No rapid recovery for China? Chinese economists and high level officials expressed their doubts about a swift Chinese recovery. Li Yang, a former adviser to the People’s Bank of China, sees the biggest challenge for China in finding a new growth engine to replace the struggling export sector. In this point Mr. Li is supported […]
This survey conducted by INSS provides a good backdrop to the speech from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to the nation tonight. The speech will address the two-state solution and potential either solidify or fragment the Likud-led coalition. Moreover, as the United States continues pressuring Israel to freeze all settlement activity, in direct contradiction to […]
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem points out several obvious but oft-overlooked truths in an interview with Foreign Policy. Firstly, he notes that keeping Syria on a state-sponsors of terror list while asking the Assad regime to assist in combating terrorism in Palestine. His point, most likely, was that Syria is too important for the United […]
Well, the budget is finally here. I purposefully avoided listening to the budget speech because I know that there is nothing for ordinary people in Pakistan in this budget. In fact, there has never been any relief for ordinary people in any budget in Pakistan’s history, except of course empty promises and useless rhetoric. So, […]
The votes have been counted, the results have been reported, and the triumphant victory speeches have been delivered. Now the real work begins. As the pro-March 14 celebrations are dying down around Lebanon- as well as Washington and Riyadh- the nation’s politicians are gearing up for the next battle. Saad Hariri and his Sunni and […]
Respected Africanist Robert Rotberg has an op-ed piece in The Boston Globe in which he reveals the tightrope that Morgan Tsvangirai has to walk in dealing with Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. Mugabe still controls far too much of the government, is wildly unpredictable, and has shown no inclination either to give up power or to […]
One of the leading anti Taliban cleric was the target of suicide bombing yesterday and today, there is a general strike in the country. Karachi, the biggest and the most important business hub of Pakistan is completely closed today. Punjab is also closed because the government has announced that today is a holiday due to […]
Russia will rebuild Soviet-era Arctic monitoring stations in the Arctic, Canada’s Globe and Mail reports. The monitoring stations can be used for everything from monitoring meteorological conditions to serving as bases for research. At the height of the USSR, there were approximately 100 Arctic stations, but now, there are only 12. Speaking about Russia’s plans […]
What Middle Eastern city held today a gay pride parade attended by thousands and protected by the municipal police? No, not Riyadh. Today marked the 11th annual gay pride parade in Tel Aviv as the streets filled with supporters and activists attempting to express support for the Israeli gay community. Parade attendees decorated floats and flew flags […]
My apologies for the light posting. I am taking a little vacation with Mrs. Africa Blog for our second anniversary. I will be back in full force next week, and after that will be blogging daily from South Africa. I would suggest looking at some of the recent posts by Texas in Africa, who has […]
The U.S. House of Representatives passed today the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410) that includes extensive support for Israel and may foreshadow coming debates between the White House and Congress. Even though the bill would regulate the State Department and ensure Congressional oversight of various programs, authorization bills do […]
A new report claims that Special Envoy George Mitchell delivered to the Palestinian Authority the U.S. peace plan, which includes a deal that would swap Israeli land for the large Jewish settlement blocs in the West Bank. The plan resembles policy advocated by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who urges the annexation of Arab land in northern Israel […]
Pakistan is awful awful awful. The bombing at PC Peshawar was a reminder, yet again, that Pakistan is actually the front line in the global struggle against the nihilist movement. Those who accuse Pakistan of not doing ‘enough’ must realize that Pakistan has done more then any other country in the world and as a […]
Below is a movie review of the Afghan film ‘Osama’ by FPA’s Global Film Review blogger Sean Patrick Murphy. If you have seen the film please let us know what you thought about it in the comments. Enjoy… “Osama” is the story of a 12 year-old girl living in Afghanistan during the rule of the […]
Who is Artyom Loskutov, and why should we kiss his babushka? While the industrial victory in Pikalevo (however Pyrrhic it may yet prove) hogs the headlines, the fate of this 22 year old performance artist from Novosibirsk has shown the stark limits to people-power in today’s Russia. Largely ignored in the mainstream media, Loskutov’s summary […]