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Showing posts with the label Source- International Policy Digest

When Enough is Enough, Time to Act! ( Source- International Policy Digest, Author- Robert Sharp)

ISIL Militants ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Menendj) Source- International Policy Digest Author- Robert Sharp The catalogue of atrocities committed by Daesh pails in comparison to any committed even by Al Qaeda core. Their public executions by beheading and now by burning alive, must be stopped. Today’s execution of Jordanian Lieutenant Moaz al-Kasasbeh, the pilot hostage, represents a strategic inflection point, and a game changer that suggests: “enough is enough, time to act!” Advocates of diplomacy will likely refer to a trinity of escalating political measures against Daesh through persuasion, coercion and then a threat or show of force. Politics have been in play throughout, with Jordan recently engaging Daesh directly in their valiant attempt to save Lieutenant Moaz and also Japanese hostage Kenji Goto following the beheading of his countryman Haruna Yukawa a few days earlier. Politics is failing. Advocates of informational approaches talk abo

China Struggles to Sustain GDP Growth ( Source- International Policy Digest, Author- Margaux Schreurs)

Chinese President Xi Jinping ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Antilong) Source- International Policy Digest Author- Margaux Schreurs Official data has shown that China’s GDP grew by 7.4 percent in 2014, a decrease from 7.7 percent in 2013, and the lowest growth figure the country has recorded in 24 years. At a time when the global economy is still recovering from the economic crisis, this may be a bigger issue than it seems, regardless of the attitude taken by Chinese government officials. For them, lowering GDP is part of a “new normal” and sustainable development. In line with the publication of 2014 GDP figures, the Mayor of Shanghai announced that the city would start to focus on qualitative goals instead of quantitative goals. It did not provide a predicted growth rate for 2015, after 2014 predicted rates were all off the mark. On top of that, reports coming out of China say that businesses are struggling and strikes are becoming increasingly common. F