It is no longer fashionable merely to call 2011 a watershed year in modern history – so much was already clear within a few weeks of Mohammed Bouazizi’s fateful self-immolation before the year even began. Well-mannered people are much more likely to go for comparisons: with its revolutionary movements, economic foibles, and political realignments, is … Read more
North Korean state television announced tonight that Kim Jong-Il has died mid-train ride – according to the announcer, of fatigue resulting from “physical and mental overwork“. Indeed, Kim Jong-Il was rather old, and strained under the burden of a stroke which he probably suffered in 2008. Fatigue is about the most natural cause of death I can … Read more
What’s wrong with Canada these days? I remember the good old days, when Canadians championed human rights reforms, pushed for the protection of freshwater, and engaged in all those pleasant international good deeds. In light of this history, Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol is startling. Since the Conservatives took power in 2006, they have … Read more
Christian minorities in the Middle East fear new regimes In early October of this year, 24 Egyptian demonstrators died in the country’s worst episode of violence since Mubarak’s fall in February. The clash between Coptic Christians and government forces highlights the religious diversity of region many assume to be monolithic. Copts took to the streets … Read more
China’s history of supporting authoritarian regimes—from Kim Jong Il’s North Korea to Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela—is well established and widely criticized. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has outlined a policy of “oppos[ing] interference in other countries’ internal affairs under the pretext of democracy and human rights,” including trade sanctions in the category of “interference.” Amidst the country’s astronomic rise … Read more
The Cold War between Saudi Arabia and Iran In the calculus of Middle Eastern power politics, Saudi Arabia and Iran stand on the opposing axes of power. The nations suffer an ongoing cold war, originating in the Iranian Revolution, and have recently waged a series of proxy wars. Changing levels of U.S. engagement in the … Read more
The Great Euro Crisis of 2011 looms large. Gaping sovereign debts have led investors to doubt the ability of several European countries – from Greece to Italy to even France – to pay back their debts. Interest rates have shot up across the Eurozone, adding fire to the flame of Europe’s burning fiscal houses. An … Read more
Somaliland may be the most stable, tranquil, and smoothest functioning democracy that officially does not exist. Its 2010 presidential election saw the peaceful replacement of the incumbent, Dahir Riyale Kahin, with a member of one of the legislature’s two effective opposition parties. The streets are relatively safe, the navy is chalked full of internationally accredited officers, … Read more
Harvard Arab Weekend brought with it much debate about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. After all, if there is one political position all Arab countries rally around, it is surely Israel’s mistreatment and subjugation of Palestinians. The Arab League has always been quick to denounce Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and condemn Israeli airstrikes against … Read more
While the U.S. flounders in the face of irreversible danger, climate finance and mitigation remain possible hopes. Today, the UN climate change conference begins in Durban, South Africa. The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the major global forum for climate change, with the aim … Read more