Diplomacy & Crisis News

The world was made officially aware of corruption at FIFA when the U.S. Department of Justice set charges against several FIFA officials in an investigation going back several years. While there were ongoing suspicions of corrupt practices going on at FIFA linked to the World Cup in South Africa and Qatar, no actions had been taken until recently. What likely sparked off the push against FIFA was the national corruption debate in Brazil and its links to the last World Cup. Popular protests against the game that many in Brazil would have called a blessing were tarnished by corruption in the Brazilian government, not to mention FIFA itself. Two Brazilian nationals were charged this past week as well, which comes as no surprise to Brazilians, who are mired in a scandal that may even end in the removal of the president.

Since the global economic crisis of 2007–08, many governments have created new agencies to better regulate many private industries. In those cases where industry leaders have been seen committing severe acts of negligence, official and legally binding regulations have been applied and enforced.

In Brazil, the recent discovery of corrupt practices in their energy and construction industry and links to the ruling party has given the judicial community a great deal of power to enforce and enact new laws. In countries with a strong judiciary, strict guidelines and agencies work to streamline government regulations and their application. In those cases where the industry has been seen as a cooperative member in the policy making process, often voluntary regulations are expected by those companies in self-regulating their own actions and policies.

Legislation, policies and self-regulation will be applied differently in different situations. What has yet to be addressed are policies that are present but not followed by directors, officials or agents of those companies. Although FIFA always had well-scripted policies for self-regulation, when there is a culture of corruption in an already-regulated company or industry, there must also be a means of applying and enforcing the policy.

In many legal cases by individuals against large corporations there is often a trend of company officials bending their own policies in order to treat the victims harshly. The response to breaking their own rules often results in drafting more rules. However, without enforcement the policies are as good as the level of negligence being committed by the offending company officers. For companies to maintain self-regulation, they must actually create policies that are to be used.

Si le projet du ministre de l'économie apparaît comme un fourre-tout, il n'en possède pas moins une grande cohérence idéologique, que l'on peut résumer d'une formule : « Toujours moins ». Moins d'Etat, moins de protection sociale, moins de droits syndicaux, moins de règles pour les entreprises, moins (...) / France, Démocratie, Droit, Économie, Entreprise, Exclusion sociale, Idéologie, Inégalités, Justice, Politique, Protection sociale, Travail, Privatisation, Néolibéralisme - 2015/04

Après les « printemps arabes », la Turquie se trouve désormais en froid avec la Syrie, l'Arabie saoudite, l'Iran et l'Egypte. Alors que le régime connaît une dérive autoritaire, le choix de la « solitude dans la dignité » constitue-t-il une option ? / Égypte, Europe, Irak, Israël, Palestine, (...) / Égypte, Europe, Irak, Israël, Palestine, Proche-Orient, Syrie, Turquie, Censure, Islam, Kurdes, Médias, Parti politique, Politique, Relations internationales, Diplomatie, Autoritarisme, Réveil arabe 2011- - 2015/01

India Bonus: “Bangladesh and India finally give people a nation,” Syed Tashfeen Chowdhury (Al-Jazeera) India and Bangladesh sign agreement to swap border enclaves India and Bangladesh have signed an agreement to swap more than 150 land enclaves along their 4000 km (2485 miles) border, in an attempt to resolve decades old disputes between the two ...

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s apparently unstoppable rise hit a democratic bumper in Turkey’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, despite his presiding over 12 mostly boom years at the top of Turkey’s political system and the fact that his party won more than 40 percent of the vote.

By Paul McLeary with Ariel Robinson Judge not… The nominee to be the next chief of staff of the U.S. Army might have a Bergdahl problem. The lawyers for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier charged with desertion after walking off his post in eastern Afghanistan in 2009 and then spending five years in ...

Washington has made its point loud and clear in the South China Sea. But it is likely to be lost on Beijing. 'There should be no mistake: the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows', Defense Secretary Ashton Carter declared at a late May gathering of Asia Pacific's top defence officials in Singapore. That statement came a few days after a fly-by of the US Navy's P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft around the man-made islands China is busy building in the South China Sea. Such actions, Carter said, demonstrate that the US 'will continue to protect freedom of navigation and overflight'.

Turkey’s dominant Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost its parliamentary majority in elections yesterday. Though it retains a plurality of seats after receiving 41 percent of the vote, the election marked its worst showing since 2002. Analysts say it may struggle to form a coalition government — already, three opposition parties have said they will ...

