Please forgive my unalloyed cynicism, but is there anyone who believes Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir when he says that Sudan would accept a decision to secede on the part of the country’s southerners? Does Bashir even believe it?
Please forgive my unalloyed cynicism, but is there anyone who believes Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir when he says that Sudan would accept a decision to secede on the part of the country’s southerners? Does Bashir even believe it?
Angola has changed its Constitution, and in so doing has transformed the way by which the country will choose its president. The country will no longer hold direct elections for president, instead giving the presidency to the leader of the parliamentary party with the most seats. In theory this is not, as critics claim, anti-democratic. […]
The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is all-but stalled one year into the Obama Administration, exposing frustrations from all relevant parties, including high-ranking White House officials. And those officials include, yes, President Barack Obama himself who declared somewhat of a mea culpa regarding non-existent negotiations. In a recent interview with Time magazine, Obama expressed frustration on the […]
The Lebanese government recently issued a policy statement that declared Hizballah’s arms to be a legitimate part of the country’s defenses. In 2006, Hizballah managed to repel an attack from Israel, albeit one that the Party itself had incited. Still, many Lebanese view Israel as the biggest external threat to their safety and national security, […]
The Islamic Solidarity Games, which were to be held in Iran in April, have been called off because the countries could not agree on what to call the Persian Gulf. The Iranian organizers used the words “Persian Gulf” on the planned logo and medals, angering the Arab countries who call it Arabian Gulf. This debate […]
The Asia-Pacific Journal has a very interesting piece out reviewing rumors that China and Japan may strengthen ties in a dramatic fashion later this year. According to Le Figaro, the article says, China had proposed that Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio begin the process by going to Nanjing, where a mass killing of Chinese civilians […]
Both Israeli and Turkish diplomats probably have headaches from the year-long tiff between the two countries, which began shortly following Operation Cast Lead and reached an apex earlier this month with Israeli Foreign Ministry officials insulting -and subsequently apologizing to- Turkish officials. The upside- if you have vacation time from work, check Turkey out. Israeli tourism […]
Former Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon will be Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s new National Security Advisor (NSA). The current NSA, M K Narayanan will step down after five years in office, and take over as the Governor of the state of West Bengal. The new appointment comes at a time when the Home Minister, P […]
The Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States and Japan, what many perceive to be the cornerstone document of the US-Japan Alliance, was inked on January 19, 1960 – exactly 50 years ago, yesterday. This anniversary comes at time when some analysts, both American and Japanese, point to the modern nadir of […]
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Petroleum announced today that the Pakistani-Iranian project for a gas pipeline is finalized. Iran is a major exporter of gas, including to China. Please see full story here.
Despite the odds, people are still being rescued from the rubble in Haiti. Yesterday 69-year-old Ena Zizi was extracted from the collapsed National Cathedral in Port-au-Prince. She told the AP: “I talked only to my boss, God. And I didn’t need any more humans.” Javier Vázquez, who first reached Zizi, recalls, “I felt her grab […]
The New York Times reported yesterday that the Chinese government has unexpectedly decided to pull James Cameron’s new blockbuster “Avatar” from theaters, an unusual move considering the tremendous excitement (and revenue) the film has generated among Chinese audiences. While the Times quotes experts who say this was “a purely commercial” move undertaken to make room for homegrown […]
The opposition group in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, has elected Mohammed Badie as its new secretary. The professor of veterinary pathology is seen as the right man to succeed Mohammed Akif. Mohammed Badie announced that he will continue working with the government for a peaceful political reform.
Yesterday’s attack in Kabul by a team of 7 Taliban members once again highlights the fragility of the Afghan government and state. Though only 5 non-insurgents were killed, 3 Afghan soldiers and 2 civilians, the militants were able to disrupt hundreds of Kabul citizens’ lives and threaten the safety of President Karzai and members of […]
Sean Patrick Murphy, one of our own very bloggers here at FPA, looks at an acclaimed and Oscar-nominated Iranian movie “Children of Heaven”: http://globalfilm.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2010/01/19/children-of-heaven-1997/