In his article titled “Mediterranean Gas Find: A Chance for U.S. to Break with Turkey”, published on hudson.org argues that “politics and alliances in the eastern Mediterranean are shifting, and the region’s security framework is splintering. The region is now divided as much within the Muslim world as between it and the non-Muslim states.

A new order is emerging as a result of three major events: the redrawing of the region’s hydrocarbon map, with the discovery of substantial hydrocarbon deposits in the Cypriot and Israeli exclusive economic zones; Turkey’s adoption of a hostile neo-Ottoman ideology to guide it in the 21st century; and the “Arab Spring.” At the mid-point of this political shift, Greece and Cyprus -coordinating with Israel- have remained the principal states in the region that are friendly to the West. When volatility and fear are on the rise, predictability becomes especially prized.”

According to Cropsey, the roles of Greece and Cyprus in the West’s political and security framework offer U.S. policy makers an arc of stability in the eastern Mediterranean, and bring the EU to within 45 minutes of Israel’s borders. Port usage, naval facilities, and strategic airbases that Cyprus and Greece have long extended to the United States permit a U.S. Sixth Fleet — if the U.S. should decide to return that once-powerful naval force to even a fraction of its former strength — to safeguard the region’s sea lines of communication. The region’s increasing volatility has elevated the strategic roles of Greece and Cyprus, and offers an incentive for American statesmen to promote a new order that establishes stronger relations with both countries and bolsters their regional standing.

According to the author, the U.S.’s interest and involvement in the Mediterranean dates to the Jefferson administration. The United States has sought a stable region since the U.S. Navy battled the Barbary pirates in the early 19th century to keep them from preying on American commercial interests from their ports in North Africa. The ascendance of radical Islam as the region’s most dynamic political force, and the deepening connections of the radicals with the “Arab Spring,” is a great threat to U.S. interests — as the recent closure of 19 U.S. embassies from North Africa to the Middle East and as far south as Madagascar demonstrates. Islamist and authoritarian regimes have emerged after the demise of the region’s ancien régime. The regional drift toward authoritarian Islamism is a reminder of the late Harvard professor Samuel Huntington’s warning about a clash of civilizations, and suggests a struggle as long and dangerous as the one that occupied Europe’s attention throughout the centuries-long reign of imperial Ottoman rule.

The Ottomans’ successor, Cropsey writes, modern-day Turkey, has abandoned the Kemalist enterprise and is governed by an increasingly repressive, hostile, and Islamist regime. Turkey’s economic growth has encouraged Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to hew to his ideology, casting aside modern-day Turkey’s westward-looking and secular character that succeeded the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. In its place, Mr. Erdogan has reoriented Turkey towards the East, emphasizing Sunni Muslim solidarity and hostility towards the U.S.’s non-Muslim allies in the region. Erdogan’s policy looks to reestablish the hegemony that his Ottoman predecessors achieved. There are many examples of this policy, such as the Turkish navy’s recent interference with the efforts of Israel and Cyprus to consolidate efforts to extract hydrocarbons from the sea beds within their exclusive economic zones; Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s March promise to “again tie Sarajevo to Damascus, Benghazi to … Batumi” (on Georgia’s Black Sea coast); and the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies’ observation that “in March 2012, the Turkish government introduced a five-year strategic plan to make the country’s armaments industry one of the world’s ten largest by 2016.”

A combination of Islamist rule, a neo-Ottoman, ideology and Turkey’s attempt to return as the region’s hegemon opposes the U.S. goal of a democratic and peaceful region. It threatens America’s allies — Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and new EU member Bulgaria, which has complained of Turkey’s control over both supplies and prices of the natural gas it transits to the EU…

Full story here.

According to AMNA, in statements made by the two leaders afterwards, the U.S. President expressed the view that Greece’s efforts to exit the crisis cannot be focused only on austerity but require growth and creation of new jobs. Obama spoke of the deep friendship existing between the two countries, making special reference to the Greek-American community.

