NEWS ARCHIVE – may, june 2014

NORTH AMERICA:
Why Did the Senate Amnesty/Immigration-Surge Bill Fail?
National Review, June 27, 2014 – As the late Samuel Huntington pointed out, we have a patriotic public but a post-national elite, a divide that reveals itself perhaps most starkly on immigration. Our rulers — not just on the left but also on the corporate and libertarian right — don’t see themselves as having any greater loyalty to America or the American people than to anyone else. They are, emotionally at least, post-American.

NORTH AMERICA:
Nancy Pelosi Calls The Humanitarian Crisis At The US Border An ‘Opportunity’

Business Insider, June 28, 2014 – “This is a community with a border going through it. And this crisis — that some call a ‘crisis’ — we have to view as an opportunity,” Pelosi told reporters at a press conference.
Remember: The European Common Market became the “European Community” on the incremental path toward becoming today’s “European Union.”
WH admits its role in child-immigrant chaos – Human Events, June 23, 2014 – You know who else is arguing that? The tens of thousands of illegal aliens streaming across the Rio Grande. Every last one of them, … tells every single media outlet which interviews them the same story: everyone back in Guatemala or Honduras knows that if you get a child across the U.S. border, he becomes a sainted “Dreamer” and will be allowed to stay…. This dopey new Administration talking point about how the new wave of illegal immigrants are “confused” and pursuing a “false hope” is 100 pure bunkum.
Migrant children overwhelm southern border – Buffalo News, June 24, 2014 – .What is available, though, is protection, mandated by the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which was passed by the Democratic Congress and signed by Republican President George W. Bush in 2008. Under that law, when federal agents capture an unaccompanied alien child at the border, agents have 72 hours to turn them over to family members or the Department of Health and Human Services for safekeeping while they await removal proceedings.
This “chaos” is Pelosi’s “opportunity” to further amalgamate North America into a two-class socialist political/economic jurisdiction with a “free flow of goods, services and people” – the mantra of the so-called “free trade” globalists.

GCC:
GCC contractors urged to create joint bloc
Emirates 24/7, June 24, 2014 – Contractors in Gulf hydrocarbon producers need to create a joint bloc to serve their interests and face challenges arising from increasing foreign competition, the representative of the region’s private sector said on Sunday. Contracting firms in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also need to enter partnerships with foreign companies and to merge to create bigger entities capable of vying with giant foreign contractors…
This is another example of Kissinger’s emerging “new mercantilism” of “competing regional units.”

EURASIAN UNION:
How soon will Europe forget Russia’s actions?
Lithuania Tribune, June 23, 2014 – Russia has taken all measures possible to keep Ukraine under its thumb. To that end, Russia has employed a once tested four-step strategy. First, Russia has assessed the situation as worthy of the use of force …. Second, the set goal has been achieved at least partially – the integration of Ukraine into Western structures has been paused:

AFRICAN UNION [ECOWAS] & EUROPEAN UNION:
European Union ECOWAS trade pact problematic for West Africa
Digital Journal, June 23, 2014 – The pact would prohibit using tariffs or import duties…. There is also a Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clause that will exclude preferential agreements among ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States ] developing nations a provision specifically allowed under WTO rules. The liberalization of trade will make regional markets ripe for takeover by European corporations.

GCC:
The United States comes nearly full circle on Iraq
Daily Star (Lebanon), June 23, 2014 – What will stabilize this part of the world (slowly, slowly) is political action backed by military power–conducted under a series of umbrellas: The first umbrella is a new Iraqi unity government; the second is a U.S.-Iranian dialogue that draws in Saudi Arabia and its GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] partners; the third is an international coalition backed by the United Nations.
Iraq’s Implosion: It Could Be A Larger Regional Gameplan – Analysis – Eurasia Review, June 20, 2014 – With improvement in relations with individual countries of GCC, Iran is looking to challenge the leadership of Saudi Arabia in GCC. All this, coupled with the US-Iran rapprochement, has led to Saudi Arabia feeling isolated. It is in this context too that the ISIS surge could be seen.
Oil reserves can give Gulf Cooperation Council ample leverage – Gulf News (Dubai, UAE), June 21, 2014 – Saudi Arabia leads the world in the production of crude oil. The world’s top three producers are Saudi Arabia, Russia and the US, accounting for 13.1, 12 and 10.8 per cent of total oil output, respectively. Collectively, the Gulf Cooperation Council produced 24 per cent of the world’s oil output in 2013, something that is quite unmatched.

