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FEATURE - Best of: Bilder des Tages
Beirut: More than 12 million Syrians have been displaced since 2011 — that is more than half of Syria’s pre-war population. And most want nothing more than to return home.
Yet the situation in the country remains too unsafe at the moment. Whole cities have been destroyed, and many areas are cluttered with land mines and unexploded explosives, posing further challenges to the safe, voluntary and sustainable repatriation of refugees to Syria. Yet despite these risks, a small number of refugees do return to Syria each month. While this may seem like a positive development, research by the Durable Solutions Platform, an NGO-led research initiative, indicates that those returning are actually forced to do so in light of unsafe and precarious living conditions in asylum. It is not a sign that the situation in Syria has improved.
Over the past year, we have spoken to more than 1,000 Syrian refugees, internally displaced persons and returnees as part of our ongoing research. The picture that emerges from these discussions is one of increasing vulnerability, poverty and desperation in displacement.
The vast majority of displaced Syrians have remained in the region. More than six million people are displaced inside Syria, while Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan have jointly absorbed another five million refugees. Six humanitarian NGOs recently described the increasingly dire situation of Syrian refugees in the Middle East in a report 'Dangerous Ground.'
Refugees face severe challenges in securing decent standards of living in Syria’s neighboring countries. Over half of Syrian refugees in the region live below the poverty line. Barriers to accessing health and education services are leaving an alarming 43 percent of refugee children out of school.
Many Syrians feel alienated from their host communities and looked down upon. Experiences of discrimination are common. As a refugee in Lebanon explained during a group discussion: 'Most people are blaming Syrians for the increas
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Why A Morsi Execution Could Risk Civil War In Egypt
Text by Mada Masr - Cairo - When the Egyptian regime carried out the hanging of six defendants in the Arab Sharkas case, it was sending a clear message to former President Mohamed Morsi a day after a Cairo court sentenced the former leader and another 106 people to death. Such is the interpretation of events in the capital by attorney Ahmed Helmy, who represented some of the Arab Sharkas defendants.
The six men were accused members of the militant group formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, and had been sentenced to death last October. As for Morsi and the other defendants, the court handed them a death sentence on charges of prison break. But execution in Morsi's case would have heavy political and security implications.
'A decision of the sort is not in the best interest of the country's security, or the daily life of citizens,'says Abdel Latif al-Bedeiny, former deputy interior minister. 'It will only open the door to more violence, which will worsen the conflict between both parties.' Commenting on one of the major flaws commonly cited in the case, he adds, 'I do not want to comment on a judicial verdict, but having deceased Palestinians among those convicted raises big question marks.'
Among the Palestinians convicted alongside Morsi are Hassan Salama, a detainee in Israeli prisons since 1996; Tayssir Abou Sneema, who was killed by Israeli forces in 2009; Hossam al-Sanei, who was killed in 2008; and Raed al-Attar, founder of the Qassam Brigades, also killed by Israel in the last attack in Gaza.
Ahmed Ban, a researcher on Islamic movements, agrees. 'I cannot imagine a sane authority would carry out these verdicts,' he says 'Taking that step would open the door for a civil war.' Ban, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood, adds, 'Carrying out these verdicts means that we have reached the final stage of the confrontation [between the Brotherhood and the state], which goes against the history of this conflict. The st
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Cuba-U.S. Close Cold War, What It Means For Latin America
Editorial by Worldcrunch - BOGOTA - The surprise announcement Wednesday by U.S. and Cuban Presidents Barack Obama and Raúl Castro on beginning a process to end the embargo on Cuba and renew diplomatic ties after 55 years of tensions is, simply put, excellent news. We welcome the accord for its significance for the Americas, comparable to the fall of the Berlin Wall for Europe. The Summit of the Americas in Panama, scheduled for April 2015, could provide the defining moment of an official meeting between the two heads of state.