Obama’s comments to the media in the Oval Office regarding the urgent need to tackle unemployment in Greece, which reached 27.6% in May according to figures published yesterday, met with Samaras’ approval. The Greek prime minister nodded as the US president made his point, Kathimerini notes.

According to primeminister.gr, addressing the media after the meeting, US President Barack Obama said:

“Our government owes a great debt to Greece, our form of government. The Greek-American community here are incredible businesspeople and political leaders and community leaders and great friends of mine. And that bond that extends beyond governments but goes to our peoples I think is what makes Greek-American relations so special.

Prime Minister Samaras comes here at a time when I think we’re all aware Greece is going through incredible challenges. And so far, the Prime Minister has taken some very bold and difficult actions to initiate the structural reforms that can help reduce the debt burden that Greece experiences but, even more importantly, can unleash the incredible talents of the Greek people so that they’re effectively competing in this new world economy.

We had an extensive discussion about the challenges that remain, and I’m confident that Prime Minister Samaras is committed to continuing on these structural reforms. What we also agreed to is that in dealing with the challenges that Greece faces, we cannot simply look to austerity as a strategy. It’s important that we have a plan for fiscal consolidation to manage the debt, but it’s also important that growth and jobs are a focus because we know from history that those countries that are growing, those countries where employment is high and people are increasing their productivity and feel as if the economy’s moving forward, those countries have an easier time reducing their debt burdens than countries where people are feeling hopeless.

And I think Prime Minister Samaras is committed to taking the tough actions that are required, but also, understandably, wants to make sure that the Greek people see a light at the end of the tunnel.

And what I expressed to him is that the United States wants to continue to be helpful and supportive in what will be a challenging process. But we’re confident that Greece can succeed. And, you know, the stakes are high for not only Greece but also Europe and the world economy.

We also discussed the strong bilateral military and intelligence cooperation between our two countries. Greece is a NATO ally. They have worked with us in preventing terrorist threats from actually happening. We have partnered on a whole range of issues. They are host for some of our very important military personnel and assets, and we are very grateful to them for that.

And we also had an opportunity to discuss the general environment around the Mediterranean, in the Balkans. As the Prime Minister put it, sometimes it’s a challenging neighborhood. And Greece can play an important stabilizing role and partnership role as we address issues in the Middle East, in North Africa, as we address issues in the Balkans.

You know, there is a great opportunity as we speak for the decades-long conflict and tensions that exist in Cyprus to be resolved.

And I think we’re both encouraged by the messages that have been coming out of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. And we’re going to be, I think, working very closely together to see if we can make progress on those fronts.

So this has been an excellent conversation. You know, we are very proud of the friendship and partnership that we have with the Greek people. We want to be as helpful as we can during this period of challenge, and we’re confident that the Prime Minister recognizes what needs to be done and is going to be working very hard to accomplish it.”

According to the previous source, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said: “…We did have a very good conversation with the President and analysis on different areas.

I first of all want to say that our two peoples and our two countries have been more than allies. Not only did they fight next to each other throughout their history, always for a noble cause, but they cherish and they support the same values, like freedom, democracy and independence. So it’s good to be here.

In terms of the economy, yes, we’ve gone through thick and thin. The sacrifices made by the Greek people are huge, but they’re not going to be in vain because what we now need is development of jobs and growth. Of course, we are going to do what has to be done as far as structural changes are concerned, but our emphasis has to be on growth and on the creation of new jobs, especially for the youth, because as I told the President, in Greece, the unemployment for the youth has reached an incredible number of 60 percent, and total unemployment of 28 percent.

And the Greek people have sacrificed more than a quarter of the GDP only the last four years. So by definition, emphasis is on growth creation.

But the other thing I want to say is that if Greece succeeds – and it will succeed – our success story is going also to be a European success story. And I believe this is very important.

