On December 14th, in Samandepe in eastern Turkmenistan, the starting point of the Central Asia-China gas pipeline, the President of China opened the valve that will send natural gas from Turkmenistan through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to China. This is the first major gas pipeline that will be an alternative to Russian pipelines. 40 billion cubic […]
Alright, I couldn’t complete the alliterative headline. But, I got close. The year-long feud between Israel and Turkey spiked once more after months of quiet signalling potential repairs in the relationship. Speaking alongside Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lambasted the Israeli government for violating Lebanese airspace and water. Earlier this year, Erdogan […]
We’ve only just begun/Before the rising sun we fly/ So many roads to choose/ We start out walking/ And learn to run/ And yes! We’ve just begun. The Carpenter’s pedigree is gleefully appropriate today: Bangladeshi domestic and foreign has been a planar patchwork of sawed and hacked retro-fitted pieces of woodwork and sawdust. The Awami […]
Good news for President Karzai, the Afghan army, and US/NATO fighting forces in Afghanistan can be found in a poll commissioned by the BBC, ABC News and Germany’s ARD. 1500 Afghans from 34 provinces showed a surprising 70% affirmative that their country was headed in the right direction, a full 40% jump from last year. […]
In a goodwill gesture aimed at improving relations with its eastern neighbor, India will make available a line of credit of $1 billion to Bangladesh. This was announced during a three day visit by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India. The two countries also signed agreements on mutual assistance in fighting terrorism, organized crime […]
You’ve already read the first post of the FPA Middle East Blog’s newest contributor. Now let me introduce her to you formally: Anna Smushkovich is a graduate of New York Law School and Hunter College in New York City. She specialized in Foreign Policy and the Middle East while in College. She has traveled extensively throughout […]
Finally the Middle East is engaging in peaceful warfare. Israel and Lebanon have been fighting over who can create the best and largest dish of Hummus. Israel is currently edging ahead with a sattelite dish of over 4 tons of freshly made Hummus. The Hummus was made by an Arab-Israeli restaurant owner, Ibrahim, in the […]
Today the BBC published an article regarding the growing gender gap in China. The article highlights a report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which states that 24 million Chinese men of marrying age could find themselves without spouses by 2020. Currently, for every 100 girls born in China, 119 boys are born. In […]
Reports indicate that Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua is suffering from brain damage and cannot recognize his wife, never mind govern the country. Suffice it to say that the situation has fast created a leadership vacuum. And if we know anything it is that leadership vacuums create political crises.
Yukio Hatoyama, the Japanese Prime Minister, is all over the internet. Indeed, the Democratic Party of Japan has done a good job keeping the Cabinet apace with social media technology. As a result, we now have a portal into the mind of the Japanese PM like never before. Hato Cafe, the PM’s blog (available only […]
ASEAN and China: This blog has spent considerable time following the ASEAN+China free trade deal from the perspective of various nations in the region. The Asia Times has a new article concerning the “win-win” possibilities of the deal and what the incentive is for ASEAN nations. It also provides some telling data: According to estimates […]
According to news reports, in 2009 China surpassed Germany as the world’s top exporter. China’s exports for 2009 were more than $2 trillion, slightly ahead of Germany, at $1.2 trillion. The last two months of the year saw the strongest increase, and helped China’s gross exports surge. “This is just one more step by China […]
Zainab Jeewanjee reports on Pakistani Artist Imran Mudassar’s recent work depicting War and weaponry in the Af-Pak war. Lauding CNN and Dawn News for their reports on Mudassar, Jeewanjee shares her thoughts on the artists poignant work.
Mommy, where do Putins come from? Some liberal analysts have suggested that he was parachuted into Russian politics by a sort of malevolent stork. More critical ones have insisted instead that he was asexually spawned by Yeltsin in his own image. Yet in the latest edition of the London Review of Books, Neal Ascherson reviews […]
U.S. economic and military aid to Israel has largely helped the country develop and maintain a technological edge over its enemies. Rarely, has this support been called into question. However, comments from the U.S. special envoy to the region seem to indicate the country may consider withholding some of the funds unless the peace process […]