It’s not getting very much publicity in the English language Israeli media, but Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sat through hours and hours of questioning in his involvement (and likely leadership role) in a corruption scandal (see the English Google translate version here). When Olmert served as mayor, city officials allegedly received hundreds of millions (and […]
Robert Nolan guest blogging from Strasbourg Dear Congress. The European Parliament would like your attention. And they’d like you to visit too. I say take them up on it. Strasbourg is a lovely city. Just ask Joe Biden or even President Obama, who have both visited here over the past year. Yes, I know you’ve […]
Over the past year, the Obama administration has repeatedly answered criticism of its lack of progress on Cuba with the excuse that Havana has not responded in kind to any overtures Washington has tried to make (it has the distinct feel of the classic “he started it” argument). In fact, recent statements by top officials […]
Yet again, Al Jazeera English has produced a piece on Bangladesh’s society that other international media outlets surely know about but have done little to highlight. The issue is child prostitution in Bangladesh, compounded by new reports that young girls are being coerced to ingest animal steroids in order to attract customers at a higher […]
Sometimes, identifying, deciphering and tracking US foreign policy for a particular issue can be exercise in complexity, if not futility. For example, what is the US position on the best way to resolve the Western Sahara conflict, arguably one of the biggest hurdles to progress and stability in North Africa? Well, in an interview last […]
Many who follow or work in international affairs would hesitate to call themselves “North Africanists.” But I bet you’d be surprised that you probably are. North Africa, also referred to as the Maghreb (which literally means “the west” in Arabic), has long been a crossroads between civilizations. From the extensive economic partnerships and deep […]
Realizing full well the impact of remittance payments on the overall Bangladeshi economy, the sitting government has announced that it would rein in the ways and means of sending payments back home through back, underground channels. In a complementary move, the cabinet announced a new Expatriate Welfare bank that would provide loans to workers who wish […]
China recently announced that it had reached an agreement with Pakistan for the construction of two new nuclear reactors there. These reactors would be built at the Chasma site already designated for Chasma III and IV. The first two reactors were built by China after a 1985 agreement with Pakistan regarding the same. The setting […]
As tension mounts in the Korean peninsula in the wake of the Cheonan incident, it is worth taking stock of the various diplomatic options on the table. It is too early to predict what kind of pressure will be applied to the rogue regime for its belligerency this time around, but, importantly, a chorus of […]
In this piece William Sweet maintains that Iran is pursuing both technological routes to an atomic bomb, on the model of the Manhattan Project and that the West is in a position to adopt tougher unilateral sanctions, under the UN flag.
Officials from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) have stated that they expect charges to be filed in the Hariri murder case between September and December of this year. Former Prime Minister Rafik Hairri was assassinated in 2005 by a massive explosion as his motorcade drove through the streets of Beirut. The STL was established […]
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