Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav, of Iranian descent, was convicted in December of rape and obstructing justice. He was sentenced today to seven years in jail. He has repeatedly denied any wrong doing, but was found guilty for rape, as well as molesting and sexually harassing several other women while serving as President. The Presidency […]
On March 19, 2011, the West led by France, the United Kingdom and the United States launched Operation Odyssey Dawn. In contrast to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, which violated International Law and public opinion, the military operation in Libya grounds its legitimacy in the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973, “demanding an […]
Officials are still struggling to restore power at the Fukushima nuclear power plant 11 days after the worst earthquake in Japanese history and subsequent tsunami triggered an automatic shut down at the plant and destroyed backup generators, which caused a partial meltdown. As of this writing, an estimated 18,400 people have died in the 9.0-magnitude […]
The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for Foreign Policy Association, and due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous. After weeks of escalating violence and protests against Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime, Yemen is living its darkest hour. As the streets of Sana’a are turning red, tainted with the blood of anti-government […]
The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for Foreign Policy Association, and due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous. Following the resignations of several ministers and the Yemeni ambassador to the UN as a reaction to the deaths of a reported 52 civilians in the latest crackdown; the embattled President Ali […]
Is one of the unintended consequences of the work of western-based non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) that their influence means that the media gives too much attention to bad news out of Africa? That is the brunt of Karen Rothmyer’s article, “Hiding the Real Africa” in the latest Columbia Journalism Review. (By the way — when will […]
Happy Nowruz everyone! Today is what people in western culture and the Northern Hemisphere call the spring equinox, but in the east it is known as Nowruz (or as Persian New Year to some). In countries and cultures all across the Middle East and Central Asia, notably Iran, March 21 is Nowruz (or Nawroz in […]
On Saturday, 50 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel. This was the most concentrated attack from Gaza since the Israeli invasion in late 2008. What is more surprising than the attack is the fact that Hamas has taken credit. Hamas typically denies involvement, at least directly, into such acts. Credit was taken […]
What is one to say about news of new incendiary images of American soldiers posing with the innocent civilians that they killed? How can one fortify oneself to stand for the idea that these images, published today by Der Spiegel- images, inhumane all; images, well outside the bounds of propositional expression to describe them-are only […]
Harvard historian Niall Ferguson’s ‘six killer applications’ theory is the latest attempt to unravel the mystery of the decline of Western civilization. Ferguson in his recent work Civilization: The West and the Rest, chronicles the rise of the Western Civilization during the past 500 years and explains how China and the east may soon overtake […]
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s visit to Greece two weeks ago produced the usual positive rhetoric about a “new impetus” in Turkish-Greek relations, but a closer look reveals growing strain and urgency. With the Cyprus issue in deadlock, the main issues under discussion are territorial disputes in the Aegean and illegal immigration into the EU […]
Today I will look at another story that fell through the cracks this past week during the earthquake/nuclear crisis coverage–that of four Somali pirates brought to Japan to face trial. This is the first transfer of pirates to Japan since the passing of Japan’s antipiracy laws in July 2009. The four pirates were captured after […]
The latest opposition rally in Yerevan was held last Thursday, led by the Armenian National Congress (HAK) and its chief Levon Ter-Petrossian, Armenia’s first president. The latest in a series of demonstrations, this one was notable for the protesters reaching Freedom Square, a symbolic victory. The turnout may have been as large as the previous […]
Eight years and one day ago, the United States government disregarded international law and began the invasion of Iraq with a staggering display of “shock and awe.” On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council approved the use of force in Libya, including “all necessary measures…to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack.” […]
So far so good for the Proteas in the ICC Cricket World Cup. They topped Group B, winning 5 of their 6 matches, and have looked dangerous in doing so. They have every reason for optimism as they approach the knockout stages with the Quarterfinals, which start this week. As for the other African entries, […]