ARAB LEAGUE, GCC:
The EU Offers a Model for Unifying the Middle East
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), June 19, 2014 – Not long ago, Europe was a continent that resembled how the Middle East looks today…. Yet there is reason to hope Europe’s past and present can inform the Middle East’s future. Just as a warring continent found peace through unity by creating what became the EU, Arabs, Turks, Kurds and other groups in the region could find relative peace in ever closer union. After all, most of its problems – terrorism, poverty, unemployment, sectarianism, refugee crises, water shortages – require regional answers. No country can solve its problems on its own.
This is the standard line that the CFR globalists are using to build every emerging regional bloc on earth, and it will increasingly be heard in “North America” as well.

GCC:
The battle for Iraq is a Saudi war on Iran
The Nation (Thailand), June 17, 2014 – Such a setback for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been the dream of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah for years. He has regarded Maliki as little more than an Iranian stooge, refusing to send an ambassador to Baghdad and instead encouraging his fellow rulers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman – to take a similar standoff-ish approach. Although vulnerable to al-Qaeda-types at home, these countries (particularly Kuwait and Qatar) have often turned a blind eye to their citizens funding radical groups like Jabhat al-Nusra, one of the most active Islamist groups opposed to Assad in Syria.
Maliki stands with Sunni leaders, appealing for Iraqi unity
Reuters, June 17, 2014 – Maliki’s government accused Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni power, of backing ISIL – something Riyadh denies…. Maliki has blamed Saudi Arabia for supporting militants in the past, but the language was unprecedented.
Gulf’s billions insulate economies, markets from Iraq turmoil
Reuters, June 17, 2014 – Gulf Cooperation Council economies could function smoothly next to an unstable Iraq…. Also, in contrast to Iraq, GCC governments have over the past three years shown they can spend their oil money effectively to maintain social peace. Riyadh has directed tens of billions of dollars towards social benefits, new housing and new jobs to avert any pro-democracy unrest.

UNASUR:
UNASUR meeting in Peru evaluate educational plans
Prensa Latina, June 11, 2014 (Google Translate) – The Board of Education of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) seek approval of a five-year plan on a two-day meeting to be held tomorrow in the Peruvian capital, it was learned here today….. According to organizers, the region’s countries face the common challenge of reducing social and economic disparities and improve the quality of education to achieve the access and retention of children and youth in educational systems, equal opportunities and conditions.
This is exactly the goal of the “Dream Act” proposals for North America.

AFRICAN UNION – EAC:
EALA Starts Drawing Up Constitution For East African Federation
Bernama (Malaysia), June 10, 2014 – The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has started the process of drafting a Constitution for the political federation and developing the East African Community (EAC) Constitution. …Phyllis Kandie, chairperson of the Council of Ministers, said the community will also make a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of the Customs Union, common market and monetary unions and other EAC protocols.

EUROPEAN UNION:
The Real European Election Has Just Begun
The National Interest, June 10, 2014 – If the Parliament prevails, it will be a watershed moment in supranational history, and one that will be closely watched by every nascent regional integration organization in the world, from UNASUR in South America to the African Union, and perhaps even the newest kid on the bloc, Putin’s Eurasian Union…. If the Parliament prevails, it will be a watershed moment in supranational history, and one that will be closely watched by every nascent regional integration organization in the world, from UNASUR in South America to the African Union, and perhaps even the newest kid on the bloc, Putin’s Eurasian Union.

UNASUR:
BRICS leaders will meet with South American presidents in Brasilia
Prensa Latina, June 10, 2014 (Google Translate) – Heads of State or Government of the BRIC group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) will meet with their counterparts in South America on 16 July in the capital, sources said today Chancery Brazilian…. This meeting will be the first contact between the rulers of the Brics and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and aims to expand the relationship and search approaches.

