Today, speaking from a podium outside a compound that once was once home to his father, the grand ayatollah who had sacrificed his life defying Saddam Hussein’s brutal dictatorship, Muqtada al-Sadr addressed thousands of loyal followers for the first time since he left Iraq in exile in 2007.
Starting 2011 as they mean to on, the Tandem have kicked off their (respective?) re-election campaigns with the traditional detention of opposition activists. While I shed few tears for Khodorkovsky regardnig his sentence and none over the New Year’s eve arrest of Boris Nemtsov (whose self-promoting membership of the Other Russia cannot hide his inability […]
Feared, reviled and revered, Sadr has officially staked his claim to his personal legacy and his nation’s future.
Dr. Hossein Askari is Iran Professor of International Business and International Affairs at Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Askari served on the Executive Board of the IMF, consultant to the OECD, the World Bank, the IFC, the UN, and a number of multinational corporations. Askari’s views are sought after by governments […]
Well that was quick. Less than a week into its EU presidency, Hungary has been blasted from most corners of Western Europe — including the EC president’s office — for two bizarrely reactionary measures it passed within its own borders that took effect Saturday. The first, a 1.05 percent “crisis tax” imposed on revenue of […]
The recent tragic assassination of Salmaan Taseer, the Governor of Punjab, must give pause to anyone concerned about the security and stability of the liberal and equalizing views of the government and state of Pakistan. What actually happened here? And why does what happened matter to anyone outside of political Pakistan? The New York Times […]
Overview Like most years, 2010 was a tumultuous one for the country of Afghanistan and for all the actors intertwined in its present and future. The Obama administration’s 30,000 troop surge became a reality while its designer and leader, Gen. McChrystal was sent packing for his unprofessional remarks to a Rolling Stone journalist. The jury […]
In a developing story, Reuters is reporting that firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has returned to Iraq after years of self-imposed exile in Iran. The radical nationalist visited the holy city of Najaf where his father is buried. The source said Sadr had left Iraq at the end of 2006. Sadr, whose Mehdi Army fought U.S. troops after […]
A recent interview with Viktor Orban, Hungary’s Prime Minister and the new EU Council President, is a good place to begin discussing what 2011 holds in store for Europe. The two most significant (and non-fiscal or monetary) items highlighted by Orban were strategies to manage the Roma population, and stronger integration with Southern and Eastern […]
It is NOT surprising at all, that Chinese authorities raised interest rates over the weekend of December 25/26 (the second such raise in 10 weeks) amid inflationary concerns. Analysts and experts, both domestic and foreign, have been predicting such a development due to the high levels of growth during the last three years (9.1% GDP […]
The NPR has a four-minute clip from Morning Edition discussing Shell’s plans to drill in the Arctic. Journalists from NPR visited the 300-foot cleanup vessel Nanuq, currently harbored at Unalaska. The Nanuq is one of the many response assets included in Shell’s plan in the case of an oil disaster. Although the moratorium on offshore […]
Armenia I’ve already written at length on the wreckage of the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation process, surely the biggest story of 2010 for Armenia and perhaps the entire Caucasus. So let’s turn to a few less-reported issues from Armenia, including the prosecution of journalists and activists. On 28 December, Davit Kiramijian, 19, and Sargis Gevorgian, 18, received […]
In an effort to preserve a nation’s humanity after decades of dictatorship and war and in a modest tribute to the enduring spirit of the Iraqi people, I have decided to ring in the New Year with a brief study of the unique and compelling poetry of Iraq.
Haitians reflect on a disastrous year Port-au-Prince, Haiti— Year 2010 was arguably the longest of Haiti’s 206-year history, reflect some historians on the plurality of unprecedented events taken place in the country starting on January 12. Some recalled with up most clarity and disbelief as global television screens bled horrific images of apocalyptic episodes seared […]
I hope everyone had a happy holiday season. I will return tomorrow, Monday, January 3 with a new blog posting.