It took NATO 46 years and eight months before it intervened with military force to protect innocent civilians from harm and manage a conflict on its periphery. Can we truly expect the Arab League to move any quicker in dealing with problems in its neighborhood? Probably not. When NATO finally heeded the call from those […]
S&P finally downgraded France’s credit rating several weeks ago, along with a few other EU Member States. The decision could undeniably cost Sarkozy the reelection in May 2012; many believe Sarkozy is solely responsible for the downgrade. But May 2012 is still far away from a political standpoint. Since his election in 2007, Sarkozy has […]
Anniversaries are dangerous days and dangerous moments. There is often a lot of celebrating, a flash of attention and then the sun goes down and life goes on as before. We properly celebrate an accomplishment from the past without real thought or determination on how to preserve and build on the celebrated triumph. So now […]
If a country’s government is democratic and classically liberal, men and women are generally treated as equals. However, if men and women are treated equally, does this mean a government is democratic? No. Example: Tunisia. Under Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, women were, broadly speaking, given equal treatment. They were entitled to receive […]
Next month (October 23rd) the people of Tunisia will vote to elect a Constituent Assembly, with the primary task of drafting a new constitution! The National Constituent Assembly (NCA) will be composed of 218 members, and will have to draft a new constitution for Tunisia within a year. Furthermore, the NCS will also elect from […]
President Obama’s speech on Thursday was designed to introduce a symbolic redefinition of American policy in the Middle East. Assuring his international audience that an ever-changing world demands continued leadership, his words ushered in a new chapter of American diplomacy.
Penelope Chester wrote a post today that I highly recommend on the double standards increasingly demonstrated by European countries, especially France. One clear example is when it comes to issues of immigration. On the recent call by France and Italy to revise the Schengen Agreement that allows people to cross the borders of member states […]
Continuing on its quest to cover all of the world’s top 40 languages and 99 percent of its Internet users, Google has finally launched Iraq.
India has an inclination for strengthening democracy as opposed to spreading it. With the recent flurry of popular protests in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and other countries of the Middle East it looks like balancing support for democracy with strategic national interests has emerged as the central theme for contemporary global relations. The United States while expressing […]
![[Jasmine] Revolution Interrupted, Hoax, or Trap](https://foreignpolicyblogs.com/wp-content/cache/thumb/f8/ffeb8a0e8e96ff8_305x206.jpg)
This is a follow-up to Nasos’ earlier post on China’s response to the Egyptian Lotus Revolution. As has already been discussed, China used it’s elaborate 30-50,000 man strong internet shield, known as the Golden Shield (金盾工程: jīndùn gōngchéng) to censor references to the recent social upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa from the […]
Once a year, as mandated by the Constitution, the President of the United States gives an address to Congress updating them on the state of the union. Over time, much ceremony and tradition has been attached to the State of the Union and every year it is broadcast on television, radio, and internet with […]
Cairo protests (credit: twitpic/shefaa) A second day of protests swept across Egypt today. Inspired partly by a popular revolution in Tunisia, thousands of people took to the streets in Cairo, Suez, and other cities, in defiance of government threats. As many as twenty thousand gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. According to reports, four people have […]
TUNIS Jan 26 (Reuters) – Tunisia has dissolved an agency which acted as an effective censor of foreign media during the rule of ousted president Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali, a cabinet minister said on Wednesday. The External Communications Agency will be replaced by an independent body that will help coordinate with foreign media but will […]
The latest democratic movement taking place in Tunisia has already cost the presidency to long timer Mr. Ben Ali, but now is exemplifying the limit of EU power and influence in times of crisis. Following Mr. Ben Ali’s departure caused by massive strikes and civil unrests against his power and regime, the EU and other […]
What a difference a few days make. Since writing my post on the demonstrations in Tunisia on Wednesday, President Ben Ali went from claiming that only terrorists and fanatics were protesting to announcing that he would not run for re-election when his current term expires in 2014. He also assured the population that […]