EURASIAN UNION:
Why Belarus wants to bring ‘serfdom’ back
The News Journal (Delaware) | Gannett, June 9, 2014 – Lukashenko last week agreed to sign a new decree that would forbid workers on collective farms from leaving to pursue jobs elsewhere. The Belarusan dictator was open about what he was talking about, saying the decree was “about, let’s speak frankly, ‘serfdom.’” …. Lukashenko’s statement came around the same time that Belarus joined with Russia and Kazakhstan to form Eurasian Economic Union.

SAARC:
China seeks Bangladesh’s support to boost ties with SAARC
Zee News (India), June 9, 2014 – China on Monday sought Bangladesh’s support in enhancing cooperation with SAARC countries while looking to expand ties with Dhaka in key areas including energy and infrastructure.

ARAB LEAGUE:
Arab League: Improve Regional Court Proposal
Human Rights Watch, June 6, 2014 – A proposed Arab League regional court for human rights would deny victims the right to file complaints, 27 regional and international organizations including Human Rights Watch said today in a statement of concern…. “The Arab world is in dire need of effective institutions that protect human rights, not another regional institution that merely accommodates the region’s rulers.”

GCC:
Gulf Cooperation Council expected to launch single tourist visa
eTurboNews, June 7, 2014 – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is expected to introduce a unified visa that would allow tourists to visit all six member-countries, which are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman…. Once approved, it would allow a tourist to use the visa issued in one GCC nation to visit all the others.

EURASIAN UNION:
Nazarbayev invites Turkey to join Eurasian Economic Union
Tengrinews (Kazakhstan), June 6, 2014 – Kazakhstan’s leader Nursultan Nazarbayev has invited Turkey to consider joining the Eurasian Union, Tengrinews correspondent reports citing the official website of the president.

AFRICAN UNION – SADC:
House ratifies SADC protocol on finance, investment
Daily News (Tanzania), June 7, 2014 – THE National Assembly on Friday ratified the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Finance and Investment …. Deputy Minister for Finance, Mr Mwigulu Nchemba …. said the protocol was also in line with the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan which directs member countries to enter into a Free Trade Area by 2008, a Customs Union by 2010, a Common Market by 2015, a Monetary Union by 2016 and, finally, a Single Currency by 2018.

UNASUR:
Correa Supports Export of Electricity From Ecuador
Prensa Latina, June 6, 2014 – Ecuadorian President, Rafael Correa, highlighted today that the future export of electrical services to Chile is part of the necessary change in the production model in the country, a project coordinated with the Union of South American Nations (Unasur).

ASEAN:
Vietnam, Philippines ‘hijacking’ Asean to press South China Sea claims
South China Morning Post, June 5, 2014 – The Philippines and Vietnam are “hijacking” the regional bloc Asean to enlist support for their rival claims in the South China Sea, stirring up trouble for China with its neighbours, according to a book published by a government think tank in Beijing.

EURASIAN UNION:
Iranian Press: Putin’s Eurasian Union Could Include Iran
Another nail in coffin of US empire
PressTV (Iran), May 30, 2014 – The economic union signed this week between Russia and its near neighbors, Belarus and Kazakhstan, spells another nail in the coffin of the waning US global hegemony. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on the Eurasian Economic Union in the Kazakh capital, Astana, along with his counterparts, Alexander Lukashenko and Nursultan Nazarbayev…. This Eurasian alliance could also in the near future include other energy giants, such as Iran and Azerbaijan.
Experts Divided On Eurasian Union’s Cooperation With EU
RIA Novosti (Russia), May 29, 2014 – “The project of Eurasian integration was created on the basis of two matrixes – one is the WTO principles, another is the experience of the European Union in order to get in close cooperation with Europe…. The EU cannot see the Eurasian Economic Union as a real partner. They say Russia is dominating it, they all try to bargain the benefits and thus work on a county-to-country basis.”…. On Thursday, the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty that will enter into force January 1, 2015. The treaty will bring the three countries to a higher level of integration, including commitments to guarantee the free movement of goods, services, capital and labor as well as the implementation of coordinated policies in key sectors such as energy, industry, agriculture and transport.

