The Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barack announced that The government of Lebanon would be a “target” in case the situation on the ground deteriorated. Few hours later former Prime Minister of Israel Tsivi Livni announced “Iran is as much of a threat to Arabs as it is to Israel”. I wonder what scientific poll did […]
The images below require no introduction nor explanation. They do require that we ensure that within our lifetime we are able to look upon these images as we do when we gaze upon the work of Lewis Hine and Jacob Riis. We must ensure that this lived experience no longer attaches to any young […]
In May 2008 South African President Thabo Mbeki commissioned four retired South African generals to visit Zimbabwe and report back on the violence that swallowed parts of the country in the wake of that country’s March 2008 presidential elections. The South African History Archive and the Southern African Centre for the Survivors of Torture now […]
Is Nelson Mandela perhaps more disengaged from contemporary South African politics than most of us realize? Madiba is 91 years old, and so obviously is enjoying his sunset years. But if Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is to be believed (I know, I know — consider the source) Mandela is pretty disconnected from the current state of the […]
As you know, I am skeptical of Omar al-Bashir’s assertion that he would willingly allow southern Sudan to secede. Recent news about political repression in Sudan helps to explain why. Sudan’s security forces, recently granted even more powers to harass the enemies of the state (and that seems to be their main purpose), have been […]
India celebrates its 60th Republic Day today. It is to this day in 1950 that the Indian Constitution came into force after its independence from Britain in August 1947. The Republic Day celebrations are an opportunity to display the nation’s cultural diversity, military might and other achievements to its people and the world through a […]
On March 7, 2010 Iraq will hold parliamentary elections. One of the main issues on the campaign trail is just how close Iraq’s ties to Iran should be. The candidates are divided along nationalist and pro-Iranian lines, with nationalists raising concerns about becoming a puppet state of Iran. The situation was highlighted by the standoff […]
Two of Iran’s opposition leaders, Mohammed Khatami and Mehdi Karroubi, have apparently dropped their demand for a new presidential election, saying that while they still believe the vote in June was fraudulent, they accept Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the head of state. Mehdi Karroubi is a former presidential candidate, who has been very vocal in his […]
Willy Lam has a piece in the new Jamestown Foundation China Brief breaking down Beijing’s most recent signaling on its Tibet strategy. New policies for the restive region, announced by Xinhua following a January 8 Politburo session devoted to the question of how to pursue “breakthrough-style economic development and long-term stability” in Tibet, essentially amount […]
Zainab Jeewanjee addresses the idea that President Obama is “changing tones” on foreign policy. An article in DAWN news suggests he is not living up to expectations on his foreign policy to Pakistan. Jeewanjee explains that he however is. Hawkishness on his part was promised from the onset of his campaign trail.
Disappointment over the Islamic Republic’s intransigence in its nuclear policy has given further credence to Western suspicions that Iran may be buying time to develop a nuclear military capability to blackmail regional states of the Persian Gulf and/or Israel. But at present, Iran’s deeply paranoid and insecure leadership is contemplating its other nuclear option: this […]
There was a rush of rioting today in the garment factory district of Dhaka earlier this morning. Following an unfortunate accident where a garment factory worker was run over by a speeding bus, factory workers were reported to have torched 15 vehicles, while vandalizing 50 other vehicles. Over 200 riot policemen responded to the […]
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