Just when the situation in Zimbabwe seems to have reached depths that defy absurdity a new story crosses the transom that baffles the imagination. The latest piece of bemusement comes with the tale of the arrest of three white men on charges of training terrorists with the goal of overhtrowing Robert Mugabe. The three did in fact have […]
In The Washington Post Chris Beyrer and Frank Donoghue illustrate the ways in which the cholera epidemic is merely a small (albeit visible and alarming) component of Zimbabwe's health crisis. And they blame Robert Mugabe for this spiraling crisis. Reductionist? Perhaps. Inaccurate? Not in any meaningful way.
Blog readers (this one specifically and readers of blogs more broadly) have probably noticed FP's slew of new weblogs. (There are many – read the full list here). One, Shadow Government, features a group of conservative thinkers, and their collective bios are full of phrases like “the McCain-Palin 2008 campaign” and “the 200something National Security […]
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan , Pakistan fired its national security adviser amid tensions with India over the Mumbai attacks, a sign of strain on the weak civilian administration as it responds to growing pressure to track down and punish the alleged masterminds. Mahmood Ali Durrani, a former ambassador to the U.S. and seen by critics as too […]
WASHINGTON — The biggest foreign-policy challenge awaiting President-elect Barack Obama isn't Iraq or Afghanistan but Pakistan, President George W. Bush's national-security adviser said. In an interview previewing a valedictory speech he plans to give on Wednesday, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said Pakistan's increasingly turbulent border region poses threats not just to the U.S. mission […]
Best wishes for 2009 and apologies for the long absence! I’m back, reading up copiously and will return to pressing Russia topics, including the gas crisis, within days! Meanwhile, take a look at these amazing Soviet holiday cards…
In the early 90s, I used to listen to a Radiohead song called "Electioneering" from their groundbreaking album, OK Computer. The song bitterly bemoans the UK/US electoral process and vote getting tactics by politicians and parties. Though the song brilliantly and rather accurately portrays some of the unfortunate truths of our electoral system, it is […]
For a number of years, Mexico was at the forefront of political science research and teaching in Latin America. Jose Antonio Aguilar Rivera, a Professor at CIDE in Mexico City, argues that this is no longer the case. In an article in Nexos, an influential magazine, Professor Aguilar presents a clear and powerful argument that […]
Between the holidays, lots of travel, and general end-of-old-year, beginning-of-new activities I have not been able to devote much-deserved time to the coup in Guinea. This allAfrica article assesses the regional political ramifications that Guinea's forced regime change has wrought.
QUETTA, Pakistan: The gory practice of forcing alleged criminals to walk on burning coal to prove their innocence is frivolously disowned by many in Balochistan, yet it regularly draws hundreds of tribal spectators. The illegal phenomenon continues unchecked with increasing likelihood of the practice spreading to other parts of the country's least literate province. Charbeli, […]
Robert Mugabe has taken a month-long leave, part of which he will spend outside of Zimbabwe. To say the least, Mugabe's plans raise a slew of questions. Are there any ramifications for this trip? Is this merely Mugabe's solipsism coming to the fore? Is the old despot suffering from ill health? Is it even remotely […]
The opposition candidate, John Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), appears to have won a slim margin of victory in Ghana's runoff election held last week. Both optimistic and pessimistic observers now hope that the results hold up and that no violence springs up in the wake of the final tally. Place me in […]
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