 1958. It was being planned
at the former Labadi IT' Junction
and the perpetrators were "CAUGHT IN THE ACT".
I (the writer of this article) am also a prophet, because I think
of the well-being of the Ghanaians and support all the good intensions of the
government. And if I could get the chance to initiate, I will in no time reduce
the importation of White Rice, White Sugar and Fatty Chicken.
There are so many
rivers and arable lands in the country from which our farmers and poultry
farmers could be motivated to go into large scale cultivation, to give more
employment to our youth.
I shall also re- introduce the State Farms, Workers
Brigade and Fishing Corporation, and give preference to the Railway Company to
haul the Cocoa, Timber, Bauxite and Manganese to the ports.
The rapid spread of Diabetes, Blood-pressure and other related
sicknesses are all from the consumption of the White Rice, White Sugars and
Fatty Chicken which are imported. And after eating, drink the coldest ice-water;
and to the extent of even taking ice-cubes.
We can cultivate the brown rice in the North and the Brown sugar
by out two sugar factories in the country. There are so many projects which
were left on the drawing board, to be implemented by Osagyefo after his return
from Vietnam.
In the absence of these, all the countries which were behind Ghana
in development have overtaken us. And the same "Pull Him Down"
attitude is still going on. So I have stopped attending church for the past 11
years. After all the Almighty God is a spirit and it is everywhere; even in my
room. And a church after all is a society. That is why people move from one
church to the other; for want of what only they themselves know.
It is the Christians, the Media men and the Politicians who are
spoiling the country.
HENRY KING
(TEMA)
 |
| Collins Dauda |
Who is Collins Dauda; Minister Designate
for Water Resources, Works and Housing.
Hon. Alhaji Collins Dauda attended Mim Secondary School from 1973 to 1981 where he obtained his General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary and Advanced levels.
Between 1985 and 1986, Hon. Alhaji Collins Dauda was a teacher at the Kukuom Agric Secondary School.
He later joined Ahafoman Secondary School in 1986 and continued teaching until 1992.
He was a Consultative Assembly Member from 1991 to 1992. Before then, he was a Member of the Asutifi District Assembly from 1978 to 1981.
Hon. Alhaji Collins Duada was elected a Member of Parliament for the Asutifi South Constituency in 1993. He was re-elected a Member of Parliament for a second term between 1997 and 2001.
In the year 2000, he was elected the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for the Asutifi South Constituency for the Parliamentary general elections.
Between 2002 and 2004, Hon. Alhaji Collins Dauda was the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Regional Chairman for the Brong Ahafo Region.
He recaptured his Parliamentary seat for the Asutifi South Constituency in the 2004 elections. Whiles in Parliament, Hon. Alhaji Collins Dauda held various positions on the Parliamentary Select Committees.
He was the Vice President of the Committee on Lands and Forestry from 1994 to 1996.
He became the chairman of the Committee on Lands and Forestry (1997-2000).
He also served as a member of the Finance and Youth, Sports and Culture Committees.
Hon. Alhaji Collins Dauda was a Member of the Ghana Timber Trade Mission to Malaysia in 1995.
Furthermore, he was the leader of the Ghanaian Delegation to Bolivia for International Tropical Timber Conference 1997.
In the same year, he was a Member of the Parliamentary Delegations to South Africa, Malawi, Kenya as well as London and Belgium on Voluntary Partnership Agreement.
He was also a member of the Parliamentary Delegation to Berlin for Globe Berlin Legislators forum on Climate Change and Illegal Logging. He is married with two wives and ten children.
Hon. Alhaji Collins Dauda was sworn in as a Minister of Lands and Forestry in February, 2009 by H.E. Professor John Evans Atta-Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana.
On the 4th of January, 2011, Alhaji Collins Dauda was appointed the Minister for Transport in a re-shuffle by President Mills.
