ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Most National Institutions Respected, Especially Military Crime and corruption, common scourges of modern societies, top the list of problems cited by publics in emerging and developing nations.  A median of 83% of people across 34 emerging and developing economies say crime is a  very  big problem in their country, and 76% say the same about corrupt political leaders.  Many also worry about issues such as health care, poor quality schools, water and air pollution, and food safety. Generally, electricity shortages and traffic are seen as less pressing issues. People in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East all see crime and corruption as the greatest problems in their countries, according to the Pew Research Center survey. Moreover,  crime and corruption as well as poor quality schools are considered  growing problems in these emerging and developing countries.  Taking the median across the 20 countries surveyed in 2007/2008 and 2014, the number of people citing thes

The Pakistani army’s operations against militant hideouts in a northwestern tribal region near the border with Afghanistan have so far killed more than 1,200 militants, a senior Pakistani army officer says. Major General Zafarullah Khan, the officer in charge of North Waziristan, said on Sunday that nearly 1,200 militants have been killed since the military campaign started in the region. He further noted that 230 terrorists have been also arrested. Khan added that considerable amounts of weapons, munitions and many vehicles have been also confiscated in the region. The military official said pro-Taliban militants generally rely on bombs and ambushes to engage Pakistani government forces and to hamper their progress rather than battling them openly. “They have planted [bombs] in houses, they have planted [bombs] in the streets, they’ve planted [bombs] even in the trees,” he said. Pakistani military units have been conducting military operations to eliminate terrorists in Pakistan’s Nor

The map shows the location of the three Iranian islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has removed a fake name used by the United Arab Emirates for three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf. The UN nuclear agency deleted a fake map of three Iranian islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa published by the UAE that was used on the IAEA’s official website. On its page on the IAEA Country Nuclear Power Profile (CNPP), the UAE used a fake name for the Persian Gulf and the three Iranian islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb. Following the UAE’s move, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran objected to the use of a forged name for the Persian Gulf and also the three Iranian islands. The three islands have historically been part of Iran, proof of which can be found and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the wo

Iran has inaugurated the Middle East’s biggest ever gold-processing plant that will double the country's annual production of gold bullion in the near future. The Zarshouran plant, located in West Azarbaijan Province in northwest of the country, was inaugurated by First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri in a ceremony on Saturday. With the completion of the first phase of the plant, Iran is expected to be producing an estimated three tons of pure gold, 1.25 tons of silver and 500 kilograms of mercury in the future. After undergoing development, the plant will bring the country’s annual production of pure gold to six million tons. The new processing facility will also produce an estimated 2.5 tons of silver and 1.5 tons of mercury a year in the near future. The plant is fed by a nearby gold mine, situated some 35 kilometers from the city of Takab, and is estimated to hold over 100 tons of gold. AR/KA/SS

By Christina Lin CNN on 12 November reported Obama administration is suddenly focused on removing Assad as the core of its anti-ISIS strategy, once again submitting to Turkey and Arab Gulf states that enabled ISIS to begin with, and are actually contributing very little to the anti-ISIS efforts to be dictating such orders to Washington. Moreover, these demands are harmful to US security interests—redefining US anti-ISIS mission to one of anti-Assad mission—and thereby potentially drawing in Eurasian powers of China, Russia and Iran into open military conflict against the US. Presently the Beijing-Moscow-Tehran axis is actually tacitly supporting the US-led coalition, and Assad is allowing US use of its airspace to strike ISIS and other Islamic extremist groups. Now, Ankara, Riyadh and Doha’s obsession on removing Assad and hoping to replace him with a proxy Islamist regime is throwing a monkey wrench into coalition efforts. With Islamist strongholds spanning from Turkey, Syria, Lebanon

An aerial view shows the Mistral-class helicopter carrier Vladivostok constructed for Russia at the STX Les Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard site in the port of Montoir-de-Bretagne near Saint Nazaire, western France, September 22, 2014. (Reuters/Stephane Mahe) Russia will make financial claims to France if the first of two Mistral helicopter carriers is not delivered by the end of November, an anonymous high-ranking source told RIA Novosti, adding that the sum of the forfeit will be revealed. "We are preparing for different scenarios. We are waiting until the end of the month [the fulfillment of Mistral deal], then we will make serious claims," the source said on condition of anonymity. According to the source, experts are currently analyzing possible damage to Russia if the deal is not fulfilled, and the estimated sum will be made public. "This amount [of compensation] will not be secret," the source added. In the meantime, another Russian source in the spher

400 billion dollar 40 year oil and gas deal between China and Russia is a response to the new cold war pressure and sanctions on Russia says Michael Hudson, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. SHARMINI PERIES, EXEC. PRODUCER, TRNN: Welcome to The Real News Network. I’m Sharmini Peries, coming to you from Baltimore. During this year a number of governments applied sanctions against Russia for its involvement in the alleged pro-Russian unrest in the Ukraine. Sanctions against Russia were applied by many countries, with the United States and the European Union taking a lead. In retaliation, Russia has responded with sanctions against a number of countries, including a total ban on food imports from the European Union, United States, Norway, Canada, and Australia. What does all of this mean to Europe, the United States, and the geopolitical reconfigurations on trade pacts? Here to discuss all of this is Michael Hudson. Michael is comin