Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

Sanjay Suri the Indian born London-based journalist, editor in chief of IPS News Service, and writer of the book Brideless in Wembley an account of the immigration experiences of Indians in Britain, has published an article on IPS titled ‘Star Rises a Little’ Suri states “Any comparison of energy output from renewables to conventional energy sources must necessarily fail at the start. Renewables are new, they are a beginning, and it’s still too early to weigh such figures and to discount renewables. But despite significant advances in Abu Dhabi and Morocco, and promising commitments by the Saudis, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was reminded it is still doing less than many others. “The total installed capacity (in the MENA region) is less than 1 gigawatt (GW), excluding hydro,” Tareq Emtairah, executive director of the Regional Centre for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency in Egypt, told a meeting. …billed “MENA, A Rising Star in Renewable Energy Investment”. “Between 2002 and 2011 less than six billion dollars was invested,” he said. “Italy alone did that much in 2011.” In the larger pattern, he said, “of 22 Arab countries, 16 have indicative targets. But we do not see stability in commitment to renewable energy.” Emtairah said the pricing and tariff structure was not conducive to deployment of renewable energy. …subsidies for conventional electricity in MENA countries were already costing 50 billion dollars annually. …that brings up the comparative issue again. Why compare to conventional energy sources? Compare to the zero, some say, where renewables were not long back. “Ten years ago, Masdar (the Abu Dhabi company leading investment in renewable energy) did not exist,” said Yousif Al Ali, director of the Shams solar project in Abu Dhabi, the biggest in the region. “…I am optimistic and excited. I believe we will be a rising star. We have put the foundation to be a rising star.”

Inspired by Sanjay Suri, IPS News ow.ly/hnL3e Image source PenguinBooksIndia ow.ly/hnLfs

Aaron Y Zelin the American researcher focusing on Salafi politics, global jihadi activism and reactions to the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa has published an article on Afpak titled ‘Dodging the drones: How militants have responded to the covert US campaign’. Zelin states “Over the past decade U.S. drone strikes have killed between 1,800 and 3,100 people in Pakistan, along with hundreds more in drone attacks in Yemen and Somalia, as a result of the United States’ efforts to combat al-Qaeda and its affiliates. The rise in strikes since the beginning of the Obama administration, and the growing stridency of questions surrounding the legal, moral, and practical efficacy of the program, have led to a lively debate among the commentariat. This debate is indeed important, but it is also crucial to understand how the drone program has affected the jihadis, and how jihadis have deployed the issue of drones in their propaganda. This is a necessary part of gaining a wider understanding of whether the program is a worthwhile endeavor. …In the documents collected by Navy SEALs during their raid of Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan last May, bin Laden nicknamed Pakistan’s tribal areas the “circle of espionage” for the network of spies that helps identify targets and place tracking devices for the strikes. …The fear of infiltrators has created an atmosphere of paranoia within the jihadi movement, and has led many of al-Qaeda’s operatives in the Pakistani tribal areas to move to more urban areas like Karachi. …Bin Laden also suggested that individuals flee to Afghanistan’s Kunar province, where he thought they would be safer from the spy networks that have supported the drone campaign.”

Inspired by Afpak http://ow.ly/dEopj image source Washinton Institute ow.ly/dEonO