In a somber illustration of the ever warming ties between Baghdad and Tehran, Iraqi security forces carried the remains of 38 dead Iraqi soldiers across the border crossing between Iraq and Iran in al-Shalamjah, Iraq, on Tuesday.
In a somber illustration of the ever warming ties between Baghdad and Tehran, Iraqi security forces carried the remains of 38 dead Iraqi soldiers across the border crossing between Iraq and Iran in al-Shalamjah, Iraq, on Tuesday.
This is from Cairo, right in the middle of this turmoil. 4:50 Cairo Time. I HAD NO ACCESS TO THE INTERNET FOR THE PAST 5 DAYS. THE MUBARAK GOVERNMENT CUT ALL ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS. I AM TYPING SO FAST BEFORE THE I LOSE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET AGAIN Mubarak is clearly backed by the Americans. He […]
According to The Washington Post: Central African Republic’s electoral commission says the nation’s strongman easily won last month’s vote. The commission said Tuesday that President Francois Bozize took 66 percent of the vote. But opposition candidates said the Jan. 23 poll was riddled with irregularities and intimidation and that they will appeal to overturn the […]
Popular IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenzi’s term is not being extended, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak picked Yoav Galant as the new top military officer, although that plan was scrapped yesterday after the Israeli attorney general found that Galant used his stature to grab land. In his stead, General Yair Naveh was selected on an […]
The fifth-annual Arctic Frontiers conference, which promotes dialogue and cooperation in the Arctic, recently convened at the University of Tromsø in northern Norway. Over 1,000 attendees from 20 different countries attended the conference, this year entitled “Arctic Tipping Points,” and heard lectures and presentations on both Arctic policy and science topics. Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway’s […]
Events in Tunisia and Egypt are being closely monitored and discussed by pro- and anti-government forces in Baku these days, with postings on web forums, Twitter, facebook, and blogs – not to mention established web sites and newspapers. Even in Egypt, the well-known “sandmonkey” blogger has tweeted about Azerbaijan, expressing thanks for support the protesters […]
It’s the pundit’s dilemma: make bold predictions and you could end up looking like a fool, don’t make bold predictions and you run the risk of appearing tepid. Events in Egypt have brought forth a lot of predictions, many of them wrong, but keep in mind that most predictions end up being wrong, especially if […]
“A block of stone moving forward and leaving debris behind it”. That’s how the sculptor behind Russia’s first post-Communist statue of a 20th century politician summed up his subject, Boris Yeltsin; and it’s probably the best description I’ve heard. While grotesque, it’s not altogether senseless for the Kremlin to unveil a monument to Yeltsin a […]
As demonstrations continue in the Arab world, the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric is emerging. What began as demonstrations based on anger against the government is transforming into calls for war on Israel, demonstrations against the West and attacks on Jews. While radical Islamists did not launch these demonstrations, radicals are most certainly using the opportunity […]
Overall, observing today’s India evokes an alternating mixture of despair and heady optimism. At the face of it, her problems seem insurmountable and yet, incredibly, her citizens are rushing forward with a glint in their eye that suggests that they know where they want to be – and they’ll figure out a way to get there.
Burma’s first elected parliament in half a century convened in its new compound in Naypyitaw today. It was not met with any enthusiasm by the Burmese people, however, who viewed the November 7 elections as a charade and do not expect any change under the new government. Unfortunately, this lack of optimism is justified since […]
The demonstrations in Egypt began as a referendum on the poor economic conditions and have slowly morphed into calls for democratization, but the underlying sentiments of the Egyptian people and strong support for the radical Muslim Brotherhood continue to shine through the rhetoric. In several news articles today, Israel and the United States were injected […]
The recent official state visit to Washington, DC, by China’s President Hu Jintao, was as boring and as uneventful as all the experts expected to be but hoped it would not. President Obama pulled out the red carpet for President Hu, with all the majesty and fanfare that the Chinese leader ‘deserves:’ two dinners at […]
Short-term measures will not address the roots of India’s food crisis. Long in the making, the real problems extend far beyond a spike in spot prices caused by variable weather and their resolution will require much more than changes in the Cabinet lineup.
The Times has published a good piece on Grameen Bank founder Md. Yunus growing troubles. Columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote a piece some weeks ago on Grameen and, perhaps, due to his own work on women’s capabilities, he might have spread the word that this is a good story to follow. The Times piece does a […]