CJA SPEAKS
A statement Issued In Accra
The Committee for Joint Action (CJA) wish to outline our
expectations of the administration of National Democratic Congress (NDC), led
by President John Dramani Mahama in the next four years.
 |
| Members of Committee For Joint Action |
On 21 April 2009, we organised a press conference to set
out our expectations of the Mills’ government. We addressed issues which
included avoidable increases in the prices of energy and fuel; corruption and
maladministration, mismanagement, incompetence and malfeasance in public
administration, the need for planning, the need for greater transparency and
accountability in the way government operates, the issues of sale of strategic
national assets, ostentation and profligate spending, as well as the provision
of potable water and the indebtedness of the Tema Oil Refinery,
Considering that this administration is a follow-on of the
Mills’ administration, we take note of the efforts that were made to clear the
Tema Oil Refinery debt as well as the more favourable political space that was
created. We are also cognizant of the fact that for nearly the whole of 2012,
the ordinary people were not overburdened with astronomical fuel and utility
price increases that had become a constant ritual in previous administrations.
Furthermore, apart from the sale of smaller entities such as rubber
plantations, we did not witness the wholesale disposal of strategic national
assets merely to balance the national budget.
We are however concerned that issues such as
maladministration, corruption and abuse of power in the public sector were allowed to fester. We recall the
grabbing of state bungalows and lands by a few political appointees, which, in
spite of our appeals to the government, were allowed to go on.
Pursuant to our objectives of fighting corruption, we call
on President John Mahama to demonstrate the commitment of his government to the
fight against impunity by taking back all the government bungalows and lands
that were grabbed by those officials and to halt future asset grabs.
We are aware of the ways in which government lands and
bungalows in Ringway Estates, Ridge, East Cantonments and Kwabenya, all in
Accra, were shared among some officials in the Lands Commission and their
friends.
While it is
important to bring corrupt officials to book, it is even more important that
the various loopholes identified within the public sector that make it possible
for crooked officials to line their pockets with the taxpayer’s money are
sealed and laws regulating the utilization of public funds tightened and
rigidly adhered to in order to protect the public purse.
We would also expect the government to institute measures
that would improve the standard of living and economic health of the people of
this country. Statistical figures that do not translate into improvements in
the well being of ordinary people are meaningless, especially for a government
that professes social democracy as its guiding principle.
We are of the view
that the country should try to achieve modernization and industrialization in
order to achieve meaningful economic development.
We are painfully
aware of the inability of government to pay its contractors. On this issue, the
CJA is of the view that the massive corruption within the tax collection
agencies, particularly the corruption at our ports, diminishes the ability of
the government to mobilize adequate revenue for the government. The CJA is
prepared to engage government on this issue to make concrete proposals on how
the hemorrhage of potential custom and excise revenue can be halted.
We expect the Mahama administration to halt
the passing on of huge utility bills to the ordinary consumer. The current
situation in which the Ministries, Departments and government Agencies (MDAs)
fail to pay their utility bills and the cost is passed on to the poor consumer
must be halted. We expect Government to set a good example by paying off its
massive debts to the utility companies.
In conclusion, we
expect the Mahama administration to live up to its campaign promises of
improving the quality of life of all Ghanaians.
Kwasi Adu
Convener
CJA
Firm steps
in the updating of Cuba’s economic model
DURING the last period
between sessions of the Cuban Parliament, the process of implementation of
Policy Guidelines approved by the 6th Party Congress has progressed at a
satisfactory pace, with new measures implemented to update the country’s
socioeconomic model and others, already in place, being perfected.
 |
| President Raul Castro of Cuba |
This was the essence
of the report presented by Council of Ministers Vice President Marino Murillo
Jorge, head of the Policy Guidelines Implementation Permanent Commission,
during the final plenary session of the 7th Legislature.
In a summary of
progress made in the implementation process, he said, "The tasks which the
Commission, national bodies and entities, local governments and enterprises
must complete in 2013 and 2014 will be the most complex, those of greatest
importance and impact on the updating of our economic model and on society as a
whole."
Given their nature and
scope, he said, these tasks must be studied carefully, in order to adopt the
best decisions for the country, with the coherence required.
