IDEALS

UNITED NATIONS, (Aug. 12, 2009) IPS/GIN – When U.S. President
Barack Obama presides over a meeting of world leaders in the
Security Council on Sep. 24, he will provide a high profile
political platform for two of the most sensitive issues at the
United Nations: nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament.

“This is the time for the Security Council to plan together a route
to international security in a nuclear weapons-free world,”
Jonathan Granoff, president of the Global Security Institute, told
IPS.

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UNITED NATIONS, (Aug. 14, 2009) IPS/GIN – U.S. President Barack
Obama’s pledge to take concrete steps towards “a world without
nuclear weapons” has garnered overwhelming support from peace
activists worldwide.

But at the same time he has given no indication of any similar
cutbacks on conventional arms sales – at least judging by rising
U.S. weapons exports this year. Read the rest of this entry →

BELGRADE, (Aug. 18, 2009) IPS/GIN – The arms industry in Serbia is
seeing record growth amidst the economic slum that has hit other
industries.

Military exports were worth $520 million last year, and will reach
650 million dollars this year, according to Serbia’s Chamber of
Commerce. About 90 percent of military production in Serbia is
exported.

“After quite a long while, Serbia’s military production is back on
its feet again, with some 20 training aircraft Lasta (Sparrow) due
to be supplied to Iraq by mid 2010,” defence minister Dragan
Sutanovac told reporters after return from Baghdad with a 305
million dollar contract.
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WASHINGTON, (May 17, 2010) IPS/GIN – The administration of
President Barack Obama has reacted skeptically to the nuclear swap
accord signed Monday by Iran, Turkey and Brazil, suggesting that
Tehran would have to take significant additional steps to satisfy
U.S. and Western demands to curb its nuclear programme.

“We acknowledge the efforts that have been made by Turkey and
Brazil,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a
statement issued shortly after the signing announcement in Tehran. Read the rest of this entry →

WASHINGTON, (May 18, 2010) IPS/GIN – More than two-thirds of U.S.
senators have signed a letter calling on President Barack Obama to
develop a plan to join a 17-year-old international treaty banning
the production, transfer, and use of anti-personnel land mines.

The letter, which was sent to the White House Tuesday by its two
main sponsors, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy and Republican Sen.
George Voinovich, expressed “strong support” for an ongoing
administration review of the Mine Ban Convention that is expected
to conclude before the fall. Read the rest of this entry →

BEIRUT, (May 2, 2010) IPS/GIN – Recent warnings by the United
States that Hezbollah (Party of God) possesses more rockets than
most governments has once again placed the party’s arsenal under
the spotlight.

In recent weeks, pressure has been mounting on Hezbollah – the
political party that began as a resistance movement against the
1978-2000 Israeli occupation of Lebanon – amid accusations that the
organization has acquired Soviet-origin surface-to-surface missiles
(scuds). Read the rest of this entry →

BERLIN, (Jun. 16, 2009) IPS/GIN – Pacifists groups have begun to
press the German government’s rising arms exports industry and to
question its record climb to the world’s third largest supplier of
weapons.

Political guidelines here clearly prohibit German arms exports to
conflict regions. And the country’s armament industry says its
exports policy is among the most restrictive in the world. Yet,
no one could say for sure whether-or how-German components end up
being used in military conflicts.

For example, Israeli army attacks in the Gaza Strip in late
December 2008, made use of F-16 fighter jets, Apache attack
helicopters and Merkava war tanks. None of these finished products
were assembled in Germany. But all of them were built from
military components made here-and then were shipped to foreign
firms. Read the rest of this entry →