(Some of my recent editorials for
The Gulf Today-posted for my records)
Ballot bruise for
Barack Obama
On
November 6, 2012, Barack Obama won 332 electoral votes, exceeding the 270
required for him to be re-elected as president. Obama became the first
Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to twice win the majority of
the popular vote.
Two years
down the line, the voters’ mood has changed dramatically. Republicans rode a wave of discontent
to sweeping midterm election wins on Tuesday, seizing control of the US Senate
and gaining new
muscle to check Obama. The implicit indications are that America is turning
right and Obama magic is on the wane.
The
Republicans have also strengthened their grip on the US House of
Representatives. When the new Congress takes power in January, they will be in
charge of both chambers for the first time since elections in 2006.
The
Republican victory had been widely predicted ahead of voting to elect 36
senators, 36 state governors and all 435 members of the House of
Representatives.
According
to a Reuters-Ipsos poll in late October, just 38 per cent of Americans approve
of Obama's handling of his job as president, compared to 56 per cent who
disapprove. Meanwhile, just 24 per cent think the country is headed in the
right direction, and 61 per cent believe it is on the wrong track.
The
Republican takeover in the Senate will force Obama to scale back his ambitions
to either executive actions that do not require legislative approval, or items
that might gain bipartisan support, such as trade agreements and tax reform.
It also
will test his ability to compromise with newly empowered political opponents
who have been resisting his legislative agenda since he was first elected in
2008.
Interestingly,
in Tuesday's comprehensive rout, Republicans won in places where Democrats were
favoured, taking a Senate race in North Carolina, pulled out victories where
the going was tough, like a Senate battle in Kansas, and swept a number of
governors' races in states where Democrats were favoured, including Obama's
home state of Illinois.
Obama’s
low job approval rating reflects a lack of confidence in his leadership. The
ballot punch will automatically limit his political influence and curb his
legislative agenda in his last two years in office.
The
election results also alter the political dynamic on immigration reform, budget
matters, presidential nominations and much more. Obama has now been left with
no choice but to recalibrate his approach.
World of words to
sparkle in Sharjah
If there
is one clear indication that technology cannot easily wipe away the power of
the print, it is the growing popularity of the Sharjah International Book Fair
(SIBF).
To
cultivate the love for literature among people by enriching their experience of
the written word is the mission of the event. And, it is leaving a deep imprint
year after year in the hearts of visitors.
Interestingly, the 33rd edition
of the 11-day fair, which takes off on Wednesday, will be the largest to date,
with 1,256 publishers from 59 countries, presenting over 1.4 million titles in
210 languages.
The parallel programme will include 780
cultural activities, which will see participation from tens of internationally
renowned figures in the worlds of culture, art, and media.
This year's edition will celebrate the
Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) as a guest
of honor, and will also witness the first American Library Association
conference in the Arab World and the Middle East.
What makes the fair rewarding for the
visitors is the participation by a number of renowned authors, poets,
intellectuals, artists, and journalists from worldwide, beside the Arab World.
The presence of Dan Brown, the leading thriller writer
in the world today, as a guest of honour will surely add vibrancy to the event.
Dan Brown’s books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide and translated
into 55 languages.
There
are other big names too like former Pakistan ambassador at
the US Husain Haqqani, former Indian minister of state for foreign affairs
Shashi Tharoor, award winning American author G. Willow Wilson, American author
and journalist Douglas Briston.
From Arab countries, renowned actor Adil
Imam, novelist and poet Ahlam Mustaghanmi, former president of Azhar University
Dr. Ahmed Omar Hashim, Dr Ahmed Amara, Algerian writer Yasmina Khadra, Princess
Amira Al Taweel are all slated to grace the occasion, reinforcing the
fact that the region will never ever give up its love of the written word.
What can sum up the goal of the
SIBF better than the very own words of Supreme Council Member and Ruler of
Sharjah, His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi: “We are very keen to create a reading
community and promote the benefits of reading among our children in addition to
the provision of the best suitable books for all the family. Books must be
available for all to benefit from and through this conception we could turn
book fairs into an oasis of knowledge and light.”
A breath of
fresh air
Just
last week, UN secretary-General Ban Ki-moon cautioned that if the world
maintained its “business as usual” attitude about climate change, the
opportunity to keep temperature rise below the internationally target of 2 degrees
Celsius would slip away within the next decade.
There
is now a pleasant coincidental surprise for environmentalists. A groundbreaking
agreement struck by the United States and China has put the world's two worst
polluters on a faster track to curbing the heat-trapping gases blamed for
global warming.
With
the clock ticking on a worldwide climate treaty, the two countries have sought
to move beyond their troubled history as environmental adversaries and spur
other nations.
Under
the agreement, Obama set a goal to cut US emissions between 26 and 28 per cent
by 2025, compared with 2005 levels.
It
is said that the US is already on track to meet Obama's earlier goal to lower
emissions 17 per cent by 2020, and that the revised goal meant the US would be cutting
pollution roughly twice as fast during a five-year period starting in 2020.