WORK UNDERWAY
Murillo reported that
the drafting of the theoretical conception of Cuba’s economic model is well
underway. This document will guide the work of all bodies involved in the
nation’s development.
He said that also
advancing is the establishment of fundamentals for the country’s long-term
Economic and Social Development Program, which include the definition of
indicators to be used to evaluate the model’s performance and, above all, to
precisely determine goals to be met.
Murillo indicated that
a timeline is being prepared for the implementation of macro-economic policies,
included among the most important are a new methodology to determine wholesale
and retail prices; monetary policy measures to be adopted to control the
circulation of money; and procedures for financial planning, as tools to better
coordinate macro-economic policy, the Economic Plan and State Budget.
Murillo made special
mention of the new Tax System Law No. 113, which will go into effect in
January, and highlighted the fact that regulations were included, which is not
the case with the current, soon to be replaced, law.
While the Tax System
Law is the highest authority, establishing the principles and taxable bases, he
said, the Regulations detail procedures and norms governing the law’s
application, which can be changed within the parameters established, without
having to propose changes to the general law.
Murillo reported that
work is currently being done on the design of the first 230 non-agricultural
cooperatives which will open the gradual, experimental process of establishing
this new form of economic activity. The legal framework for non-agricultural
cooperatives went into effect December 11.
MORE AUTONOMY FOR ENTERPRISES
According to Murillo
Jorge, a number of experimental changes in the functioning of enterprises will
begin January 1, directed at expanding autonomy and authority in the economic
and financial management of enterprises.
This process is being
undertaken to advance in the construction of a working model of the socialist
state enterprise and to support macro-economic policies, among others approved.
The objectives of this
process are the re-capitalization of enterprises; increased earnings to make
possible the financing of increased wages for workers; the creation of a
wholesale market and the reconciliation of costs which the Cuban economy can
sustain with their value on the international market.
The policy to be
followed in the implementation of these changes, he said, has been approved and
work is underway on the legal framework.
The experiment will
expand the context in which enterprises function and, on a small scale, allow
for trying out needed changes. The process of full implementation will begin
with the consolidated sugar group AzCuba, and that of the biotechnological and
pharmaceutical industries, BioCubaFarma, as well as the state shrimp farming
enterprise.
Murillo explained that
the experiment will additionally include limited changes for other enterprises,
selected because of their importance to the country’s economic development.
These will, for example, allow for the sale of excess production available
after state contracts have been fulfilled, at accorded prices.
OTHER STEPS FORWARD
As part of his report
to deputies, Murillo Jorge addressed the approval process underway of a
proposal to make state entities’ social objectives more flexible, with the goal
of allowing such institutions to more fully develop their potential.
This proposal would
allow for the adoption of measures such as the establishment of the principal
social objective by the body or institution creating the entity, with no
reference to the currency in which it will operate. Another option would be
permitting the director of an enterprise or entity to make decisions about
secondary activities, related to the social objective.
Murillo Jorge likewise
emphasized the importance of studies being done on the development of linked
production sequences, in an effort to increase productivity and contribute to a
better structural balance within the economy. These efforts are directed toward
the fulfillment of Guidelines No. 7, 89, 103, 129, 132, 136, 185, 217 and 219.
He also reported that
work continues to facilitate self-employment. Among the measures are the
inclusion of new activities (such as real estate agent, measurement instrument
repairer and antique dealer), the renewed granting of licenses for activities
previously suspended, as well as a new regulation which defines the scope of
all types of approved work.
The policy which
governs the awarding of subsidies to individuals for home construction, Murillo
explained, has also been updated, with more financing available if the dwelling
is to be built in a seismic zone; for coverage of transportation costs of
building materials and for costs associated with technical documentation or for
long-term leasing of land rights. New categories of persons eligible for
subsidies were also established, including renters or persons living in rented
rooms. Subsidies will also be available for the repair of leaks and plumbing
problems.
IMPROVING GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
The experience of
Artemisa and Mayabeque provinces, involved in an innovative project to perfect
their administrative systems and leadership bodies, was also discussed during
the National Assembly plenary session.
