We’ve been seeing a lot of activity in the past few months in the House of Representatives on climate and energy – see a number of blog items here on the Waxman-Markey bill. The Senate hasn’t been idle, certainly, but they’ve been flying a bit below the radar. Senator Boxer, chair of the Environment & […]
The European Union plans to announce today that it sees possible disruptions for its gas supplies from Russia via Ukraine, a liklihood we identified earlier this year. What’s worse, Gazprom is now demanding $230 in debt payments from Belarus, another key gas transit route to western Europe. The payments from Belarus may stem from a […]
I’ve been watching the election protests in Iran (see the dramatic video from BBC News below) and like many of you, I’m alarmed at how events have unfolded. The disputed election presents the U.S. with something of a challenge, Obama knows he will have to deal with whoever is eventually declared the winner, so like […]
A rise in homophobia appears to be spreading throughout the world. Some twenty years ago the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders. But since then, the crimes perpetuated against homosexuals has continued. While the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights reaffirmed that all individuals have equal rights […]
Sadjadpour: We have to get inside the head of Ayatollah Khamenei…his world view is very clear. When you’re under siege, never compromise. Because if you compromise it’s going to project weakness. If he orders a mayor clampdown, I think we may start to see fissures within the regime’s shock troops. […]
Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted for an amendment, as part of a comprehensive energy bill, which would give the Secretary of the Interior Department flexibility in suspending mandatory royalty payments to companies for the production of oil and gas. The incentives, originally part of the 2005 Energy Bill, allow oil companies […]
It seems all the news is buzzing about it. BRIC is suddenly real. Its first-ever summit, coinciding with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Yekaterinburg (see my last post) has launched the 4-nation bloc onto the world stage and has elevated the acronym BRIC into the realm of common diplomatic parlance. Some news sources are […]
This extraordinary documentary-like film covers all bases when dealing with a massacre that occurred in Iraq in 2005. The movie shows how United States marines handle a roadside bombing that kills one and injures two others. It is based on a true story. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/RPhhMh1p-Hc” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] The film portrays those who plant […]
Today, 16th June, is the International Day of the African Child, honored worldwide since 1991, the day is set in which to celebrate the life of an African child. The day was founded in remembrance of the massacres of the innocent children and adults who participated in the June 16th Soweto Uprising, in South Africa […]
The airline industry has an awful lot at stake in the debate about how to address the specter of climate change. I’ve written a few times about what they’re doing, here and here for instance, and in a magazine article I wrote on sustainability at the airports. Emissions caps seen costing airlines $7 billion a […]
The first Economic Summit meeting of the so-called BRIC group of Emerging Market nations — Brazil, Russia, India and China — and it is intended to underscore the rising economic, political and military might of these four major developing countries and their rising chorus demanding a greater voice in global matters.
My colleague David Kampf pointed out that the BRIC leaders are meeting tomorrow in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Before the BRIC meeting, however, an equally important and significant meeting took place today in the same location. The six heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) met for a small summit. The summit will continue tomorrow […]
As you no doubt know, the latest round of UNFCCC negotiations concluded in Bonn last week. UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer seemed generally pleased. The representatives had, for the first time, a negotiating text with which to work. It was delivered on schedule and that in itself was a significant achievement. The AP reported […]
As the slots get filled for new U.S. ambassadors, I have to modify my earlier praise: too many sensitive overseas posts are being given to Obama fundraisers. For every Carlos Pascual (veteran envoy now assigned to Mexico), there now appear to be several David Jacobsons (Illinois lawyer and Obama-Biden fundraiser set to go to Canada). […]
What does the Ahmadinejad victory in the Iranian election mean for U.S. diplomatic efforts to engage Iran? According to this analysis from Mark Fitzpatrick, Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, it means efforts will be complicated with long-term prospects looking rather grim: I’m surprised at the regime’s audacity in declaring […]