Welcome to Around the World! This week we focus on a gender perspective in defense and security, Biden's first trip to India, Latin America's future, and more.
 | Leveraging Social Media: A Communications Tool for Heads of State in Latin America Social media has changed communications. Governments are no exception—using social media as a political channel, a means of communicating directly with constituents. In Latin America, growth in connectivity and access to mobile technology account for increased public engagement. Read more about it here. |
 | Interview with Danladi Verheijen, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Verod Capital Danladi Verheijen, the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Africa-based venture capital firm Verod Capital discusses African infrastructure, transportation, development, and Nigeria’s future. Read more about it here. |
 | Lee Kuan Yew on the Future of China It is hard to imagine that China, which only half a century ago was reeling from the worst famine in human history, is now on track to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy within 15 years and, further along, as the world’s largest defense spender. In their latest book, Ali Wyne, Graham Allison, and Robert Blackwill, write on Lee Kuan Yew's insights into China and international affairs. Read more about it here. |
 | Biden's Historic Trip to India to Strengthen U.S.-Indian Trade Biden's trip to India is the first in more than 30 years by a U.S. vice president, and it was clear that Biden was laying the groundwork for a summit between Obama and Singh this fall in Washington to strengthen bilateral cooperation, investor relations, and trade ties. Read more about it here. |
 | 'The Courage to Fail': The World Economic Forum on Latin America 2013 “It is not just one reform in principle,” Professor Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, said at the forum's annual session on Latin America. “It [takes] a complete societal and institutional reform to prepare a country for the future.” Read more about it here. |
 | Having a Gender Perspective Matters in Defense and Security Often conflicts intensify inequalities between men and women in a society, says Mari Skåre, the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security. Women continue to be vulnerable in conflict. To prevent this and to ensure the empowerment of women we need to show continued leadership in international media forces. Read more about it here. |
 | Interview with Edetaen Ojo, Internet Freedom Fellow The Diplomatic Courier had a chance to catch up with one of the 2013 Internet Freedom Fellows, Edataen Ojo, Director of The Media Rights Agenda, an organization that promotes excellence and professionalism in journalism. He orchestrated the movement that led the Nigerian legislature to pass the Freedom of Information Act. Read more about it here. |
Around the Web
Iran continues to face harsh sanctions, which crippled the economy under former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Newly sworn in, President Hassan Rouhani urged the West to drop the sanctions, saying in a speech to the Iranian Parliament, "If you want an adequate response, you shouldn't speak the language of sanctions, you should speak the language of respect." Rouhani has appointed U.S.-educated Mohammad Javad Zarif as his foreign minister, signaling a desire to improve relationships between Iran and the U.S. Meanwhile, reports of sanctions hurting Iranian civilians continue to spread across the internet; reportedly, the country has run out of access to reliable birth control.
Iraq seems to be falling victim to violence seeping in from Syria's borders, as the country this year has seen its highest civilian casualty rate in five years. Iraq was one of the nations hit by an apparently coordinated attack on prison systems that also included Libya and Pakistan, and which followed two previous prison breaks in Iraq including in the infamous Abu Gharib prison on July 22nd.
This Week in History
1914: Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and Great Britain declared war on Germany. In a spiral of treaty obligations and overflowing tensions over arms races, the European continent descended rapidly into the "Great War", renamed several years later as World War I.
1963: The U.S.-supported South Vietnamese government faced a legitimacy crisis, as thousands of Vietnamese citizens marched in protest against the government, and in honor of Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist priest who lit himself on fire in protest of the governments discrimination against Buddhists. The image of Thich Quang Duc's death would become one of the most haunting and lasting images of the Vietnam War era.
1988: King Hussein of Jordan renounced all his country's claims over the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The move was a reaction to the eight-month-long Intifada raging through the West Bank and Gaza, and resulted in the loss of over $1 billion in development aid, trade, and salaries for West Bank inhabitants. However, it ended the official state of war between Israel and Jordan that had existed since 1948.
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Around the World!
