As demonstrations continue in the Arab world, the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric is emerging. What began as demonstrations based on anger against the government is transforming into calls for war on Israel, demonstrations against the West and attacks on Jews. While radical Islamists did not launch these demonstrations, radicals are most certainly using the opportunity […]
Overall, observing today’s India evokes an alternating mixture of despair and heady optimism. At the face of it, her problems seem insurmountable and yet, incredibly, her citizens are rushing forward with a glint in their eye that suggests that they know where they want to be – and they’ll figure out a way to get there.
Burma’s first elected parliament in half a century convened in its new compound in Naypyitaw today. It was not met with any enthusiasm by the Burmese people, however, who viewed the November 7 elections as a charade and do not expect any change under the new government. Unfortunately, this lack of optimism is justified since […]
The demonstrations in Egypt began as a referendum on the poor economic conditions and have slowly morphed into calls for democratization, but the underlying sentiments of the Egyptian people and strong support for the radical Muslim Brotherhood continue to shine through the rhetoric. In several news articles today, Israel and the United States were injected […]
The recent official state visit to Washington, DC, by China’s President Hu Jintao, was as boring and as uneventful as all the experts expected to be but hoped it would not. President Obama pulled out the red carpet for President Hu, with all the majesty and fanfare that the Chinese leader ‘deserves:’ two dinners at […]
Short-term measures will not address the roots of India’s food crisis. Long in the making, the real problems extend far beyond a spike in spot prices caused by variable weather and their resolution will require much more than changes in the Cabinet lineup.
The Times has published a good piece on Grameen Bank founder Md. Yunus growing troubles. Columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote a piece some weeks ago on Grameen and, perhaps, due to his own work on women’s capabilities, he might have spread the word that this is a good story to follow. The Times piece does a […]
As the Egyptians continue demonstrating against the government of President Hosni Mubarak, there have been three outcomes posited, although only one of those results would be advantageous for security in the Middle East and Israel’s future. The pro-democracy movement takes hold: the protests began as an economic referendum on the Mubarak government, with pro-democracy activists now leveraging […]
Tunisia was easy. Small country, educated middle-class and a weak Islamist element. For many European heads of state, the toppling of Ben-Ali was irksome (his ties to the continent ran deep — trained at Saint-Cyr, ambassador to Poland), but manageable. Other than the French foreign minister’s disturbing offer to provide the government security support, the […]
On 26th January 1950, India will be an independent country. What would happen to her independence?…What perturbs me greatly is the fact that not only India has once before lost her independence, but she lost it by the infidelity and treachery of some of her own people….This anxiety is deepened by the realisation of the […]
I admire the patience and perseverance of the Iraqi people, but I must wonder how long until they join their fellow Arabs in Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia to say “Kifaya!”
Probably to my discredit I have not had much to say about events in Tunisia and Egypt. Part of the reason for this is that my own work, with scant exceptions, involves sub-Saharan Africa and in part because with things happening so quickly I wanted to have something worth saying. With regard to Tunisia I […]
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