As a statesman, Obama is driven by a sense of political and economic realism that proved stronger than the pressures of Republicans and foreign-policy conservatives in his country. For years people have said the embargo and the political and economic sanctions imposed on Cuba were not producing the hoped-for results - namely to bring the Cuban regime to its knees. The same praise for courageous pragmatism should also go to Raúl Castro, who is taking a historic step in keeping with the economic liberalization he began after taking over the presidency from his brother Fidel. The so-called ''Interests Sections'' that both states have maintained in their respective capitals have served as de-facto embassies, so this diplomatic breakthrough does not mean starting from scratch, but building on and utilizing existing ties and infrastructures.
Reverberations in Caracas and Bogota.
The consequences are considerable. The decision means not just gradually reducing - and we hope, ending - prevailing tensions between the two nations, but also allowing for the reunification of so many families separated for decades. There are also anticipated improvements to the economic situation and general lack of freedom on the island nation, and perhaps even a change of regime in Cuba. Sure, it's been years since witnessing regular scenes of people drowning as their makeshift boats sank in waters off Florida. But renewed diplomatic ties wit
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In Liberia, The Good Faith And Bad Politics Of Ebola
Even as President Sirleaf is criticized by some, one opposition parliament member has decided to donate his own time and money to work directly with those affected by the outbreak - Text by Worldcrunch/Le Monde - MONROVIA - Legislator Saah Joseph is an exception. First of all, this 38-year-old opposition party member refuses to join the growing ranks of his political allies criticizing the way Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is confronting the deadly Ebola epidemic, which has hit this country hardest. Second, this parliament member is on the ground every day fighting against the deadly virus at a time when several government ministers have simply fled the country to escape the epidemic that has already killed more than 2,400 Liberians. ''Ebola is a national issue, not a political one,'' says Joseph, who represents the 13th district of Montserrado (a county that includes the capital, Monrovia). He is a member of the Congress for Democratic Change, the opposition party founded by former soccer player and former presidential candidate George Weah. Joseph has purchased three second-hand ambulances imported from the U.S. for Ebola patients to be driven to hospitals. That means he actually doubled the number of vehicles that health authorities in Monrovia had at their disposal. Before the crisis, he also created a free school for the poorest families and former child soldiers. ''I did all that on my MP salary,'' he says. ''The war had destroyed everything.'' The last, gruesome chapter in this country's history in fact left Liberia torn apart in 2003. Moreover, critics say the foreign aid that came into the country since President Sirleaf was first elected in 2006 has been squandered. Hassan Bility, West Africa regional director at the human rights organization Global Justice and Research Project, says: ''There's no trace of it: not in health, nor in education or infrastructure.'' Most of the money now being pledged to help Liberia fight Ebola has not yet actually
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PEOPLE - Happy Birthday: George Weah wird am 1.10.16 50 Jahre alt
Even as President Sirleaf is criticized by some, one opposition parliament member has decided to donate his own time and money to work directly with those affected by the outbreak - Text by Worldcrunch/Le Monde - MONROVIA - Legislator Saah Joseph is an exception. First of all, this 38-year-old opposition party member refuses to join the growing ranks of his political allies criticizing the way Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is confronting the deadly Ebola epidemic, which has hit this country hardest. Second, this parliament member is on the ground every day fighting against the deadly virus at a time when several government ministers have simply fled the country to escape the epidemic that has already killed more than 2,400 Liberians. ''Ebola is a national issue, not a political one,'' says Joseph, who represents the 13th district of Montserrado (a county that includes the capital, Monrovia). He is a member of the Congress for Democratic Change, the opposition party founded by former soccer player and former presidential candidate George Weah. Joseph has purchased three second-hand ambulances imported from the U.S. for Ebola patients to be driven to hospitals. That means he actually doubled the number of vehicles that health authorities in Monrovia had at their disposal. Before the crisis, he also created a free school for the poorest families and former child soldiers. ''I did all that on my MP salary,'' he says. ''The war had destroyed everything.'' The last, gruesome chapter in this country's history in fact left Liberia torn apart in 2003. Moreover, critics say the foreign aid that came into the country since President Sirleaf was first elected in 2006 has been squandered. Hassan Bility, West Africa regional director at the human rights organization Global Justice and Research Project, says: ''There's no trace of it: not in health, nor in education or infrastructure.'' Most of the money now being pledged to help Liberia fight Ebola has not yet actually
