Regions

Iraqi security forces announced the arrest of four suspected leaders of the al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) network

The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for the Foreign Policy Blogs network and, due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous. HOOD (National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms) is the most prominent and most quoted human rights organization in Yemen. HOOD has been known in recent years for blowing the […]

President Medvedev’s  much anticipated news conference delivered nothing of substance (Putin’s random interview with a US nature magazine contained more meat), but that may  have been exactly the point: to obscure the real news happening behind the scenes. On the day Medvedev demurred from announcing his candidature in the next elections, St Petersburg’s duma recalled Federation Council Speaker […]

Greenpeace Japan members Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki, known as the Tokyo Two, have been found guilty of stealing 23 kilograms of whale meat (worth 59,000 yen, or $725) from a depot in April 2008. They were sentenced to a suspended one-year prison term Tuesday. They stole the meat in order to bring publicity to […]

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas officially started his North American publicity campaign for statehood by publishing an editorial in yesterday’s New York Times.  It was only a matter of time until something like this ran in a major American newspaper or magazine.  While some of his arguments such as the pains of being stateless can be empathized […]

Port-au-Prince, Haiti – “It was a constitutional coup d’état,” revolted some think tanks, “a parliamentary drive by,” they cried. Others characterized the actions of Haiti’s national assembly as “nothing short of a theatrical performance.” Still, many political observers declared the constitutional amendments “unconstitutional” and called for an annulment of the adopted articles by presidential decree. […]

It is a debate that invariably rears its head in parts of the world which have been scarred by the horrors of war, ethnic conflict, or genocide. Every government which assumes control of a country that suffers from the unfortunate reality of such a dark and tragic past must eventually confront how best to direct […]

No. But it should definitely reconsider how it uses it. The big news this past week was that Chubu Electric Power Co. shut down the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka following a request by Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The Hamaoka plant was considered dangerous because of its age and the likelihood of a major […]

“Revenge is history, change is victory. The target is not to just overthrow CPM. It is to get Bengal back its glory.”  Going by these comments of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee, her victory in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections is just the beginning. She has been successful in unseating the CPM for […]

Don’t Forget, you can see me on The American Experience: Freedom Riders on PBS tonight. It’s on at 9 Eastern, 8 central in most markets. As they say, check your local listings for the original broadcast and re-showings. Freedom’s Main Line is out in paperback soon. Order your copy now! You should also check out […]

May 15th is a complicated day in the Middle East, and this year was no different. While Israel marks its independence day, Palestinians mourn the Nakba, or catastrophe. In years past there have usually been protests of a relatively low intensity, a few marches and a few protestors, heavy on slogans and low on impact. […]

Conservative media pundit, Fox host and radio personality Glenn Beck will host a pro-Israel rally in Jerusalem this August to oppose an bifurcation of the city. Beck, a Mormon who just returned from a trip to Israel, said that the “center of our faith” is threatened by a division of the city, as proposed in […]

It’s going to be a big few days for Israel here in Washington D.C. On Sunday, President Barack Obama will address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, likely putting himself front-and-center on the peace process, the so-called Arab Spring and the occasionally tense relationship between the United States and Israel. The speech will come days […]

The total number of Ayapeneco speakers remaining in Mexico: two.  The men live some 500 meters apart in the tropical lowlands of Tabasco state. But Manuel Segovia, 75, and Isidro Velazquez, 69, don’t like one another and refuse to talk. The Syndey Morning Herald reports that there are 68 indigenous languages in Mexico; many of […]

EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, is not unaccustomed to criticism. A fresh wave of critique was recently dished out by the Belgium foreign minister Steven Vanackere. Ashton was attacked for her “silence” on important issues. Vanackere added that Ashton’s silence would be filled by other players (Germany, France), who Belgium would be obliged to […]