Defense expenditures are still rising globally. The United States remains the world’s largest military spender. For a graphic view of global defense expenditures, check out this article.
The UN sanctions against Iran have been partially implemented. Certain nations have been granted exemptions from the sanctions, and the two most important receiving exemptions are China and India. The exemptions mean that there will no confrontations and that the sanctions will not have been “broken.” But it also means that no one wanted to confront Chinese and Indian dependence on Iranian oil. We’ll see what happens in six months when the exemptions expire.
Since 1945, the President of the World Bank has always been an American (and the head of the IMF has always been a European). That tradition is being challenged and the United States is resisting the change. Since the US is a major contributor to the Bank, the change will be difficult to implement.
The United Nations Human Rights Commission has voted to investigate the effect of the Israeli settlements on Palestinian Human Rights. The United States was the only state to vote against the measure, but the Israeli response was sharply negative. The investigation certainly seems to be justified considering the international law of occupation, but the credibility of the Commission to conduct a fair and impartial investigation remains to be seen.
World Politics News 
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