Archive for February 6th, 2010

Immediately following the mass anti-regime demonstrations in Iran on ‘Ashura Day, December 27, 2009, and in advance of the festivities marking the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, set for February 11, 2010, the Iranian authorities have toughened their policy of oversight of the country’s citizens and censorship of the media. As part of… »

The report documents widespread and serious abuses by successor groups to the paramilitary coalition known as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, AUC). The successor groups regularly commit massacres, killings, forced displacement, rape, and extortion, and create a threatening atmosphere in the communities they control. Often, they target human rights defenders,… »

A confluence of ideological, strategic, and political factors–both international and domestic–impeded the relationship between India and Israel. While the Indian rejection of the partition of Palestine and the anti-Western, anti-imperialist worldview of Indian leaders certainly played a role in the country’s stance toward Israel during the entire period of the Cold War, India’s strategic interests… »

Sometime around 2050, there are going to be nine billion people roaming this planet—two billion more than there are today. It’s a safe bet that all those folks will want to eat. And that’s… an incredibly daunting prospect. Right now, an estimated one billion people go hungry each day. So add two billion more people,… »

Google’s decision to enlist the help of the National Security Agency in tackling cyber attacks has caused alarm among internet groups and bloggers, who fear that users’ personal information could be accessed by the US… »

Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair acknowledged Wednesday that government agencies may kill U.S. citizens abroad who are involved in terrorist activities if they are “taking action that threatens Americans.”… »

The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it expects the biofuels industry to produce 6.5 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol this year, a fraction of the volume anticipated by… »

Unlike in 2004, Ukraine’s upcoming presidential election will not determine the country’s geopolitical orientation. But it will test whether the young democracy can stabilize its economy, cut down on corruption, and navigate its relations with Russia and the… »

Barack Obama assumed the presidency twelve months ago amidst “strained hemispheric relations.” Productive cooperation on a variety of shared regional concerns had been all but ignored by a Bush administration completely distracted by the Iraqi War and in favor of an approach characterized by confrontation, diplomatic bullying, and the continued pursuit of policies detrimental to… »

(PDF) – Findings of the fourth quarter of 2009 show a limited improvement in the standing of president Mahmud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, but the balance of power between Fateh and Hamas remains as it was four months ago. Moreover, contrary to expectations, the majority of the public does not blame Hamas for… »

(PDF) – In a bid to reduce their dependency on oil and natural gas revenues, GCC governments
have recently invested considerable resources to diversify their economies. This paper provides an empirical assessment of economic diversification in the GCC for the period 1980–2005. In particular we assess whether oil and natural gas revenues, government policies and foreign… »

A decade into ‘The Asian Century’ The Diplomat looks back over the past 10 years, and draws on leading commentators and analysts from around the world to look ahead at what the next decade might have in store for the region’s politics, security and… »

(PDF) – Immediately following the 2008 U.S. presidential election, which occurred around the time this book was being compiled, a fracas occurred within the media surrounding some post-election campaign gossip that the Republican party’s vice-presidential candidate had revealed during debate and briefing preparations that she did not understand that Africa was a continent, and instead… »

(PDF) – L’analyse trimestrielle des 10 principaux « points chauds » en… »

Indications of fraud in the June 12 Iranian presidential election, together with large-scale street demonstrations, have led to claims that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not actually win the election, and that the majority of Iranians perceive their government as illegitimate and favor regime change. An analysis of multiple polls of the Iranian public from three different… »

(PDF) – Most analysts believe that the current Egyptian regime will muddle through its myriad challenges and endure indefinitely. Four interrelated reasons underlie this assessment: first, the current regime, which was founded almost sixty years ago, has proven to be remarkably resilient in the face of a variety of crises—defeat in war, economic stagnation, and… »

Beijing’s ongoing efforts to promote growth are infringing on people’s economic and political rights. In order to survive, the Chinese government will have to start allowing ordinary citizens to take part in the political process – by Yang… »