United States
United States
Fair Observer provides inclusive, insightful and non-partisan analysis of important American issues, events and trends.
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United States / Europe / Focus Article / BRIC / Middle East / Americas / Africa / Asia / Oceania / Environment & SustainabilityIn the past few years, the political map of Antarctica, a region rich in mineral-fuel resources, has changed immensely. How can the ongoing geopolitical polarization in this region have unfavourable global effects in the long run? Even after 50 years of peaceful multilateral research initiatives, various nations would still like to seize Antarctica. Although annexation of the continent is now difficult, ongoing geopolitics might disable the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) after it expires in 2048, or even before that date. If Antarctica is seized, either by force or deception, this can lead to a global conflict. The ATS refers to extensive multilateral accords which came into force in 1961....
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360° Analysis / Armstrong / Cheating / corruption / Doping / Lance Armstrong / Match-Fixing / Sports / United States / Europe / Arts & CultureSport reflects society: as society evolves, sport changes. A part of this evolution is the emergence of a new type of corruption: match-fixing for financial gain in online betting. Over the last two decades, the popularity and impact of sport has grown and been reinforced. Great athletes are today acclaimed and praised by media, even worshipped. The Summer Olympic Games is one of the largest sporting events in the world, one that brings all nationalities together and is followed worldwide. The London 2012 opening ceremony attracted a peak viewing audience of over 27 million viewers in the UK alone, around half of the English population. But at the same time, the overexposure of performances...
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australia / carbon market / carbon trading / energy policy / Japan / United States / Europe / Finance & Economics / Focus Article / Oceania / Environment & SustainabilityGlobal carbon trading could potentially be the most effective economic tool to regulate industrial Co2 emissions in the fight against climate change. As concern about global climate change and carbon emissions mitigation is becoming ever more important, governments and corporations across the world have introduced innovative strategies to reduce steadily rising carbon emissions. Some of these strategies such as carbon taxes, energy efficiency strategies, command and control policies and market-based pollution trading mechanisms have been around for some time. However, they were previously used for other pollution control purposes, besides that of carbon emissions mitigation, with varying...
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360° Analysis / Politics / United States / BRIC / Arts & Culture / AsiaBy Amith GuptaThe inability of American media to properly understand the sexual violence epidemic in India, and the resort to “cultural” or “national” explanations for these crimes, exhibits orientalism and reductionism. The brutal rape and murder of a young medical student in Delhi by a gang of young men, followed closely by the suicide of a Delhi rape victim who was pressured into marrying her rapist by police, has provoked international criticism of the Indian government and widespread protests across India by a diverse strata of Indian society. In the melee of protests with the government, the Indian state has used tear gas and live ammunition, ...
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Is America inadvertently rearing another monster with its 'covert' support to al-Qaeda cadres in Syrian rebel ranks? During World War II, the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS), predecessor to the Green Berets and in turn US Special Forces, utilized members of a German dissident group who had fled to France as refugees for unconventional operations against the German Army in conjunction with the OSS. The philosophy of the then OSS Chief General Donovan had been: “Use them as long as they kill Nazis.” This is no surprise when you look at special operations over the years. Use of irregulars, especially natives, by Special Forces has been common practice considering the...
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Politics / United States / Europe / Finance & Economics / 360° Context / BRIC / Global Change / Arts & Culture / Middle East / Americas / Business & Entrepreneurship / Africa / Global Security / Asia / Science & Technology / Health / Oceania / Environment & SustainabilityFair Observer's Top 15 articles of 2012. Click here to view the "Fair Observer: The Year in Pictures" photo feature. As we wind down the old year and ring in the new, it is time for some reflections. Like any year, 2012 was packed with events, some of which will go down as historic while others will fade away with time. For Fair Observer, it is a time to thank everyone in our team, our contributors and our readers for taking us another step forward. The past year has confirmed that our community is our greatest source of strength. For years, the world has assumed that rigorous analysis of global issues is possible only if there is a huge...
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By Atul SinghEditor-in-Chief Atul Singh argues that gun control is no panacea; American society itself will have to change for school killings to decrease. Wayne LaPierre is the executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), one of the most powerful lobbies in the US. After the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, he described federal agents as "jack-booted thugs." This led former President George H. W. Bush to resign his NRA membership. This time LaPierre has surpassed himself. He has called for armed security in every school as a means to make the children of America safe. Even Fox News, hardly a lily livered liberal organization, questioned whether such a measure would be...
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360° Analysis / Politics / United States / BRIC / AsiaBy Atul SinghModi won the Gujarat elections because of his administrative competence and, as he looks to move to national politics, the US will have to change tack and reach out to him if it wants better relations with India. Gujarat, India’s western seaboard with 60 million people, reelected Narendra Modi to power. A charismatic orator, Modi has a reputation for being an honest and effective administrator in a country where politicians are known for corruption and incompetence. He is also self-made in a culture where social mobility is still low and politicians, especially from the Congress party, are either dynasts or owe their power to the patronage of dynasts. Is he Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? To...
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Fair Observer's five best North America articles of 2012. 1: Taking a Step Forward for Canadian Nationhood — Michael Morgenthau Queen Elizabeth II may be a valuable symbol for Britain, but as a Canadian figurehead she contributes little to the country’s identity. 2: An Election to Define the Destiny of America — Atul Singh Atul Singh observes that a deeply divided American society is deadlocked over different visions for the future in an uncertain world and, regardless of the result of the election, the battle to define a new American destiny shall continue for another few years. 3: Hit the Road, Jack — Daniel DeFraia Why is the road trip such an...