It seems that President Zardari’s trip abroad has been successful, if the criterion was to have pledges announced by the leaders of the countries that President visited. Starting with Libya and now ending in France, everywhere Mr. Zardari went; he was greeted warmly, heard sympathetically and given what he asked for, or at least that […]
Israel has turned over maps showing where cluster bombs were dropped during the 2006 war with Lebanon. The maps, which were given to UNIFIL officials on May 12, could greatly help the de-mining effort in South Lebanon. UNIFIL and other groups have been working to remove the explosive devices, as they pose an enormous safety […]
Mexico is writhing from H1N1 two weeks after “swine flu” entered the global lexicon. At least 64 people are dead there as a result of the virus, over 2,600 have been made ill, and the economy is crippled. Mexico’s stock market and currency were initially pummeled from already depressed levels. Mexico City was closed down […]
The US House of Representatives passed a $94.2 billion dollar funding bill for Afghanistan yesterday, but cracks may be appearing in overall US support of the war effort there. The bill passed 368 to 60, with 51 Democrats and 9 Republicans voting against providing more funds for a conflict that new President Barack Obama has […]
Renewed discussion of a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities recently erupted days prior to the first meeting since the elections between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. A new study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies evaluates the intelligence surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and determines that any Israeli strike […]
Stories that caught my eye today: It seems that a number of white South African expats are joining the far-right British National Party. I am not certain if this says good things about the state of the racist white right in South Africa or merely confirms bad things about the British far right. Speaking of […]
Politicians throughout Israel, the rest of the Middle East, and the United States continue using the prospects of renewing the peace process as a tool towards garnering public support and international prestige. The Obama Administration will soon host the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt in an effort to jump start the negotiations […]
As the U.S. continues to engage Syria in an effort for stability in the Middle East, an article from INNS last November by Tel Aviv University Prof. Eyal Zisser deconstructs the recent peace negotiations undertaken between Israel and Syria. Since the Second Lebanon War, both Syria and Israel anticipated increased tension along the border, with […]
With a hat tip to Texas in Africa, which has fast become one of my favorite Africa-themed blogs (possibly in part because of my own Texas-to-Africa links), comes Development Daily’s “A Comparative Taxonomy of African Cliches.” Because of the generalized nature of the post, most anyone who writes about Africa is occasionally guilty of some […]
China’s IMF quota may raise significantly by 2011 There is a possibility that China may become the third largest voting power at the International Monetary Fond (IMF) after the European Union and the United States. China, which currently holds a quota of 3.7 percent, may overtake Japan (6.1 percent) and establish itself right behind the […]
The EU is currently deciding how to advise EU governments on how to divide a very nice and potentially valuable present. It is the airwaves that are currently used to broadcast analogue television, but which will be free when digital television becomes the norm in the next years. The “digital dividend”, as it is called, is the […]
This report about the plight of minorities in Pakistan paints a very disturbing picture about the overall situation in the country. Actually, no Asian country can take pride in this area because for some reason, minorities always live in fear and it is easy to terrorize frightened people. However, this is no excuse as […]
Young people in South Africa think Barack Obama is cool, but they think Nelson Mandela is even cooler. Sounds about right to me.
Lesotho stands on the brink of serious political crisis. The tiny mountain kingdom never really moved forward after the country’s deeply controversial elections in 2007. A recent assassination attempt on Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili in which armed gunmen invaded Mosisili’s home only to be confronted with state soldiers who killed four f the invaders indicates […]
The Los Angeles Times has reported a significant change in US-Pakistani usage of drone attacks inside Pakistan territory, and that is that both sides have agreed on a framework to work together. US and Pakistani military officials both anonymously acknowledged that they had joined forces in using US Predator drones to attack Al Qaeda and […]