Eugene de Kock, the notorious Apartheid Security Force Member known even among his colleagues as “Prime Evil” for his efficacy as a killer, is pursuing a pardon from South African President Jacob Zuma. Though he was granted amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for every single instance for which he applied, de Kock will […]
It is no secret that Arab governments have long worried about Iran’s growing influence in the region and they are trying to limit Iranian influence among its population. Here are some of the current news stories that highlight this tense relationship between Arab countries and Iran: Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported that Arabsat, leading […]
An Israeli-American company, Project Better Place, has plans to create the first electric-car grid, which would allow electric cars to be introduced in large numbers on the road. Project Better Place is a sillicon valley start-up that will operate the recharging grid to support the electric cars.The electric car will dramatically reduce carbon emmissions and […]
Micheal Pettis has a great post up at his always worth-a-read blog China Financial Markets. In “The Myth of the Blithe Consensus,” the Carnegie Endowment fellow and Peking University finance professor reviews the evidence that China’s madcap loan growth of 2009 has returned with a terrible fury in the first weeks of 2010, with dire […]
The 2003 WSF put the movement on map, in large measure because President-Elect Lula chose to emphasize his larger than Brazil leadership making an historic speech at this unique global gathering of social movement activists before boarding a jet to Davos where he called on world leaders from the corporate world and government to combat poverty and make the institutions of global authority more accountable and democratic. Lula was the perfect interlocutor between the rice and bean rebels of the WSF and the champagne soaked elite of Davos.
The Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barack announced that The government of Lebanon would be a “target” in case the situation on the ground deteriorated. Few hours later former Prime Minister of Israel Tsivi Livni announced “Iran is as much of a threat to Arabs as it is to Israel”. I wonder what scientific poll did […]
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Amb. George Mitchell recently completed his latest round of shuttle diplomacy. As of right now, the trips seem to have accomplished virtually nothing, with Israeli and Palestinian officials still not negotiating. However, a recent State Department statement emphasizes that Palestinian institution building is prioritized by the administration. This […]
The images below require no introduction nor explanation. They do require that we ensure that within our lifetime we are able to look upon these images as we do when we gaze upon the work of Lewis Hine and Jacob Riis. We must ensure that this lived experience no longer attaches to any young […]
In May 2008 South African President Thabo Mbeki commissioned four retired South African generals to visit Zimbabwe and report back on the violence that swallowed parts of the country in the wake of that country’s March 2008 presidential elections. The South African History Archive and the Southern African Centre for the Survivors of Torture now […]
Is Nelson Mandela perhaps more disengaged from contemporary South African politics than most of us realize? Madiba is 91 years old, and so obviously is enjoying his sunset years. But if Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is to be believed (I know, I know — consider the source) Mandela is pretty disconnected from the current state of the […]
As you know, I am skeptical of Omar al-Bashir’s assertion that he would willingly allow southern Sudan to secede. Recent news about political repression in Sudan helps to explain why. Sudan’s security forces, recently granted even more powers to harass the enemies of the state (and that seems to be their main purpose), have been […]
India celebrates its 60th Republic Day today. It is to this day in 1950 that the Indian Constitution came into force after its independence from Britain in August 1947. The Republic Day celebrations are an opportunity to display the nation’s cultural diversity, military might and other achievements to its people and the world through a […]
On March 7, 2010 Iraq will hold parliamentary elections. One of the main issues on the campaign trail is just how close Iraq’s ties to Iran should be. The candidates are divided along nationalist and pro-Iranian lines, with nationalists raising concerns about becoming a puppet state of Iran. The situation was highlighted by the standoff […]
Two of Iran’s opposition leaders, Mohammed Khatami and Mehdi Karroubi, have apparently dropped their demand for a new presidential election, saying that while they still believe the vote in June was fraudulent, they accept Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the head of state. Mehdi Karroubi is a former presidential candidate, who has been very vocal in his […]
Willy Lam has a piece in the new Jamestown Foundation China Brief breaking down Beijing’s most recent signaling on its Tibet strategy. New policies for the restive region, announced by Xinhua following a January 8 Politburo session devoted to the question of how to pursue “breakthrough-style economic development and long-term stability” in Tibet, essentially amount […]