The peace process is stalled yet again even though U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in marathon talks with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. But all the players in the peace process game are sitting atop different standards, values and goals, and the Palestinian Authority gave us a helpful reminder of that this week. […]
My desktop tabs are getting cluttered, so it’s time for a links dump, with brief commentary as applicable: One of the most noxious tendencies in American politics is that conservatives have managed to turn the charge of racism into an offense as terrible as actual racism, which of course provides cover for all sorts of […]
Mexico will host a climate change conference in Cancun from November 29-December 10. In preparation of the UN-backed talks, Mexico is urging the world’s major greenhouse gas emitters to make serious commitments toward curbing anthropogenic climate change. In particular, Mexico’s Environment Secretary Juan Elvira Quesada is pressing on China and India. Both countries have shirked […]
The last Sunday demonstration by Zimbabwean soldiers at a Masvingo shoping center, demanding that President Robert Mugabe rule the country “forever”, should not surprise anyone that uniformed soldiers are openly taking sides in Zimbabwe’s politics. Why? It is obvious that fear of prosecution is what is driving the military’s involvement in politics rather than loyalty […]
Big news out of Georgia (which is where I am until 17 November), where thirteen men were arrested on charges of spying for Russia, Georgia’s nemesis. Most of the men were arrested in October, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs made the announcement on 5 November, perhaps due to Reuters breaking the story a week […]
Chinese PM Wen Jiabao and Japanese PM Kan Naoto; Photo credit should read ADRIAN BRADSHAW/AFP/Getty Images) Since the September Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands incident involving the Japanese coast guard and a Chinese fishing trawler in Japanese waters, the world’s 2nd and 3rd largest economies continue to experience strained relations On Monday October 25, Japan made […]
The November 2 midterm elections resulted in a new balance of power in Congress, most notably in the House of Representatives—now a Republican majority house. Domestic implications aside, the shift in power will have a significant effect on foreign policy initiatives, not least of which (for our purposes) is Cuba policy. First of all, the […]
After a considerable hiatus, I’m pleased to re-welcome you to the Cuba blog. We have lots of catching up to do, so let’s hop right to it. If you’re wondering what’s happened between Washington and Havana in the meantime, catch up with Anya Landau French on the Havana Note: Obama Fumbles on Cuba. You guessed […]
Yesterday, the three-day Arctic Gateway Summit kicked off at the University of Winnipeg. Hosted by the Manitoba Government and the university, the summit has brought together 200 Canadian and international transportation experts to discuss turning Manitoba and Nunavut into an Arctic trade hub. The conference “will include a focus on sustainable communities, increasing international trade […]
I understand that politics and especially international diplomacy are all about tradeoffs. I am not naive nor am I particularly concerned with any sort of purity — ideological, intellectual, or otherwise — when it comes to foreign policy. I recognize the value and necessity of the quid pro quo. But the Obama Administration’s offer to […]
President Obama’s state visit to India succeeded in closing the sentiment-substance gap that had come to define bilateral affairs during his administration. But as the trip’s warm afterglow begins to fade in the months ahead, Americans are bound to question whether India is living up to its side of the grand bargain that first George W. Bush and now Mr. Obama have laid out.
As expected, Obama’s maiden visit to India this weekend has been a success. President Obama struck all the right notes, and the First Lady charmed India as she danced with children. The highlight of the visit was Obama’s address to the joint session of the Indian Parliament on Monday where he endorsed India’s permanent membership […]
The victory by Dilma Rousseff’’s Worker’s Party (PT) marks the third consecutive failure by Brazil’s Social Democrat Party (PSDB) to regain the presidency, raising questions about the PSDB’s electoral strategy and the party’s place in Brazilian politics. In the aftermath of the presidential elections one voice has risen above all of the post-election chatter to […]
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu just got a new car. The new sports car is equipped with all kinds of perks, such as bullet proof tires and an automated fire extinguishing system. Bibi’s car makes President Obama’s ride look like something built for the grandparents. What’s interesting (aside from the $1 million price tag) is that […]
The latest issue of Impumelelo: The Interdisciplinary Electronic Journal of African Sports is now available. It includes a group of brief articles on “FIFA World Cup 2010 Reflections,” including my contribution, “Ayoba!: Reflections From South Africa’s World Cup. “ (As long as I’m engaging in self indulgence anyway, the last issue of Impumelelo included my […]