The European External Action Service matters; the foreign policy instrument of the Union is active and well alive. Despite severe criticism of the head of the EEAS, HR Catherine Ashton, she has become a key international player. For instance, she is the sole international leader to have visited Mohammed Morsi of Egypt, held prisoner by […]
Nothing seems to be safe in Egypt these days. Political opponents of the military leadership are the chief targets for the attacks, attacks that include live fire from security forces. They are not alone: The seething rampages have spread to Christian churches, the media, foreigners, those held in custody, and even to the corpses waiting […]
Paraguay has long been one of the poorest, least developed and most isolated countries in Latin America, dating back from when the country gained independence from Spain in 1811. The landlocked nation is expected to grow by 10 percent this year – due in large part to soy and beef exports – but nearly a […]
Renewed military tensions in the disputed Kashmir region are once again underscoring how even localized incidents there can subvert important diplomatic initiatives between India and Pakistan. Skirmishes this past January put the brakes on the détente process that picked up steam last year. The current round of fighting has led to a rising chorus in India demanding […]
Claims by families of workers who simply went to other countries to lay brick, and ended up executed or sentenced to hang like pre-French revolutionary rogues are not stories from past times and past societies. In many cases, the people legally licensed to protect society with limited powers to execute their duties go beyond their […]
Credit: Wikimedia Commons Ramy Peter and Yazan Amin,* both Egyptian, spent five weeks in America over the summer on a program called the Study of the U.S. Institute on Religious Pluralism and Democracy (based in Philadelphia), where they studied religious pluralism, democracy and dialogue. They have been back in Egypt since late July. Peter, 22, […]
BANGKOK — Pictured above is Thailand’s “Democracy Monument,” an ironic name for a memorial in a country which has had ten coup d’états since it abolished the absolute monarchy in 1932. Indeed, it was only three years ago when blood and brains were spilled at this very sight which became the center of massive anti-government […]
On August 8, the Chinese cargo ship Yong Sheng set sail from Dalian, a port city in northeastern China. The Hong Kong-flagged vessel, owned by Chinese state-owned company Cosco Group, is bound for Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, with its cargo of steel and heavy equipment. But unlike most ships from Asia headed for Europe, Yong […]
photo by Getty Images Beijing’s recent actions to extend its naval presence in the South and East China Sea, coupled with a perceived reluctance to solve territorial claims, is seriously undermining security among its neighbors, especially in the Philippines. Last year, in the waters Manila refers to as the West Philippine Sea, China’s occupied the […]
After many years and a lot of prodding from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the Israelis and the Palestinians will be resuming peace talks. Both sides are moving forward reluctantly, and with little optimism toward a successful outcome. Abbas had initially demanded an official settlement freeze before coming to the table, something that Netanyahu […]
The European Coal and Steel Community, the antecedent to today’s European Union (EU), was founded in 1951 to stabilize Europe upon Germany’s resurgence. Skip forward to 2013, and the keys to the EU’s future are in German hands. Over the past 62 years, “Ever Closer Union” became the EU’s “E Pluribus Unum.” The “bicycle theory” […]
This documentary focuses on the pitfalls of groupthink in modern Russia. It shows a young woman, Masha Drokova, who skyrocketed to the top of a pro-Putin group called Nashi, a political youth organization. She was the group’s spokesperson and was a firm believer in Putin’s rule. That is, until she met some opposition journalists. What Putin’s Kiss […]
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