the nations participating in Northern Thunder exercises.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia is concerned by the growing regional clout of Shi’ite Iran, which has just emerged from years of international economic sanctions following an international deal over its nuclear program.

Riyadh, which is contributing the bulk of the troops in the war games, is also worried by the reduced regional role of its key ally, the United States and is seeking to build alternative military alliances as a counterweight to Iran.

Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition of Muslim countries, backed by the United States, Britain and France, in a war in neighboring Yemen and says it will contribute troops if Washington leads land operations against Islamic State in Syria.

Its war in Yemen, aimed at restoring a government ousted by an Iran-alliedHow Climate Change Connects to Austerity

Sean Sweeney from Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, USA was invited by Alternatives to its Festival of Solidarity held in Montreal on June 13, 2015. This speech has been transcribed by Sophia Reuss, coordinator of the Alternatives International Journal

The following speech will talk about trade union work from the international perspective around climate change and how it connects to austerity.

The main conclusion I have reached from my work with Trade Unions for Energy Democracy is that a new trade union climate politics is emerging. It’s emerging on both the global level and North American stage, and although it has still got a long way to go, there are many encouraging signs, a few of which I would like to report.

In many ways, the