The Venezuelan government finally blinked when it came to financial pressures by devaluing its currency on January 8th. The rate of the Bolivar Fuerte had been pegged at 2.15 to the dollar and is now 2.6 for essential supplies and 4.3 for luxury goods. Last week the value of the dollar on the parallel market […]
FPA has a new China blogger that I highly recommend checking out. His name is Henry Hoyle and he wrote this great piece on the numerous implications of China’s Aynak investment in Afghanistan. Here it is in full below: China’s Afghan Investment: Brilliant Strategy or Expensive Gamble? The December 31st NYT had a great in-depth […]
After my last comments about Yemen, it was necessary that I offer a clearer viewpoint as to why I believe, the recent announcement by the Pentagon and the White House of the plan to put forward millions of dollars in military aid and assistance to the Yemeni government to fight Al-qaeda. Al-qaeda in the Arabian […]
The latest issue of The American Interest has a somewhat lengthy article on Kenya from Economist online contributor Misha Mintz-Roth. “Skin-Deep Democracy: A Letter From Kenya” reveals some of the strengths but also many of the weaknesses of contemporary reportage from Africa. Mintz-Roth spent time with the locals, provides some nifty descriptions and puts forward […]
There’s been more than passing interest in the documentary on acid violence and abuse in Bangladesh that I flagged a few days ago. There’s also been more than passing confusion about the availability of the documentary on Youtube. So here again, is the documentary. This time I’ve embedded both Parts 1 and 2. See below, […]
Predictably, Sheikh Hasina is defending the agreements she signed in India as steps in the right direction toward solving the manifold political economic problems that plague Bangladesh. This is because, predictably, the BNP is claiming that the agreements signed so far amount to cheap talk and that Sheikh Hasina has failed to protect Bangladesh’s […]
ASEAN and U.S.: As predicted by this blog, the Obama Administration is moving to create a comprehensive political-economic rapprochement with East and Southeast Asia. The economic arm of this policy direction will branch off of the existing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). So far, the TTP includes a free-trade agreements (FTA) with Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and […]
Let us never forget that this week we have witnessed misery. Haiti is a blanket reminder of all that we are and shall always be. Indeed, we now have reason to celebrate that Bangladesh is no longer immiserated– it is poverty stricken. Bangladeshis suffer from sheer adverse facts on the ground; they do not suffer […]
When disaster struck in Haiti this week with a massive earthquake that devastated the capital, Brazil was given an opportunity to step up to the plate and show its international leadership. In reality, Brazil has been working in Haiti for nearly five years, since June 2004. The Brazilian army heads the UN peacekeeping forces, as […]
David Headley and Tahawwur Rana have been indicted by a US grand jury for the terror attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008. The two men were arrested in Chicago on 3 October, 2009 and charges were filed against them on 7 December, 2009. The indictment revels that Lashkar e-Taiba provided $28,000 to David Headley […]
Al qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula could see the number of their members or brothers in cause jump from few hundred fighters to thousands in the next few months. The likely recruiter is our actions in Yemen. Sheik Aarif Sabri, a member of the Yemeni parliament announced in a press conference yesterday “One hundred-fifty religious […]
Google’s threat to bow out from China is clearly tremendous news. The technology giant has served up for China’s leadership an understated but devastating rebuke of their Internet policies. What amazes is the unabashedly political and moral nature of their declaration; as scores of analysts have already pointed out, besides the potential $600 million in […]
Freedom of the press is an integral facet to any democracy, including Israel’s. Moreover, shared values between Israel and the United States are anchored in the concept of open and free media, which plays an important facet in the people’s right to choose their leaders. Details are currently developing, but reports indicate that Israeli security […]
An epic sci-fi tale set in the 22nd century on fictional planet Pandora and its alien Navi civilisation wins the hearts of millions of fans. Then, 40 years later, James Cameron makes Avatar. That’s right, this week Russian newspapers were rife with allegations that Cameron stole the idea for his blockbuster film from a series […]
In light of the tragic earthquake in Haiti, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is cutting her trip to Asia short. This is a prudent decision, as the relief effort will require high-level coordination across agencies and in tandem with nations from across the globe. There is indeed much work to be done at the State […]