Information Related to "World News Review December 1998"
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In Brief... World News Reviewby Cecil Maranville, Fred Nance, David Palmer, John R SchroederManitoba's Francophone Perspective on Quebec French explorers once roamed the vast Canadian wilderness, setting up communities not only in Quebec but in villages scattered across Canada. None outside Quebec was more dynamic than the French-speaking enclave of St. Boniface. But bigotry, sometimes sanctioned by provincial officials, wreaked havoc on this Francophone community, and the example of what happened here is cited as a prime reason why some French Canadians believe Quebec should become an independent country. Simply put, the fear is that Canada's English-speaking majority could eventually overwhelm the language and culture of Francophone Canadians. French-speaking Canadians who were pupils in St. Boniface in the 1940s And 1950s still vividly recall how their language was banned and how they were forced to hide their textbooks when provincial school inspectors came around to ensure that nobody was being taught French. Today there are 4,400 students studying in French at 22 schools run by The Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine, but many French-speakers fear the modest gains they have made in the recent past could be wiped out if Quebec secedes. The November election in Quebec is as much a vote of confidence in the Canadian dream of a bilingual nation from coast to coast as on whether to elect a government committed to holding another referendum on Quebec secession. If Quebecers re-elect their secessionist government on November 30, they may soon be asked to cast their votes on the same issue put to them three years ago in a referendum that came within an ace of splitting Canada apart. Although Manitoba was admitted into Canada as a bilingual province in 1870, the right to French-language education was not guaranteed and was abolished 20 years later. In Quebec, what is now known as the "Manitoba Schools Question" was seen as the most significant loss of French rights in non-Francophone Canada. Some fear this could be repeated if Quebec separates. Many Franco-Manitobans such as Francine Martin take a more cautious view of their future in a Canada without Quebec. "I think French-language services will be the first thing to go including French language schools." ( Reuters News Agency) Illness Tied to Global Warming Global warming could trigger an explosion of life threatening infectious diseases in areas where they are not now present, according to a recent report released by the World Wildlife Fund. The report cites malaria, cholera, dengue fever, yellow fever and encephalitis among diseases likely to crop up as gases collect in the atmosphere and warm the earth. WWF released the report at the Climate-Change conference in Buenos Aires in early November (National Post) Korean Concerns Much press has been given to the ongoing Iraqi crisis, but recent actions by the North Korean government are setting off alarms. The Korean peninsula was called "the most unpredictable security tinder box in the world" in a recent Boston Globe article. North Korea fields the world's second-largest army, adding 13,000 soldiers and 900,000 reservists last year alone, in spite of widespread food shortages and even famine. U.S. intelligence says the country has three nuclear devices. Recent missile launches demonstrated North Korean capability to reach all of South Korea, Japan, and Okinawa. For perspective, contrasting North Korea with Iraq, the North Koreans have thousands of tons of chemical and biological weapons along with the capacity to use them. The Communist Koreans have also openly threatened the 37,000 U.S. troops based in South Korea, and recently refused to allow weapons inspectors access to sites of suspected underground nuclear facilities. (The Arizona Republic, © 1998 ; Eric Margolis, © 1998) Europe Seeks Military Role "In a series of recent speeches and articles, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has pushed the long-debated issue of a 'European defense identity' to the fore, urging Europeans to create the means to do more for their own security without undermining the Atlantic alliance" ("Europe Seeks Own Credible Military Role" ©1998 Reuters). Citing the recent crises in Iraq and Kosovo, European foreign defense ministers discussed the need to create a European defense structure at their meeting in mid November. Such a structure will not be easy to put together, given the complex relationship between the European Union, the Western European Union and NATO. ( Reuters, ©1998) Killer Germs forSale The special insight team of reporters for the well-respected Sunday Times has uncovered a number of laboratories around the world willing to sell or export highly lethal biological agents capable of killing thousands of people in one go for a mere $1,000. Posing as representatives for a medical lab in Africa, these undercover men were offered samples of anthrax and brucella by a lab in Indonesia. This Asian plant made no check on their identities or even asked how these lethal products might be used. No questions asked! Another group of Sunday Times reporters were offered lethal botulinum bacteria by another plant in the Czech Republic. These two labs-one in Eastern Europe and one in the Far East-are among about 450 germ collectors globally. Some 50 offer anthrax; about 35 trade in the deadly botulinum bacteria, and so on. Undercover British reporters contacted about 20 of these plants pretty much at random, including three in Mexico, Brazil and China. These latter ones did ask for an export license before approving the sale. Microscopic amounts of these germs can kill hundreds at once if either inhaled or consumed in contaminated food products. Rogue countries such