RAMZY BAROUD offers six reasons why Netanyahu is prolonging conflict in the Middle East
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Tackle ‘flags of convenience’ and protect domestic shipping
The lesson from the pandemic is clear: the global maritime industry must be properly regulated, warns MARK DICKINSON
A general view of the Port of Liverpool
A US onslaught of unprecedented scale has shattered Venezuelan sovereignty and exposed the fragility of the global South as Washington revives the Monroe Doctrine with overwhelming military force, write VIJAY PRASHAD and CARLOS RON
In a country torn apart by sanctions and ‘electoral warfare,’ the reality is more complex than Western headlines would have us believe, argues MARC VANDEPITTE
ALAN SIMPSON looks at the bigger issues behind Trump’s Venezuelan piracy
From the kidnapping of Maduro in Venezuela to Trump’s annexation plans for Greenland: the US is openly relying on imperialism – and paradoxically strengthening its adversaries in the process, warns SEVIM DAGDELEN
ROGER McKENZIE looks at how US doublespeak on the ‘war on drugs’ is used to camouflage its intended grab for of Latin America’s natural resources
FLAGS of convenience (FOCs) are a legal aberration and a stain on the shipping industry. They provide shipowners with the means of avoiding effective control by the countries of ownership, mostly from the global North, and the enforcement of strict rules and regulations that protect seafarers.
They have become a powerful vehicle for social dumping by allowing shipowners to exploit weaker legislation and lack of enforcement meaning lower wages, longer tours of duty and hours of work, and unsafe working conditions for seafarers.
Low or no taxes are also a key motivating factor behind a shipowner’s decision to use FOCs, many of which are considered tax havens.
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MARTYN GRAY asks TUC congress to endorse measures that would help stop the present exploitation of seafarers
Man-made canals like Panama and Suez face unprecedented challenges from extreme weather patterns and geopolitical tensions that reveal the fragility of our global trade networks, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT