Spending a week in Tuscany has its benefits, certainly, but without dependable Internet access and Western Hemisphere-centered news items, it seems I’ve missed a number of notable (and indeed, unusual/surprising/jaw-dropping) events in Cuba… Here are a few of the ones I’m picking up in the airport now. What else have I missed? Cuba indicates that […]
Apparently, the word ‘secret’ has lost all meaning nowadays. The New York Times, Guardian, and Der Speigel have all published reports using thousands of pages of classified American intelligence reports on the war in Afghanistan from 2004-2009 given to them by Wikileaks. The United States government condemned the disclosure of these secret documents and so […]
Yours truly has just returned from a rather exceptional concert here in Damascus. The Gorillaz played the Damascus citadel tonight, adjacent to famous Souk al-Hamediyeh, and put on a GREAT show. The band put on a memorable performance which featured soul legend Bobby Womack, two thirds of the landmark Hip Hop collective De La Soul, […]
In today’s New York Times reportage by Mark Mazzetti, Jane Perlez, Eric Schmitt and Andrew W. Lehren has come crashing down on Pakistan. Though broadly speaking the news is nothing new to anyone with an ear for politics in the region, the reportage offers documentary proof of ISI complicity with the Afghan Taliban. It is […]
It’s not really Africa-related, but over at dcat I have a little piece called “Soccer and Socialism: The Real Connection” in which I try to address two issues: the rise of soccer in the United States and the misuse and misrepresentation of the sport in the increasingly idiotic US political culture.
“You have several hundred NGOs operating in Haiti, and basically doing what they want, with no regard to the wishes of the Government of Haiti.” These are the words of Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit expressed during a recent meeting of Caribbean leaders in Montego Bay, Jamaica. “We have called on the UN Secretary General […]
Indonesia: As speculated about previously, the U.S. will upgrade its support to the Indonesian military, even the notorious Kopassus. This is in spite of continued human rights concerns, because the need of America to be able to contain China’s expansion into the South China Sea is becoming critical to the Obama Administration. It is likely […]
In the past week the Syrian Government has banned the Niqab, or full face veil, from school campuses. While no formal announcement has been made, and enforcement has been spotty, word spread through Damascus as university employees wearing the full face veil were transferred out of the classroom. The ban would cover, or uncover in […]
Before I bore you again with yet another conflict mineral detail in Africa, I need to tell you something very important regarding the financial legislation-the other side of the legislation that the mainstream media hasn’t been reporting a lot about-recently signed by President Obama. This legislation is not just a victory for the American people […]
Useful information about Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. This might help those who are making their first trip to Afghanistan. Afghanistan History: Afghanistan originally was governed by different kings, emirs (Commander or general) or shahs (leader, King). Its first state was established on October 1747 in Kandahar by Afghan Military Commander Ahmad Shah Durani. After dead […]
Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah announced in a press conference Thursday that he expects Hizballah members to be charged in the investigation into the 2005 assassination of Rafik Hariri, and that as a result, Lebanon was now entering a “very serious phase”. Depending on who is charged within the group, the indictments could be extremely damaging […]
Anyone out there have between $16,000 and $19,000 lying around that they want to use to fund me to participate in “The Changing Face of South Africa: World Leaders Forum,” which would avail me of the chance to rub elbows and exchange ideas with Desmond Tutu, FW DeKlerk, and other prominent South Africans? Fund two […]
WOW! That was all I could say when I heard the news that Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah had announced that members of Hezbollah would be indicted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). This is HUGE news and it has the potential to change the regional status quo in several major ways. The most important implication […]
Hi. My name is Walter Raubeson and I want you to know more about Syria. I don’t think anyone is really covering the place very well at the moment so, hopefully, I’ll be helping you to understand the place just a little bit better. It’s certainly a complicated spot, full of subtlety and nuance, even […]
The recent decision of France’s lower house to ban the full-face veil in public places has, yet again, brought the veil debate to the forefront. Belgium took the lead on the matter, but as the reoccurrence of the debate in practically every European country has amply demonstrated, the “burqa ban” controversy is a pan-European phenomenon. […]