Vice President-elect Joseph Biden stopped over in Afghanistan the day before yesterday, right after a visit in Pakistan with Prime Minister Gilani and just before he was due to stop in Iraq. Biden did not just stop in Kabul, but actually spent his time in Afghanistan's south, mainly in Kandahar, where the insurgent presence has […]
American President-elect Barack Obama met with Mexican President Felipe Calderon in Washington on Monday. More detailed analysis to follow, but see coverage here. Significantly, the BBC points out that this will be “Mr Obama's first [meeting] with a foreign leader since his election in November”. Although high-profile issues of the global financial crisis and wars […]
The Guinean coup has caused the countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to worry about the ripple effects of instability in that country. Thus the heads of state of ECOWAS member states were to hold an extraordinary meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, today. This will mark the first regional crisis that Ghana's new President John […]
From the little island nation of Cape Verde comes a potentially innovative possibility for addressing water shortages. The solution? Converting fog into potable water.
Much has been made of the political aspects of the Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute. However, a thoughtful scholarly paper at the Council on Foreign Relations offers an alternative explanaiton: Moscow…has resorted to bullying, blackmailing and otherwise interfering in the sovereignty of its neighbours. In some cases, the motive is simply money: Ukraine owes Russia nearly […]
In recent weeks South Africa's newly established African National Congress dissident party, the Congress of the People (COPE), has dominated the political discussion and thus in many meaningful ways has won the news cycle. The ANC has consistently fought back, but have consistently appeared to be reacting to COPE rather than actively controlling the agenda. This appears to be […]
who knows? Maybe Ohio and Michigan will start getting remittances from workers in the Gulf as well. … of course that is a joke. Indyk's piece raises some important points about the many levels on which the issues driving Middle East politics need to be addressed.
“Hamas has not started the war to liberate either Jerusalem or the Palestinian lands. This round of the conflict, as others before it, is bigger than Hamas and the goal it so passionately pursues, that of eliminating Israel.” “The battle is part of the intra-regional broader conflict linked with what appears to be a perpetual, […]
It is easy to identify the worst of Somalia's seemingly innumerable problems. The country embodies the concept of the failed state. Much harder is identifying viable solutions. One possibility — and the one that may well gain the most traction and ultimately lead to hope for some sort of resolution — is the dissolution of Somalia, a […]
Yesterday, I was able to attend a lecture and Q & A by Professor William Wood from Point Loma Nazarene University hosted by the World Affairs Council of San Diego. Wood is a Central Asian regional expert who has done much research throughout the region, including during the period just before the CA states gained […]
Not really. However, this is not Mexico's fault. Mexico just happened to be elected into one of the most ineffective international institutions of the 20th Century: the UN Security Council. Many could argue that the Security Council is great at investigating, recommending, formulating, determining, calling, and exercising a number of functions. Unfortunately, the Security Council […]
Michael Young: Tiptoeing around death in South Lebanon Elie Fawaz: Who and why now? Tony Badran: Assad,Jalili, PFLP-GC, and the Rockets from Lebanon NOW Lebanon: Hamas rejects UNSCR 1860, says it does not suit Palestinians Manuela Paraipan: Is this Leadership? Khaled Abu Toameh: Hamas: Abbas no longer heads PA NOW Lebanon: Eddé says holding Arab […]
Samuel Huntington, political scientist and author of the influential and controversial book/Foreign Affairs article Clash of Civilizations, died on Christmas Eve 2008. Many thoughtful obituaries in major news outlets recognize his accomplishments and contributions, including the Economist, the Associated Press, the UK's Independent and the UAE's National.
Casualties since the ground offensive are up to 765 Palestinians and 14 Israelis, so the UN has drafted a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, after intense lobbying by Arab states. The Los Angeles Times has two articles, each carefully including one Jewish-sounding name and one Muslim-sounding name in the bylines, on the media coverage […]