In his first speech as Russia's new president, Dimitri Medvedev pledged to use his tenure in office to protect and expand economic and civil freedom in the country. But amid the pomp and circumstance surrounding his May 7, 2008, inauguration in the Kremlin's opulent Saint Andrew's Hall, observers are raising questions about whether Medvedev's new […]
Wolfgang Ischinger, the designated head of the Munich Security Conference, former German Ambassador to the US currently serving as his country's top diplomat in the UK, has published an article in the Financial Times arguing that now – not after the US elections – is the time to forge stronger transatlantic ties. A rare opportunity […]
In March 1st 2008, Colombian armed forces destroyed a camp of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Ecuador. Raul Reyes, a FARC's top commander, died in what is considered the "biggest blow" to the guerrilla group so far. The Colombian armed forces also killed 4 Mexican students and injured another one. The incident […]
The government got bold (thus far only in press statements) and declared Hizballah's communication network as illegal. Go figure! Second in command, Sheikh Naim Kassem warned them. “Hezbollah will deal with those who interfere with the network as if they were Israeli spies, and they will face a ferocious resistance.” Aha! So the elected government […]
Anyone who has traveled in South Africa and talked politics with people has heard something along this lines: This country is just like Rhodesia, and under black rule we’re going to turn into Zimbabwe. This sort of “When We” alarmism, equal parts racist tripe and romanticized fatuousness is also common among expats around the world […]
In a welcome op-ed piece in the Mail & Guardian William Gumede calls for Africa to be more “hard-nosed” with regard to China. Gumede uses China's attempted (and truly unjustifiable) attempt to ship arms to Zimbabwe as a springboard to express larger concerns about the role China might want to play across the continent.
Anyone who has traveled in South Africa and talked politics with people has heard something along this lines: This country is just like Rhodesia, and under black rule we’re going to turn into Zimbabwe. This sort of “When We” alarmism, equal parts racist tripe and romanticized fatuousness is also common among expats around the world […]
Is Kenya starting to heal? Thousands of Kenyans displaced by the post-election violence are beginning to return home, which is a sign that people are moderately confident that resuming their lives is safe, or at least safer than it was in the wake of the disputed election. The Kenya situation embodies what may well prove […]
Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia gave his ‘The Year Ahead in South and Central Asia‘ news conference a little late this year. Boucher spoke on many topics, which I will break down below, and overall he stated that there's a ‘new sense of momentum and a new sense of energy’ in […]
After General Petraeus’ meeting at 10 Downing Street with Defense Secretary Des Browne and Sir Jock Stirrup (defense chief of staff), the general agreement was that the 4,000 strong British troop contingent would remain stationed outside of Basra for the time being. When asked about a specific time range the General replied, “The answer right […]
“The containers near the airport must be removed, the Iranian ambassador in Lebanon must be expelled from Beirut and Iranian planes must be banned from landing in Lebanon,” Jumblatt said. A report that landed on Jumblatt's desk said that Hizballah is keeping under surveillance the airport. This is yesterday's news. The airport […]
Times are certainly strange in South African politics in a post-Polokwane world. After all, where else could a non-violent, indeed, from a constitutional vantage point rather smooth, inter-party leadership transition lead to what is effectively a lame-duck political status for many of those in power across the country at the national, provincial, and local levels? […]
Recent revelations that Nelson Mandela is still on the United States’ terrorist watch list (a list he never belonged on in the first place) does not exactly inspire confidence in America's handling of its foreign policy, its approach to terrorism, or its grasp of African policy, does it? [Crossposted at dcat.]
Or: Hamas Rocket Attacks Deter Israeli Humanitarian Mission Or: Israel Content to Let Gaza Fall Apart Or: Hamas Willing to Sacrifice Own People In War Against Israel So it goes when wading into the Israeli/Palestinian debate. The facts are that an Israeli convoy delivering fuel and other supplies was attacked by rocket fire and turned […]
In the latest developments in Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF, which now admits to losing to Morgan Tsvangirai, albeit in a plurality that forced a runoff, may delay the next round of voting for a year. During that time, of course, Robert Mugabe will remain entrenched in office and will use the interregnum to consolidate his rule. By […]