Author: High Economist

Climate change will displace millions

Scientists predict climate change will displace more than 180 million people by 2100 — a crisis of “climate migration” the world isn’t ready for, says disaster recovery lawyer and Louisiana native Colette Pichon Battle. In this passionate, lyrical talk, she urges us to radically restructure the economic and social systems that are driving climate migration — and caused it in the first place — and shares how we can cultivate collective resilience, better prepare before disaster strikes and advance human rights for all.

Polaris project and modern human slavery

What human trafficking is…and isn’t?
Human trafficking is the business of stealing freedom for profit. In some cases, traffickers trick, defraud or physically force victims into providing commercial sex. In others, victims are lied to, assaulted, threatened or manipulated into working under inhumane, illegal or otherwise unacceptable conditions. It is a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to 24.9 million people around the world.

Globally, there are two general categories of human trafficking: sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Sex trafficking is the crime of using force, fraud or coercion to induce another individual to perform commercial sex. Common types include escort services, pornography, illicit massage businesses, brothels, outdoor solicitation. Labor trafficking is the crime of using force, fraud or coercion to induce another individual to work or provide service. Common types include agriculture, domestic work, restaurants, cleaning services, and carnivals.

Polaris project it is an American nonprofit organization that stands on global fight to eradicate modern slavery, focused mainly on US cases.

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Telling the refugee crisis with Muhammed Muheisen

Telling Their Stories – behind the lens with Muhammed Muheisen

Muhammed Muheisen is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist. He has been documenting the refugee crisis around the world for over a decade and is the founder of Everyday Refugees Foundation.

As the former Associated Press Chief Photographer for the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan he covered conflicts across the region as well documented major events in Europe, Asia, Africa and the U.S. He spent four years in Pakistan as AP’s Chief Photographer for the region, and for the last several years has been documenting the refugee crisis across Europe. Most recently his work has focused on the issue of stranded unaccompanied refugee minors for the National Geographic Magazine.

What’s the difference between smuggling and human trafficking?

What’s the difference between smuggling and human trafficking? They both involve the movement of people, but there are three crucial differences

Smuggling or trafficking?

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There are three crucial differences: location, consent and exploitation.

Location
– Smuggling crosses international borders.
– Trafficking can happen across international borders, or within one country. It can involve movement between cities, towns, rural locations, or even from one street to the next.

Consent
– Smuggling is a service a person asks for. It might be dangerous, but that person chooses to take on the journey.
– Trafficking involves either forcing a person to travel, or deceiving a person into taking on a journey under false promises of jobs, payment or safety at the end of that journey

Exploitation
– Smuggling is limited to one financial transaction in exchange for illegal entry to a country. Once the payment and border crossing is complete, the exchange ends, and the person is free to make other choices.
– Trafficking uses threat, force, coercion or deception against a person for the purpose of exploitation. A trafficked person can be exploited at the final destination and/or during the journey.

More info on: www.stopthetraffik.org/smuggling-trafficking-knowing-differences/

George Friedman despre Europa

Notițe de lectură despre strategia politică a SUA in Europa, descrise de George Friedman în “Următorul deceniu: de unde venim … și încotro ne îndreptăm” (2011): Capitolul 8-9.

Majoritatea acestor ţări[din Europa de Est] nu au fost independente până când Primul Război Mondial nu a dus la prăbuşirea imperiilor austro-ungar, rus, otoman şi german. În general, au fost împărţite, subjugate şi exploatate. În cazul Ungariei, spre exemplu, presiunea nu a fost prea mare. În alte cazuri, a fost de-a dreptul brutală. Dar toate aceste naţiuni ţin minte ocupaţia nazistă, şi apoi pe cea sovietică, iar acele ocupaţii au fost monstruoase. Este adevărat că regimul german şi cel rus de astăzi sunt diferite, dar epoca ocupaţiei este încă proaspătă în amintirea est-europenilor, iar urmările faptului de a se fi aflat în sfera de influenţă germano-rusă le-au marcat caracterul naţional. Acea amintire va continua să le modeleze comportamentul în deceniul următor.