Second in charge of
the Permanent Commission, General Leonardo Andollo, emphasized the importance
of Decree No. 301, which defines state functions to be assumed by national
state administrative bodies and entities with respect to provincial authorities
in the two provinces.
"This decree provides
the legal framework allowing the experiment to operate on an institutional
foundation in which the delegation of authority and attributes at the different
levels are clearly defined."
"No antecedent to
this document exists and it is an important foundation for the future, since
today there is no such regulation which defines precisely and comprehensively,
the procedures involved."
He explained that as
part of the project, in Güines municipality, Mayabeque, an effort is being made
to consolidate, in a single building, all administrative services the
population requires. Plans include the creation of a single administration and
shared logistical support, for example, in the area of data and
telecommunications, while studies continue to guide improvement of the project.
Andollo reported that
regulations for Government Information Councils and Technical Committees in the
two provinces have been approved and that the process of integrating all higher
education centers is underway there, as well as in the Isle of Youth.
One important
accomplishment of the experimental project, he said, is that throughout the
process thus far, there has been no administrative instability, significant
when taking into consideration that administrative structures in each of the
two provinces have been staffed with 26% of the original personnel and the
principal indicators of development have been maintained at levels similar to
those of other provinces.
Despite the progress made, Andollo indicated that difficulties
persist. Among these are limitations on efforts to concentrate leadership
bodies in the smallest number of locations possible and the insufficient
availability of supplies needed by leadership bodies and service providers.
War, Weapons and Water
‘Whisky is for drinking; water is for fighting
over.’ (Mark Twain)
The BBC
in November 1999 reported on a UN Development Programme which argued that
potential ‘water wars are likely in areas where rivers and lakes are shared by
more than one country’.
Speaking in New Delhi in March 2001 the then Secretary
General of the UN, Kofi Annan, predicted that: ‘if we are not careful, future
wars are going to be about water and not about oil.’ John Reid, Minister for
Defence warned in 2006 that: ‘climate change may spark conflict between nations
– and … British armed forces must be ready to tackle the violence,’ Independent (28/02/06). And
in March of this year in the Guardian
Energy Secretary, Ed Davies stated that: ‘I have a fear for the world that
climate instability drives political instability,’ and continued by saying:
‘The pressure of that makes conflict more likely.’ Mark Twain may have got it
right then.
The Pacific Institute (worldwater.org)
underline Twain’s words through their chronology of 225 entries from 3000 BC to
2010 of violent conflicts relating to water. Water and air are the two
necessities of human life. Fortunately, only water has evolved into private
property and only recently as a commodity for sale on the market. Fortune magazine extols its
virtues as a commodity: ‘One of the world's great business opportunities. It
promises to be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th’
(CBC News, 02/03).
Which might give Kofi Annan something to brood over.
The origins of conflicts over water developed with the ownership
of domestic livestock and the growth of agriculture several thousand years ago.
Water had gradually taken on an economic character. Thus, when grazing pasture
and natural watering holes dry up, and farmers seem to be flourishing, then
peaceful cooperation inevitably stops working. Latterly, under capitalism, the
procuring, extracting, treating, storing and delivery of water has a cost and,
as Fortune magazine
points out, a profit is expected in return. If supplies of any commodity become
short, it can be expected that the price will rise.
Growth is as important to capitalism as water is to a human being.
And water is a crucial element in any future growth of capitalism. Global
capitalists compete to harness and control water because it is an indispensable
component for commercial fisheries, agriculture, manufacturing and tourism, and
most importantly it is a source of energy through hydroelectric power, which at
present supplies around 6 per cent of the world’s commercial energy. But this
commodity is becoming scarce. A CIA report in 2000 predicted that ‘By 2015
nearly half the world's population –more than 3 billion people –will live in
countries that are 'water-stressed' –- have less than 1,700 cubic meters of
water per capita per year –mostly in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and
northern China’ (sourcewatch.org).
