Lots of news: this is just some of it. Most of the news agencies seem to carry the domestic aspects for their own states of Afghanistan commitments–while most of the Afghanistan blogs seem to cover Afghanistan itself. There may be something to think about in that picture.
Accurate reporting encouraged:
–A wonderfully sarcastic week …
The world is an interesting place, and Central Asia among the most interesting regions of the world. Now getting caught up for the week:
Central Asia General:
–In an interesting counterpoint to most discussion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization written in English, Japan Times has editorialized that the SCO is of …
This week, China and Mongolia again agreed to work together to preserve an item of common cultural heritage, known as the long-song. Songs and rituals are known as intangible cultural heritage–unlike an archeological site or preserved document, they rely upon performance or behavior (“expressive culture”) in order to survive.
The preservation effort:
UNESCO …
The Article 32 hearing is proceeding for the murder probe of U.S. Staff Sft. Frank Wuterich for the murder of Iraqi civilians in November 2005. Wuterich is charged with 18-counts of murder during a “clearing operation” following in IED – improvised explosive device – on a military convoy of the …
Some new resources from the FPA are now available on-line. First of all, Abigail Mahoney has done a news round-up and fall update on Central Asia, particularly Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. It's a good, quick, fact-filled read.
Second, Marco Vincenzino has written a special two-part series on Afghanistan. The …
If only it were that simple: but a crop of news analysts and bloggers are seeing a rise in Realist theoretical constructs to explain what is happening in Central Asia, the Middle East, and elsewhere.
What is Realism?
Contrary to its title, realism is not universally held to be the most “realistic” …
And in case you were wondering, Robert Mugabe has made it quite clear that not only is he not going into exile or anywhere else, he plans to win the country's 2008 elections. I wonder what Thabo Mbeki and SADC think about that as Mugabe continues …
NPR has a feature on how Zimbabwe represents inhospitable terrain for journalists. One journalist explores why:
In Zimbabwe, practicing journalism is forbidden. Reporters caught working without government permission face beatings, long prison sentences, or worse. The job becomes especially perilous when the story about the local police …
A military courts martial tribunal has completed its proceedings investigating the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steven Jordan, 51, was acquitted of responsibility for the actions of 11 other soldiers for their actions against prisoners of the U.S. military in Iraq. Jordan was formally …
Too many babies die in South Africa according to the report, 'saving Babies 2003-2005′, conducted by the Medical Research Council (MRC). MRC's study revealed that, “every year almost 23,000 South African babies die in their first month of life, yet one in five of these deaths could …
The Foreign Policy Association has posted its Great Decisions series updates for fall 2007. Please avail yourself of these wonderful resources. (Here is the South Africa update.)
The Foreign Policy Association's “Great Decisions” 2007 Fall Update on Mexico can be found here. The update includes a summary of President Calderon's first six months in office.
Providing for education is a big part of a sustained aid: providing teachers, doctors, and nurses, with the tools and means to bring knowledge and self-help to Afghanistan's citizens and to the nation as a whole. Frequently with aid we think of supplies. Yet knowledge is something that cannot be taken away, from …
Qatar & friendly trade:
This week, Qatar's Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Economy and Commerce Mr. Yousuf Hussein Kamal visited Tajikistan. While in Tajikistan, he and President Rakhmon arranged a cornucopia of economic agreements. These include setting up a council of business leaders from the Chambers of …
