At a time of tremendous sensitivity where many of its activities are receiving global attention, China's investment actions are no exception. The China Investment Corporation (CIC) is China's firm, which manages its foreign exchange reserves. A sovereign wealth fund, the CIC was established in 2007 in response to enormous state losses, resulting from the rising Yuan and the plummeting […]
Sorry for the silence! Been away celebrating Russia's Independence Day…from itself. (It is true: 12 June marked the secession of the Russian republic from the USSR. Not only is the occasion modishly Freudian, but it's also simply a matter of justice: the US has an independence day, and so is Russia to be left without […]
Here in the United States, the world's largest and in many ways most dynamic economy, everyday we open the morning papers lately just to see one more sign that our economy is in trouble; credit crisis, stimulus packages, unemployment, gas/oil prices, food prices, a movie in New York City costs $12.00! America is not alone […]
Though not all votes are counted and official results are not expected until later this afternoon, Ireland's Europe Minister is already conceding defeat in his country's referendum on the EU Reform Treaty. Though the margin is narrow, it seems that the ‘No’ victory (at 52% vs. a predicted 48% ‘Yes’ vote) is clear. It is […]
President Sarkozy rewards President Assad for… I’d like to say decent behavior towards Lebanon, but that can't be it. Assad did everything in his power to create havoc in the country, directly and through his allies, yet he receives praises. France invited President Bashar al-Assad to attend its national holiday celebrations next month after a […]
The biggest news story at the beginning of the week involving Iraq is that of Iraqi-Iranian talks over the weekend. BBC reported that Nuri al-Maliki (Iraqi PM) discussed security issues with Iranian President, Ahmadinejad. This included Iraqi desire to stop Iranian backing for Iraqi Shi’a groups and Iran's concern over Iraq's constant chaos. Also on […]
Prime Minister Olmert suggested holding peace talks with Lebanon, now that the negotiations with Damascus are out in the open. The Lebanese government immediately released a statement rejecting the call. There are pending bilateral issues between Lebanon and Israel which are governed by international resolutions which Israel must respect… and which cannot be the object […]
This Thursday morning in Beijing, China and Taiwan came to the table for talks to mutually build confidence despite more than a decade of tense and untrusting exchanges. The last formal talks to take place between Beijing and Taipei occurred in 1999. Facilitating this dialogue was Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation and its Mainland Chinese counterpart. […]
There is a nervous anticipation in the air in Brussels. Today is the day that might undo the fragile compromise negotiated by Angela Merkel during Germany's Presidency of the European Union. Eyes grew wider with anguish when the Irish Times reported earlier in the week that the ‘No’ camp had overtaken the pro-Lisbon Treaty faction in the […]
The negotiations over the government seats continues. "Efforts are being made to find a solution to [General Michel] Aoun's insistence on handling a sovereign ministry, the Finance Ministry," the source said. The source also said that Aoun has agreed to a proposal giving him the right to name someone to him as general director of […]
Today corn prices hit an all-time high of $7 a bushel. How does this affect Mexico, which gave the world its native maize after European contact? The answer is two-fold: 1) this represents a hardship for the majority of Mexicans while 2) higher prices present an opportunity for large agricultural exports. As a staple crop […]
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has declared that because of the fragile and violent conditions in Zimbabwe the time is “not at all” right to hold the run-off elections. Erstwhile challenger Simba Makoni has similarly argued that because a free and fair election cannot be held, the runoff must be canceled. And yet that violence that […]
Popular from Press