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The Ebola Risk In Europe Is Very Real
Ebola has reached Europe - Text by Jeff Israely/Worldcrunch/DIE WELT - No, it is not just here via patients brought to isolation wards under strict security conditions to be saved from an otherwise relatively certain death by high-tech Western medicine. Now the virus has arrived in a Spanish hospital, having managed to pass from a priest infected in West Africa to a nurse. It should be noted that this is in Madrid, in a fully equipped Western hospital in which all doctors and nursing staff were well aware of the deadly sickness they were dealing with. With this, the Ebola catastrophe has reached a new dimension. And many people are panicking. Could, as happened in Dallas, Texas, an airline passenger with no symptoms bring in the virus? Can a patient in a high-security ward pass the virus to doctors and nurses and thus become a danger to us all? Is it no longer safe to go to the airport to fly off for a holiday? Should we be bracing to see around us here the same sort of conditions that prevail in Liberia? Because mistakes can obviously happen everywhere, the simple answer to these questions is a conditional yes. Ebola could spread to Germany and elsewhere in Europe. A prominent advisor to the World Health Organization, Dr. Peter Piot, has warned that more cases of infected Western medical staff is likely. Our society has become too mobile for viruses and other pathogens to be warded off at borders. The risk is minimal, but it's there. And the German health system is far superior to those of West African countries, so a similar epidemic as we're seeing in Africa is unlikely to happen here. But it would still be wise for the authorities to get a better grip on the sorts of mistakes we saw in Madrid and Dallas. Why aren't some airlines banned or redirected? Why are people flying in from Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone not more rigorously monitored to check if they have had contact with Ebola victims? Why aren't they quarantined? Why is the staff in a high-security hosp
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Rouhani Blasts West For Mideast Policies
'Today's anti-westernism is a reaction for yesterday's racism' - Text from The Independent - NEW YORK - Iran President Hassan Rouhani used the occasion of the UN General Assembly Wednesday to blame Western governments for the violent extremism that has taken root in the Middle East and created widespread instability, demanding that they 'acknowledge their errors' and apologize, The Independent reports. 'Certain intelligence agencies have put blades in the hand of madmen, who now spare no one,' Rouhani told the assembly. 'Currently our peoples are paying the price. Today's anti-Westernism is the offspring of yesterday's colonialism. Today's anti-Westemism is a reaction to yesterday's racism.' PICTURED - Sept. 25, 2014 Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during the general debate of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York (FOTO: DUKAS/ZUMA)
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Brazil 2014: Best Of Times, Worst Of Times
Brazil 2014: Best Of Times, Worst Of Times - As the Brazil's ''commodities supercycle'' grinds to a halt, Dilma Rousseff's economic policy has failed to find a new path. Is World Cup excitement enough to avoid a national bust? - Text By Los Echos - SAO PAULO - Is unanimity always stupid? Playwright Nelson Rodrigues, whose philosophy inspired generation after generation of Brazilians, famously said that it was. Today, it's impossible not to think of this aphorism when listening to what's being said about Brazil. After praising former President Lula da Silva for his reforms and eloquent style, everybody from the OECD to the IMF to the Institute of International Finance is now bashing the country. The Economist, which four years ago illustrated Brazil's booming economy with an image turning Rio's famous statue of Christ The Redeemer into a rocket taking off, recently re-used the same illustration. This time, the rocket was nose-diving. President Dilma Rousseff's record is indeed disappointing. While Brazil's growth had been stratospheric, it now stands at an anemic 2%. Deficits are deepening. Inflation is too high. What's more, investors believe the current government isn't doing what it should to right the ship. The demonstrations in June highlighted the limits of the ''Brazilian miracle,'' which in the last 10 years led to a meaningful decrease in poverty and social inequalities. Suddenly, thousands of people who had never protested before took to the streets to express their disillusionment over an increased cost of living and poor public services. And yet, the progress made both in economic and social terms over the last decade is undeniable. The unemployment rate is below 6%, and economists are talking of a full employment situation. The minimum wage was raised in successive steps, which, along with the family allowance program (Bolsa Familia), increased the purchasing power of the ''new middle class.'' Why, then, is there a feeling that this Brazilian model is ru
2013 by Xinhua -
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Is Lebanon On The Verge Of A New Civil War?
