These are trying, heady times in Afghanistan. We are nearly on the eve of the nation’s second presidential election since the overthrow of the Taliban and much is at stake. The Afghan government has ordered a halt to reports of violence, the Taliban have made sure there has been violence to report, and the candidates […]
In starting a new blog on Venezuela perhaps the first question that comes to mind is: why should those of us drawn to international relations dedicate attention to this country? Perhaps known immediately for an often boisterous president, importance in global oil production, and its array of international beauty queens, Venezuela also holds much more […]
We usually only post once a day here at the Human Rights Blog, which means we can only cover so many human rights stories. But to keep you informed, here are some of the other stories that came across my desk this past week. Niger: For the People, By the people . . . Niger’s […]
By Klara Moradkhan Imagine having a strong desire to help others, and finally getting the opportunity to do so in the country you take pride in and love. Then imagine that same country suddenly imprisoning you, taking you away from your family, your friends and your humanitarian work. This happened to my dear cousin and […]
Rashid, a highly touted Pakistani journalist, begins the final chapter of his 2000 ‘Taliban’ by calling the country one of world’s ‘orphaned conflict’s’. The country would quickly change from being orphaned to a month after 9/11 being the center of global politics, as the United States uprooted the Taliban government and sent them packing, unfortunately […]
US Defense (or is it War) Secretary Robert Gates spoke candidly about the war in Afghanistan to group of reporters yesterday aboard an Air Force plane. Gates, who has gone from a seemingly short, holdover type term to one filled with significance, warned that unless “a perceptible shift in momentum” occurs with the Obama administration’s […]
OPEC reported a rise in output despite a pledge from the organization’s member to reduce production to meet quotas agreed to in December. Five members (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Nigeria and Angola) increased production over the past month by a total of 180,000 bbls/day, although Saudi Arabia remains within its quota of roughly 8 mln […]
Two items of note: Weak Opposition to Karzai, So Far… The Afghan Election Commission started excepting nominations for presidential and provincial offices for the upcoming August elections and one thing seems clear, incumbent President Hamid Karzai appears to have a strong chance at retaining his position. No other major candidate has so far put in […]
Jon Lee Anderson is a staff writer for The New Yorker and author of the “The Fall of Baghdad” and “The Lion’s Grave: Dispatches from Afghanistan”. Anderson is an accomplished journalist who has reported on Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran extensively. His most recent work for The New Yorker is entitled Can Iran Change?. I had […]
In the past few months, there have been three very high-profile cases of journalists being captured, imprisoned, and accused of espionage. They include two Americans who are now trapped in North Korea, and one Iranian-American who is being held in a notorious Iranian prison. Roxana Saberi has been charged with espionage by the Iranian government. […]
With a ‘hello‘ between US Envoy Richard Holbrooke and an Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister garnering the most media attention, the International Conference on Afghanistan was underway at The Hague in Netherlands. This major conference features a geopolitical who’s who of actors influenced by the conflict, including representatives from Pakistan, Iran (wow, I didn’t know they […]
Last night I led my local Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decision discussion group on the Afghanistan/Pakistan conflict. My presentation largely stemmed from FPA’s Great Decision article written by Afghan expert and US government consultant on Afghanistan, Barnett R. Rubin, and an accompanying video debating the key issues of the conflict. I strongly recommend getting the […]
Iran is in the news, this of course is no surprise, but what is worth noting is that it involves US-Iranian cooperation in Afghanistan. After the fall the Taliban, which involved US-Iran partnering up in small, but significant ways, there has not been a healthy or productive relationship between the states regarding the stability and […]
My colleague David Kampf in his posting today, draws our attention to the current Economic Cooperation Organization summit in Tehran in which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicts the collapse of capitalism. Scary, right? It is another firebrand speech from an energetic leader of a rising regional power with a productive nuclear program and a lot […]
The SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) has grown in prominence during the past several years as a regional counterweight to NATO. Comprised of China, Russia, and 4 of the “Stans” (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan), the SCO was formed in 1996 with the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions. The organization […]