In what would be a boon to the Russian economy, BP Chief Executive Tony Hayway announced that his company is interested in drilling for oil and gas in the Russian Arctic. BP is already one of the largest foreign investors in Russia, while operations there account for 20% of BP’s worldwide oil and gas production. […]
The Awami League led government is responding to the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami’s ringing claims that the joint agreements recent signed by Bangladeshi and Indian leaders are detrimental to Bangladesh’s national interests. The Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni declared that the joint communiqué signed by the leaders of Bangladesh and India “would be a public document […]
It read’s like a spy novel and plays out like an episode of 24. A new article from DEBKAfile outlines the fate of a secret stash of gossip compiled by former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Realizing the impact that closeted skeletons can play in international affairs, Arafat ordered aides to uncover secrets on international officials […]
Please forgive my unalloyed cynicism, but is there anyone who believes Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir when he says that Sudan would accept a decision to secede on the part of the country’s southerners? Does Bashir even believe it?
Angola has changed its Constitution, and in so doing has transformed the way by which the country will choose its president. The country will no longer hold direct elections for president, instead giving the presidency to the leader of the parliamentary party with the most seats. In theory this is not, as critics claim, anti-democratic. […]
The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is all-but stalled one year into the Obama Administration, exposing frustrations from all relevant parties, including high-ranking White House officials. And those officials include, yes, President Barack Obama himself who declared somewhat of a mea culpa regarding non-existent negotiations. In a recent interview with Time magazine, Obama expressed frustration on the […]
The Lebanese government recently issued a policy statement that declared Hizballah’s arms to be a legitimate part of the country’s defenses. In 2006, Hizballah managed to repel an attack from Israel, albeit one that the Party itself had incited. Still, many Lebanese view Israel as the biggest external threat to their safety and national security, […]
The Islamic Solidarity Games, which were to be held in Iran in April, have been called off because the countries could not agree on what to call the Persian Gulf. The Iranian organizers used the words “Persian Gulf” on the planned logo and medals, angering the Arab countries who call it Arabian Gulf. This debate […]
The Asia-Pacific Journal has a very interesting piece out reviewing rumors that China and Japan may strengthen ties in a dramatic fashion later this year. According to Le Figaro, the article says, China had proposed that Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio begin the process by going to Nanjing, where a mass killing of Chinese civilians […]
Both Israeli and Turkish diplomats probably have headaches from the year-long tiff between the two countries, which began shortly following Operation Cast Lead and reached an apex earlier this month with Israeli Foreign Ministry officials insulting -and subsequently apologizing to- Turkish officials. The upside- if you have vacation time from work, check Turkey out. Israeli tourism […]
Former Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon will be Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s new National Security Advisor (NSA). The current NSA, M K Narayanan will step down after five years in office, and take over as the Governor of the state of West Bengal. The new appointment comes at a time when the Home Minister, P […]
The Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States and Japan, what many perceive to be the cornerstone document of the US-Japan Alliance, was inked on January 19, 1960 – exactly 50 years ago, yesterday. This anniversary comes at time when some analysts, both American and Japanese, point to the modern nadir of […]
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