ASEAN:
Japan to offer aid to nations in disputes with China

Boston Globe, May 31, 2014 – Saying that his nation will play a larger role in regional security, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan said Friday that his government will support Vietnam and other nations that have territorial disputes with China by providing patrol ships, training, and military surveillance equipment…. Referring to the Association for Southeast Asian Nations, Abe said, “Japan will offer its utmost support for efforts by Asean member countries to ensure the security of the seas and skies and rigorously maintain freedom of navigation.”
As Asia frets over China, warmer welcome likely for Japan PM’s push – Economic Times, May 29, 2014 – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s message of a bigger global security role for Japan when he speaks at a regional forum this week is likely to find a receptive audience as concerns grow in Asia about China …. Despite harsh memories of Japan’s wartime occupation of much of Southeast Asia, several countries in the region may view the message favourably because of China’s increasing assertiveness. “The ASEAN [Association of South East Asian Nations] countries which have disputes with China will support him,” said Malcolm Cook, a senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

SAARC:
Narendra Modi’s swearing-in: SAARC makes history, comes together for a new experience
Daily News & Analysis (India), May 26, 2014 – Soon after being sworn-in, prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday night met the leaders of SAARC countries, including Pakistan’s prime minister Nawaz Sharif, at a dinner hosted by president Pranab Mukherjee…. This was the first time that SAARC heads of government were invited for the swearing-in ceremony of an Indian prime minister.

UNASUR:
Unasur encourages treaty denounced by Venezuela
El Universal (Venezuela), May 26, 2014 – The Union of South American Nations (Unasur), the integration scheme spurred by late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, recently issued a communiqué advocating membership of all the countries in the Western Hemisphere in the American Convention on Human Rights (Pact of San José), abandoned by Chávez’s government in 2012.

EUROPEAN UNION:
Farage hails UKIP triumph as Labour and the Tories are humiliated
Daily Mail (UK), May 25, 2014 – Nigel Farage tonight hailed Ukip’s victory in the European elections as the most ‘extraordinary result in British politics for 100 years’…. “We have formed the people’s army to fight the establishment. I love Europe, it’s the European Union I have a problem with.”
Anti-establishment parties claim big wins in European parliamentary vote
Washington Post, May 25, 2014 – Parties hostile toward the European Union were projected to come out on top in countries including Britain, Denmark, France and Greece…. “The people have spoken loud and clear,” a jubilant Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, told cheering supporters after winning the French vote on a stridently anti-immigration message. “They no longer want to be led by those outside our borders, by E.U. commissioners and technocrats who are unelected. They want to be protected from globalization and take back the reins of their destiny.”
Surge by anti-EU parties expected to bring changes in European Union – Fox News | Associated Press, May 26, 2014 – Independent observers like Janis Emmanouilidis, director of studies at the European Policy Center think tank, have predicted one undeniable fact will blunt the impact of the anti-EU surge: the sheer variety of groups that will be represented in the parliament that divides its time between Brussels and Strasbourg in France. They include left and right, parties that want the EU reformed and others that want it abolished, respectable figures from academia and others from groups accused of being racists or neo-Nazis.

UNASUR:
Bank of the South Might Be in Operation by Late July
Prensa Latina, May 23, 2014 – The encounter of the seven countries that approved the creation of the Bank of the South in 2007 was held as part of a regular meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), opened yesterday in Santa Cruz, one of the Islands in the Galapagios archipelago.

EURASIAN UNION:
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to create common regulator of financial markets
Trend (Azerbaijan), May 20, 2014 – “The Member States (of the Eurasian Economic Union) after the completion of the harmonization of legislation in the field of financial markets will decide on the powers and functions of a supranational authority regulating financial markets,” the draft treaty reads.
Armenia expected to join the Eurasian Economic Union on June 1st – Public Radio of Armenia, May 14, 2014 – The Eurasian Economic Union will be officially established on May 29. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will sign the corresponding treaty on that day. Armenia is expected to join the newly-formed union on June 1st, Head of the Eurasian Economic Commission’s (EEC) Development and Integration Department Anton Azarov said today.

