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den 4 februari 2012 11:35 GMT

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GLOBAL SUPPORT PEAKS FOR NO NUKES
Jonathan Frerichs

We live under a nuclear 'umbrella' that is outdated, unwieldy, extremely costly, and doesn't even work. People today see themselves as part of a global community. They want to live in ways that protect life instead of putting it at risk. Nuclear weapons are wrong and need to go. It's time to get involved. Each person can do his or her part; all can make a big difference, together, writes Jonathan Frerichs, programme executive for peace-building and disarmament for the World Council of Churches.

WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS IN DAVOS?
Johan Galtung

The self-appointed "World Economic Forum" will meet again in Davos, Switzerland, 25-29 January 2012. We can expect a new load of gratuitous advice to emanate from the meeting, the invited participants of which were utterly unable to comprehend the September 2008 manifestation of the world economic crisis when they met three years ago. So, what are they going to talk about now? asks Johan Galtung, Rector of the TRANSCEND Peace University and author of "The Fall of the US Empire-And Then What?"

CLIMATE EMERGENCY
Ignacio Ramonet

The grave financial crisis and the economic horrors besieging European societies are causing people to forget that climate change and the destruction of biodiversity remain the greatest threats to humanity, as they were reminded only last December at the climate summit in Durban, South Africa. If we do not radically change the dominant modes of production imposed by economic globalisation, we will soon reach the point of no return, after which human life on the planet will become gradually unviable, writes Ignacio Ramonet, editor of "Le Monde diplomatique en español".

THE UNITED STATES AND THE DEFEAT OF VICTORY
Joaquin Roy

The official end of the Iraq war will serve as a bitter reminder of all that everyone loses in war, including the victors, writes Joaquin Roy, "Jean Monnet" Professor and director of the European Union Centre of the University of Miami.

IS CHINA STILL A DEVELOPING COUNTRY?
Martin Khor

Is China still a developing country or has it joined the ranks of the advanced developed countries? asks Martin Khor, Executive Director of the South Centre in Geneva.

SHED LIGHT ON THE SHADOW ECONOMY
Raymond Baker

My first encounter with the "shadow" financial system was half a century ago in Nigeria. Fresh out of Harvard Business School, I was starry-eyed with hope that the free-market economy would help this newly independent country thrive. Instead, in only a matter of months, I became witness to a system of financial manipulations so incredible that I still have trouble believing it is real, writes Raymond Baker, director of the Task Force on Financial Integrity and Economic Development.

EUROPE ON THE BRINK
Mario Soares

It is hard to see how the European Union and the euro can find their way out of the imbroglio their leaders have led themselves, and all Europeanists, into, writes Mario Soares, ex-president and ex-prime minister of Portugal.

EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY AND THE FINANCIAL COUP D'ETAT
Ignacio Ramonet

It is clear that the European Union cannot summon the political will to stand up to the markets and resolve the crisis. Until now the lamentable behaviour of European leaders has been blamed on their staggering incompetence. However, this (correct) assessment doesn't go far enough, particularly after the recent ''financial coups d'etat'' that in Greece and Italy have dynamited a certain conception of democracy. What has been happening is less a matter of mediocrity and incompetence than active complicity with the markets, writes Ignacio Ramonet, editor of "Le Monde diplomatique en espanol".

COOPERATION AND SOLIDARITY KEY TO MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser

South-South and triangular cooperation, backed by adequate funding, are key tools for tackling the development challenges of our time. But South-South cooperation only complements and does not replace North-South cooperation. All such partnerships are particularly pertinent given the challenges facing our global economy and sustainable development, writes Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Ambassador from Qatar and current President of the United Nations General Assembly.

FACING PEAK OIL AND PEAK GAS: IN SEARCH OF THE LEAST EVIL
Risto Isomaki

The U.S. oil geologist Marion King Hubbert predicted, already in 1956, that the global production of oil will reach its all-time high roughly when we have used one half of the world's oil reserves. This is because geologists tend to find the biggest fields first, and because oil wells become tired during the production phase. The more is taken out, the more difficult it gets to bring the remaining oil to the surface. The world's production of crude oil may have peaked in July 2008, at 74,666 barrels per day. In other words we may already have passed the feared Peak Oil, without almost anybody noticing the event. This is because the production of natural gas is still increasing, and growing amounts of gas have been converted to various oil-replacing products, writes Risto Isomaki, an environmental activist and awarded Finnish writer whose novels have been translated into several languages.

HAITI'S DECISION TO REARM IS AN OBSTACLE TO PEACE, DEVELOPMENT, AND FREEDOM
Oscar Arias Sanchez

After the announcement that the government of Haiti had decided to reconstitute its army, I asked President Michel Martelly to reconsider his decision, pointing out that in Latin America the majority of armies have been enemies of progress, of peace, and of freedom, writes Oscar Arias Sanchez, ex-president of Costa Rica and 1987 Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

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