Europa contemporană este în căutarea unei ieşiri din infern. Prima jumătate a secolului XX a fost un măcel, începând cu Verdun şi terminând cu Auschwitz. În a doua jumătate, europenii au trăit sub ameninţarea unui posibil război nuclear ruso-american, purtat pe pământ european. Epuizată de vărsarea de sânge şi de neliniştea continuă, Europa a început să-şi imagineze o lume în care toate conflictele erau de natură economică şi gestionate de birocraţii de la Bruxelles. […] În cei douăzeci de ani de după prăbuşirea Uniunii Sovietice, părea că îşi găsiseră utopia, dar acum, viitorul este mult mai puţin sigur. Privind înainte spre următorii zece ani, nu văd o întoarcere a tranşeelor şi a lagărelor de concentrare, dar întrevăd o creştere a tensiunilor geopolitice la nivel continental şi, alături de ele, rădăcinile unor conflicte mai serioase.

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Resources related to Terrorist financing

Terrorist financing is money/funds gathering using any possible methods, aiming to use, or in the knowledge that the gathering will be used in terrorist financing or in criminal activities related to terrorism. The funds could be gathered from both legal activities, such as charity organizations, as well as from illegal activities, such as drug trafficking, fraud, people trafficking and etc.

 

Resources related to Terrorist financing:

Financial Action Task Force: http://www.fatf-gafi.org/countries/

Chatham House: http://www.chathamhouse.org/

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism: http://www.start.umd.edu/

Studies in Conflict and Terrorism: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uter20/current

Terrorism and Political Violence: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ftpv20/current

SITE Intelligence Group: https://ent.siteintelgroup.com

RUSI Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies: https://rusi.org/expertise/research/centre-financial-crime-and-security-studies

Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance: https://www.defenddemocracy.org/csif

Canada
Canadian Security Intelligence Service: https://www.canada.ca/en/security-intelligence-service.html
Global Affairs Canada: http://international.gc.ca/world-monde/country-pays/index.aspx?lang=eng

Europol: Terrorism situation 2019

TERRORISM SITUATION AND TREND REPORT 2019 (TE-SAT)

Europol issued Report on EU Terrorism Situation & Trend Report (Te-Sat) 2019, where it comes with the last updates on terrorism in EU area, which continued to constitute a major threat to security in EU Member States. Horrific attacks perpetrated by jihadists like those in Trèbes, Paris, Liège and Strasbourg killed a total of thirteen people and injured many more. In addition, one terrorist attack by a right-wing extremist in Italy and numerous arrests of suspected right-wing terrorists for attack-planning across the European Union (EU) indicate that extremists of diverging orientation increasingly consider violence as a justified means of confrontation. Terrorists not only aim to kill and maim but also to divide our societies and spread hatred. We need to remain vigilant if we are to protect our citizens and values in the face of attempts to use violence for political aims.

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Canada Terrorist Financing Assessment: 2018

Canada Terrorist Financing Assessment: 2018

Please see below some notes from the document:

The document examines Canada terrorist financing risks related to jurisdictions that meet one of two criteria:
– exposure to terrorism and terrorist activity; or
– role in the global financial system and their degree of financial connection to Canada, measured by the volume of reporting to FINTRAC and their overall trade and economic relations with Canada.

Although Canada does not have significant financial connections to certain jurisdictions, the general state of their counter-terrorism-financing regimes and the proliferation of terrorist actors mean that even limited financial exposure may lead to significant risks for Canadian financial entities.

At the same time, while some jurisdictions face lower risks of terrorist violence, features of their financial systems or their financial and economic role in a particular region creates a higher risk for terrorist financing activity.

The extremist traveller phenomenon has posed the primary terrorist financing risk to Canada over the past several years, drawing approximately 190 individuals with a nexus to Canada to conflict zones all over the world. While the phenomenon predates the creation of Daesh, the most recent conflict in Syria and Iraq has drawn thousands of individuals from across the globe to Daesh-controlled territory. As of 2017, approximately 60 individuals had returned to Canada from global conflicts.

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The work environment for people, by Google

Laszlo Bock on how Google is changing the nature of work

We spend more time at work than we do anything else in our lifetime. What if we could improve the experience of work, even just a little, for everyone?

Bock offered a glimpse into Google’s own approach. Google starts with the belief that people are good and will do the right thing. From there, it’s easy to give employees freedom, access to information, and autonomy, which allows them to go out and create amazing things.