Both houses of Nigeria’s National Assembly have passed a motion asking that Umaru Yar’Adua hand temporary power to his deputy President, Goodluck Jonathan. Yar’Adua has been out of the country (and by most accounts out of contact) since November and speculation has run the gamut as to just how sick he is. He has been […]
Brazil’s success in diplomacy, international commerce, and becoming a world player have been in part dependent on President Lula’s success during his administration. Now, with an election coming up this year, there is a possibility that the tides will change and Brazil may change its course with new leadership. José Serra, the governor of São […]
As I mentioned in my previous post, Iran has made a significant announcement regarding its nuclear program. Iran’s ambassador delivered a letter to the IAEA announcing Iran’s plans to begin enriching Iran’s stockpile of uranium to 20%. This is significant because once Iran can enrich Uranium to 20%, the required 90% enrichment threshold for weapon- […]
Some good stuff to stuff your brains with! Troops, Troops, and Less Troops – To supplement the 30,000 American soldiers headed to Afghanistan this year in President Obama’s Afghan plan, it was expected approximately 10,000 other NATO troops would also follow suit. Unsurprisingly, this is turning out to be difficult to accomplish. Germany has ponied […]
The Iran issue is coming to a head. On the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian Supreme Leader announced his country would deliver a “punch” to the world that would stun world powers. It is a matter of time before knowing what exactly he is referring to, and this message comes hours following an […]
The media in Bangladesh is awash in ink reporting on the highest level U.S government delegation to Bangladesh. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Judith McHale congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s attempt to reaffirm the rule of law and pluralist democracy in Bangladesh and asserted that, going forward, Bangladesh would be amongst the […]
I opened my email today to find, once again, a thoughtful and thought-provoking piece of commentary from PacNet, the newsletter maintained by the Center for Strategic and International Studies’s Pacific Center in Hawaii. Since signing up a year ago I have consistently enjoyed fresh looks on political affairs in the Asia-Pacific and have often found […]
After years of decisions and appeals before the World Trade Organization, Brazil is preparing to levy sanctions on U.S. imports and intellectual property rights because of illegal export subsidies provided by the U.S. government to domestic cotton producers. Brazil initially brought the case before the WTO to demonstrate the harmful impact of such subsidies upon […]
I was traveling all weekend without internet access and I will be gone for much of this week and am not certain if I’ll have internet while I am away. As a result, a relatively commentary-free links dump: Texas in Africa is tired of folks in the media asserting that the crises in the Democratic […]
For those of you following Iran’s nuclear developments, a major story developed over the weekend. President Ahmanidejad announced that Iran will begin enriching its sizable stock piles of uranium, ostensibly for use in medical products and technology. The uranium will be developed to 20% purity, which is easily convertible into nuclear weapons. Please see full […]
What if the Security Council fails to impose any sanctions against Iran? Will the Obama administration goes for the adventure of the 21st century and takes a unilateral action against Iran? Few experts have voiced their concerns and the scenarios that could unfold after such a military action. With all parties involved in the war […]
Ramiro Valdes, a Cuban revolutionary closely tied to Fidel Castro for decades, is now working with the Venezuelan government in Caracas. Valdes currently serves as Cuba’s Minister in communications and information. The Venezuelan opposition is incensed, pointing out Valdes’ previous role as Interior Minister in Cuba, where he was in charge of surveillance and accused […]
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