At West Point, SBY Stresses Importance of Soft Power and Politics

Jakarta Globe, Bastiaan Scherpen, Sep 23, 2014

Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono waving to reporters at Halim Perdanakusuma
International Airport in Jakarta. (Antara Photo/Prasetyo Utomo)

Jakarta. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a speech at the elite US military academy at West Point said that in a world that is “witnessing the emergence of the geopolitics of emotions,” soft power remains crucial in defeating terrorist movements like Islamic State.

“Once ISIS [Islamic State in Iraq and Syria] can be defeated militarily, we will urgently need to come up with subsequent measures to ensure that future generations will not take up their diabolical cause again,” Yudhoyono said on Monday in the United States, according to the Indonesian presidential website. “This is not the task of militaries but the task of politicians, diplomats, religious leaders and civil society.”

The US military and its allies on Monday night started bombing IS targets in Syria, the US Department of Defense announced on Tuesday. A news release said Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates “participated in or supported” the airstrikes, part of US President Barack Obama’s “comprehensive strategy to degrade and ultimately defeat” IS.

Addressing the role of the military in a changing world, Yudhoyono, himself a retired four-star general, argued that it is much more difficult to end a war than to start one. “This is where politics and effective diplomacy are much needed, based on the strong commitment by world political leaders to select political and diplomatic options in pursuing their national interests,” he said.

Citing the successes of his own administration in ending decades of conflict in Aceh and achieving peaceful reconciliation with Timor-Leste after decades of Indonesian occupation, the president stressed the importance of strong political will and confidence-building measures between nations.

Strong inter-military relations are also important in preventing conflict, Yudhoyono said, because “if relations between the military and the relations between business and economic actors are strong, then the politicians will think twice before declaring war.”

“In the case of the United States, which is a super power, your country shares a great responsibility to help create a peaceful, just and prosperous world,” the president told the American cadets. “The world has high hope on your country’s leadership — a leadership that is constructive, wise, and beneficial to all nations.”

The United States is one stop on the longest overseas trip of Yudhoyono’s presidency, which ends when President-elect Joko Widodo is inaugurated on Oct. 20. Yudhoyono visited Portugal before crossing the Atlantic and will fly to Japan after attending the 69th United Nations General Assembly and the 2014 UN Climate Summit.

British PM to hold first direct talks with Iran's president since 1979

Yahoo – AFP, 23 Sep 2014

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, seen here on August 30, 2014 in Tehran, will 

meet David Cameron during a UN summit in New York (AFP Photo/Behrouz Mehri)

London (AFP) - British Prime Minister David Cameron will hold face-to-face talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the premier's office said on Tuesday, in what would be the first such high-level meeting between the two countries since 1979.

During the meeting at the sidelines of the United Nations summit in New York, Cameron will urge Rouhani to join an international campaign against Islamic State (IS) jihadists.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, pictured

 on September 19, 2014 in London, is seeking

 support in the fight against the Islamic State

group (AFP Photo/Carl Court)

The planned talks come after rare direct talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The approaches to Tehran reflect determination by Western leaders' to enlist the support of powers in the region to tackle the jihadist group.

The IS organisation, which has seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, has carried out scores of atrocities including beheadings and crucifixions.

Cameron vowed to destroy the group after its militants killed British aid worker David Haines and threatened further British hostages earlier this month, but has stopped short of joining US and French airstrikes and has ruled out sending troops to Iraq.

The British leader is expected to call on the world to come together to defeat extremist groups such as IS in a speech at the UN General Assembly.

British ties with Tehran, which broke down after Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979, have slowly warmed since a low point three years ago when protesters stormed the British embassy.

Tehran, long isolated due to tensions over its nuclear programme, rejects Western accusations that it hopes to develop nuclear weapons, insisting its programme is peaceful.

