The Arctic supposedly holds 90 billion barrels of oil – 22% of the world’s remaining oil and gas reserves. These ample supplies make the region highly desirable to the oil and gas industry. Under the Bush Administration, the Department of the Interior auctioned off leases for offshore drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf to take […]
Apparently, other Arab countries, Egypt in particular, do not care for the way Qatar conducts its foreign policy. The United States maintains a large military presence in the Doha area, at Al Udeid Air Base and Camp Al Saliyah; the government has also played host to Iranian delegations. (For a detailed account of Qatar’s supposedly […]
Al Qaeda’s second in command Ayman al-Zawahri spoke out yesterday on an Internet recording about President Obama and his Afghan-Pakistan strategy. I guess we should pay attention whenever a top AQ leader talks as the United States, Afghanistan, and Pakistan would not be in the position they are now in without their existence. It almost […]
Forgive the silence of late. I spent several days in England for a conference and am just now re-emerging. Tomorrow South Africans go to the polls for the fourth time in the democratic era. The Foreign Policy Association has my preview of the election, which is part one of a two-part feature, the second of […]
In June, 500 Million people all around the European Union will vote in the European Parliament elections. The elections will be useful to ascertain if the centre-left are gaining ground during the economic crisis. Already some polls are suggesting they may not be benefitting from the crisis, and may end up losing seats. However Agence Europe […]
Feel free to compare reaction to the Ahmadinejad speech at Durban II courtesy of Haaretz and then Iranian television that apparently shows primarily the Iranian delegation reaction.
Shanghai, often recognized for its free-market tendencies and environmental leadership, is introducing China’s first municipal trading mechanism as a means to curb pollution. Last Friday, in advance of a major carbon trade industry event taking place in Beijing this week, word began surfacing in the Chinese media that Shanghai plans to pilot an emissions trading […]
LAHORE: Pakistan’s top opposition leader, former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, expressed concern Monday about a controversial peace deal with Islamist militants but backed off calls he made last month for a “revolution” to topple the government. Unable to contain an insurgency through military force, Pakistan’s government agreed last week to let Taliban militants impose sharia, […]
“Later, as he sat on the balcony eating the dog, Dr Robert Laing reflected on the unusual events that had taken place within this huge apartment building during the previous three months” – Opening lines of Highrise, by JG Ballard. JG Ballard, who died today, was one of my favourite writers. It is not entirely […]
Only five months after FPA Russia blog noted the intriguing similarities between Obama and Gorbachev, the AP’s Steven Hurt writes: While historic analogies are never perfect, Obama’s stark efforts to change the U.S. image abroad are reminiscent of the stunning realignments sought by former Soviet leader Michael Gorbachev. During his short—by Soviet standards—tenure, he scrambled […]
FP’s Paul Collier writes a Pro and Con list as if he were an authoritarian leader (Egypt’s Mubarak was his inspiration). He evaluates the different avenues available to dictators whose power is subject to upheaval. Here’s a brief excerpt: Option 1: Turn over a new leaf and embrace good government Pros: This is probably what […]
Via the Associated Press. countries boycotting Durban II are: Australia Germany Canada Israel Italy Netherlands New Zealand Poland United States Countries who walked out after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacked Israel are: Austria Belgium Britain Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Greece Hungary Ireland Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain […]
It is being reported that the United States is planning on starting a major “psychological operation” that would seek to disrupt and curtail Taliban use of radio and Internet communication in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The aim would be to hurt the insurgents’ ability to coordinate attacks and strategy, as well as their propaganda efforts […]
Delegates from multiple Western countries walked-out of the UN anti-racism Durban II conference in the midst of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s comments condemning Israel. Representatives from at least England, France, and Canada left the room.
As the Durban II anti-racism conference kicks off on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, tensions already accelerated between Israel and some nations. Following a meeting between the Swiss president and Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Israeli government recalled its ambassador to Switzerland, citing the meeting with the Iranian holocaust denier as cause. The Swiss government […]