The Wests very survival hinges on continual conflict in developing nations.

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by Esau, May 18, 2015.

  1. Esau

    Esau Well-Known Member

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    When right wingers insist that Developing nations take personal responsibility for the conflicts that blight them, just remind them that their own western governments and big corporations' survival hinges on the continual conflicts and the resulting devalued prices of the minerals traded with western corporation/government.


    Europe

    Europe's proposed laws on "conflict minerals" will fail to slow trade in the raw materials, claim rights groups.
    A letter has been signed by more than 150 groups before a European Parliament vote on ways to limit their sale.
    Many tech gadgets such as smartphones use conflict materials, so-called because they are mined in warlike conditions and traded by armed groups.
    The letter says the law must cover more manufacturers and types of materials, and make firms police supply chains.
    European politicians will vote on proposals drawn up by the European Commission on 19 May.
    'Weak' proposals
    Signed by Amnesty International. Friends of the Earth, Global Witness, Christian Aid, the Ethical Consumer Research Association and many others, the open letter says the trade in conflict minerals fuels wars and human rights abuses around the world.
    It says the vote this week is a "landmark opportunity" for Europe to take action to stem the trade and curtail the conflict it engenders.
    However, it says the current proposals are "weak" and do not go far enough.
    The big problem with the scheme proposed by Brussels is that it applies on a voluntary basis to most companies, the groups argue. As a result, they say, few firms would be motivated to clean up their supply chains and report on their actions.
    In addition, the letter says, the scheme only covers four minerals - tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold - in their raw form, and does nothing to address products entering Europe which have been made using conflict minerals. Many smartphones, tablets and other devices made in China are manufactured using these substances.
    'Right incentives'
    The letter says the scheme does not cover minerals and materials such as diamonds, jade and chromite, which are also known to be sources of conflict.
    It urges MEPs to reject the plans in favour of a stronger scheme involving a mandatory system to ensure firms vet their supply chain.
    "Those bearing the cost of our weak efforts to regulate this trade will be some of the poorest and most vulnerable citizens of the world," said the letter. "Now is the time for change."
    Romanian MEP Iuliu Winkler - the European Parliament's lead negotiator on the plans - has previously said he "largely supported" the plans, adding that the priority should be ensuring that the right incentives are in place to encourage participation.
    However, Green and left-wing MEPs have criticised the opt-in nature of the scheme.
    - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32753710

    America

    A report by Amnesty International and Global Witness has alleged that nearly 80% of US firms are failing to adequately check their supply chains for conflict minerals.
    New financial regulations require US firms to check whether their mineral purchases are supporting conflict in Central Africa.
    2014 was the first year companies were required to file the reports.
    Conflict mineral purchases often include tin, tungsten, and gold.
    Those minerals are used often in electronics, and companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Intel, and others have come under fire for failing to investigate their supply chains adequately.
    "Most of America's biggest corporations have blind spots in their supply chains - leaving them oblivious to whether the products they sell contain minerals that have funded conflict," wrote Dr Denis Mukwege in an introduction to the report. Dr Mukwege is the founder and medical director of the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and has treated more than 19,000 rape victims.
    "Companies must do more to find out how the minerals they are buying have been produced and traded," he said.
    Unknowns
    The Amnesty/Global Witness report surveyed the regulatory filings of 100 firms, including some of the US's biggest companies.
    The report says that only 21% of those companies are following the provision of the conflict mineral filing regulations, which were instituted as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which was passed in the wake of the US financial crisis.
    Under the law, firms must now submit annual reports to US regulators detailing their efforts to investigate their supply chains, such as contacting the smelters or refiners that process the minerals they use.
    The report says that many companies submitted just the bare minimum paperwork necessary.
    Only 15% of firms indicated that they had contacted the facilities that process the minerals in their products. More than 40% of firms did not indicate that they had a policy in place to identify the risks in their supply chain.
    Some of the firms with the thinnest regulatory filings included relative unknowns, like Mindray Medical and Zoom Telephonics, and bigger, more well known firms such as Home Depot and Costco, the report says.
    Stephen Holmes, a spokesman for Home Depot, said in a statement: "We're confident that our 2013 filing complies, and we're committed to responsible sourcing and expect all suppliers manufacturing our products to adopt sourcing practices to obtain products and materials from suppliers that are not involved in funding conflict in the DRC or neighbouring countries."
    Companies such as Philips, Hewlett-Packard and General Electric were singled out for their rigorous reports.
    Firms have two years to come under full compliance with the law. The second round of reports is due in June 2015.
    The full list of the firms whose conflict mineral investigations the report deemed satisfactory are:
    3M
    Bed, Bath and Beyond
    Cisco Systems
    Clean Energy Fuels
    CSP
    Cubic Corp
    Eltek
    Embraer
    General Electric
    Helen of Troy
    Hewlett Packard
    Intel Corporation
    Macy's
    Microsoft
    Philips
    ResMed
    Sigma Designs
    Tesla Motors
    Tessco Technologies
    Tiffany & Co.
    Toyota
     
  2. Esau

    Esau Well-Known Member

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    [​IMG]

    The Apple Watch finally hit stores and customer doorsteps Friday for its official release. The long-rumored device has gained praise for its luxurious components — a glamorous 18-karat gold casing, a taptic engine that gently nudges users on the wrist when they get a notification — excitement over Apple’s newest edition could be dampened by a new report claiming Apple products and those several other U.S. tech companies may contain unethically sourced parts.
    According to a report from Amnesty International and Global Witness, several U.S.-based tech companies including Apple, Amazon, Google and IBM failed to show whether they eradicated use of conflict minerals essential for electronics such as gold, tin, tungsten and tantalum to comply with international law.
    Amnesty International found that 79 of 100 companies sampled did not meet the minimum requirements dictated by the conflict minerals law that was passed in 2014.


    http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/04/25/3651251/apple-watch-may-human-rights-problem/
     
  3. Anders Hoveland

    Anders Hoveland Banned

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    I wonder, if all access to the Third World was cut off, how would the West fare?
    Could the West sustain its standard of living and economy using entirely only its own resources?
     
  4. Esau

    Esau Well-Known Member

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    it most likely could, for about 10 years.
     

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