British Prime Minister David Cameron (L) meets Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at

 the UN during the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York on

September 24, 2014 (AFP Photo/Timothy A. Clary)

Related Article:

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Heirs to Rockefeller oil fortune divest from fossil fuels over climate change

Heirs to Standard Oil fortune join campaign that will withdraw a total of $50bn from fossil fuels, including from tar sands funds

US will not commit to climate change aid for poor nations

theguardian.com, Suzanne Goldenberg in New York, Monday 22 September 2014

Peter O’Neill, head of the Rockefeller family and great-great-grandson of John D Rockefeller,
along with Neva Rockefeller Goodwin (second from the right_, great-granddaughter of
 of John D. Rockefeller, and Stephen B Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers
Fund. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

The heirs to the fabled Rockefeller oil fortune withdrew their funds from fossil fuel investments on Monday, lending a symbolic boost to a $50bn divestment campaign ahead of a United Nations summit on climate change.

The former vice-president, Al Gore, will present the divestment commitments to world leaders, making the case that investments in oil and coal have an uncertain future.

With Monday’s announcement, more than 800 global investors – including foundations such as the Rockefeller Brothers, religious groups, healthcare organisations, cities and universities – have pledged to withdraw a total of $50bn from fossil fuel investments over the next five years.

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund controls about $860m in assets, said Beth Dorsey, the chief executive of the Wallace Global Fund and the Divest-Invest movement, which has led the divestment campaign. About 7% are invested in fossil fuels.

But the Rockefellers’ decision to cut their ties with oil lends the divestment campaign huge symbolic importance because of their family history. The divestment move also helps bring a campaign launched by scrappy activists on college campuses into the financial mainstream.

But for oil, there may not have been a Rockefeller fortune. John and William Rockefeller were the co-founders of the Standard Oil Company, which at the time operated the world’s biggest refineries, and overtime spawned Exxon, Amoco and Chevron.

Now, after a year of deliberations, the descendants of those original Rockefellers had decided the time had come to move away from oil.

“John D Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil, moved America out of whale oil and into petroleum,” Stephen Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, said in a statement. “We are quite convinced that if he were alive today, as an astute businessman looking out to the future, he would be moving out of fossil fuels and investing in clean, renewable energy.”

In addition to the Rockefellers, the World Council of Churches, which represents some 590 million people in 150 countries – also pulled its investments from fossil fuels on Monday. The move represented a turning point for a movement which began by demanding that universities purge their financial holdings of ties to the fossil fuel industry.

About 30 cities have also chosen to divest, including Santa Monica and Seattle.

“When you have the Rockefellers and the World Council of Churches and institutions with global reach coming together and divesting, then this movement which began just three short years ago has really reached a significant turning point,” Dorsey said.

In that time, supporters such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu have framed divestment from fossil fuels as a moral imperative – like the anti-apartheid movement of a generation ago.

“Climate change is the human rights challenge of our time. We can no longer continue feeding our addiction to fossil fuels as if there is no tomorrow, for there will be no tomorrow,” Tutu said in a video address.

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund over the years has been a big supporter of environmental causes, including to campaign groups opposed to fracking and the Keystone XL pipeline, which made for an awkward fit at times with its continued investment in oil and gas. The family plans to first divest from tar sands commitments.

A number of universities have also started to cut their ties with fossil fuel – with Stanford University dropping coal holdings from its $18bn endowment.

But divestment remains a hard sell. The University of California system said last week it would continue to hold on to fossil fuels. Harvard University has also resisted pressure from faculty and students to divest – although Yale has said it will look into whether renewable energy offers a better bet in the long run.

“In the last great divestment campaign, Harvard said no before it said yes. I think it’s just a matter of time,” Dorsey said. “Unlike with the anti-apartheid movement, this is not just an ethical issue. There is a powerful financial reason as well.”

One of the wealthiest men in the U.S., Warren Buffett said Monday that

 he would double his renewable energy investments. Video screenshot: 

Georgetown University/YouTube

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"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  4 - Energy (again)

The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much.

Water

We've told you that one of the greatest natural resources of the planet, which is going to shift and change and be mysterious to you, is fresh water. It's going to be the next gold, dear ones. So, we have also given you some hints and examples and again we plead: Even before the potentials of running out of it, learn how to desalinate water in real time without heat. It's there, it's doable, and some already have it in the lab. This will create inexpensive fresh water for the planet. 