Suite au sondage réalisé sur ce blog, nous avons le plaisir de vous offrir l’article du numéro d’été 2015 de Politique étrangère que vous avez choisi : « Les enjeux du chaos libyen », par Archibald Gallet.

Depuis la révolution de 2011, la Libye s’enfonce dans une spirale destructrice ayant des conséquences en Afrique du Nord, dans le Sahel et toute la Méditerranée. Le conflit a fait près de 30 000 victimes[1], et depuis le début de l’année 2015, le pays se constitue en base régionale du djihadisme. La production et l’exportation du pétrole, qui représente la quasi-totalité des exportations libyennes, ont chuté de plus de 80 % par rapport aux niveaux d’avant guerre. Les déplacés et réfugiés se multiplient, à l’intérieur du pays[2] et dans les pays voisins, et l’absence d’État offre un terrain privilégié à des organisations criminelles, qui contrôlent parfois des portions entières de territoire et se livrent au trafic de drogue, d’armes et de migrants – dont le nombre est en constante augmentation. Continuer la lecture sur Cairn.info.

[1] Source : Libya Body Count.

[2] Près de 287 000 en octobre 2014 (Agence des Nations unies pour les réfugiés).

S’abonner à Politique étrangère.

In a surprising result, President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party has failed to win a majority in parliament. But can the opposition capitalize?

Braucht der amtierende Ministerpräsident Ahmet Davutoglu nun eigentlich eine ganze Partei als Koalitionspartner, oder könnte er versucht sein, sich seine Mehrheit zu verschaffen, indem er einige Abgeordnete von der Opposition abwirbt?

(Own report) - On the occasion of the G7 summit in Elmau, Bavaria, German government advisors are discussing the significance of the cohesion among the leading western powers. For quite a while, the G7 and G8 have been a sort of global policy "steering committee," according to a recent analysis published by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). For the first time in 2008, the global financial crisis compelled the G8 to include other industrial and emerging countries in global consultations in the framework of the G20. By setting the agenda for the G20, the G7 seeks to safeguard its "leadership role" in global policy. At the same time, in Berlin one hears that Russia's exclusion cannot be permanently advantageous. Since its exclusion, Moscow has become even more engaged in the BRICS alliance. Commenting on BRICS' aims, experts write that its members are striving to "pit their collective political clout against the North's claims of its superiority." In a few weeks, BRICS will decide on operative steps in establishing a New Development Bank. As an alternative to the World Bank, it should become operational by the end of the year. Steps are also planned to undermine the US Dollar's hegemony.

The world has before it a unique opportunity to build a better future for all, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared today in Bonn, Germany, where he urged broad support for a trio of course-correcting United Nations events in 2015 that aim to lock down agreements on protecting the planet, ensuring sustainable development and unleashing the finances and technology to ensure these vital goals are achieved.

Germany's Angela Merkel is leading the G-7 charge to seriously reform the World Health Organization. But will her campaign actually lead to lasting change?

The G-7 is gathering to tackle the world’s biggest problems. It’s starting with Ebola -- and what the World Health Organization did wrong.

« L'Alena est synonyme d'emplois. Des emplois américains. Des emplois américains bien payés. Si je ne croyais pas cela, je ne soutiendrais pas cet accord. (…) Je crois que l'Alena va créer un million d'emplois durant les cinq premières années. » William Clinton, président des Etats-Unis, 14 septembre (...) / Canada, États-Unis, Europe, Mexique, Commerce international, Économie, Entreprise, Finance, Libéralisme, Travail, Amérique du Nord, Commerce, Néolibéralisme - 2015/06

Si elle ne viole pas le secret des correspondances, à la différence des « écoutes », l'accumulation de traces numériques s'avère bien plus intrusive qu'il n'y paraît. / États-Unis, Europe, Commerce international, Droit international, Information, Informatique, Sécurité, Internet, Multinationales, (...) / États-Unis, Europe, Commerce international, Droit international, Information, Informatique, Sécurité, Internet, Multinationales, Technologies de l'information, Technologie, Télécommunications, Terrorisme - 2015/01

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed with relief the release of two United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) contractors who were abducted in Zalingei, Central Darfur, Sudan, on 29 January.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the readiness of President Abd Rabou Mansour Hadi of Yemen to send a delegation to participate in United Nations-facilitated Yemeni-Yemeni consultations in Geneva, set to start on 14 June.

Incumbent Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) José Graziano da Silva was today re-elected to a second term in the agency&#39s top post with the highest number of votes ever in the history of the FAO.