AFRICAN UNION:
Boko Haram Insurgency: ECOWAS Parliament Pledges Regional Support
ChannelsTV, May 19, 2014 – The ECOWAS parliament has pledged regional assistance to Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents and the rescue of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted from their dormitory in Chibok, Borno State…. Vice President of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Commission, Mcintosh Toga, pointed out that fighting the war against terrorist in the region could only be successful with a strong integration and coordination among countries in the sub-region.
Zuma urges AU to stabilise Africa – iAfrica.com (South Africa), May 19, 2014 – President Jacob Zuma has expressed concern over the activities of armed rebels on the continent, and has called on the African Union to bring about stability…. “It is crucial to build a stronger and a well-resourced African Union to take forward the promotion of peace, security and the socio-economic advancement of the continent,” Zuma said.

NEW REGIONAL ORDER:
Building security in Asia
China Daily, May 20, 2014 – Asia still lags far behind in terms of regional cooperation and integration. The European Union has realized a high degree of integration and the euro is now poised to challenge the US dollar. The North America Free Trade Area, which tightly binds the United States, Canada and Mexico, has produced huge security effects. The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the Pacific Islands Forum are active and the African Union has also played a crucial role in promoting the continent’s political development.

EUROPEAN UNION:
The European Union needs a new vision
CNN, May 19, 2014 – More than six decades ago, the European Movement’s founder Jean Monnet shared his vision for the region’s nascent union, prescribing money as a means to heal the wounds left by two world wars. “The fusion” of Europe’s economic ties, he said, would compel its nations “to fuse their sovereignty” as well “into that of a single European state.”

UNASUR:
UNASUR Secretary Calls for Joint Use of Member Nations’ Resources
Spanish.China.org.cn, May 15, 2014 (Google Translate) – The secretary general of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), Ali Rodriguez , today raised the joint use of natural resources of the 12 countries in the bloc, as part of integration efforts and cooperation…. Rodriguez said that the greatest potential for Unasur is the monumental wealth of natural resources that its members possess , such as gas , oil and gold…. He added that coordination between the members of the bloc will be able to develop a new financial structure will help to crystallize all projects carried each of the 12 countries and thus not depend on international mercantilist institutions.
So in order to avoid dependence upon “international mercantilist institutions,” UNASUR will develop regional mercantilism. Central control of resources of the regional bloc’s member nations – “such as gas , oil and gold” – meets the very definition of historic mercantilism. It is also consistent with the 2009 vision of globalist guru Henry Kissinger, who stated that global integration into a New World Order would likely first require a new mercantilism” of “competing regional units.”

SAARC:
The Most Important Regional Organization That Nobody Has Heard Of
Huffington Post, May 12, 2014 – As SAARC [South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation] seeks greater integration–they hope to create an economic union and common currency by 2020 — they would do well to look east to ASEAN, which was similarly derided as a talk shop not long ago and has since progressed towards an increasingly effective model of regional cooperation…. ASEAN may demonstrate, as it bands together to push back against China’s aggression in the South China Sea, that “a bundle of sticks cannot be broken.” SAARC would do well to understand the same thing.


GCC:

Hagel Urges Expanded Cooperation in Gulf Region
U.S. Department of Defense, May 14, 2014 – The importance of expanded cooperation in the Gulf region was the theme of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s remarks here today at the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council defense ministerial conference…. The most pressing security challenges threaten the whole region and demand a collective response, the defense secretary said. By strengthening the GCC, he added, the member nations will ensure their collective defense is more than the sum of its parts…. He suggested that the GCC develop a Foreign Military Sales case, which could “advance regional defense priorities by accelerating the GCC’s progress toward greater interoperability and more sophisticated multinational force development.”

ASEAN:
China’s ‘aggressiveness’ is drawing ASEAN closer
Deutsche Welle (Germany) May 13, 2014 – Growing tensions over maritime disputes with China dominated the latest ASEAN Summit. But Beijing’s aggressive tactics in the region are only making the ten-member group more cohesive, analyst Ernest Bower tells DW.
Asean to China: Stop raising tension at sea – Philippine Star, May 12, 2014 – President Aquino, for his part, pushed vigorously yesterday for the ASEAN member-countries’ full integration rather than promote the status quo amid challenges in the South China Sea…. “It is only natural that ASEAN seeks to engage more of the world in its pursuit of inclusive growth and integration. Perhaps the time has come to study ways on how best to do this efficiently – for instance, in engaging with others as regional blocs, instead of as individual nations,” Aquino said.

