WARS LAUNCHED by the US and its allies at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have become increasingly vicious in recent decades, worse than the atom bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or the savage conflict in Vietnam, some would say. America's newer wars are more horrific because of their lasting effect on millions of civilians in the countries they have chosen to attack. Vast numbers have been killed, millions displaced and entire generations destroyed through the systematic annihilation of infrastructure and the use of harsh economic sanctions.
The ongoing Ukraine conflict, in which both the attacker and the attacked are European countries, follows a familiar pattern but with certain refinements. Rattled by a challenge to their hegemony, the US and Europe, along with their allies across the globe, have galvanised all the multinational forums under their control to act swiftly. These include the UN, the Bretton Woods institutions, the International Court of Justice et al, working to censure Russia while pumping arms into Ukraine. With the help of powerful multinationals and international lending institutions, the alliance is deploying the most comprehensive range of sanctions to clamp down on almost every Russian economic activity.
The sanctions cover banking, energy, shipping, commercial entities, state-owned enterprises, businesspersons and, rather bizarrely, Russian officials and their families, including President Vladimir Putin's daughters and the kin of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Along with imposing a ban on new investment in Russia, western countries have also frozen the assets of Russia's central bank, which means that Moscow will be unable to use its US $630 billion foreign currency reserves.
Denne historien er fra April 16, 2022-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra April 16, 2022-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Trade On Emissions
EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a tariff on imports, is designed to protect European industries in the guise of climate action.
'The project will facilitate physical and cultural decimation of indigenous people'
The Great Nicobar Project has all the hallmarks of a disaster-seismic, ecological, human. Why did it get the go-ahead?
TASTE IT RED
Popularity of Karnataka's red jackfruit shows how biodiversity can be conserved by ensuring that communities benefit from it
MANY MYTHS OF CHIPKO
Misconceptions about the Chipko movement have overshadowed its true objectives.
The politics and economics of mpox
Africa's mpox epidemic stems from delayed responses, neglect of its health risks and the stark vaccine apartheid
Emerging risks
Even as the world gets set to eliminate substances threatening the ozone layer, climate change and space advancement pose new challenges.
JOINING THE CARBON CLUB
India's carbon market will soon be a reality, but will it fulfil its aim of reducing emissions? A report by PARTH KUMAR and MANAS AGRAWAL
Turn a new leaf
Scientists join hands to predict climate future of India's tropical forests
Festering troubles
The Democratic Republic of Congo struggles to contain mpox amid vaccine delays, conflict and fragile healthcare.
India sees unusual monsoon patterns
THE 2024 southwest monsoon has, between June 1 and September 1, led to excess rainfall in western and southern states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while others like Nagaland, Manipur and Punjab recorded a deficit.