… is that not funny? Johann Hari of the UK Independent has an investigative journalism piece at the Huffington Post (are those two things a contradiction in terms?) that points out the flaws in Dubai’s sustainability long-term (or even medium-term). It’s a little melodramatic in its language, but raises some important points, primarily about the […]
April 5, 2009 Can Pakistan Be Governed? (NYT) By JAMES TRAUB TO ENTER the office where Asif Ali Zardari, the president of Pakistan, conducts his business, you head down a long corridor toward two wax statues of exceptionally tall soldiers, each in a long, white tunic with a glittering column of buttons. On closer inspection, […]
Here are some Afghan-related issues to Check Out! Check out this intriguing story of the Last Jew in Afghanistan, which features a five minute video interview of you got it, the last Jew in Afghanistan. The short documentary by Oliver Englehart, profiles Zablon Simantov, a Jewish resident of Kabul, explains why he remains despite his […]
Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party announces its support for amending Egypt’s personal status laws and instituting a quota for female MPs.
Obama surprised the US troops in Iraq this morning with a visit and a speech. He arrived at Camp Victory this morning, seemingly out of the blue, near the Baghdad International Airport and spoke with top US commander of Iraq, General Raymond Odierno. He’s also set to meet with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki later today. […]
A plaster on someone’s finger is usually hardly worthy of notice, never mind the source of an entire nation’s attention. Yet the recent appearance of a band-aid on Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s right index finger has set off a furious round of concern, speculation, and posturing. Is it the symptom of some sort of infection? […]
So it is official. Jacob Zuma is off the hook, as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed the rumors that had been swirling for several days by dropping the charges against the African National Congress (and likely future South African) president. (See the full text of the NPA decision here.) Presumably, then, this long and […]
President Obama’s visit to Turkey has inspired some internal reflection on the phrase “moderate Islamic republic” and Turkey’s sometimes confounding internal diversity.
One day after China’s top climate official, Li Gao, requested that his country’s export sector be exempt from greenhouse gas emissions reductions, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the possibility of levying a carbon tariff on countries that do not match US greenhouse gas emissions restrictions. Chu told a House science panel that such border […]
A new INSS publication describes Israel-Palestinian relations with the backdrop of the two intifadas. Notably, the author concludes the following: “One essential condition to settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the willingness of both the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships to accept ideological, political, and territorial compromise. A second essential condition is the acceptance by both the […]
For those in and around Providence, Rhode Island, the Avon Cinema will host a Palestinian Film Festival April 9-15. The event will include films from approximately the last 5 years, including original works as well as documentaries.
President Barack Obama intends on visiting Israel this summer to meet with members of the new Israeli government along with officials of the Palestinian Authority. The announcement comes as Obama reiterated his support for a two state solution in a speech before the Turkish Parliament yesterday. According to reports, he does not oppose the inclusion […]
MANSEHRA: Three female workers and a driver of a USAID-funded Project Rise International were killed by unidentified gunmen here at Kund Bangla area on Monday. Local people suspect the involvement of militants in the occurrence which took place in the jurisdiction of Shinkiari police station. The incident took place at around 4.30 p.m near a […]
ISLAMABAD: The government decided on Monday to formulate an integrated national security policy to curb terrorism and extremism. The decision was taken at a meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, after a thorough review the security situation, the increase in incidents of terrorism, especially suicide attacks in Punjab. The meeting was […]
Is Stalin being rehabilitated in Putin’s Russia? That’s the fashionable question being asked by the middle-brow press and fanned by such big name historians as Simon Sebag Montefiore and Orlando Figes. A few days ago, even the BBC’s Laurie Taylor jumped aboard and invited Mikhail Ryklin, “one of Russia’s most significant intellectuals” now living in […]