There is a change of attitude that is starting to occur. Slowly you're starting to see it and the only thing getting in the way of it are those companies with the big money who currently have the old system. That's starting to change as well. For the big money always wants to invest in what it knows is coming next, but it wants to create what is coming next within the framework of what it has "on the shelf." What is on the shelf is oil, coal, dams, and non-renewable resource usage. It hasn't changed much in the last 100 years, has it? Now you will see a change of free choice. You're going to see decisions made in the boardrooms that would have curled the toes of those two generations ago. Now "the worst thing they could do" might become "the best thing they could do." That, dear ones, is a change of free choice concept. When the thinkers of tomorrow see options that were never options before, that is a shift. That was number four. ….”

Obama uses UN to tackle flow of foreign 'IS' fighters

US President Barack Obama will head a UN Security Council session to push nations to curb the flow of foreign fighters to 'IS.' The planned resolution applies to all states, but Obama's real target is a close US ally.

Deutsche Welle, 22 Sep 2014

When Barack Obama travels to New York this week to chair a UN Security Council meeting the message is clear. The US president wants to rally the global community's attention to what he considers a vital issue of the day. He did so exactly five years ago to the day - the first American president to lead a UN Security Council session - and spoke about nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, a key topic in the early stages of Obama's presidency.

This time Obama will highlight the threat posed to UN member states by the flow of foreign fighters to the "Islamic State" (IS) and similar terror groups. And just like in 2009 he will use the event to push for a Security Council resolution - last time to reaffirm the UN's goal for a nuclear arms free world, this time to take action against foreign fighters. And just like last time, he hopes the US-backed resolution passes the Security Council with a unanimous 15-0 vote.

The president will probably get his wish.

"It's an easy diplomatic gain and good optics because obviously everybody in the Security Council has an interest in seeing something like this pass", Faysal Itani, a Middle East specialist at the Atlantic Council, told DW. "You can hardly disagree with it on principle."

Even often obstructionist Russia will support the resolution as long it does not implicate its ally, Syria's Assad regime.

No veto from Moscow

"The Russians have to be very worried because there are a lot of Chechen jihadists now fighting with IS and there are also jihadists from other parts of Russia who have also joined," Henri Barkey, professor of international relations at Lehigh University, told DW.

"So it is not in the interest of Russia to be obstructionist on this because in some ways this also helps the narrative of Russia that Assad is the only thing that stands between jihadists and civilization and therefore any resolution that criticizes jihadists, but not the Syrians would be welcomed by the Russians."

IS has attracted foreign fighters
from the region and beyond

The resolution, according to Reuters which has obtained a draft version, forces countries to "prevent and suppress" the recruitment and travel of foreign fighters to join extremist organizations like IS by ensuring it is considered a serious criminal offense under domestic laws.

The mandate would ban citizens from travelling, collecting funds or helping others to travel abroad "for the purpose of the perpetration, planning, or preparation of, or participation in, terrorist acts, or the providing or receiving of terrorist training."

According to Reuters, the draft resolution is legally binding for the 193 member states under Chapter VII of the UN Charter - which allows the Security Council to determine the existance of any threat to or breach of peace and gives it authority to enforce decisions with economic sanctions or force. Importantly, however, the draft does not mandate military force to tackle the foreign fighter issue.

Targeting Turkey

While Obama is using the UN Security Council as a bully pulpit, the real addressee of his message is a close US ally currently not a member of the elite body - Turkey.

"I imagine that the main target here is Turkey because there is the perception that they have been lax and irresponsible in their management of foreign fighter flows," said Itani.

The country was in a difficult spot until recently because IS had been holding 49 Turks hostage since June. This has certainly constrained Ankara's ability and willingness to go after IS in neighboring Syria and Iraq. Turkey, according to press reports, won't allow the US to use NATO bases in the country for attacks on IS.

IS infrastructure

But, noted Barkey, that and stopping the flow of foreign fighters via Turkey is just the tip of iceberg. "Today in Turkey you have a very important IS infrastructure that has developed over the last year or so." It consists of safe houses and support networks for fundraising and the treatment of wounded fighters, said Barkey. "That infrastructure has to be dismantled."

