It is awful to hear that some political parties, especially those who don’t have any representation in the parliament have come out, once again, in opposition to the plan to wipe out terrorists, otherwise known as the Taliban in Swat and other areas of Pakistan. These parties who are now convening press conferences to voice […]
I recently returned from a few days in Oxford, and as a consequence some stories have piled up that I otherwise might have given greater attention to but that at least warrant links: The Nigerian government is pretty serious about cracking down on the militants in the Niger Delta. Expect a response. This is not […]
Well, Helen Zille, you wanted power. You wanted to challenge the ANC, to show that there is a better way, and that the Democratic Alliance could pave that way forward in South African politics. By gaining control of the Western Cape (and strengthening your slot as the official opposition to the ANC) you got what […]
It took a matter of hours for President Hamid Karzai’s administration to deny the rumor that his government was to take on former U.S. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad as a CEO or ‘unelected prime minister’ of the central Asian state. The New York Times reported yesterday, based on unnamed American and Afghan officials, that Karzia would […]
China to increase strategic petrol reserves After reaching storage capacity in crude oil reserves, China now plans to build up its strategic reserves in refined oil products. The decision follows the same pattern of using low commodity prices and high company inventories to increase strategic reserves of raw materials. China is planning to pile up […]
Canada has just concluded a geological expedition in the Arctic in the run-up to its submission of territorial claims. A two-team expedition of federal geologists and oceanographers examined land from Ward Hunt Island, Canada’s northernmost point, to the North Pole. One group conducted research via a sonar probe from a helicopter and the other used […]
It is extremely heartwarming to read a positive story about Pakistan amid news of constant gun battles, suicides, police brutalities, strikes by different segments of the society, water shortage, traffic congestions, pollution, missing electricity for hours in extremely hot weather. As reported in the New York Times, bunch of kids, or I should say brave […]
The long-anticipated meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reportedly went largely as expected with no major concessions from either leader. Both leaders agreed, however, that the region stands on the brink of a major opportunity that neither leader would want to squander. While Netanyahu urged a tough posture on Iran in […]
On 5th June, voters from 27 EU countries will begin voting on who they wish to represent them in the European Parliament, it is the largest number of countries ever to vote for the only democratically elected transnational Institution in the world . Global Post have a very interesting Article on why the elections matter. The EU […]
Mexican immigration to the US bodes well for the American economy. This is a politically inconvenient phenomenon—one of correlation and not causation—but when Mexican migration to the US increases, the US economy grows and unemployment ebbs. The most prominent example is the decade after passage of the NAFTA. Amidst howls of a “giant sucking sound” […]
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama commenced today their long-anticipated meeting with analysts and the media still speculating on whether or not the two leaders will clash. Obama will likely press Netanyahu on affirming the need for a two state solution while Netanyahu will attempt to keep the discussion focused on limiting the […]
Afghan school girls have been targets of the Taliban ever since the group starting gaining power in the country in 1994 and the group remains vigilant in stopping women from gaining access to such basic rights, especially an education. The Taliban have burned down hundreds of girl schools in the past few years and has […]
The Soviet Union worshipped the Olympic games as a proof positive of Socialism’s inevitable victory, one mustachioed female shotputter at a time. Those days may be history but their absurdist spirit lives on in the most appropriate of venues: the Eurovision Song Contest. Just as Russia used to go to great lengths to demonstrate its […]
A new INSS report evaluates the possibility of a confrontation between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during their upcoming meeting in Washington. The two statesmen will likely spar over the need for the resumption of a peace process with the Palestinians that includes granting them a sovereign state. Netanyahu will likely […]
This year, Canada has involved itself in a number of trans-Arctic and trans-Atlantic disputes. In February, there was the military jet incident with Russia. Spats with Russia have spilled over into the NATO sphere, as Canada pushes for Georgia and Ukraine to join to the Kremlin’s chagrin. Then at the beginning of this month after […]