Publications Review 04.04.2013

In this issue you will find: review of BRICS Summit, situation in Central African Republic, latest lobbying initiative by the founder of “Facebook” Mark Zuckerberg, India’s ambitions to become a great power, Japan and South Korea need to strengthen their ties.

An independent Beijing-based Media organization the 4th Media published a review of BRICS Summit, which was held in Durban, South Africa on the 26th-27th of March. According to the author of the review, Abayomi Azikiwe (editor of Pan-African News Wire):

“One of the major issues on the agenda at the BRICS Summit was a proposal for the creation of a new development bank that could by-pass the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) <…> The bank would be active in funding infrastructural projects, many of which would be based on the African continent.  China along with Brazil, whose economy is also growing at a rapid rate in South America, is slated to provide $US30 billion to finance bilateral trade in their own national currencies.”

World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) has published an article by Thomas Gaist, which analyzes current situation in Central African Republic where the president François Bozizé was recently ousted by the Seleka rebel coalition. According to T. Gaist it was France, who stood behind this coup d’état in order to scrap oil and mining contracts with China which were signed by Bozizé government.

In his column in The Observer Nick Cohen shares his opinion on latest lobbying initiative by the founder of “Facebook”, Mark Zuckerberg, who is currently co-organizing a political advocacy group, which would push reforms on various policy issues, including education and immigration. In Cohen’s opinion, one should not fall victim to Zuckerberg's “cool capitalism” as the high-tech, borderless future which he is envisaging is “not a future many people can live in”.

The Economist provides analysis of India’s ambitions to become a great power. According to the magazine, India exhibits a striking lack of a strategic culture. This situation needs to be changed if India wants to compete with its fast growing powerful neighbor and geopolitical rival China.

Supposed Chinese threat is also in the limelight of The Diplomat where J. Berkshire Miller argues that Japan and South Korea need to strengthen their ties despite historical tensions and present challenges.