While the experts expect Turkey to publicly sign on to the resolution, they are less convinced that Ankara will actually fully do so in practice.

The Turkish-Syrian border is
considered to be porous

They also question whether the resolution - beyond alerting the world to the problem of the movements of extremist fighters - will produce any tangible change.

Marginal effect

"This is a very long fight, it will take many many years", said Barkey. "It is not one Security Council resolution that will resolve things and so I would say the help it will give will be marginal."

"It's not completely cynical, it's just indicative of the fact that these are the easy things to do", added Itani. "It's relatively easy to use financial counterterrorism means and it's relatively easy to try to stop people from migrating to Syria and coming back. That's been policy all along."

Indigenous peoples need better protection

The UN General Assembly is holding its first World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. Yvonne Bangert from the Society for Threatened Peoples is convinced that Germany needs to do more in this area.

Deutsche Welle, 22 Sep 2014

DW: When we talk about indigenous peoples, how many people are we talking about and in how many countries?

Yvonne Bangert: Various estimates exist, ranging from 350 to 400 million people. There are 7,000 indigenous peoples in total, across all continents. Most people think that there are no indigenous people left in Europe, but there are the Sami (pictured above), who are mainly in Norway.

Why do these ethnic groups need special protection?

Mainly because they are losing their land. It's worth pointing out that indigenous peoples often feel a close connection to the land and the soil they live on. They often talk about "Mother Earth" - which tells you a lot. It's important for their survival - in a spiritual as well as a physical sense - that they have their own land with a degree of autonomy.

But they are increasingly losing that land, as it often contains natural resources like oil, gas, coal and uranium, so there are economic interests there. They often have to defend themselves and have their backs to the wall. They often say "Our land is our supermarket and our church. If we lose it, we lose everything."

How do these people live? Are they reclusive, or perhaps living on reservations, or have some of them adapted to modern urban life?

There is a great variety, just like in the non-indigenous world. For example, in the rainforest areas along the Amazon, people have chosen to live an isolated life, but there are also peoples who live in both worlds - like the Huaorani in Ecuador or the Ashaninka in Brazil.

Among them, there is now a young generation of people who have a good education and who can both uphold the traditional ways of their communities and represent their interests politically and internationally.

As the Society for Threatened Peoples, we also often have guests from these indigenous groups who come to Germany and deal critically with development projects in their country. Through us, they hope to make contact with policymakers in Berlin.

There is the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, also known as ILO 169, which is meant to protect indigenous peoples. Why has it only been ratified by 22 countries?

We suspect that it is very strongly due to the fear that if the indigenous peoples are taken seriously as a negotiating partner on an equal footing, some economic projects can no longer be carried out as might be desired - as some politicians have argued openly, even here in Germany. There is then a fear of financial losses.

So far, Germany has not ratified the Convention either. What is the political mood at the moment?

We are working tirelessly toward the ultimate goal of German ratification. By this I mean not only the Society for Threatened Peoples, but an alliance of numerous NGOs, church aid agencies and other groups who have come together in the interest of ILO 169 and are lobbying for it together with receptive politicians.

There have been several times in the past when the German government was ready to ratify it, but it always failed because of a change of government. We have a good base of support with the SPD and the Greens, and it will surely not be long before the issue comes up again.

What is the German government now doing to ensure the protection of indigenous peoples?

It says that it is committed strongly to working at the UN level. I certainly believe that the colleagues there are working with a sense of goodwill. But there's still little sign that the interests of the affected people are taken seriously.

For example, there's the highly controversial Belo Monte dam in Brazil, where German companies are earning money by building the pipeline, as they are with the pipeline in Ecuador, which was partly finaced by German bank WestLB. The pipeline has burst several times and contaminated the soil.

Another matter is the negotiations on free trade agreements with Canada and the US: Whoever wants to import natural gas from fracking needs to know that this often takes place on Native American land.

This year, for the first time, a World Conference on Indigenous Peoples is being held at the United Nations in New York (22-23.09.2014). How did this come about?

