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Lula’s Take on the BRICs
June 19, 2009 2 min. read

In an op-ed published in papers in Brazil, Russia, India and China, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva argued that the BRIC Summit demonstrated a “commitment to help provide fresh answers to old problems and to offer bold leadership in the face of inertia and indecision.” “BRIC is more than just a grouping of […]

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Obama on Iran: Good Analysis; Poor Judgment?
June 19, 2009 2 min. read

I applaud his hands-off approach, really quite unique for an American president, ensuring that conservatives in Iran have the least possible evidence of American interference in Iran’s affairs as possible. Yet the president should be careful in holding forth on foreign policy analytics, as he is not some snarky blogger seeking to impress readers, but rather the President of the United States…[…]

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Karim Sadjadpour on Iran…
June 17, 2009 4 min. read

Sadjadpour: We have to get inside the head of Ayatollah Khamenei…his world view is very clear. When you’re under siege, never compromise. Because if you compromise it’s going to project weakness. If he orders a mayor clampdown, I think we may start to see fissures within the regime’s shock troops. […]

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BRIC BRIC BRIC BRIC BRIC BRIC BRIC
June 17, 2009 3 min. read

It seems all the news is buzzing about it.  BRIC is suddenly real.  Its first-ever summit, coinciding with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Yekaterinburg (see my last post) has launched the 4-nation bloc onto the world stage and has elevated the acronym BRIC into the realm of common diplomatic parlance.  Some news sources are […]

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Russia welcomes the SCO before BRIC
June 16, 2009 3 min. read

My colleague David Kampf pointed out that the BRIC leaders are meeting tomorrow in Yekaterinburg, Russia.   Before the BRIC meeting, however, an equally important and significant meeting took place today in the same location.  The six heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) met for a small summit.  The summit will continue tomorrow […]

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Netanyahu Speech: Coarse but Airs Israel’s Point of View
June 15, 2009 5 min. read

Netanyahu basically said in his speech, Here is our position; now come to us. He has adopted the Arab strategy: stake out a hard line and let others begin concessions. Netanyahu has stood up to Barack Obama, maybe not the last foreign leader to do so. […]

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BRIC by BRIC
June 15, 2009 2 min. read

The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China will meet this Tuesday in Yekaterinburg, Russia for the first official BRIC summit. The emerging markets are looking for greater global clout. During the gathering, the BRIC leaders are set to discuss the economic downturn, possible reforms for international financial institutions and long-term options for a new […]

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Does the Election in Iran Matter?
June 14, 2009 8 min. read

Iran is ruled by a small group of clerics, desperate to stay in power. They have opened enough avenues of expression to channel social pressures. This give-and-take can become a game of chicken that the authoritarians in the end ultimately lose. […]

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Money vs. Human Rights
June 14, 2009 2 min. read

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was criticized by some members of the human rights community when she said that pressing China on human rights “can’t interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis.” Clinton made her comments in February before arriving in China to foster warmer ties […]

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Extremist Tolerance?
June 13, 2009 2 min. read

Christopher Hitchens, on Slate.com, has written a piece on Guantanamo Bay and the current Presidential policies that has made me re-consider my understanding of tolerance (at least for a time). After much consideration, though, I have to say that this Hitchens article is not very compelling. He basically argues that the Guantanamo Bay Prison Camps […]

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Singh Praises
June 12, 2009 1 min. read

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has an ambitious 100-day plan. Jason Overdorf and Sudip Mazumdar detail Singh’s bold domestic agenda in the current issue of Newsweek International. The “surprisingly decisive victory” for the Congress Party and Singh in last month’s election has raised expectations for India to realize its potential. While the leaders still face […]

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Rating Agencies: Are Status-quo Powers’ AAA Ratings Vulnerable?
June 11, 2009 6 min. read

The U.S. and its allies in Europe are undergoing exactly what Paul Kennedy warned against over twenty years ago in his book, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. Sovereign financial solvency is the foundation on which military and political power can be projected, and this foundation crumbles when governments ignore deteriorating finances. Governments today must act quickly to cut deficits, once signs of a durable recovery are clear.

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