Is Lebanon On The Verge Of A New Civil War? - The two explosions that killed at least 23 people this week in Beirut are the latest sign that the country is moving toward the kind of conflict that has torn it apart in the past. Text By Le Nouvel Observateur - Does this mean civil war is coming back? After the twin explosions against Iran's embassy in Beirut on Tuesday - which has left 23 people dead, including Iranian cultural adviser Sheikh Ibrahim Ansari - this question is an important one. Lebanon finds itself entangled in a major political crisis inextricably linked to the Syrian conflict: Since Prime Minister Najib Mikati resigned in March, there is no government. Tuesday's attack, which also left 146 injured, signals the final defeat of Lebanon's ''keeping-a-distance'' policy regarding Syria. An officer of the Lebanese intelligence services told Le Nouvel Observateur, ''Sunni and Shiite political leaders are both responsible for the escalation of attacks and clashes between the two communities.'' Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the leader of the Movement of the Future party, who is close to Saudi Arabia, has armed and encouraged Lebanese people to join the fight in Syria against Bashar al-Assad. Meanwhile, Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, replied by sending his Shiite fighters on the front to assist the Damascus regime. Hezbollah stronghold - This was the third attack in the southern part of Beirut - a stronghold of Hezbollah - in four months. The previous two had killed 27 people and wounded another 47. The miserable irony is that Iran had moved its diplomatic representatives into the Bir Hassan neighborhood, dubbed ''Hezbollahland,'' for security reasons. The explosions are a stinging setback for the ''party of God'' who couldn't protect its own population and its allies. It made a point of saying it would secure the Shiite population without the help of the police or the army, and failed. Even worse, it failed to prevent an attack against its godfat
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Why The FARC Peace Process Is Not On The Fast Track
Why The FARC Peace Process Is Not On The Fast Track - One full year has past since peace talks opened between the Colombian government and the rebel forces after decades of war. But behind the slow pace, there are real reasons for hope. Text by El Espectador - BOGOTA - Will the guns finally go silent and give way to a Colombia where war is neither the engine of a nation, nor cause and excuse for why things are or are not done? There have been hitches so far to the negotiations, but what successful peace process is without them? The pace has lagged, but whoever thought peace would come in six months? Patience is needed, if a satisfactory and lasting conclusion is desired. Much has evolved this year in the framework of the conversations in Havana, which is ultimately positive. Consider firstly the FARC's line. A year ago they were talking like they had won the war, hectoring with the same tone they used five decades ago, laying the blame on everyone but themselves. They said it was the State that should be put on trial, because the State (and nobody else) had been the real producer of the war's victims. The tone is all quite different now. The FARC have realized how in reality, they are talking to a negotiating party, on equal terms, not to a defeated opponent. Their cynicism is also, evidently, less than it was. Their words changed in time: they recognized their responsibility as protagonists of a martial conflict, the need to compensate the victims they left on their path, the possibility of handing over their arms and ending once and for all, half a century of bullets. And there is no better proof of this change than the two points of the negotiating agenda the parties have agreed on so far: ''a comprehensive rural development policy'' - who owns land in Colombia and how it is used - and ''participation in politics.'' To some, it has seemed like the talks have lasted a long time, especially since President Juan Manuel Santos vowed a year ago they would measured in
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Why A Hard Line Is The Only Way To Bargain With Iran