The conference is taking place now because the UN's Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People comes to an end this year. It's a kind of closing conference, in which we will assess what has been achieved in the last 20 years, what goals we can still aspire to and how things should go from here in terms of organization.

What do you expect from this event? What are you hoping for?

The indigenous speakers are already voicing criticism about the way it has been organized. They wanted to take equal part in organizing it, but they are not sitting together with the others on the podium.

This is about their rights. They have complained that they feel excluded. And although this has happened, we can look on the bright side and hope that a mechanism can be found to allow the structures and working methods of the previous two decades to continue. Mechanisms already exist, but they must be further improved.

Yvonne Bangert works in the Office for Indigenous Peoples of the Society for Threatened Peoples in Göttingen, Germany.

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Muslims and Christians throng Albania streets to greet Pope

Yahoo – AFP, Jean-Louis De La Vaissiere, 21 Sep 2014

Pope Francis gives a press conference aboard the plane carrying him to Tirana, 

on September 21, 2014 (AFP Photo/Filippo Monteforte)

Tirana (AFP) - Christians and Muslims thronged the Albanian capital Sunday to greet Pope Francis who arrived in the mainly Muslim country for a one-day visit to praise it as a model of religious harmony.

The pontiff's plane landed at Tirana's Mother Teresa airport at 0700 GMT, where Prime Minister Edi Rama welcomed Francis for his first European visit outside of Italy.

Portraits of Catholic priests, nuns and monks 

persecuted during the Communist period 

are displayed on a main street of Tirana

 on September 19, 2014 (AFP Photo/

Armend Nimani)

"Albania is a country that has suffered so much," the pope told journalists on his flight from Rome. "But it has managed to find peace between its different religions, which is a good sign for the world."

The packed 11-hour trip comes at a sensitive time amid turmoil in the Middle East and rising intolerance in Europe.

Authorities stepped up security to its highest level across the Balkan country after warnings from Iraq that Islamic State jihadists could be planning an attack on the Catholic leader.

Tens of thousands of Albanians -- many of them Muslim and Orthodox -- had already gathered in Mother Teresa square in central Tirana where the pope will later celebrate Mass. Some waved welcoming banners while others chanted: "Papa Francesco! Papa Francesco!"

Yellow-and-white Vatican flags flew alongside Albanian ones in the main streets of the capital while vast portraits of Catholic priests and nuns persecuted under communism -- when Albania became the world's first atheist state -- were strung across roads.

"The Catholic Church in Albania is a martyr church and with the visit of Pope Francis it will be known throughout the world," said Aida Agustini, 51, one of the faithful waiting in the square.

Vatican and Albanian flags decorate the main

 entrance to Tirana, on September 20, 2014 

(AFP Photo/Gent Shkullaku)

Beside her Muslim Hysen Doli, 85, who had come to the square with 10 members of his family, said, "We belong to another religion but have come here out of respect to get the pope's blessing."

Francis had said he chose to visit the impoverished country for his first European trip outside Italy because of the example it set of religious co-existence.

While the Vatican earlier this year voiced support for US air strikes in Iraq to defend persecuted Christians, Francis has made dialogue between religions a cornerstone of his papacy.

'We can all work together!'

In August, Francis said that his presence in Albania "will be a way of saying to everyone, 'See, we can all work together!'"

He will later have meeting with the heads of the country's other religious communities including Muslim, Orthodox, Bektashi, Jewish and Protestant leaders.

The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics also wants to honour those who suffered under former communist dictator Enver Hoxha, during whose rule priests and imams were persecuted and many churches and mosques razed.

Between 1945 and 1985, 111 priests, 10 seminarians and seven bishops died in detention or were executed.

Nuns walk on September 20, 2014 on

Tirana'’s main boulevard adorned with 

portraits of Catholic clerics killed or

persecuted by the Communist Regime

(AFP Photo/Gent Shkullaku)

Nearly 2,000 Orthodox and Catholic churches were destroyed or transformed into cinemas, theatres and dance halls, according to Francis, who said the successful rebirth of the Catholic faith after such persecution made Albania a place where "I felt like I should go".

