I'll be the first one to admit that I tend to see most social phenomena through a political lens. Those of us who work on politics are akin to the guy with the hammer who looks at most problems and sees nothing but nails. That said, South Africans tend to be a politicized lot. Everything […]
I'll be the first one to admit that I tend to see most social phenomena through a political lens. Those of us who work on politics are akin to the guy with the hammer who looks at most problems and sees nothing but nails. That said, South Africans tend to be a politicized lot. Everything […]
Members of the Senate have declared that the Mexican Center for Research and National Security (CISEN) has been spying on them. According to some Senators, the executive branch, through the CISEN, has been gathering information about them without authorization. The Senators' outrage comes from three sources. First, information about them was collected without permission. Second, […]
My apologies for the silence here for the last week or so. Traveling in South Africa sometimes means not having the sort of internet access or opportunity to write as I might like. The last few days have taken me from Cape Town to Grahamstown and Rhodes University, one of my old homes. From there […]
The new government has 30 ministers from seven sects. The national unity government is a government for all of Lebanon, and is tasked with restoring confidence in the nation, which fortifies coexistence, the Lebanese people's faith in one another, justice and love, said Prime Minister Siniora in a speech after the official announcement of the […]
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has made his second visit to Central Asia, this time stopping by Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan for the second time. Gas was apparently the only thing on the diplomatic menu. Medvedev and his Gazprom officials are wary of European and Chinese influence and engagement in the region's energy resources, a sphere […]
After six weeks of internal wrangling, the Lebanese government Friday agreed to form a new government. Half of the 30 Cabinet posts will be awarded to the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora with about one-third, or 11, of the ministerial seats going to opposition parties supported by Lebanese Hizballah. The decision means Hizballah […]
The latest news this week is Iraq's demand for a withdrawal timetable from US officials. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Iraqi National Security Adviser, Muwaffak al-Rubaie, demanded the timetable, saying that Iraq is “impatiently waiting” for the withdrawal of US troops. This comes after Prime Minister al-Maliki's same request, and was “the strongest demand […]
Lebanese armed forces dispatched dozens of vehicles to the Bab al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen districts in Tripoli Thursday to enforce a cease-fire that killed four in recent gunbattles. Gunfire broke out late Wednesday and spilled over into the morning hours of Thursday as snipers killed at least two civilians of the Alawite community. Fighting had […]
The battle for power, and political influence which begets it, is as old as human civilization. Societies and States are not usually left wanting for people who want to be ‘in charge’ or 'take power.’ However, how this is done, as in the process of acquiring and maintaining political power, depends greatly from one location […]
Wednesday, July 9 brought an outreach session during July 7-9, facilitated by the Group of Eight (G8 ) Summit in Tokayo, Japan. The outreach session was convened at the Windsor Hotel, where the G8 leaders (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and US) invited leaders from key developing nations to weigh in on energy security and climate change. As […]
Today I have several stories to treat you to; some old, some new, some interesting, some bor…well you get the idea. Last March, Turkmen President Berdymukhamedov announced his country's second military doctrine. The change appears to be in accord with Turkmenistan's recent more open diplomatic and international posture, a strong departure from its recent isolationist […]
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