On April 10th 2008, opposition legislators closed the podiums in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. This action effectively forced the remaining members of Congress to take legislative action elsewhere and prevented a fast track approval of a key energy reform that affects the most precious natural resource in Mexico: oil. Between 2001 […]
Writing from this month's annual conference of the World Affairs Council of Northern California, Foreign Policy Blogger Mark Dillen examines, through the comments of conference participants, Russia's political transition, European energy security, and US-European relations. Part II examines the transition of power from President Vladimir Putin to his successor, Dimitri Medvedev. Read the article here.
According to a the head of a South African contingent of regional election observers, the presidential election run-off in Zimbabwe cannot take place given the current and threatened levels of violence. How convenient for President Robert Mugabe, for whom violence and the threat of its usage has always been a useful political tool. Such a […]
This week nine nominees for ambassadorial posts to Africa stood before the United States Senate's Foreign Relations Committee. AllAfrica has the details on the nominees and their backgrounds. The posts to be filled include posts to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ghana, Liberia, Togo, Malawi, Zambia, Cape Verde, and Botswana.
Recent shakeups at the South African Broadcasting Corporation have revived what seem to have become perpetual controversies over perceived government encroachments on the SABC's independence and pressure to adhere to a party line. Perhaps the question should be what role the government should play in the media at all. After all, every government tries to […]
Lebanon's stagnant and maddening political quagmire is quickly becoming a hot war that threatens to send this beautiful and violence-racked country reeling back into the dark days of the civil war. Days of Hezbollah protests and roadblocks are leading to increased confrontation. Here is the New York Times’ lead. The decision by the Lebanese government […]
Is this the beginning of the end for Hizballah? It may very well be so if the army splits and the clashes go beyond Beirut. While Hizballah threatens the government, a group of Lebanese lobbyists are in the United States asking the UN to put Lebanon under Chapter VII. If and when that happens, Hizballah […]
Gunfire erupted in Lebanon following a statement by Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. CNN reporters trapped with Lebanese forces filed breifings Thursday from downtown Beirut. The Lebanese army was pinned down by gunfire between rival Shiite and Sunni groups. Reports from the Green Line separating Sunni and Shiite communities suggest the Lebanese army, largely known for […]
Hizballah says Beirut government declares war Thu May 8, 2008 11:00am EDT By Nadim Ladki BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah said on Thursday the U.S.-supported Beirut government had declared war by targeting its communications network. Hezbollah launched a new street campaign on Wednesday, piling pressure on the government after it declared […]
Transcript provided in English by Now Lebanon and in Arabic by Al Manar. [Emphasis mine] Nasrallah: The government must know that it has led Lebanon into a dangerous situation. I will speak of many issues as they are. Nasrallah: The first topic is the communication network, then the issue of airport security, Chief Shoukair and […]
Officials closed the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut Thursday morning as Hizballah supported demonstrators blocked the entrance with burning tires and mounds of earth. Riots and gunbattles erupted for the second straight day amid labor protests and opposition to electoral laws ushering former military commander Michel Suleiman to the presidency. Former President Emile Lahoud […]
Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, received Europe's most prestigious honor on May 1: the international Charlemagne Prize. Previous winners include US President Bill Clinton, former EU Commission President Jacques Delors, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and Europe's “Mr. Foreign Policy,” Javier Solana. None other than French President Nicolas Sarkozy delivered the laudatory address – an interesting […]
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