In Africa, The Okavango Basin is a source of tension between
Botswana and Namibia. Both countries are victims of drought and Namibia has
already built a water canal and has proposed building a pipeline to divert
water from the river back into Namibia. At stake for Botswana is its only
source of water and an expanding income from tourism.
Namibia argues that it is
entitled to any water that flows through its country. Egypt’s economy is highly
dependent on agriculture and thus the distribution of the waters of the Nile.
Egypt claims to have a historical right to the Nile, but upstream, Ethiopia and
Sudan see matters differently. The former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak
threatened in 1989 to send demolition squads to destroy a projected dam in
Ethiopia, and ‘The Egyptian army still has jungle warfare brigades, even though
they have no jungle’ (aljazeera.com/).
In the Middle East just one per cent of the world’s water is
competed for by five per cent of its population. Thus, the former Israeli Prime
Minister, General Ariel Sharon, could state that, ‘People generally regard 5
June 1967 as the day the six-day war began. That is the official date. But, in
reality, it started two- and-a-half years earlier, on the day Israel decided to
act against the diversion of the Jordan.’ And in 1979 following the signing of
the peace treaty with Israel, President Anwar Sadat said that ‘Egypt will never
go to war again, except to protect its water resources’. Likewise King Hussein
of Jordan stated that ‘he will never go to war with Israel again except over
water’ (mideastnews.com).
Israel maintains control over the River Jordan and has restricted supplies
during times of scarcity as the people of the Palestinian Territories will
validate.
The Euphrates River has been a regional flashpoint for a number of
years. Minor skirmishes had been fought between Syria and Iraq over water
rights. In May 1975 tensions were ratcheted up when both sides massed troops on
their borders following Syria’s claim that Iraq had reduced the flow of water
by 50%. In January 1990 Turkey shut off the flow of the Euphrates for 30 days
by closing the gates of the Ataturk Dam. And in 1998 distrust, which some
observers believed could lead to hostilities, arose because of Turkish plans to
build dams that could be used to control supplies to downstream Syria. The
escalating scarcity of water in the region has done nothing to improve this
situation.
China and India’s economic growth is jealously eyed by other
capitalist states. With the predicted consequences of climate change and faster
glacial melt factored into the thinking of state planners, alternative methods
for power, such as hydroelectricity, have been a strategic dynamic in their
efforts to maintain future levels of growth. Power shortages are acting as a
constraint on India’s factory output. Outages are frequent and for an economy
that is already slowing a serious handicap. And, of course, the damming of
rivers brings with it control: a useful adjunct to cheap power.
China and India boast two of the world’s mightiest armies who
fought a brief border war in 1962. Both stand poised over tensions concerning
upstream Chinese proposals to divert water from the Brahmaputra River. The
Brahmaputra flows from its source in the Himalayas into Eastern India where it
unites with the Ganges. To the east The Kishanganga River thunders down through
Northern Kashmir to The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant, which was constructed
to divert water from the river to a power plant in the Jhelum River basin. The
Kishanganga flows on down past one of the world’s most heavily defended borders
into Pakistan. The Pakistan state is concerned that the dam will have a
detrimental effect on the flow of the river. Water has long been a source of
strain between India and Pakistan.
Meanwhile China is also busy in Southeast Asia, along with Laos,
in constructing dams over the Mekong River to the alarm of downstream states.
Moreover China has built almost 20 dams, and around 40 more are planned, on the
eight Tibetan rivers. It is believed that hydropower alone is not the only
motive for China’s increasing control over the sources of rivers.
In a society that is awash with weapons that come in various
guises, water might appear to be less menacing than many. However, water is now
talked of as a ‘Political Weapon’, which is synonymous with the deceptive
language conjured up by the school of wordsmiths who gave birth to the snappy
idiom, ‘The Nuclear Deterrent’. Brahma Chellaney, the author of the book
‘Water: Asia's New Battlefield’ has asserted, ‘Whether China intends to use
water as a political weapon or not, it is acquiring the capability to turn off
the tap if it wants to – a leverage it can use to keep any riparian neighbours
on good behaviour.’
