Conjecture is rife in the aftermath of Mexico’s decriminalization program. Much of it concerns the reaction of the drug cartels. Will they be undercut by legalization? Will they redouble efforts to expand drug use in Mexico? Will prices decrease? Will Mexico’s new focus on treatment, as opposed to punishment, work? Answers to some of these […]
As tension between Iraq and Syria grows, it looks like Iran is stepping in to play the mediator role between the two neighbors. The already poor relationship between Iraq and Syria deteriorated further in the aftermath of August 19th suicide attacks in Baghdad that left 100 people dead. Iraq has accused Syria of sheltering the […]
In Russia we have a saying: “Dwell in the past, and you’ll lose one eye; forget the past and you will lose both eyes”. Amidst all the recent recriminations between Russia, Eastern Europe and the West thrown up by the anniversary of the start of WWII, there’s certainly no danger of anyone going blind. Yet […]
Here is a deluge of tidbits to catapult you into your weekend. If you are reading this from the United States, have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Eat a hot dog and drink beer while wallowing in college football and baseball pennant races. (If you are in South Africa, have some boerewors, keep the beer, […]
If you’re for an Israeli freeze on settlements, there is some good and bad news for you (and if you’re opposed to a freeze, just swap the two headings). The good news: Some reports indicate that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu intends to initiate a settlement freeze in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem construction. The […]
Today and tomorrow (September 4 and 5) there will be a series of marches in Venezuela, Colombia and throughout the world based on the theme of “No More Chávez”. El Universal, one of the independent newspapers in the Venezuelan capital, has a short blurb here. Two weeks ago a march against the new education reform […]
It’s hard to believe how much Afghanistan is dominating (with health care reform a close second) the American media landscape. The Afghan presidential election results, and all of the fraud claims surrounding them, are constantly changing, leaks from Gen. McChrystal’s ‘secret’ Afghan war strategy review are popping up everywhere, and poll results and calls from […]
The Danish Defense Intelligence Agency (Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste) released an intelligence risk assessment on September 1 warning of possible diplomatic conflicts in the Arctic arising due to disputes over territory and resources. The assessment can be found on the FE’s website here (in Danish). Page 20 is devoted to the Arctic. The FE’s main conclusion in […]
For the first time in the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic, the Iranian cabinet will have a female minister. Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi won the approval from the Parliament to become the health minister. She was one of 18 nominations for President Ahmadinejad’s new cabinet to be approved. Two other women were among three rejected […]
– Malaysia is often sited as an example for the wider Muslim world of how a moderate pluralistic democracy can be compatible with Islam. An article in Forbes explores how moderate Malaysia actually is. First, the article recants the common outsiders view of Malaysia: …the Southeast Asian nation boasted the world’s tallest building, the iconic […]
The Iranian government supplied the terrorist group Hezbollah with chemical weapons and weapons of mass destruction protective gear, according to officials quoted in a Kuwaiti daily today. Hezbollah reportedly stored the chemical weapons in a warehouse that exploded in mid July, killing eight terrorists. The terror group refused to grant Lebanese military and UN workers access to […]
Another day, another attack, welcome to contemporary Pakistan. It seems that Pakistan is transforming from a dangerous country to a lawless jungle with every passing day. Be it a terrorist attack, bomb explosion or target killing across the country, the challenge of taking control over Pakistan’s security remains an unfulfilled dream. Now, this almost successful […]
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