Not even 30 km outside of Tbilisi and the first road sign to Sukhumi, Abkhazia’s de-facto capital, is a reminder of a legacy and war that continues to haunt the imaginations of IDPs who wish to return home and Georgians who wish to reintegrate the break away region. It is a sign of a conflict […]
As discussed in my previous post, Iranian Women: Voices to be Heard, women have played a prominent role in the pre-election campaigning and the post-election protests. All four candidates made promises to women in the election campaign, including Ahmadinejad, who spoke of empowering women. It looks like this is one election promise that Ahmadinejad is […]
There is no denying that Iran has one of the best literary heritages. From Rumi to Hafez to Omer Khayyam to Saadi, Iran has had its share of great poets. Though the most influential poet remains Ferdowsi, known for writing the Persian epic, the Shahnameh (known in English as The Book of Kings). This article […]
Afghanistan continues to find its way onto American news cycles and like most news, it’s of the bad and bloody variety. The US military is on the verge of releasing its latest strategic review of the conflict and how the US expects to go forward, with the hottest topic (more troops?) being avoided. The Taliban […]
The Israeli government began issuing two different tourist visas at the border, with one granting entrance to mainland Israel and the other to Palestinian Authority-controlled areas, according to a new post on the U.S. consulate website. Previously, upon entering Israel at a border crossing, a traveller would receive a general visa for Israel and could […]
A recent New York Times article rightfully praised the bus rapid transit system now widely used in Bogotá. Known as Transmilenio, it has been credited in part for the transformation of the Colombian capital, which has become increasingly organized and safe during the past decade. It is estimated that 7,000 fewer buses are now on […]
Apparently never. The answer comes from applying the “rational actor” game theory to this question. Game theory is a branch of applied mathematics, often used in the social sciences, to study how people will behave in strategic situations– a situation in which an individual’s success in making decisions depends on the decisions of others (think […]
In her last major stop on her whirlwind Africa tour (all respect, Cape Verde) Hillary Clinton in Liberia weighed in on the controversy surrounding President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the recommendation of her country’s Truth and Reconciliation that she (and other politicians) not be allowed to hold office after their current terms expire. Clinton put […]
When people think about the humanitarian crises caused by the nightmare that is Somalia, an effectively ungoverned, stateless society beset by violence, chaos, and grave uncertainty, they tend to think of the effects of that violence. But there is a largely unexplored crisis that looms barely beneath the surface in which such instability means that […]
On the eve of its 63rd Independence Day, India has signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The agreement that took around six years to negotiate will eliminate tariffs on some 4000 products by 2016. India also signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with South Korea earlier this […]
Russian mines that haven’t been in operation since the days of the Soviet gulags are being reopened in an effort to capitalize on the rise in the price of gold and recoup losses caused by the fall in the price of oil, Russia’s primary export. The Kupol mine lies within the federal subject of Chukotka, […]
The Arroyo Administration continues its two-prong approach to the Philippines’ decade old para-military terrorist problem. The Filipino government has tried to renew peace talks with the Islamic separatist group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Although talks had been intermittent since 2001, an agreement was reached last years, only to be found unconstitutional by the Filipino […]
A bomb exploded yesterday in Tripoli, wounding three people. According to the AFP: Three people, including a child, were wounded on Thursday when a bomb exploded in northern Lebanon, a security official said. Zein al-Alouf, 10, was seriously wounded when the bomb exploded in the mainly Alawite Jabal Mohsen area of the northern port city […]
After a day of police mobilization and an urgent military head-count, the alleged abduction of an IDF soldier proved false. Even though an eye witness said she saw a soldier forcefully taken in an automobile from central Israel and a terror group claimed responsibility for the incident, the IDF found no soldier unaccounted for. Upon […]
People in Pakistan are celebrating Independence Day on 14 August. Pakistani flags are flying all over the country, national anthem is playing in every car, every shop, and on every television channel. The overall atmosphere in Pakistan is very patriotic and celebratory. Good, this is what independence should be all about! But, there is one […]