If you’ve ever heard a State Department briefing, or briefing by any other foreign ministry, you probably don't think of foreign policy as an exercise in “straight talk.” Yet there was John McCain in Los Angeles the other day, driving his “Straight Talk Express” right down the middle of the road. The word “Bush” was […]
The political winds have shifted in Pakistan, which leaves the question: How will the dynamics of Pakistan's new political leaders play out with US policy goals in the region? This Economist article provides some good context to recent and coming events in Pakistan. The article points out that that Administration's key ally, Musharraf, faces a […]
Peacekeeping forces from the European Union raided the homes of family members of Radovan Karadzic, wanted for war crimes for his involvement in the 1995 massacre are Srebrenica. The whereabouts of Karadzic and Gen. Ratko Mladic have been the point of much debate since the NATO intervention in Yugoslavia. Many international officials, including Carla del […]
Today's Wall Street Journal carries an interesting summary of how the world's regions seem to feel about Hillary, Obama and McCain. That Barack Obama would be popular in Africa, Indonesia and the Mideast is perhaps no surprise. But he also appears to be quite popular in Europe, where I’m writing from this week. On the […]
“Timoun se riches malere,” say Hatians: “Children are the riches of the poor.” (Skinner, pg.30) Spring has begun to fill the air, the trees have begun to blossom and the city is a buzz with renewed energy. However there is a darker side to everyday life for many, and tonight a light in the […]
I have been remiss, in the extreme, in my blogging. I'm going tomorrow to what should prove to be an exciting conference, State of the Planet 08, at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. I will report on that soon. In the meantime, here are a couple of tidbits to keep you fed, if not […]
The Financial Times published an op-ed by Anatol Lieven, a British academic (who sidelines as an American think-tank-er), titled “Why we should fear a McCain presidency.” In the piece, Lieven schools his British compatriots on the danger that “a natural incendiary” like Republican Presidential candidate John McCain poses to trans-Atlantic relations. Leiven explains: “The problem that Mr McCain poses stems […]
On February 17, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. Although Kosovo acted without UN approval, it quickly gained the recognition of major Western powers, namely the United States and Europe's major powers, while Serbia, Russia, China and over a dozen other countries claimed the declaration was invalid. While Kosovo is now acting as an independent nation, challenges […]
I’m not British, but can I please work for the British Department for International Development? They’ve just announced that their international staff will be immersed for one week with poorer communities every time they reach a new posting. The idea is to give them a clearer perspective on who they are trying to help – […]
A coalition of local and international NGOs in Afghanistan have issued a negative report on the foreign aid effort so far. The two major complaints were that donors hadn't given as much as they promised ($15 billion has been obligated on $25 billion in promises) and that too much of the money has been spent […]
ZAGREB — President Bush leaves for Europe in a few days. Likely one of the last foreign trips of his Presidency, Bush's five-day visit to Kiev, Bucharest, and Zagreb offers him a chance to work on his image and his legacy — each in bad repair. The timing is both good and bad. First the […]
This isn't a surprise, I guess, but a group of relief agencies announced that the security environment in Somalia has become too dangerous for them to reach millions of Somalis. The CNN headline reads “Relief agencies: Somalia too dangerous for us to work” and although they may have said that, the article doesn't quote it, […]
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