Talking to reporters, Richard C. Holbrooke confirmed that indeed American weapons are being smuggled to Pakistani Taliban from Afghanistan. Of course this admission does not mean that there is an effort by the Americans to help anti Pakistan forces. This actually confirms that some of the weaponry gets looted and this is guerilla war fare is […]
On Wednesday, Greenland’s left-wing opposition party, Inuit Ataqatigiit, won the elections with 44% of the vote. It will control 14/31 seats in the Greenlandic Parliament, the Landsting. The Siumut Party, which has ruled Greenland for the past thirty years, was ousted. The new government will form in time for expanded home rule, which begins on […]
In the wake of President Barack Obama’s “groundbrealking” speech in Cairo about a new U.S. posture towards the Middle East, pundits, activists, and politicians alike provided mixed reviews either heralding the speech as a “home run” or condemning it for bias. The Palestinian leadership lauded the speech as a “good start”; the Israeli government released […]
Obama’s Speech in Cairo Wow, yes, wow, what a speech. Obama’s speech in Cairo was truly an astonishingly refreshing speech by Obama, President of the United States of America. I honestly believe that Obama’s words should give comfort to those who are suspicious of America. Obama was honest, open and he is genuine. After listening […]
More than two months ago, your humble Russia Blog predicted a bloody end to an industrial protest in a small town called Pikalevo. After all, here was a rag tag band of laid off workers up against not only the state but also one of its richest and most loyal oligarchs, Oleg Deripaska, who owns […]
In ten days Zimbabwe will embark on the process of writing a new constitution. This process will either represent a great step forward for Zimbabwe’s future or will mark President Robert Mugabe’s last intransigent stand. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai knows that his fellow Zimbabweans still live in fear. The question is whether the constitution-writing process […]
Refugees are fleeing strife-torn Somalia for Kenya by the thousands. This strikes me as a recipe for chaos. Kenya’s vast refugee camps, already stretched, will absorb them, but at a tremendous potential cost in health, safety, and lawfulness. The United Nations worries that its food supplies will not be sufficient to cover the needs of […]
President Obama’s speech in Cairo today revealed the difficult balancing act he faces in trying to address conflicts that have generally eluded most American presidents. Reaching out to the Muslim World while condemning Islamic extremism, shoring up alliances while pressing for greater democratization and freedoms, and generally wielding both carrots and sticks is always a […]
An independent authority should govern Jerusalem in a two-state solution peace plan, according to a panel of analysts at the Center for American Progress yesterday. The Jerusalem Old City Initiative, created over the past few years at the University of Windsor and previously pitched to various government officials and experts, would ensure that both Israel […]
Pakistan Army has said that the operation against the Taliban could take months. In other words, finally, the army has understood the nature of the fight against the nut jobs. Not only is the country and the world ready to support the offensive against the Taliban for months, but it seems obvious that the entire […]
Doctors Without Borders has released a report and an accompanying video giving details on the struggles of Zimbabwean expatriates in South Africa.
Why is “the man regarded by some as the patriarch of the dissident movement…almost forgotten at home”? So asks a recent AP profile of the legendary Soviet dissident Sergei Kovalyov. After all, wouldn’t the very people who campaigned hardest to end Communism have benefited most from its downfall? Predictably, the author blames the Putin regime: […]
The Governor-General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean, traveled to Nunavut last week to celebrate the province’s 10-year anniversary. In Rankin Inlet, she participated in an Inuit ceremony where she ate a piece of raw seal heart. She was asked whether her consumption of the seal heart was supposed to send a message to the EU, which […]
Although President Barack Obama’s first trip to Sub-Saharan Africa will take him to Ghana, his current trip to Egypt marks his first official visit to the continent as President. There are myriad reasons why, when talking about Africa, people will exclude Egypt. Certainly this blog is overwhelmongly (and largely unapologetically) about Africa South of the Sahara. Some of […]
South African President Jacob Zuma has given his first State of the Nation address and, not surprisingly, economic issues have taken center stage. Will the current slump have an effect on Zuma’s plans? In his speech Zuma promised that the recession will not effect the general direction Zuma plans on taking, but it may slow the pace of […]