On the other hand, we are trying to do as much as we can to stabilize a very destabilized environment where we live. I believe that the region has many problems. We are going to try and solve as much as we can, establish this cooperation, which I think is important, on the areas that you have described, being always an advocate of international law wherever there are problems around. I believe that the problems have to do with illegal immigration, internal turbulence in various countries and even, unfortunately, the problem of terrorism.

And I think that there is a lot of synergies that we can have together in order to try and solve, as much as we can, those problems, including, as you said, the problem of Cyprus, which, after the new proposals of the Greek President, opens up a window of opportunity as long as we always, as I said, abide by the international laws and the decisions of the United Nations.

I would also like to say that I told the President that we have found huge energy resources in our great region. Cyprus, Israel and Greece can realign those resources in order to be able to satisfy the European demand, especially for natural gas.

And last but not least, I told the President that we will try to do as much as we can during the Greek Presidency in the first semester of next year with the help of the Italian Presidency that will follow in order to be able and conclude the trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which I think is very important, because as you know, Mr. President, Europe and the U.S. together, in this trade, account, as you’ve said before, more than 50 percent of the world GDP.

And therefore, it’s important, especially for Europe, to liberalize that potential and create new jobs, because I think jobs for everyone is the number one priority, especially to our youth, because everything we’re doing has to do with your younger generation…”

2012 saw the resumption of executions in several countries that had not used the death penalty in some time, notably India, Japan, Pakistan and Gambia, as well as an alarming escalation in executions in Iraq.

But the use of the death penalty continues to be restricted to an isolated group of countries, and progress towards its abolition was seen in all regions of the world.

Only 21 of the world’s countries were recorded as having carried out executions in 2012 – the same number as in 2011, but down from 28 countries a decade earlier in 2003.

In 2012, at least 682 executions were known to have been carried out worldwide, two more than in 2011. At least 1,722 newly imposed death sentences in 58 countries could be confirmed, compared to 1,923 in 63 countries the year before.

But these figures do not include the thousands of executions that Amnesty International believes were carried out in China, where the numbers are kept secret.

“The regression we saw in some countries this year was disappointing, but it does not reverse the worldwide trend against using the death penalty. In many parts of the world, executions are becoming a thing of the past,” said Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

“Only one in 10 countries in the world carries out executions. Their leaders should ask themselves why they are still applying a cruel and inhumane punishment that the rest of the world is leaving behind.”

The top five executing countries in the world were once again China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and USA, with Yemen closely behind.

Methods of executions in 2012 included hanging, beheading, firing squad and lethal injection. In Saudi Arabia, the body of one man executed through beheading was displayed in what is known as “crucifixion”.

People faced the death penalty for a range of crimes including non-violent drug-related and economic offences, but also for “apostasy”, “blasphemy”, and “adultery” – acts that should not be considered crimes at all.

Between them, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, France, Russia, the UK and the USA – are responsible for over half of the almost US$100 billion total annual global trade in conventional weapons.

The same five states will be pivotal to finalizing an effective Arms Trade Treaty with strong human rights protections at the conference taking place at the UN from 18-28 March.

All this week in the run-up to that historic meeting, Amnesty International activists and supporters are holding a “Global Week of Action” to call on world leaders to adopt an effective Arms Trade Treaty with strong human rights protections.

“It’s clear that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are responsible for the lion’s share of arms deals across borders – and so collectively they must shoulder the greatest burden in bringing the poorly regulated global arms trade in check,” said Helen Hughes, researcher on arms transfers at Amnesty International.

The 12-page briefing, Major powers fuelling atrocities, includes examples of arms transfers from each of the five countries to states around the world, where they are likely to be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

According to the briefing, the USA – by far the world’s largest arms trader – frequently exports “non-standard ammunition” to its friends and allies. Rather than being US-made, these arms and equipment are sourced from abroad – typically from the former Soviet Union and Eastern European companies.

