The Kim mafia has been in the news quite a bit lately, and every time Kim Jong-Il makes a headline, China gets uncomfortable. Great Leader Kim is somewhat akin to the the late U.S. mafia boss, John Gotti Jr., he makes far too many newspaper headlines, a spotlight that makes his friends uneasy. As […]
It is true Pakistan has been dealing with awful scenarios one after another since 1947, but at some point, the masses must take charge and work toward changing their destiny. Crisis or no crisis, people in Pakistan by now should have perfected, and if not perfected, at least gotten a good grip on how to […]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Israel, and it appears that she did not pass up an opportunity to speak to the Israeli people. However, she used that opportunity to both say nothing and reaffirm what everyone knows — Israelis would prefer Clinton over Obama, hands down. On the saying nothing, in an interview […]
Last week the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) “proposed a radical overhaul of [South Africa’s] monetary and financial policy, calling for controls over commercial bank loans and capping gold exports to increase national reserves.” There is little to no chance of this happening. COSATU knows this. So what the proposal amounts to is […]
On Thursday I wrote the following: Nigeria’s January elections promise to be intensely fought. Which means that the specter of upheaval, interparty violence, and voter coercion looms. The process will start in October when the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) holds primaries for the presidential race in zones around the country on three consecutive days […]
African Presidents head to Atlanta for the Africa Policy Forum organized by Ambassador Andrew Young and the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation (http://www.thesullivanfoundation.org/). Titled “the Africa Policy Forum: A Vision for the 21st Century,” the forum will take place on September 24-28, 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the largest gatherings of its kind, the September […]
As Moscow’s once indestructible mayor flees on a hastily arranged trip to Austria, the question is less will he accept defeat like Gorbachev did following his 1991 detention in his Crimean dacha but will he even be allowed to return home? “Churchill once remarked that observing a Russian power-struggle ‘is like watching two dogs fighting […]
As I return to Syria after a few weeks away I have been suddenly reminded of the many challenges to Internet access here. The slow-as-molasses connections speeds, the months long process to set up home accounts, and of course the censor’s prohibition of using certain sites. As I sit in my local internet cafe I […]
Hello All! I’m sure everyone has been losing sleep over a lack of Syria posts on the FPA wall lately. An evil and cowardly computer issue combined with international bus travel has conspired to keep yours truly away from posting. Well, allow me to put all of you at ease. As of now you can […]
There are several big headlines about Arctic geopolitics this week concerning four of the Big Five: Norway, Russia, Canada, and the U.S. “Norway, Russia reach deal to turn down heat on Arctic claims,” The Montreal Gazette. Norway and Russia have finally concluded a process that began last April to officially delimit the maritime border between […]
Nothing can smooth the relationship between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Abraham Afi louzoun, Director of the Israeli Federation of Soccer declared Israel will try and block Qatar from its bid to host the 2022 Soccer World Cup. Citing inability of Israeli fans to attend the championship, due to the animosity that they will face […]
Foreign Policy Association has seemed to transform into Afghanistan Association as our website has recently produced a myriad of fascinating pieces on the Central Asian state. Here are three really worth checking out! On FPA’s website’s main page, the Viewpoint series features an article by Mehdi Noorbaksh titled ‘Irreparable Mistake to Leave Afghanistan‘. Noorbaksh makes […]
There are several significant elections coming up across the African continent. Some of the races to watch: Nigeria’s January elections promise to be intensely fought. Which means that the specter of upheaval, interparty violence, and voter coercion looms. The process will start in October when the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) holds primaries for the […]
Brazil’s most popular politician in history is set to leave the presidency this year, ending nearly eight years at the helm of a government responsible for lifting over 20 million people out of poverty, maintaining Brazil’s economy booming during a global recession (with 2010 growth forecasted at 7.3%), and establishing Brazil as a regional […]
Anyone reading this blog knows that Israelis are becoming ever-more jaded by the peace process and more conservative by the day. Anyone reading also knows that I often take a very critical view of religious intervention in public policy, even in a religious state. Well, new interesting survey results are out, and it appears that […]