Regions

Lesotho stands on the brink of serious political crisis. The tiny mountain kingdom never really moved forward after the country’s deeply controversial elections in 2007. A recent assassination attempt on Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili in which armed gunmen invaded Mosisili’s home only to be confronted with state soldiers who killed four f the invaders indicates […]

The Los Angeles Times has reported a significant change in US-Pakistani usage of drone attacks inside Pakistan territory, and that is that both sides have agreed on a framework to work together. US and Pakistani military officials both anonymously acknowledged that they had joined forces in using US Predator drones to attack Al Qaeda and […]

The Nigerian film industry, which has taken on the derivative nickname of “Nollywood,” has just passed the United States and now ranks second only to India’s Bollywood in terms of number of films produced per year. I am not even going to begin to pretend that I had any idea about nigeria’s cinematic accomplishments.

President Barack Obama signed a proclamation declaring May the official Jewish American Heritage Month. To celebrate, I think I’ll go watch a Woody Allen movie. Notably, the White House release states: “Among the greatest contributions of the Jewish American community, however, is the example they have set for all Americans. They have demonstrated that Americans […]

Pakistan is not big a country and therefore, when one part is affected, the entire country feels the pressure. Now, after the operation against the Taliban in Swat, millions of people have migrated from the area and this exodus has created a tremendous humanitarian challenge for Pakistan. Not only is the country responsible for housing […]

In an interview with Middle East Progress, former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy discusses the threat of Iran obtaining a nuclear device and states that Israel should not interfere with the new administration’s approach towards the rogue state. According to Halevi, Iran merely seeks regional influence and the only manner in which Iran can extend the […]

The Pope’s visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories was marred by both sides of the ideological spectrum. After speaking at Israel’s holocaust museum Yad VaShem, many Israelis, including the speaker of the Knesset, lambasted the Pope for failing to show remorse over the six million Jews that were killed. Instead, the critics claim that […]

I apologize for my recent absence as I was getting married. Speaking of marriage, while I was gone US President Barack Obama deepened his ties to the conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Obama administration held another trilateral meeting with Afghan’s Karzai and Pakistan’s Zardari in DC, defended the US military’s use of airstrikes in […]

A new INSS article discusses Israel’s precarious posture between allying itself with the United States and the country’s refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. The article stems from a recent comment made by Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller urging every nation, including Israel, to sign the NPT. Israel refuses to sign the treaty, insisting […]

Zimbabwe’s unity government has reached the hundred days mark. This is a landmark of sorts, I suppose, albeit a rather artificial one. We live in an age of instant punditry, but my best interpretation of the plight of Zimbabwe is to reserve judgment. Governments are not based on increments of a hundred days (I think […]

Bank lending slowed down in April China in April tightened its previously loose monetary policy in an effort to curb fears of new asset bubbles. State bank lending fell from a record RMB 1,891 billion in March to RMB 591.8 billion ($85.2 billion). Last month’s lending, however, was still well above the monthly levels of […]

Like its fellow resident the polar bear, the little furry seal has been at the center of international disputes in recent weeks. There are three species of seal in the Arctic: the harp seal, the ringed seal,and the bearded seal. The harp seal is white and fuzzy when it is a baby, and this is […]