China,
whose emissions are growing as it builds new coal plants, set a target for its
emissions to peak by about 2030 — earlier if possible — with the idea being
that its emissions would then start falling.
Although
that goal still allows China to keep pumping more carbon dioxide for the next
16 years, it marks an unprecedented step for Beijing, which has been reluctant
to be boxed in on climate by the global community.
UN
officials insist that climate change is being registered around the world and
warming of the climate system is unequivocal. Since the 1950s many of the
observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia.
A
budding global climate treaty, intended to be finalised next year in Paris, is
undoubtedly a final opportunity to get emissions in check before the worst
effects of climate change become unavoidable.
Last
month, the European Union said it would cut its emissions 40 per cent by 2030,
compared to 1990 levels. The US, China and the EU account for more than half of
global emissions, and there are indications that the world's next-biggest
emitter — India — might feel the pressure.
As
Ban Ki-Moon puts it, climate change is not just a matter for environmentalists
and scientists. It is a major development challenge that can also lead to
serious security threats. Mobilising for climate change is also mobilising for
sustainable development.
All
said and done, the Beijing treaty does offer a breath of fresh air.
Palestinian state is
the ultimate goal
What
Israel repeatedly forgets is the fact that the world has been watching its
misdeeds for years. Its repeated attempts to place barriers in the peace
process are simply not acceptable. Palestinian refugees have been waiting for
65 years for a just and lasting solution to their plight.
It is in
this context that a fervent call by Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s
new foreign affairs chief, for the establishment of a Palestinian state comes
as a welcome signal for the world peace-loving community.
The
recent 51-day conflict between Gaza and Israel saw entire neighbourhoods in the
Strip flattened, and almost one-third of its population uprooted.
According
to a recent UN assessment, as it stands now, over 100,000 homes were damaged or
destroyed, affecting more than 600,000 people. Many people still lack access to
the municipal water network. Blackouts of up to 18 hours per day are common.
In
addition, the violence killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, including more than
500 children, and more than 70 Israelis.
The
volatile situation has pushed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to such a
situation where a draft resolution is being prepared to be submitted to the UN
Security Council this month calling for an end date for Israeli occupation.
According to UN officials, an estimated
120,000 Palestinians whose homes were entirely destroyed in the conflict were
now waiting for funds promised at the recent Cairo conference to trickle in so
that they could finally return home.
Palestinian estimates say that as much
as $6 billion is needed to repair the damage. The international community needs
to urgently translate its pledges into actual cash.
Nevertheless, it is comforting to note
that the world is waking up to the fact that Israeli aggression should come to
an end.
Sweden last month became the first EU
member in Western Europe to officially recognise the state of Palestine. It
would be better for other EU states to follow suit. That would send a stern
message to occupation forces.
Palestinians are victims of routine
discrimination, particularly in housing, land access and employment, and anger
has risen in recent months over Israel’s senseless assault on Gaza.
Mogherini’s statement is categorical
and one hopes that the same sentiment echoes in Washington. As she put it, “We
need a Palestinian state — that is the ultimate goal and this is the position
of all the European Union.” In fact, that is the position of the international
community.
Bitter truth about
sweet killer
It is not
a sweet issue to write about, but the bitter fact is that approximately 350
million people are currently living with diabetes, and the number is expected
to double between 2005 and 2030, according to projections by the UN World
Health Organisation (WHO).
What
is shocking is that in 2012, diabetes was the direct cause of 1.5 million
deaths. More than 80 per cent of diabetes deaths occur in low- and
middle-income countries.
As UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon points out, while the world copes with infectious
diseases such as influenza, malaria and the Ebola virus, World Diabetes Day,
which is observed annually on Nov.14, is a reminder that non-communicable
diseases pose an even greater threat to human health.
Started
by WHO and the International Diabetes Federation, the Day is celebrated on
Nov.14 to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best,
was instrumental in the discovery of insulin in 1922, a life-saving treatment
for diabetes patients.
Diabetes
is a chronic disease, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough
insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. This
leads to an increased concentration of glucose in the blood (hyperglycaemia).
Type 1
diabetes (previously known as insulin-dependent or childhood-onset diabetes) is
characterised by a lack of insulin production.
Type 2
diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes) is
caused by the body’s ineffective use of insulin.
A recent
report compiled by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung
Disease and the World Diabetes Foundation has also cautioned that having
diabetes triples a person’s risk of contracting TB, which killed about 1.5
million people last year.
By 2030,
India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan and Brazil together are projected to
have half of the world’s people living with diabetes, and are also high-TB
burden countries.
The
issue is too serious to be ignored. WHO has projected that diabetes will be the
7th leading cause of death in 2030.
The
message is loud and clear: Governments
must step up their response against diabetes, including by protecting people
against risk factors such as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.
One
must not forget that there are many cost-effective ways to address diabetes. By
monitoring blood pressure, improving diet and engaging in exercise, people can
significantly cut their risk.
Governments
as well as the private sector and civil society should also unite in producing
and promoting more food products consistent with a healthy diet that are
affordable, accessible and available to all. 