Why A Hard Line Is The Only Way To Bargain With Iran - Text by Die Welt - During his election campaign, Iran's new president Hassan Rouhani had criticized his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's aggressive behavior towards the West. He claimed that Iran needed to moderate its tone in order to win the West's trust about its nuclear program. Since his election victory, Rouhani has launched an unprecedented charm offensive on the former Western ''enemy.'' Now politicians across the Western world are left wondering whether he is a wolf in sheep's clothing, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims, or whether Tehran really is prepared to relinquish its nuclear program. The Western world - and particularly the United States - seems eager to believe Rouhani's promises as it wants to avoid taking military action. The Israelis and Saudis are right to fear that the West may end up with a raw deal from Iran and allow it to continue its attempts to develop nuclear weapons. It is still unclear how much Rouhani is prepared to compromise. The strict sanctions imposed on Iran are clearly having an effect on the economy and forcing the government into talks. However, the political elite in Tehran still believe that developing nuclear weapons is in the country's best interests, as it would allow Iran to consolidate its position of power in the region. Nuclear weapons would also stabilize the regime internally. After investing millions of dollars in the program, Iran is not likely to give up its nuclear ambitions without a fight. Dangerous signs of progress - In 2003, Rouhani was Iran's chief negotiator in the nuclear talks. Even before then he was closely involved in shaping the country's nuclear strategy. His tactic was to relent on some points in order to avoid harsher sanctions. At the same time Iran was expanding the parts of its nuclear program that can be classed as civilian activities, such as uranium enrichment. When he was leader of Iran's National Security Council,
2013 by Xinhua -
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Iranian Nuclear Talks And Rouhani's Window Of Opportunity
Iranian Nuclear Talks And Rouhani's Window Of Opportunity - Text by LE MONDE via Worldcrunch - Geneva, Switzerland - The resumption of talks this week on Iran's nuclear program will provide a clear opportunity to verify Hassan Rouhani's true intentions. During his charm offensive at the United Nations General Assembly at the end of September, the new Iranian President, a moderate religious figure, surprised many by meeting with French President Fran (FOTO: DUKAS/ZUMA)
2013 by Xinhua -
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After Nairobi Attack, The World Can No Longer Ignore Somalia
Sept. 27, 2013 -Suddeutsche Zeitung Editorial via Worldcrunch: NAIROBI - A dozen or more attackers stormed the shopping center, throwing grenades and shooting adults and children alike. They came to kill on a massive scale and with spectacular cruelty, setting up an agonizingly drawn-out hostage situation. What took place in the Nairobi shopping center was not only an attack on Kenya, but also on the international community whose representatives - UN employees, diplomats and development workers - regarded the Westgate center as an escapist oasis amid the turbulent region of East Africa. The Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabab, which was responsible for the attacks, is now showing itself to be a truly international organization. A commander justifying the massacre via a telephone interview did so in perfect English, and early indications suggest that some of the attackers held U.S. and British passports. And so we must once again acknowledge what we have long since known: Somalia is an international problem. This is not news to Kenya. During the civil war that has stretched out over the last two decades, many Somalis have fled their country and come to Kenya, where they live in sprawling refugee camps in the desert or in Eastleigh, an area of Nairobi that has come to be called Little Mogadishu. It is a kind of second capital for Somalia. Politicians and journalists who were at risk in their homeland have found refuge here. Somali businessmen build glittering hotels, and al-Shabab recruits new militants from among the thousands of young, hopeless refugees..For two years, Kenyan troops have been fighting the Islamists in Somalia, and it seems incredible that before Westgate no attack was attempted in the heart of Kenya. Police corruption - The Kenyan, Ugandan and Burundian troops fighting the Somali militants are doing so in the interests of Europe and the United States. The West offers financial support and training to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM
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'The Family' - Robert DeNiro And Michelle Pfeiffer In Mob Comedy
