The latest twist in the drama that is Venezuelan presidential politics concerns the highly contentious election of last Sunday, April 14. In an election called for by the constitution following the death of sitting President Hugo Chavez, the country faced a choice between Chavez’s hand-picked successor Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski, whom […]
An Istanbul Court found Fazıl Say (pronounced as Sai), an internationally-renowned Turkish pianist and composer, guilty over “insulting religious values” over messages Say posted in his Twitter last year. Condemned by European Union, Amnesty International, PEN and others, Say’s case came to a rather disturbing finale with the court sentencing him to a ten-month suspended […]
Last month, I discussed Japan’s designation of Masuo Nishibayashi as Arctic Ambassador — the second Asian country to create such a position. While Japan joins Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Russia and Singapore as countries with Arctic ambassadors or equivalent positions, the United States still does not have a similar role. Canada once had an Ambassador […]
The results of the April 14 presidential election in Venezuela were polemic but not surprising. The real test comes in the days ahead and the degree to which the opposition demands a recount. Despite mental preparation for an electoral battle, the news of defeat was still met with despair by Venezuelans supporting opposition candidate Henrique […]
Asia really does matter for America, and the East-West Center initiative Asia Matters for America / America Matters for Asia has the empirical data showing it. However, this initiative goes beyond just data, it is designed to be a credible resource for information, graphics, analysis and news on U.S.-Asia Pacific relations at the national, state and […]
Haleh Esfandiari on Iran’s Election Dyamics Haleh Esfandiari is the Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C. Dr. Esfandiari taught Persian language at Oxford University and, prior to coming to the Wilson Center, she taught Persian language, contemporary Persian literature, and courses on the women’s movement in Iran […]
This Is Not a Film, the 2011 documentary by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, recently and belatedly worked its way to the top of my Netflix queue. The film was smuggled out of Iran for submission to the 2011 Cannes Film Festival before Panahi’s six-year prison sentence and 20-year ban from filmmaking was upheld late that […]
The insufferable Thomas Friedman has been ranting in recent columns about how North Korea threatens to step over a “red line” in the country’s latest belligerence towards the West which would disrupt the world’s conflict-free period. The New York Times’ champion of neoliberalism explains: “Think about what a relative luxury we’ve enjoyed since the Great […]
On August 6, 1945, President Truman announced the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He said: It is an atomic bomb. It is a harnessing of the basic power of the universe. The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East. Before 1939, it was […]
A Surge in Energy – and Poll Points – for the Capriles’ Campaign. When the presidential campaign of opposition candidate Henrique Capriles began two weeks ago there were legitimate doubts about stamina, both his and that of his staff. They must be tired. One factor, however, may sway the vote when Capriles faces Acting President […]
The hacker collective Anonymous this week launched a massive cyber attack against thousands of Israeli webpages–including sites for the Prime Minister’s Office and the Holocaust memorial museum Yad Vashem. Despite the efforts of hackers around the world to deface Israeli websites and the social media accounts of the country’s citizens, the cyber onslaught was largely […]
There have been many movies made about Margaret Thatcher in recent years. Now that she has passed, here is a review of three of them. We start with “The Iron Lady” (2011), which stars Meryl Streep. Streep does a fantastic job of playing the former prime minister of the U.K. at the height of her power […]
Popular from Press