The revival of Catholicism is due in part to the popularity of Mother Teresa, an ethnic Albanian born in neighbouring Macedonia. Yet only about 15 percent of the population are Catholic, with Muslims in the majority with 56 percent, and the Orthodox making up 11 percent.

In a country with one of the youngest populations in Europe, the Vatican will be hoping to tap into a source for converts in a continent gripped by secularism.

The 77-year-old pontiff will also meet Albanian President Bujar Nishani and visit orphans during the trip.

It is the second papal visit to Albania. Pope John Paul II travelled there the year after the collapse of its communism regime in 1992.

During that visit he paid tribute to "martyrs of the faith" and created four new bishops, including Michel Koliqi -- then 91 years old -- who had spent 21 years in detention.

Heightened security

The country of three million will likely be looking for the popular pope's support in its bid to become a member of the European Union.

People wait at a bus stop next to a poster

 showing Pope Francis on September 20,

2014 in Tirana (AFP Photo/Gent Shkullaku)

"It is a strong signal and an encouragement to ramp up our move towards European integration," Don Gjergi Meta, the Church's spokesman in Albania, told Vatican Radio.

The Vatican has insisted it has not increased security for the trip, but Albania's interior ministry said police have set up 29 checkpoints in downtown Tirana, where most of the pope's activities were planned.

Some Vatican watchers fear Francis has made himself a target by speaking out against the Islamic State organisation.

But the Argentine pontiff, who loves to mingle with the crowds, will use the same open-topped vehicle he uses in Saint Peter's Square.

Albania last month began sending weapons and ammunition to Kurdish forces fighting IS militants in Iraq, and security sources in the country have dismissed fears that home-grown militants might be planning an attack.

Related Articles:

Pope Francis condemns religious extremism during Albania visit

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."

G20 countries agree to exchange tax information to stamp out evasion

Meeting of G20 finance ministers in Australia endorses plan to automatically exchange information on a reciprocal basis by end of 2018

theguardian.com, Bridie Jabour, Sunday 21 September 2014

International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde and
 Australia’s treasurer Joe Hockey before the main meeting of the G20 finance
ministers. Photograph: Reuters

G20 countries have agreed to start automatically exchanging tax information in an effort to erode global tax evasion.

The communique from the finance ministers’ meeting in Australia at the weekend endorsed a plan to automatically exchange the information on a reciprocal basis by the end of 2018.

The ministers called on all financial centres to make the commitment by the time of the global forum meeting in Berlin at the end of October and to support efforts to monitor global implementation of the new standard.

“We support further coordination and collaboration by our tax authorities on their compliance activities on entities and individuals involved in cross-border tax arrangements,” the communique said.

The meeting in Cairns also discussed the potential impact on the global economy of the Ebola outbreak in west Africa. The Australian treasurer, Joe Hockey, confirmed the economic risks of the outbreak had been discussed.

The International Monetary Fund has estimated measures put in place by the group will expand the global economy by 1.8%, just shy of the target of 2%.

“Of course there are events that could derail [the growth targets],” Hockey told reporters on Sunday. “We need to be ambitious, we need to give people hope that tomorrow and the years beyond are going to be better than today. We have to.

“As global finance ministers it is easy to be caught in the slipstream of negativity, to be caught in the slipstream of looking at a glass as being half full, or rather half empty. The views vary but the bottomline is we can’t be pessimistic about the future.”

The agreement on measures to lift growth was 90% complete but by the time the G20 leaders met in Brisbane in November there would be ‘concrete outcomes’, he said.

Hockey said the president of the World Bank, Jim Yong-kim, made “significant” contributions to the discussion about Ebola.

“There was a discussion about a number of other geopolitical risks as well. Having said that, we believe that the fundamentals of the world economy are good and we are trying to use the levers that we have to make them better,” Hockey said.

If the 1.8% growth rate is achieved it would add $2 trillion to the world’s economy within four years.

The managing director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, said the two areas key to reaching a 2% target were the labour market and infrastructure. She said the 1.8% was taking the G20 “very close” to its objective.

