Maybe not fully committed to the dollar? New doubts about China’s confidence in the U.S. dollar emerged yesterday as Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China, released a statement calling for a new international currency reserve to replace the greenback. Mr. Zhou pointed out the shortcomings of the current dollar-dominated financial system and […]
A peace agreement with pro-Taliban clerics has backfired in Pakistan. When a February peace deal between Pakistan’s government and pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Mohammed promised to reimpose sharia law in the country’s war-torn Swat Valley, world attention focused on the pact. Swat, once known as the “Switzerland of Pakistan,” had been consumed by a violent Taliban […]
Even though one Israel’s most powerful criticisms of Hamas during the latest Gaza Strip operation condemned the terror group for using human shields during the operation, thereby increasing the civilian death toll, it appears the Israeli military may have done the exact same. to add to the recent stir of alleged human rights violations, a […]
WASHINGTON: The Pakistani state could collapse within six months if immediate steps are not taken to remedy the situation, warned a top adviser to the US Central Command. David Kilcullen, who advises CENTCOM commander Gen. David H. Petraeus on the war on terror, urged US policy makers to focus their attention on Pakistan as […]
Haed al Ghwell, professor at the Dubai School of Government, argues that the financial crisis should force Dubai toward greater transparency in governance and operations, ultimately situating it for greater success in the future. If the government of the cosmopolitan emirate chooses to heighten its secrecy and under-the-table atmosphere as a response to the tough […]
A new lawyers’ movement may be needed to address the crisis created for the legal profession in Swat after the Tehreek-e Nifaz-e Shariat-e Muhammadi (TNSM) banned the lawyers from the qazi courts set up under the tutelage of its leader, Sufi Muhammad. He warned the lawyers and judges on March 17 to stay away from […]
WHO are the people prowling the streets of Lahore from dusk to dawn, depriving people of their cellphones, cash, vehicles — and shooting to kill if anyone resists? In the last two weeks, they have struck 450 times in the city; yet Lahore’s police remain completely clueless as to their identity and whereabouts. Tariq Malik […]
ISLAMABAD: A police constable was killed and four other people were injured in a suicide blast at the gate of police’s Special Branch headquarters near G-7 Markez on Monday. The boom resounded through a vast area, sparking panic in the city. It was the fist such attack in the federal capital in four months. Interior […]
In The Sunday Independent Siphamandla Zondi argues that while South Africans need a viable alternative to the African National Congress, the Democratic Alliance has fallen short where it has had ample opportunity. I believe that the problem with the DA is the fact that in the minds of too many South Africans the DA is […]
Is the lack of up-to-date statistics on crime in South Africa at least in part due to the ANC not wanting them released until after the election? This is the implication of a recent piece in the Cape Argus. The reason for the absence of new crime stats is probably more complicated — and less […]
On the 6th March 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the European Parliament. While welcoming her, the Institution’s President Hans-Gert Pöttering laid out the unique characteristics of the Parliament: We are the only democratically elected international institution. We bring together the elected representatives of nearly 500 million Europeans from over 150 national political parties […]
The University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies has posted a national video conference discussing Canadian policy in the Arctic. Presented by the Canadian International Council, the conference, entitled “Use It or Lose It: What’s Next for Canada’s Arctic Policy?”, brought together Canadian politicians, historians, and Arctic experts to discuss the future of the […]
Leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will meet next week. At the top of the agenda will be the development of an aid package for Zimbabwe and the possibility of imposing sanctions or taking other steps to address the crisis in Madagascar.
Add Trevor Manuel’s almost universally respected voice to the chorus of figures calling for an end to the west’s sanctions against Zimbabwe. Manuel worries that the time for the new coalition government to succeed is running short. “There is a fundamental set of issues that needs to be addressed.” Manuel argues, referring to the new […]
Michael Slackman of the NYT attempts to explain the phenomenon of Muammar Qaddafi, whose stock is only rising as Libya slowly works its way back into the good graces of the international community and uses its formidable cash reserves to forge relationships with private equity firms. At least we can look forward to more photos […]