“Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is relinquishing his position as president of the larger faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) next year,” reports AfricaNews. The change in the MDC-T leadership comes as a result of the party constitutional term limit, which allows an incumbent to hold office for a maximum of two five-year […]
Bob Woodward has been flying about D.C talking up his book, “Obama’s Wars”. And for good reason. He’s leveling very serious arguments against President Obama’s handling of the War in Afghanistan. He has already talked up a storm with Larry King. Now he’s delivered quite a few blows to the White House during a conversation […]
Over the past six months, there has been much of focus in the international media on the territorial disputes between China and its neighbors in the East and South China seas. However, China has territorial disputes along most of its borders. Although the United States has injected itself into the former, the dispute between China and […]
I should have written about this last week, but the United States has taken steps to strengthen ties with Somaliland and Puntland, the two regions that have broken free from Somalia and which possibly represent the best real chance for success in the region. I am not suggesting that it is a good idea to […]
Perhaps in a misguided effort to protect and project her electoral pull, Begum Khaleda Zia, just today, railed against the war crimes trial that will put to docket those alleged to have been responsible for the shuddering crimes of murder and arson against Bengalis, against humanity, in 1971. She claimed that the current government is using […]
Regardless of the immediate outcome of December’s review process, governments in South Asia are behaving as if a visibly reduced U.S. involvement in Afghanistan in the coming year is a foregone conclusion. This perception, which will only be reinforced if the Democratic Party suffers major setbacks next month, will color not only how New Delhi approaches Mr. Obama’s state visit but how it weighs the prospects for U.S.-India relations.
The Obama administration has gotten into hot water over Israel and the level of pressure inflicted on the Jewish state. Pro-Israel groups in the United States and many Israelis have criticized the White House on several different fronts, including calls by the administration to end Israeli settlement construction. Similarly, when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited […]
Two men, associated with Lashkar -e-Taiba have been arrested in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. 45 year old Abdul Malek, a Bangladeshi and his compatriot Pakistani citizen Mohammed Shafi, aged 30 were arrested in Airport Railway Station. Lashkar-e-Taiba is the Pakistani militant outfit that has been held responsible for the devastating 2008 guerilla style […]
The agriculture Ministers of independent Spanish Islands (Valencia, Canary and Maurice) are asking The European Parliament to freeze and suspend the trade agreement between the EU and Morocco concerning tomatoes and dairy products. The current agreement which is due to start in 2012, calls on Morocco to increase its imports of dairy products, in return, […]
On Facebook, a Namibian citizen journalist is reporting that the Ministry of Information has embarked on a nation-wide survey to Namibia’s thirteen political regions to get “people’s opinion on the branding of a new Nationhood and National Pride campaign, dubbed “My Namibia.” No big surprise there! But if this is not a new low for […]
Johannesburg-based writer Christopher Vourlias had a nice travel piece in the Washington Post a while back on Tanzania’s Central Line. Avoiding most of the hoariest cliches of African travel he still invoked the romance of working one’s way across country by train.
According to Reuters, “Repairs to sabotaged oil facilities in the Niger Delta and new production from deepwater projects should help cement Nigeria’s place as Africa’s top crude oil producer, a role it reclaimed this year.” Angola briefly supplanted Nigeria as the continent’s top producer, but all things being equal, Nigeria probably has significant advantages over […]
The recent news of threats emanating from Pakistan and Algeria have spooked the American and European public milling about in great and famous cities. But the reasons behind the news that seems to single out machinations wrought in Pakistan remain murky, as they must by dint of the ways and means of intelligence. However, given […]
Defending the official policies (or the lack of it) while interacting with an audience in the U.S. can be challenging for a Minister of the Indian Government. Kapil Sibal, India’s Minister of Human Resource Development and Education, needs to be given credit for putting up a great show as a representative of the Government of […]
Zainab Jeewanjee reports on Pervez Musharraf’s planned return to Pakistani politics. With the launch of the All Pakistan Muslim League, Jeewanjee discusses Musharraff’s liberal policies in hindsight and comparison to his opposition and political change seems imminent in the country.