Problems globally will be exacerbated with the expected rise in
grain and oilseed prices as US crops suffer from the country's
worst drought since 1936 and the farming
regions of South America and Russia suffer similar water shortages (Daily Telegraph, 5
September). According to Rabobanks’ commodities analysts, ‘By June 2013, the
basket of food prices tracked by the United Nations could climb 15pc from
current levels.’ Rising food prices are always a source of social discontent
and thus political instability.
A growing number of environmental writers and strategic analysts
view water as a potential trigger for future wars. UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon in 2007 stated that: ‘The consequences for humanity are grave. Water
scarcity threatens economic and social gains and is a potent fuel for wars and
conflict.’
Socialists view war as the last resort for states. Scarcity of any
resource that is vital for the production of profits could be, and has been,
seen by states as a reason to go to war.
‘Red October’: Global cyber-spy
network uncovered by Russian experts
A sophisticated cyber-espionage network targeting the world’s
diplomatic, government and research agencies has been uncovered by the
Kaspersky Lab, whose experts say the malware’s complexity could rival that of
the notorious Flame virus.
The system’s targets include a wide range of countries, with the
primary focus on Eastern Europe, former Soviet republics and Central Asia –
although many in Western Europe and North America are also on the
list.
In addition to attacking traditional computer workstations, Rocra
– a shortened name for Red October, the name given the
network by the Kaspersky team – can steal data from smartphones, dump network
equipment configurations, snatch files from removable disk drives, including
those that had been erased, and scan through email databases and local network
FTP servers.
Unlike other well-known highly automated cyber-espionage campaigns
like Flame and Gauss, the Rorca’s attacks all appear to be carefully chosen.
Each operation is apparently driven by the configuration of the victim’s
hardware and software, native language and even habit of document usage.
The information extracted from infected
networks is often used to gain entry into additional systems. For example,
stolen credentials were shown to be compiled in a list for use when attackers
needed to guess passwords or phrases.
The hackers behind the network have created more than 60 domain
names and several server hosting locations in different countries – the majority of those known being in
Germany and Russia – which worked as proxies in order to hide the location of
the “mothership” control server.
That server’s location remains unknown.
Experts have uncovered over 1,000 modules belonging to 30
different module categories. While Rocra seems to have been designed to execute
one-time tasks sent by the hackers’ servers, a number of modules were
constantly present in the system executing persistent
tasks. For example, retrieving information about a phone, its contact list,
call history, calendar, SMS messages and even browsing history as soon as an
iPhone or a Nokia phone is connected to the system.
The hackers’ primary objective is to gather information and
documents that compromised governments, corporations or other organizations and
agencies. In addition to focusing on diplomatic and governmental agencies around
the world, the hackers also attacked energy and nuclear groups and trade and aerospace targets.
No details have been given so far as to who the attackers could
be. However, there is strong technical evidence to indicate that the attackers
have Russophone origins, as Russian words including slang have been used in the
source code commentaries. Many of the known attacks have taken place in
Russian-speaking countries.
The hackers designed their own authentic and complicated piece of
software, which has its own unique modular architecture of malicious
extensions, info-stealing modules and backdoor Trojans. The malware includes
several extensions and malicious files designed to quickly adjust to different
system configurations while remaining able to grab information from infected
machines.
These included a ‘resurrection’ module, which allowed hackers to
gain access to infected machines using alternative communications channels and
an encoded spy module, stealing information from different cryptographic
systems such as Acid Cryptofiler, which is known to be used by organizations
such as NATO, the European Parliament and the European Commission since 2011.
The first instances of Red October malware were discovered in
October 2012, but it has been infecting computers since at least 2007,
according to Kaspersky. The Kaspersky Lab worked with a number of international
organizations while conducting the investigation including the US, Romanian and
Belorusian Computer Emergency Readiness Teams.
The EU has attempted to counter the huge rise in cyber-espionage
by launching the European Cybercrime Center, which opened on Friday.
