One of the more bizarre chapters in recent Nigerian history has come to a close with the passing of President Umaru Yar’Adua. Discerning Yar’Adua’s status had in recent months become the Africanist equivalent of Moscow-watchers trying to glean from the most modest clues the health of Soviet Premieres in the first half of the 1980s. […]
Israel has managed to maintain a policy of nuclear ambiguity for decades, refusing to comment on whether it has a nuclear arsenal. It is widely believed that Israel has a couple hundred nuclear warheads, likely scattered throughout the country and ready to launch in the event Israel is threatened with annihilation. Granted, other countries — […]
All signs indicate that Nelson Mandela really has slowed to the point where it seems fair to ask about the state of his health. In recent days it was announced that Mandela almost certainly will not attend the World Cup, an event I always assumed that he would go to the ends of the Earth […]
By Richard Basas (Latin America blog) Last month I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate and ask questions of Brazil’s Minister of Planning, Budget and Management, Mr. Paulo Bernardo. The discussion was an overview for foreign investors, economic experts and journalists on the second phase of Brazil’s national Growth Acceleration Program (PAC 2), […]
The Scud missile scandal of two weeks ago has turned into the M600 scandal of today. Does Israel really believe these accusations? Is Syria really smuggling these weapons to Hizballah? And if so, what does it mean for the future of the Levant? While the prospect of Hizballah actually obtaining Scuds is discussed here, these […]
Copyright and Property of Faheem Haider A man, Zakir Hossain has died and 100 others have been injured in a skirmish between the Awami League and the BNP. Members of the Awami League allegedly attacked BNP activists along the way to a BNP rally. The AL has already passed on the blame for the […]
Looks like Hugo Chavez’s fabled sense of smell has finally deserted him. How else to explain the Venezuelan leader’s puzzling decision to take lessons in socialist town planning from Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov. True, Luzhkov can boast of his victorious controversial Gen Plan, a 15 year development blueprint for Moscow, which was passed today (using […]
Thursday will decide the future of British politics, with not only a change from a Labour Government and the final reckoning of the political career of current Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the aftershock of years of Tony Blair, but also the birth of a consistent three party system within the world’s oldest Parliamentary Democracy. […]
Thailand: PM Abhisit Vejjajiva gave a nationally televised speech, on Monday, offering a “reconciliation plan” to the entrenched Red Shirt opposition protesters (United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD)). The proposal would include calling for new parliamentary elections on November 14, 2010. This has come , “not a moment too soon”, as there were […]
Texas in Africa is spending the week addressing the difference between good advocacy and “badvocacy” when it comes to Africa. Today’s post is a keeper. The money part: Africa is not ours to save. It is the height of arrogance to assume otherwise. That said, there’s a big difference: between saving someone and empowering her. […]
The United States has renewed sanctions against Syria after considering sending an ambassador to Damascus and taking steps to normalize relations. The reasons cited for this move is Syrian intransigence in her ties with Iran, her snub of the recent Arab summits on international security, and the sale of SCUD missiles to Hezbollah. Please read […]
The 16th Summit was Bhutan’s first opportunity to host a SAARC Summit. The Summit was attended by eight Heads of States from South Asia on April 28-29. The theme of the Summit was to promote a ‘Green and Happy South Asia’. Following are some important decisions highlighted in the Summit Declaration. The leaders sought to […]
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