The crisis in Cote d’Ivoire continues to accelerate. Laurent Gbagbo has dug in his heels, insisting he is the rightful president despite all indications being that the election results clearly favored his opponent Alassane Ouattara. Well more than 10,000 Ivorians have fled the country. As a result the presidents of three nearby countries — Benin, […]
In December 14-15, Chinese officials met with their American counterpart in Washington DC for the plenary meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade (JCCT). This was the 21st Session of the JCCT, high level talks between U.S. and Chinese government officials intended to address the more technical trade issues of the bilateral […]
Greetings and welcome to the African Union blog. This blog is being launched in coordination with the publication of the latest of FPA’s Headline Series, backgrounders produced for more than half a century. “The Quest for African Unity: 50 Years of Independence and Interdependence,” offers a short history of Pan-Africanism and the Organization of African […]
Fourteen months ago forecasters had Mexico slated for ongoing recession in 2010, unsurprising given the 7% contraction Mexico experienced in 2009 and the sparse signs of consumer demand increasing in the U.S. Instead, third quarter figures have Mexico on track for 5.3% growth this year. Manufacturing is up almost 10% year-over-year, and rising oil prices […]
Overview Although this year was China’s year of the “Diplomatic Misstep”, it is often overlooked that Beijing, likely because it is not a democracy, has a domestic audience it must cater to. Much of China’s contemporary foreign policy has it’s roots in smoldering nationalism, a beast which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) did not create, […]
On Saturday, Iraq’s new oil minister, Abdul Kareem Luaibi, announced that Iraq will recognize an array of oil deals signed by the Kurds in northern Iraq. Luaibi, who has been at the head of negotiations with the Kurdistan Regional Government also said in his statement that dialog “with our Kurdish brothers will continue in order to reach a resolution […]
A female suicide bomber has killed at least 41 Pakistanis at an aid distribution center near the Afghanistan border in North West Pakistan. This is the first time that a woman has been employed to detonate an explosive vest in a crowded area and marks an uptick in strategy in what has always a brutal […]
I want to wish all of my readers a happy holiday, Merry Christmas, and good tidings for the season. I also want to thank you for your readership, comments, and emails. I plan to post regularly next week, including the annual Year in Review post.
Sadly, Santa may not make it to Iraq this year. Nor will Iraq’s Christian community enjoy festive decorations, or the tradition of midnight Mass. Any and all public displays of the holiday have been scratched following Christian leadership’s decision to cancel Christmas celebrations. New al Qaeda threats directed at the tiny community, left reeling by a bloody siege on […]
First of all let me wish everyone out there in Blog Land a very Merry Christmas. Yours truly has finished all his shopping and wanted to leave a little stocking stuffer for his readers. The big story of the day is another roll up of a mossad asset in the Levant. It appears an Egyptian […]
Eight days ago, on December 16th, the Awami League government of Bangladesh arrested, detained and allegedly began to torture BNP leader Salauddin Qader Chowdhury. This is abhorrent news, no matter the turns of fortune in a man’s life, no matter the moral worth of a cause, no matter the government’s writ on the matter. That […]
It hasn’t passed notice in the news cycle, but Pakistan and China are working together on a cooperative agreement worth at least $20 billion. The deal, which also establishes plans for at least $15 billion in private investment, was worked out during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Pakistan, part of his tour of South […]
Hard to say Monday’s election results that keep Alexander Lukashenko in charge of Belarus for at least another four years were surprising. What have been surprising are the calls from heads of several former CIS countries voicing approval of the election results, which the OSCE called “bad,” “very bad,” and “non-transparent.” Most conspicuously, Georgian president […]
RUSSIA REPORT CARD: In 2010, did Russia make Honor Roll, or get detention? PHYS-ED: B We are pleased with Russia’s recent progress, particularly in soccer, where organisation and hard work were rewarded with the coveted World Cup prize. However, this victory was considerably tarnished by our poor performance at this year’s interscholastic Olympiad, particularly in […]
