The current issue of Foreign Affairs contains a timely article on Mexico’s plight by Council on Foreign Relations scholar Shannon O’Neil. “The Real Risk in Mexico” explores the dual trends of drug-related violence and democratic development. Over the past decade Mexico has been beset by drug-related violence. Concurrently, Mexico ended 70 years of one-party rule […]
The images coming out of Iran -protests against the disputed presidential election and the brutal crackdown by the government forces- show the intensity and fervor with which Iranians are pursuing more freedom and democracy. These images also provide an important insight on the role Iranian women are playing. I thought this article published in the […]
Quick links, with commentary as apropos, on stories that have caught my eye today: Even as tensions in the Niger Delta have abated (for the time being) things have exploded in the northeast as police have clashed with members of an Islamist fundamentalist sect, leaving scores dead and more injured. Now the Nigerian military has […]
There are very, very few realms of this world in which South Africa can pull a power play on England. But global rugby might be one of those realms. The International Rugby Board is set to award the 2015 Rugby World Cup to England, but South Africa (and Italy, which has considerably less pull) are […]
Mac Maharaj had a nice tribute to the work of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Mandela Day, and of course the great man himself that he published in South Africa’s Times newspaper and that the Nelson Mandela Foundation republished.
Comparing a topographical map of Palestine in the early 1900s to a modern Google Map of Israel, one striking differences juts out. No, not the separation fence (wall, hedge, whatever you want to call it). The Dead Sea is shrinking at an alarming rate primarily due to over-mining from both Jordanian and Israeli companies. Even […]
One of the greatest challenges facing the United States, its NATO allies, and the Afghan government is how to handle what is sure to be a rising prison population. The US/NATO troop surge has been followed by more aggressive efforts to take back Taliban-dominated areas and these missions have inevitably led to an increase in […]
Current news on the group with which perpetrators of last years Mumbai atrocities are linked, are connected to Pakistan. While news outlets report on Lashkar-E-Taibba’s, it is important to that these connections are viewed within the context of a history of U.S. Pakistan relations, and Pakistan’s current commitment to fighting terrorism. Some reporting on the issue of Lashkar-E-Taibba lacks this comprehensive discussion on Pakistan by overlooking the costs and immediate interest Islamabad has in uprooting terrorism.
The first Fatah conference in 25 years may cause significant tensions between the Palestinian Authority, Israel, the United States, and Egypt, according to a news report. Next week’s conference is expected to boost the legitimacy of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but recent hurdles may torpedo the event while taking Abbas and the peace process with it. […]
I have to admit I have been a little taken back by the latest developments in the Iranian politics. I thought that the power struggle brewing between President Ahmadinejad and the hard-line politicians was now over with Mr. Mashaii’s resignation from the position of first Vice President. I was wrong. Ahmadinejad has now appointed Mashaii […]
At the recent ASEAN Regional Forum in Thailand, U.S. Secretary of State Clinton, before the the 25 nations present, officially confirmed a substantial shift in U.S. foreign policy when she stated: ‘On behalf of our country and the Obama administration, I want to send a very clear message that the United States is back, that we […]
The president of Kyrgyzstan, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, earned 85 percent of the vote, winning the July 23rd election, which came as no surprise to anyone, whether the Kyrgyz population or any of the major powers. His opponent, SDP leader Almazbek Atambayev, ran a weak campaign that few expected to succeed. It is hard to write this […]
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