NORTH AMERICA:
Mexico energy reform could create North American powerhouse
Houston Business Journal, May 7, 2014 – As Mexico prepares to open itself to international energy investment, politicians and energy executives said the move could lead to a strong North American energy collaborative…. Congressman Bill Flores, R-Waco, said the developments should lead to a “regional powerhouse that I think can be stronger than OPEC.”
Enter “North America” into Henry Kissinger’s new mercantilism” of “competing regional units.”

ASEAN:
Malaysia proposes Asean secretariat be strengthened
New Straits Times (Malaysia), May 11, 2014 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today proposed that the Asean Secretariat fund is strengthened in tandem with the declaration of the institution as a community starting next year.
Despite denials by ASEAN that its upcoming ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will one day resemble the European Union with its own regional currency, the “Community” is going down the same path as the EU when it was the “European Community.”

ASEAN, GCC:
Hagel Warns Against Isolationism
Defense One, May 6, 2014 – [Defense Secretary] Hagel’s remarks come as a recent Wall Street Journal poll found Americans increasingly want their government focused more on domestic issues and less on foreign entanglements…. Pivoting to partnerships, the secretary said military personnel will continue to engage with foreign militaries, citing state National Guard’s long-term relations with specific countries, humanitarian assistance abroad, and deeper involvement in military institutions like NATO, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, and the Mideast’s Gulf Cooperation Council.
“Independence” from foreign entanglements is what globalist Chuck Hagel deviously brands as “isolationism,” but a nation can and should remain independent while maintaining full bilateral engagement with other nations.

EUROPEAN UNION:
Bulgarian leader calls for stronger European Union
YAHOO! News, May 6, 2014 – Bulgaria’s president has called for a stronger European Union in response to the crisis in the Ukraine…. He added that “we have to work for a new level of defense and energy integration, for a stronger European Union.”
EU’s re-energized integration initiative has Putin to thank. Kissinger’s “new mercantilism” is gaining momentum.
Cameron will call for Britain to LEAVE the European Union if he fails in bid to claw powers back from Brussels
Daily Mail (London), May 10, 2014 – The PM wants to make it harder for migrants to claim the dole, stop child benefit being sent to families living across the EU, a guarantee that Britain will never be forced to join the Euro and an exemption from the aim of ‘ever closer union.

AFRICAN UNION – ECOWAS:
ECOWAS to Adopt New Framework to Combat Terror
AllAfrica, May 9, 2014 – Abuja —The Heads of Intelligence Services of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have scheduled a meeting to work out a new framework for intelligence-sharing in support of efforts to eradicate the threat of terrorism in Nigeria and the entire West African Sub-Region …. to support Nigeria’s efforts to rescue girls abducted in Chibok recently.

AFRICAN UNION – EAC:
Kenyatta backs monetary union
East African Business Week, May 5, 2014 – Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on the East African Community (EAC) member states to speed up the adoption of a common currency for the region…. The Community is now working towards a political federation, whose frameworks are being worked on, beginning with drafting a new constitution.
Implementation Of Regional Infrastructure Projects
Coastweek (Kenya), May11, 2014 – Under the joint tripartite agreement, Uganda committed to lead the railway development and political federation sector while Rwanda is spearheading customs, single tourist visa and East African Community e-identity card as Kenya leads the implementation of the oil pipeline and electricity generation.

SAARC – REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE:
Bangladesh, India strike electricity corridor deal
Pact would enable India to transmit hydropower into Bihar state via Bangladeshi territory. In exchange, Bangladesh would benefit from daily supplies of Indian electricity.
Khabar South Asia (sponsored by the US Pacific Command), May 10, 2014 – The network ultimately would connect two other South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) members– Nepal and Bhutan– opening up hydroelectricity generation in the region, officials said.

EURASIAN UNION:
Belarus won’t block creation of Eurasian Economic Union
Reuters, May 9, 2014 – The economic union is intended to be a precursor to a future Eurasian Union sought by Russian President Vladimir Putin to unite at least some of the old Soviet Union as a bulwark against perceived Western encroachment into Moscow’s traditional sphere of influence…. Moscow wanted Ukraine to join as well before its Moscow-backed president was ousted in an uprising over his reversal of moves towards closer links with the European Union.

