Paroxysms of township violence always set off alarms. Sometimes the clashes are the result of ethnic or xenophobic backlash. At other times they mark a political statement, as with the recent protests at Standerton, 90 miles or so Southeast of Johannesburg in Mpumalanga. Often such alarming events represent the various fissures in South Africa’s socio-economic […]
This afternoon I watched the half hour preview of PBS Frontline’s ‘Obama’s War’ and it was riveting. The small portion shown focuses on a group of Marines attempting to protect a village of civilians in Helmand Province. Their amazing efforts are awe inspiring to me. My only problem with PBS’s job is the name. The […]
Last week as the world buzzed with discussions about whether President Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Price or not, a grave human rights injustice was taking place in Iran. Three protesters arrested for demonstrating against the disputed June reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been given the death penalty. The Amnesty International has a press […]
Why is there so much commotion about the attack on the GHQ in Pakistan? Come on, please; did we not know that the Taliban are a threat to everything Pakistan? Regretfully, there is still support for the Taliban in the country. I was watching Ijaz-Ul-Haq, son of Zia, one of the worst dictators in Pakistan’s […]
The War on Terror marks challenging times for Pakistan. With this weeks military incursion into northern areas to combat terrorism, increasing drone attacks, suicide bombings and a crippled economy, cooperation in our war on terror looks increasingly domestic for Pakistan.
Last week The Mail & Guardian published a lengthy article from the respected South African scholar Hermann Giliomee defending Afrikaans-medium instruction at Stellenbosch University. From the concluding paragraphs: The university has made no real progress on transformation and has left the coloured Afrikaans-speaking community in the lurch. It runs the risk of alienating both its […]
The controversial Goldstone report on the Gaza War has ripple effects within Palestinian society, with some groups condemning Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for not taking a tougher, hard-line stance on condemning Israel for the findings in the report. Ghassan Khatib writes in his latest piece about the weight of the report within Palestinian society. […]
Here layeth a great group of Afghan-related works that you should check out: Scott Shane of the New York Times does a quick, yet informative profile of Taliban leader Mullah Omar. Unfortunately, he’s as influential as ever. Staying with the New York Times, Jame Traub has one of the better pieces analyzing Afghanistan’s future and […]
My last blog examined the public opinion in Iran, looking at how the Iranians felt about their nuclear program and their perception about the United States. Continuing with the theme of deciphering public opinion, this blog will examine the American public’s viewpoint. The Pew Center for the People and the Press has released a survey […]
Pakistans mlitary headquarters are attacked by militants in October 2009, at the heels of a sweeping offensive against terrorists in South Waziristan. This also comes as the Kerry-Lugar bill/Enhanced Partnership Act of Pakistan is hotly debated in Pakistan. There are concerns that the bill invades sovereignty, will fail as a result of corruption and undermines the military. Senator Kerry dispels those myths in a report published by his office last week and Zainab Jeewanjee elucidates the situation on both ends.
While Turkey and Armenia seem to be mending their relationship, a growing rift is still developing between Turkey and Israel, largely over disagreements on the Gaza War earlier this year. The Turkish government ousted Israel from participating in an international joint military exercise scheduled to include the air forces of Turkey, Israel, the United States, […]
According to History Channel lore, the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012. Indeed the Long Count calendar, one of several used by the Maya, reaches the end of a 394-year cycle, known as a Baktun, at about that time. The Long Count calendar begins in 3114 BCE; hence, 2012 AD will mark the end […]
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