I love the lede to this piece on how South Africa’s politicians are trying to capture a bit of that Obama Magic in the run-up to April’s election.: Public name-calling, political turf wars and increasingly innovative ways to woo voters – that’s just some of the ingredients that define the run-up to Election ’09. While […]
Registan’s critique of scholarship on Islam in Central Asia got me thinking. The writer, Nathan, focuses on Soviet scholarship, but I am more familiar with Central Asia under tsarist rule. Either way, Nathan critiques the scholarship Islam in Central Asia because it typically starts from the postulate that Muslims are inherently violent fanatics. He is […]
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif is fanning provincialism in the country and only the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is an insignia of federation, Benazir Income Support Programme Chairwoman Farzana Raja said on Saturday. Talking to reporters, she said former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif had started Rs 2 roti scheme in the […]
WASHINGTON: The United States regards as many as 70 per cent of the insurgents operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s tribal areas as ‘reconcilable’ and the new US strategy for the region may reflect this, diplomatic sources in Washington told Dawn. On Friday, the Commander of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, and […]
WASHINGTON: Former president George W. Bush recast the US relationship with India, forging closer ties. Could President Barack Obama do the same for US policy towards its nuclear-armed rival Pakistan? Upon taking office January 20, Obama ordered a sweeping review of the US strategy for fighting the war in Afghanistan, and US military and diplomatic […]
WASHINGTON: Former president George W. Bush recast the US relationship with India, forging closer ties. Could President Barack Obama do the same for US policy towards its nuclear-armed rival Pakistan? Upon taking office January 20, Obama ordered a sweeping review of the US strategy for fighting the war in Afghanistan, and US military and diplomatic […]
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani is unlikely to launch a military takeover to end an ongoing political crisis threatening the one-year-old civilian government, according to the United States’ top military officer. ‘He is committed to a civilian government. He is committed to the democracy that’s there,’ Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs […]
So while many news outlets, including yours truly, made fun of Nazarbayev’s plan for a world currency, a Nobel-prize winner Professor Robert Mundell thinks it’s quite plausible. He was the architect of the euro and believes the idea could be expanded. I continue to seriously doubt it, Nobel prize or not. I see Nazarbayev’s remarks […]
After nearly a year of blogging for the FPA, I’m moving on to a new opportunity with the Political Database of the Americas at Georgetown University. I’d like to thank my co-blogger, Alejandro Quiroz Flores, for a great year of writing together as we’ve documented Mexico’s rise to the top of the headlines. Thank you […]
Nine NATO countries intend on attempting to thwart weapons shipments into the Gaza Strip through interceptions at sea, political pressure, and information sharing. While one diplomat stated that force would not be used, the program calls for possible boarding, searching, and seizing of naval vessels.
Just a couple of random thoughts on Zimbabwe: 1) It appears that the country is on the verge of getting a new independent newspaper after an absence of five years. This is, obviously, a good thing. 2) Although I agree with Tendai Biti, Zim’s Finance minister, that the country needs foreign investment, coming across as […]
NEW YORK: Overwhelmingly, Pakistanis are worried about the impact of extremism on their country and people, says a new survey conducted by PEW (IRI) global research. In 2008 72 per cent said they were concerned about Islamic extremism in their country, and over half — 54 per cent — said they were very concerned, the […]
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