The Economist reports that it is now the Inuit’s turn to push back against corporations seeking to exploit resources in the Arctic. While the media likes to play up the possibility of inter-state conflict around the North Pole, little is said about the conflicts already underway between indigenous peoples and industry. One dispute of note […]
The United Nations annual summary of the state of civilian casualties was published earlier today, Wednesday March 9th. The data are appalling: 2777 civilians were killed in 2010-that’s a 15% increase in civilian casualties relative to the year previous. Most of the civilian deaths have come on the heels of brutal and sustained fighting in […]
The White House officially nominated Hebrew-speaking, Middle East expert Dan Shapiro to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel, the White House announced today. Speculation swirled last month that Shapiro would get the nod to replace James Cunningham in Tel Aviv. Shapiro is a trusted White House aide who serves as the National Security […]
There’s currently a spirited debate shaping up on the Washington Post’s Post Partisan blog between heavy-weight commentators Charles Krauthammer and Anne Appelbaum. Their discussion sheds light on a provocative contention some conservatives are now promoting; namely, that the Bush Doctrine set precedent for the Middle East’s demand for democracy.
The Sufa border crossing between the southern Gaza Strip and Israel was opened today, in an unexpected move that could signal an ease of the blockade that keeps construction materials used to fortify terrorist infrastructure out of Hamas’ hands. Israel began an embargo on the Gaza Strip to prevent bomb- and rocket-making supplies from reaching […]
After a month of widespread national protests against the government and the increasing pressure on Yemen’s President to resign his position; the nation’s political crisis is fast approaching its tipping point. The opposition is demanding drastic economical and political reforms in order to palliate to the chronic corruption of the elite, the spreading poverty and […]
In a statement released this morning, on the terrible occasion of at least 34 dead, 45 and more wounded at a funeral for the wife of a leading anti-Taliban leader, Kala Khan, in Peshawar, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani “reiterated the government’s resolve to root out the cancer of terrorism from every nook and corner […]
As Yemen enters its fourth weeks of protests, the anti-government movement shows no sign of weakening. It continues to relentlessly ask for the immediate departure of the President. In recent days, as many more MPs presented their resignation and many Sheikhs decided to join the ranks of the protesters, the government has upped its game […]
Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara stepped down Sunday in the midst of a political funds scandal. Maehara received a 250,000-yen ($3000) donation from a South Korean woman whom he had known since childhood. The woman said she was unaware that the donation was illegal, and Maehara claimed to have been unaware of receiving the donation. […]
Kazakhs walk past an election poster for President Nursultan Nazarbaev in Almaty last week. RFE/RL Kazakhstan is gearing up for a snap presidential vote on April 3, announced only one month ago and scheduled almost two years ahead of the originally planned 2012 election. There has been speculation whether president Nursuntan Nazarbayev’s decision to hold […]
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has been in Afghanistan this week to assess how the expected July 2011 draw down will take place. There aren’t many surprises in store; the number of boots withdrawn is likely to be small-a token gesture, to begin the process of handing Afghanistan’s security to its own homegrown armed forces. […]
David Ben-Gurion famously stated that the state must have a monopoly on the use of force. Israel’s monopoly is currently being undermined in the West Bank. On February 28th, Havat Gilad was razed by Israel. Havat Gilad, or Gilad’s Farm in English, is a small outpost of just “six families, some youths, three rabbits, two […]
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., noted last week that Japan “has become a destination country, a haven, for international child abduction.” This has prompted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to urge Japan to join the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. This issue was in the news a lot in late […]
It was announced today that between 9 and 11 Kenyan’s who have conducted attacks in Kenya have had training within Somalia, a disquieting thought as Harakat al-Shabaab has announced the possibility of more focussed attacks on Kenyan soil in the near future. In the meanwhile, Mustapha Ali, advisor to the UN has warned that the spillover […]
Tension is rising in Azerbaijan in the run-up to the 11 March “Great People’s Day.” The event was launched on facebook and has spread to other media, although specifics are somewhat vague, which seems to be a deliberate tactic. People are being urged to stage symbolic or actual protests “in a civil way without provocations” […]