It adds, that a  September 2012 contract between the US military and Yemen lists 1 million rounds of sniper rifle ammunition as well as thousands of RPG rockets and mortar bombs. The USA has become Yemen’s largest supplier of military equipment, and in 2011 delivered arms worth US$4.8 million.

The USA is among countries that have tried to weaken the draft text of the Arms Trade Treaty by seeking to exclude certain types of weapons and ammunition from its scope, Amnesty says.

Amnesty International is pressing for the final treaty to cover all types of weapons and munitions for use in military and internal security operations, as well as related equipment, parts and technology.

“No opt-outs should be allowed, and to be effective, the treaty must have a ‘Golden Rule’ requiring states to halt arms exports when there is a substantial risk the arms will be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law,” said Brian Wood, Amnesty International’s Head of Arms Control and Human Rights.

“Also, the treaty should completely ban the transfer of arms that would aid or assist in crimes under international law, including extra-judicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances.”

State-owned companies in China account for the bulk of the country’s exports of conventional arms. In recent years they have shipped to countries including Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, the briefing says.

France has sold vehicles that can be militarized (“véhicules civils militarisables”) to Sudan, where they have been used by government-backed Janjaweed militia who have committed gross human rights violations in the country’s Darfur region, according to the briefing.

Syria historically received the majority of its weapons and munitions from the Soviet Union, and has continued to do so from Russia, the world’s second-largest arms trader by value, according to Amnesty.

Since 2011 when protesters were being killed across the country for calling for freedoms and even after the situation escalated into an internal armed conflict between government and opposition forces in July 2012, Russia and China have blocked efforts at the UN to impose an arms embargo and sanctions on Syria.  Amnesty International has documented a range of Russian and Soviet-era arms and military equipment – ranging from aircraft to cluster bombs – being used in Syria.

“While it won’t be a panacea for all of the world’s misuse of arms, if we get a strong Arms Trade Treaty it will be an important step towards achieving much more security and human rights protection for billions of people who today live in fear,” said Wood.

Khadr, a Canadian citizen, was arrested in Afghanistan in 2002 – when he was 15 years old – for allegedly throwing a grenade that killed a US soldier.

Radhika Coomaraswamy, who finishes her term as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict at the end of this month, called on the two Governments to transfer Mr. Khadr to Canada, as was agreed in October 2010.

“Omar Khadr was a child soldier and our experience around the world clearly indicates that a system focusing on rehabilitation is far better suited for these children who have been exploited and abused by adults,” she stated in a news release.

“Transferring him to Canada for proper reintegration is the right thing to do,” she added.

He was released without charge and allowed to return home to Canada. A Canadian judicial inquiry confirmed that he had been tortured in Syria and considered it likely that US authorities had relied on inaccurate information provided by Canadian authorities. The inquiry also noted that thorough investigations by Canadian authorities had not in fact found “any information that could implicate Mr. Arar in terrorist activities”. The Canadian government subsequently recognized the role Canadian officials played in his ordeal, and gave him compensation and a formal apology.

In contrast, the USA refused categorically to cooperate with the Canadian inquiry and, although a small number of members of Congress took the initiative individually to apologize to Maher Arar via a video link to him in Canada at a committee hearing in the US House of Representatives in 2007, the US President and full Congress have failed to apologize or offer Maher Arar any form of remedy. In fact, the Department of Justice successfully fought his attempts to pursue redress in court, based not on the merits of his claim but supposed “significant national security concerns.”

Canadian officials have also requested that the US government remove Maher Arar’s name from the US watch list. That request has been refused. As such, it remains impossible for him to travel to the USA or over US airspace, and he faces constant uncertainty about other countries that may have adopted the USA watch list. He feels strongly, too, that having his name removed from the list would be an important part of restoring his reputation.

Amnesty International stresses that under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and other human rights treaties, the US government is obligated to fulfil the right of torture victims to remedy and redress—including an apology—for what they suffered.