WASHINGTON: The Obama administration may triple development aid to Pakistan while also boosting military assistance to secure more help in fighting the insurgency in Afghanistan, a US official said on Friday. The official, who spoke on condition that he not be named because President Barack Obama has yet to unveil his fresh strategy on Afghanistan, […]
Could the end of the brutal and capricious invasions of white-owned farms in Zimbabwe be nigh? It appears that the new coalition government is set to end the farm invasions and restore the rule of law in what can stand as nothing if not a direct refutation of Robert Mugabe’s policies of the last decade. Score […]
Alright, I’m pretty sure I’ve got you confused already by the title. Let me explain. Much has been leaked that the upcoming Obama policy plan for Afghanistan will take a ‘minimalist‘ approach to the crucial, yet troubling security situation in South Asia. In other words, Obama may downplay talk and attempts to create a democratic […]
China ready to ease tension with the U.S. China is ready to ease the military standoff with the United States in the South China Sea, according to Chinese military officials. The defense sources assured that there were no plans for an increase in Chinese military presence in the disputed region. China and the U.S. both […]
More than most countries, Lebanon exists at a perpetual crossroads. Crisis and conflict seem to wait around every corner. Powerful foreign entities weigh in with their own agendas, sometimes with guns, sometimes with money, and sometimes with both. At the time of this writing, less than three months before the parliamentary elections, the country is […]
No one in Pakistan will support the reported plans in Washington to extend American drone attacks from the Tribal Areas to the already disturbed province of Balochistan. The Foreign Office in Islamabad has dismissed the news about the broadening of attacks published in the New York Times as speculation, and the Frontier Corps commander in […]
Even though the possibility of the return of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit lost significant momentum this week, some Egyptian sources indicate that a deal may still be possible before PM Ehud Olmert leaves office. His term may last longer than expected, seeing that Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu intends to request additional time to form […]
Good news for both states as building begins for a railroad to carry non-lethal NATO supplies through Russia to Afghanistan. Radio Liberty reports that “The cost of building the 146-kilometer link is estimated at $131 million.” Let’s hope the building continues at a reasonable pace and leads to development on both sides of the border. Tajikistan’s […]
Last night I led my local Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decision discussion group on the Afghanistan/Pakistan conflict. My presentation largely stemmed from FPA’s Great Decision article written by Afghan expert and US government consultant on Afghanistan, Barnett R. Rubin, and an accompanying video debating the key issues of the conflict. I strongly recommend getting the […]
It must be a bit of a mystery (if not a source of annoyance) for most European leaders to see President Obama, the leader of the most powerful nation on earth devoting much of his last Tuesday to one of the smallest countries in Europe – one that is not even a military ally of […]
Yuan rises to highest level this year Together with other major Asian currencies the Chinese yuan strengthened against the US dollar. The yuan hit its strongest level this year, easing concerns that China would depreciate its currency to help a struggling export sector. China’s central bank continues to be trapped between calls for a stronger […]
… of thinking about Iraq, Reidar Vissar argues for a. continued international and U.S. attention to the security and political development of the country, even as focus shifts to Afghanistan, b. a disaggregation of Sunni/Shia issues from Arab/Kurd issues, thus taking the idea of three-chunk partition off the table, and c. constitutional reform, hopefully with […]
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