August 5, 2013
Welcome to Around the World! This week we focus on a gender perspective in defense and security, Biden's first trip to India, Latin America's future, and more.
| Leveraging Social Media: A Communications Tool for Heads of State in Latin America Social media has changed communications. Governments are no exception—using social media as a political channel, a means of communicating directly with constituents. In Latin America, growth in connectivity and access to mobile technology account for increased public engagement. Read more about it here. |
| Interview with Danladi Verheijen, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Verod Capital Danladi Verheijen, the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Africa-based venture capital firm Verod Capital discusses African infrastructure, transportation, development, and Nigeria’s future. Read more about it here. |
| Lee Kuan Yew on the Future of China It is hard to imagine that China, which only half a century ago was reeling from the worst famine in human history, is now on track to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy within 15 years and, further along, as the world’s largest defense spender. In their latest book, Ali Wyne, Graham Allison, and Robert Blackwill, write on Lee Kuan Yew's insights into China and international affairs. Read more about it here. |
| Biden's Historic Trip to India to Strengthen U.S.-Indian Trade Biden's trip to India is the first in more than 30 years by a U.S. vice president, and it was clear that Biden was laying the groundwork for a summit between Obama and Singh this fall in Washington to strengthen bilateral cooperation, investor relations, and trade ties. Read more about it here. |
| 'The Courage to Fail': The World Economic Forum on Latin America 2013 “It is not just one reform in principle,” Professor Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, said at the forum's annual session on Latin America. “It [takes] a complete societal and institutional reform to prepare a country for the future.” Read more about it here. |
| Having a Gender Perspective Matters in Defense and Security Often conflicts intensify inequalities between men and women in a society, says Mari Skåre, the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security. Women continue to be vulnerable in conflict. To prevent this and to ensure the empowerment of women we need to show continued leadership in international media forces. Read more about it here. |
| Interview with Edetaen Ojo, Internet Freedom Fellow The Diplomatic Courier had a chance to catch up with one of the 2013 Internet Freedom Fellows, Edataen Ojo, Director of The Media Rights Agenda, an organization that promotes excellence and professionalism in journalism. He orchestrated the movement that led the Nigerian legislature to pass the Freedom of Information Act. Read more about it here. |
Around the Web
Iran continues to face harsh sanctions, which crippled the economy under former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Newly sworn in, President Hassan Rouhani urged the West to drop the sanctions, saying in a speech to the Iranian Parliament, "If you want an adequate response, you shouldn't speak the language of sanctions, you should speak the language of respect." Rouhani has appointed U.S.-educated Mohammad Javad Zarif as his foreign minister, signaling a desire to improve relationships between Iran and the U.S. Meanwhile, reports of sanctions hurting Iranian civilians continue to spread across the internet; reportedly, the country has run out of access to reliable birth control.
Iraq seems to be falling victim to violence seeping in from Syria's borders, as the country this year has seen its highest civilian casualty rate in five years. Iraq was one of the nations hit by an apparently coordinated attack on prison systems that also included Libya and Pakistan, and which followed two previous prison breaks in Iraq including in the infamous Abu Gharib prison on July 22nd.
This Week in History
1914: Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and Great Britain declared war on Germany. In a spiral of treaty obligations and overflowing tensions over arms races, the European continent descended rapidly into the "Great War", renamed several years later as World War I.
1963: The U.S.-supported South Vietnamese government faced a legitimacy crisis, as thousands of Vietnamese citizens marched in protest against the government, and in honor of Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist priest who lit himself on fire in protest of the governments discrimination against Buddhists. The image of Thich Quang Duc's death would become one of the most haunting and lasting images of the Vietnam War era.
1988: King Hussein of Jordan renounced all his country's claims over the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The move was a reaction to the eight-month-long Intifada raging through the West Bank and Gaza, and resulted in the loss of over $1 billion in development aid, trade, and salaries for West Bank inhabitants. However, it ended the official state of war between Israel and Jordan that had existed since 1948.