SOUTH PACIFIC:
Stronger Australia-New Zealand economic links, but no joint visa yet: joint document
Shanghai Daily, May 9, 2014 – Economic links and alignment of regulations between New Zealand and Australia are set to strengthen but the two governments have put off a proposal for a single trans-Tasman visa for visitors to both countries, according to a joint document released Friday…. However, the two prime ministers had agreed to allow international visitors attending the Cricket World Cup in 2015 to apply for a visa under Australian rules in order to enter both Australia and New Zealand.

NORTH AMERICA:
North American Union: US & Canada in play?
Prince Arthur Herald (Canada), April 30, 2014 – Diane Francis, National Post Editor-at-Large and Bestselling Author of Merger of the Century …. states that “a merger between the two countries isn’t just desirable but inevitable”…. According to Ms. Francis, over the last several decades, “Canada has become more like America and America more like Canada”… Hilary Clinton and Jeb Bush have sent Diane Francis complimentary letters thus far…. In 2011, a poll by Harris/Decima showed that 65% of Canadians backed greater integration with the U.S. and supported a plan to eliminate the border by blending US and Canadian customs, immigration, security and law enforcement efforts.

AFRICAN UNION – ‘MADE IN AFRICA’:
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Speaks at African Union Commission HQ
CRIENGLISH (China Radio International), May 5, 2014 – As infrastructure construction to improve regional inter-connectivity is vital for Africa’s economic integration, China, with a competitive advantage in this regard, will eye deepening cooperation on road, railway, port, aviation, electricity and communication. In addition, the Chinese premier says he will facilitate the shift of Chinese labor-intensive industries — such as manufacturing — to Africa, helping the growth and prosperity of “Made in Africa”…
EAC SUB-REGION & ‘REGIONAL HEALTH CARE’: EAC mulls harmony in health insurance
Sunday Times (New Times, Rwanda), May 4, 2014 – The East African Community (EAC) has commissioned a study on how to harmonise social health protection in the five-member bloc…. The study entitled “Situational Analysis and Feasibility Study of Options for Harmonisation of Social Health Protection Systems towards Universal Access in the East African Partner States”…
ECOWAS SUB-REGION: ECOWAS Parliament Calls For Single Currency Policy Implementation
Gov of Ghana, April 28, 2014 – Members of the ECOWAS Parliament ended its two-day dialogue on cross border challenges and opportunities for trade and finance, with a resolution that ECOWAS should pursue more vigorously the implementation of the single currency.

GCC:
Paris-Sorbonne AD don urges GCC monetary and economic union
Gulf Today (UAE), May 4, 2014 – The Deputy Director of Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi campus has urged setting up a timetable for the economic and monetary union of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, saying this will spur investment.

EUROPEAN UNION:
David Cameron on why I’m giving the EU one last chance
Sunday Express (UK), May 3, 2014 – In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Express the Prime Minister pledged to deliver a real reform of the EU because Europe needs Britain as much as we need the EU. He dismissed Ukip’s “throw in the towel” approach, saying the British people deserved “one last go” to get a Europe that suits them.

SAARC:
Turning SAARC into an effective regional forum
Financial Express (Bangladesh), May 4, 2014 – The countries comprising ASEAN came together to defend themselves from the communist threat. Such external threat was absent in the case of SAARC…. Where India was fearful that SAARC’s strength might mean less regional influence for itself, Pakistan feared that the block would be dominated by India…. Regional tensions mean that there is little hope for the dreams of open borders, economic union and a single currency in South Asian region. It seems there is still a long way to go.

ASEAN:
Asean’s elusive integration
Inquirer (Philippines), May 4, 2014 – Asean [Assn. of SE Asian Nations] leaders in 2003 resolved to establish an Asean Economic Community (AEC) as a single production base and market by 2020. In 2007, this date was advanced to 2015…. Asean leaders’ AEC vision is weakened by a strong aversion for a diminished national sovereignty for the sake of deeper economic integration.

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