“Is that to say mission accomplished? No. Clearly because there will be more needed – from 1.8 to 2% is a bit of a journey,” she said.

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G20 finance chiefs aim to 'change destiny of global economy'

Delegates prepare to hear the opening remarks at the G20 Finance Ministers

 and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Cairns on September 20, 2014

(AFP Photo/William West)

G20 finance chiefs aim to 'change destiny of global economy'

Yahoo – AFP, Martin Parry, 20 Sep 2014

Delegates prepare to hear the opening remarks at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central

Bank Governors Meeting in Cairns on September 20, 2014 (AFP Photo/William West)

Cairns (Australia) (AFP) - Finance chiefs from G20 nations held talks Saturday, confident they can "change the destiny of the global economy" despite rising world political tensions and mounting fears of financial instability.

The meeting in Cairns aims to thrash out a set of policies to achieve the ambitious goal of raising the total GDP of the 20 major world economies by two percent over the next five years, a target they set in Sydney in February.

Finance ministers and central bank governors, including US Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen, want to be able to take their plan to the G20 leaders' summit in Brisbane in November.

A high-level G20 source said of Saturday's discussions: "There was no longer talk about growth versus austerity. Now it is all about how we can grow our economies.

"What we found is that extremely good progress has been made towards the two percent objective," he added. "Everyone supports that agenda."

The source acknowledged that the "global picture" of economic growth was "very uneven", but added that all members of the Group of 20 "will continue to sustain their efforts" to reach the target.

Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey, who is chairing the meeting, said as he opened the summit that he was buoyed by the more than 900 submissions that had been made by participating countries to meet the goal.

These involve reforms to accelerate infrastructure investment, steps to strengthen financial reform and the opening of economies to free trade.

"We are determined to make the world a better place -- to grow the global economy, to create more and better paying jobs, to build the infrastructure to ensure children get better quality water, education and healthcare," he said.

"I have no doubt that as a result of the deliberations of this meeting this weekend, followed by the leaders' summit in Brisbane in November, that we have the opportunity to change the destiny of the global economy."

Despite the upbeat comments, with the OECD downgrading its world growth forecasts this week amid a stalling eurozone recovery and weakening emerging economies, the task has become more complicated.

There is also mounting concern about the impact on emerging economies of the US Federal Reserve's shift towards tightening its monetary policy next year, while political tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East have spooked some investors.

Hockey added that there is a consensus that Russia should attend the leaders' summit in November, despite alarm over Moscow's actions in Ukraine.

"We've consulted with a number of countries and the emphatic view came back that of course we expect Russia to attend the G20," he said.

Head of the IMF Christine Lagarde (R) listens to the opening remarks at the G20 

Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Cairns on September 20, 

2014 (AFP Photo/William West)

"They are a member of the G20 and we expect that they would attend the G20 meetings."

A Russian delegation is in Cairns, led by deputy finance minister Sergei Storchak.

Spotlight on tax avoidance

Capital Economics senior global economist Andrew Kenningham said he was not expecting any fireworks from Cairns.

"Few analysts will be waking up early this weekend to read the communique," he said.

"It is likely to cover a lot of familiar ground. No doubt it will be full of good intentions -– but the key question is how much will be implemented."

But he added that "the G20 focus on promoting growth makes a lot of sense".

OECD secretary-general Angel Gurria said difficult reforms to drive economic activity were more essential now than ever with global growth struggling.

"Why would you reduce the ambition when precisely what you need is the growth," he told The Australian newspaper.

"Why do you think some countries are doing better now? It's because they did the structural changes. They went in earlier and now it is starting to produce a benefit."

While economic growth is a key focus of the summit, G20 nations are also expected to show progress on a common reporting standard to stop multinational companies from shifting profits to avoid tax.

The OECD put forward proposals this week and handed them to the G20 on Saturday, with Gurria calling them the biggest changes to international tax rules in more than a century.

The plan seeks to close international loopholes used by multinational firms, including digital giants such as Apple and Google, to avoid paying large amounts of tax, which is costing countries billions of dollars.

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