Sept. 17, 2013 - New York, NY, U.S. - ROBERT DENIRO and MICHELLE PFEIFFER are starring in the film, ''The Family'' about a notorious American mafia family who can't give-up their old habits after being relocated to Normandy, France (FOTO: DUKAS/ZUMA)
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Syrian Refugees: No One Wants US Strikes More Than Them
Sept. 6, 2013 - SYRIA DIRECT Editorial via Worldcrunch - The imminent United States-led military strike holds particular promise to those Syrians waiting out the conflict in neighboring countries. Syrian refugees in Jordan, at least, say they hope the strike will overwhelm the regime (FOTO: DUKAS/ZUMA)
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Exclusive: Hollande Says 'Retaliation' Necessary in Syria
Aug. 30, 2012 - Paris, France - In an exclusive interview published Friday, French President FRANCOIS HOLLANDE spoke with Le Monde at the Elysee palace about the crisis in Syria. LE MONDE: Does France have evidence of the use of chemical weapons on Aug. 21 in Damascus ? President Hollande: The question is no longer whether chemical weapons were used on Aug. 21 in the suburbs of Damascus. It is an established fact. Even the Syrian authorities have stopped denying it. The question is to find out who is behind this dreadful act. France has a body of evidence that implicates the Syrian regime. To begin with, several chemical attacks had already taken place in Syria before. But the one on Aug. 21, by virtue of its scale and consequences, marks a change in the nature of the attacks. It is also clear that the opposition does not hold any of these weapons, and that all the stocks are controlled by President Bashar al-Assad. Moreover, the neighborhood that was hit was not targeted by accident or by mistake: It is a key area for the control of roads to Damascus. What (FOTO: DUKAS/ZUMA)
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Fleeing Syrian Kurds Flood Into Iraqi Kurdistan
Aug. 27, 2013 - LE MONDE Editorial via Worldcrunch: Though Kurdish Syrians have largely avoided any involvement in the country's civil war, they are now caught in the middle and fleeing in droves. A visit to the refugee camp in Iraq. A pickup truck pierces through the dust cloud and stops at the camp's entrance. It's followed by a line of other vehicles arriving from Syria. It is clumsily packed with a family of eight, some blankets, pieces of furniture and an air-conditioning unit. Dozens of troops of the Peshmerga, the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government's army, are trying to contain the new arrivals.At the edge of huge oil fields, ''at least 15,000 people have already arrived in two days'' in the Kawergosk camp, located between Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan's capital, and Mosul, according to town Mayor Djamal Martik. ''We have to stop this influx and send them to other camps,'' the overwhelmed mayor insists. As far as the eyes can see, thousands of tents - provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - and as many families are roasting under the blazing sun. Many still remain without a shelter. ''We've been waiting for three days,'' says Jiwan, a Kurd from Qamishli, as he sits with his wife and young daughter in the two square meters of shade that their luggage provides them. All around, vehicles are transporting people and supplies. From the back of one truck, soldiers toss watermelons to a group of children. Since Aug. 17 when Kurdish Iraqi authorities opened the border, more than 40,000 Kurdish refugees have crossed over from Syria, the Regional Government's Minister for Foreign Affairs Falah Mustafa Bakir explains. In total, more than an estimated 200,000 people have arrived in the Kurdish region, according to official figures. ''The numbers were lower than in neighboring countries, so it didn't draw that much attention,'' Bakir says. ''Now the problem has gone far beyond our capacities.'' Iraqi Kurdistan regional President Masoud Barzani, who visit
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In Syria, The Time To Act Is Now
August 26, 2013 - LE MONDE Editorial via Worldcrunch: In Syria, The Time To Act Is Now - The images of an apparent chemical attack in Syria mean that the West's wait-and-see approach is simply no longer viable. The images from the many posted videos following Wednesday (FOTO: DUKAS/ZUMA)
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In Syria, The Time To Act Is Now
- Editorial - Worldcrunch - in partnership with LE MONDE - The images of an apparent chemical attack in Syria mean that the West's wait-and-see approach is simply no longer viable. The images from the many posted videos following Wednesday (FOTO: DUKAS/ZUMA)
Xinhua