Abbas Makes His Case at the UN
After yet another decade of a peace process that is obviously stalled if not terminally ineffective, PA President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to take Palestinian aspirations of statehood to the United Nations.
Saudi Arabia Lashes Out, Grants Women Vote
This week was an eventful week for women in Saudi Arabia. Women in Saudi Arabia were given the right to vote and to run in elections by King Abdullah, marking a huge step forward for women’s political participation in this country. Yet, a Saudi woman named Shaima Jastaina also received the first legal punishment for violating the kingdom’s prohibition on female driving and was condemned to ten lashes.
ANALYSIS: The Economics of Happiness
Ireland’s recent Quarterly National Household Survey may be evidence that happiness and economic hardship are not always mutually exclusive. The survey demonstrates that despite the deepening recession, record unemployment, and falling living standards; as many as four out of five Irish respondents answered to be happy all or most of the time. This brings to mind other countries’ growing interest in quantifying populations’ overall wellbeing.
China & India: The new naval arms race
The near-constant media hype surrounding BRIC countries could lead some to think of them as a coherent international bloc devoid of internal divisions. Chinese efforts to create of a ‘string of pearls’ around India’s neck can serve as a reminder that this is not the case.
OPINION: The Ones Who Progress Left Behind
Globalization’s chickens are coming home to roost on Wall Street.
War Aims of Israel and Gaza
Israeli and Palestinian power players on both sides of the border calculated that a war would increase their chances of electoral victory, scheduled for early 2009.
A Tale of Two Conferences
Copenhagen and Durban: two conferences with two totally different sets of expectations. In the short amount of time between them, hope has collapsed under the weight of global cynicism. What a difference two years can make.
Egypt: A Coup by any Other Name Still Brings Chaos
Although Egypt’s first democratically elected leader displayed an authoritarian streak, Morsi’s undemocratic ouster sets a dangerous precedent in Egypt’s early experiment with constitutional democracy. Rather than rejoicing over the ouster, Egyptians should be cautious of the ideological divide that is polarizing the country and creating policy deadlock.
OPINION: War with Iran Unlikely
The recently passed economic sanctions on Iran will do nothing to force the hand of the Iranian regime with respect to its nuclear program and will not provoke a military response precipitating conflict in the region. It is quite unlikely that we are on the brink of a catastrophic showdown between the West and Iran.
Rundown of the Xi-Obama Summit
In the wake of the Xi-Obama summit, both American and Chinese media outlets have stressed how ‘constructive’ the meetings were. But given the existence of certain structural impediments in the US-China relationship, was the summit doomed before it even started?