ANC IS SPLITTING
 |
| Kgalema Motlante |
Fabian Scherer
The African National Congress has elected its top six leaders, and all signs point towards a preservation of the old power relations. Current President Jacob Zuma has been re-elected with a vast majority, and the other influential positions have been filled with close intimates of the president. As the ANC will presumably be re-elected in the general elections in 2014, the outcome of Mangaung stands for another term of Zuma as the country’s head of state.
In the run-up to the elective
conference in Mangaung, there was much speculation regarding the inner party
disputes. Supporters of Zuma, and those of his opponent, Kgalema Motlanthe, had
been fighting each other both verbally and otherwise. However, the end result
was unambiguous; while Zuma received almost 3000 votes, Motlanthe could only
gain about 1000 supporters among the delegates.
After the conference, Motlanthe
will leave the political stage of the African National Congress, which is
unsurprising when considering his how his style of politics was so
uncharacteristic of the ANC. Instead of deferring to struggle rhetoric, he
remained unobtrusive until his provisional political end. In contrast to that,
Zuma spent almost all of his stage time to win over the delegates by striking
up popular songs. Motlanthe might be a skilled politician, but not suitable to
contest the president in that arena.
Not only was Jacob Zuma able to get rid
of Motlanthe, but also Julius Malema, the former president of the youth league,
missed the chance to return to his party from which he was expelled earlier
this year. In a meek letter, he asked the ANC’s leadership to rethink his
expulsion and to discuss the topic at the elective Mangaung conference. However,
the party’s leaders rejected the issue, claiming the application would have
been submitted too late. President Jacob Zuma thus remains without any major
opponents.
However, the clear result of Mangaung
does not necessarily reflect the attitude of the whole party. There are still
many ANC members who are highly dissatisfied with the current leadership.
Numerous corruption allegations against Zuma and the absence of social
transformation, reflected by the country’s social unrest over the last months,
have lowered the confidence in the ruling party. The notion that the same
political elite will rule the country for another five years after the general
elections in 2014 does not seem to be desirable for many ANC supporters.
 |
| President Jacob Zuma |
A feeling of alienation is developing within
the African National Congress; on the one hand, there are the ruling elite, who
trie to assure that everything is under control, and on the other hand, there
are those who finally want to see social change and equality. The latter think
that since the last elective conference in Polokwane in 2007, little has
improved. Among the left wing of the ANC, the Congress of South African Trade
Unions and the South African Communist Party, an increasing number of members
think that the African National Congress does not sufficiently represent their
interests.
President Zuma’s alleged self-enrichment has even boosted this
trend. The necessary ideological conflict for a potential breakaway party seems
to be ever more apparent. However, the party’s internal strife can be dissolved
or mitigated quite easily by implementing one or two policies, which explicitly
address the wishes of the ANC’s left-wingers. In combination with the party’s
attractiveness, induced by its glorious past as liberation movement, that might
be enough to keep potential renegades within the party. However, the party’s
leadership needs to recognize that and if it ignores the dissatisfied members,
it significantly increases the chances of another breakaway.
However, one of the question concerning
a potential break away party is the leader of such a movement. If a group of
members wants to break away from the ANC, it needs a charismatic and popular
face, which is strongly opposes the party’s current leadership.
Kgalema
Motlanthe is certainly not someone who will stab his party in the back if he
drops out. The second possibility would be Julius Malema; he might be able to
attract enough members to form his own party, however, he is currently involved
in several corruption charges, and in contrast to Zuma, he does not have the
powerful connections to evade an investigation. In addition to that, his harsh
struggle rhetoric might have driven away many potential followers.
The
possibility for a breakaway party under Julius Malema does exist, but such a party
becoming a danger for the ruling African National Congress is doubtful.
Nevertheless, every loss of members and potential votes in 2014 is a
disadvantage for the ANC. Perhaps the party would have done better if it had
magnanimously reintegrated Malema, as there would then be no charismatic figure
left to lead a potential breakaway party.
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