as North Korea and Iraq, along with various terrorist cells scattered throughout the world, are suspected of buying and storing these incredibly lethal biological agents. Several British politicians are, therefore, currently clamoring for much tighter international controls. One particular feature article concluded with these words: "The CIA has warned that biological and chemical weapons represent the most urgent long-term threat to the West. There are fears that anyone with a basic scientific knowledge and a backroom laboratory could use the bugs to make biological weapons." (The Sunday Times, 22 November 1998 (two feature articles)) World Becoming Uninsurable? The world's major insurance firms are circulating a "climate disaster map" that combines the impacts of climatic events caused by El Niño and those predicted to result from increased global warming. A disaster assessment expert voiced the sober prediction that, "We are fast approaching the situation were some parts of the world are becoming uninsurable" ("Climate Disaster Map Pinpoints 'No-Go' Areas for Insurers" by Nick Nuttall, The Times). The map indicates reduced rainfall in the grain-growing areas of the U.S., at the same time as rising sea levels and heavy storms threaten islands and the Caribbean, Indian, and Pacific oceans with severe flooding. Britain can anticipate buffeting winds from the Atlantic, as well as flooding along the coastline of the North Sea. According to a U.N. official, "I am quite certain that there are some areas which will be unprotected and may disappear [emphasis ours]. A major problem is brewing." (Times Newspapers Limited, © 1998) Euro Ahead of U.S. Dollar "Following its August 26 peak, the dollar has literally crashed, first against the D-mark and Swissie, and then against the Yen. The collapsing dollar has set off a run [on] U.S. bonds, as overseas bond-buyers rush to cash in their profits. In the meantime, Europe's single new currency, the euro, has surged against the dollar" (Richard Russell's Dow Theory Letters, October 21, 1998). The euro was valued at 1.12 U.S. dollars in October 1997 and surged to 1.24 U.S. dollars by October 1998. And that is before anyone can actually buy euros at the banks-which will not be possible until 2002. As strange as it may seem, "for three years the euro will exist only as a sort of virtual money alongside of the existing currencies" (ibid. November 18, 1998). "Note: Consider this, the 11 'euro nations' have a net positive trade balance of $140 billion a year. The U.S. has a negative trade balance for above $100 billion a year. How long can this go on and the dollar still hold up?" (ibid. November 18,1998). Is Anyone Watching Latin America? "The next near-death experience for world financial markets will occur in Brazil-within weeks, or even days. Consequences for North America could be catastrophic.... Brazil, with 164 million people, accounts for nearly half of Latin America's total economic activity.... If Brazil implodes, Argentina, Chile, and Mexico could quickly follow. Venezuela is already in a tailspin and has recently devalued. Now, the really scary part...if Brazil's economy comes crashing down, and takes the rest of the continent with it, American business and banks will be dealt a devastating blow that will dwarf the Asian crisis in magnitude and severity. U.S. banks have far more loan exposure to Latin America than they did in Asian or Russia… "The financial world is overseen by three economic great economic powerhouses. Japan is overlord of Asia's finances. Western Europe dominates East Europe and Russia. The U.S.'s bailiwick is Latin America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Japan, mired in deep recession, has failed visibly to defend Asia. Europe has done no better in Russia. If the United States fumbles its financial manifest destiny in Latin America, head for the storm cellars [emphasis ours]" ("Storm Warnings in Brazil" by Eric Margolis, October 8, 1998). Europe Increases Its Presence in Latin America The eighth Latin American summit was held in Oporto, Portugal, in October with some interesting results. At this summit it became clear that the Europeans, led by the Spanish, are to increase their presence in Latin America, most of which was formerly Spanish colonial territory. The door is opening for Europe in the region because the United States has suspended further development of an Inter-American free trade zone due to congressional opposition. Spain initiated this forum, making it the "bridge country" between Europe and Latin America. European trade is growing in the region, spurred by an interest in one of the world's most attractive emerging markets. Trade among the eight largest Latin American economies and their top five European trading partners reached a total of 61 billion U.S. dollars last year, according to IMF data. Germany is Latin America's undisputed top trading partner, followed by Italy, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, in that order. "If the United States cannot advance the hemispheric integration process, Europe would be able to arrive to occupy new spaces," said Miguel Rodgriguez, the president of Costa Rica. Interestingly, Latin America's leaders will meet with the leaders of the European Union in their first summit in June of 1999. The meeting will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. An alliance is expected to be proposed between both parties with political and economic ties. (La Nacion (Buenos Aires); The Miami Herald; Latin Trade magazine) |
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Other Articles by Cecil Maranville
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Origin of article "World News Review December 1998"
Keywords: Canada Quebec Korea global warming European military bioterrorism natural disasters Euro Latin America
Latin America:
