When one reads about India�€™s trade partners, the first few names which come up are the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, China and the EU amongst others. What would happen if one would add names such as Brazil, Venezuela and Bolivia to this list? It would normally be seen as a surprise given that historically none of these countries have actually figured as prominent trading partners. All this has undergone a severe change and India is off building stronger relations with countries which are touted to be part of the �€˜NEW LATIN LEFT�€™.

On the 4th of March, 2009, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. The ICC at The Hague had been preparing for months and finally announced its first warrant ever for a sitting President. 

Ideas predate civilization. They even predate humanity. The ideas of fire, weapons and symbols were probably thought of by Homo erectus before the birth of Homo sapiens. 

A year ago the world experienced food riots on a global scale. After being on the decline for decades, food prices increased exponentially between 2006 and 2008. Rice prices rose by 217%, wheat by 136%, maize by 125% and soybeans by over 100%. Last year, there was much talk about food security and how to ensure it, along with the reasons for the crisis. These included higher land usage for bio-fuels, combined with the failure of wheat crop in Canada and drought in Australia.

One never seizes to be amazed by Pakistan�€™s political googlies. Whether it is the elected leadership in Islamabad or the military chiefs in Rawalpindi, the country�€™s frequent political seesawing has left no stone unturned. From the recently brokered deal by Maulana Sufi Muhammad of the TNSM between Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the NWFP government for Nizam-e-Adl regulation in Swat or, the unexpected admission that the dastardly terror attacks on Mumbai in November 2008 were hatched on Pakistani soil �€“ Islamabad has often left India, the US and the international community perplexed. 

The newly formed Bangladeshi government, under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is serious about tackling terrorism and placing Bangladesh at the helm of a regional initiative against terrorism. 

Earlier this month Iran celebrated the 30th anniversary of the return of the exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the Islamic revolution that followed. It has been described as one of the greatest and most important revolutions in history, one that changed the face and very core of a nation and its people, and sent waves throughout the world that resonate till date. On a religious-political front the revolution resulted in the creation of a theocratic nation as well as making political Islam a force to be reckoned with the world over.

Green Prophet had the opportunity to interview Gitanjali Bakshi, Research Analyst at the Strategic Foresight Group. The group has produced a report on the environmental impact of conflicts in the Middle East, which was presented at the Palais de Nations in Geneva this week.