It’s when you read the speech more closely that problems emerge. Netanyahu’s priority of economic development rather than political agreements, Israel’s pre-conditions for peace (including no pre-conditions on Israel), and its political and social securitization are out of step with dynamics in the Middle East. Read the rest of this entry »
“I’m warning I will not surrender to this dangerous charade. The result… will jeopardize the pillars of the Islamic Republic and will establish tyranny.”
Mehdi Karroubi, Reformist Candidate:
“Evidently the results and the institution coming out of such a vote count is illegitimate and unacceptable.” Read the rest of this entry »
Much has changed in US foreign policy since the Bush Administration pulled its ambassador from Damascus in 2005 to protest Syria’s suspected involvement in the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Since the advent of the Obama Administration, not only the hopes of change in US-Syrian relations but the quest to unblock the Palestinian-Israeli peace process has brought the prospect of dialogue.
The latest signal came on Thursday when two Democratic Congressmen, Senator Edward E. Kaufman of Delaware and Representative Tim Waltz of Minnesota visited Syrian President Assad. According to Syria’s official Arab News Agency, talks focused on “the necessity to remove obstacles that hinder relations and to promote stability in the Middle East”. Specifically, the exchange points to a visit to Damascus by President Obama’s envoy George Mitchell in June.
The Kaufman-Waltz visit is the fourth by US officials or legislators since January. Three days after the hard-line statement of the new Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, “Peace will only be in exchange for peace.”, Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts and Republican Bob Inglis of South Carolina, met Assad. Read the rest of this entry »
There is a current political story here in Britain which seems to be confusing our friends across the pond: the Mother of Parliaments has got itself into very hot water over members’ expenses.
A number of my American friends have asked me to explain the furore, the public’s mood of disgust and anger. It’s simple, isn’t it? Our politicians can bend the rules and obscure the truth. Orwell’s 1984 has landed in 2009. “Expenses” is “pay”, as the political pigs take over the trough.
Those who have worked in the commercial sector will know that being imaginative with expenses is both an art form and a duel with scrutinising accountants. When I had a company car, a car wash payment of £1.00 was once disallowed on grounds that I should have washed the vehicle in my own time. I argued that this was unfair, arbitrary and wrong. On appeal to the managing director, my claim was upheld. No surprise there: I knew the MD claimed the same expense.
On Tuesday, North Korea announced that it had successfully conducted its second underground nuclear test, producing an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7. The first test in October 2006 was followed by protracted negotiations in which Pyongyang would disable its nuclear facilities in return for energy aid and removal of its name from a US list of states supporting terrorism. However, from February 2009, North Korea once again moved towards nuclear armament.
International reactions and background follow the video of President Obama’s statement:
Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter, spoke on MSNBC’s Morning Joe
about North Korea’s recent nuclear test. He underlined the importance of a multilateral approach, given that the US is still involved in conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Brzezinski warned that a military strike against North Korea would get the US stuck in the Far East. Instead, he put hope in Chinese involvement in a diplomatic initiative, since a prudent China does not want a war next to its borders and North Korea’s foreign trade is primarily with and through China.
“I want a judge not only to be applying the law in front of them, but also to understand that as a practical matter.”
On DAY, President Obama spoke with the cable political network about domestic topics such as the next Supreme Court justice, the economic crisis, the situation of the auto industry, and health care, as well as his relationship with former President George W. Bush.
STEVE SCULLY, POLITICAL EDITOR, C-SPAN: Mr. President, as we speak to you in the White House Library, a constitutional lawyer, former law professor, as you work through the process for you personally in selecting the Supreme Court nominee, what are you thinking?
The “America is less safe” rhetoric of the former Vice President Dick Cheney has finally found a receptive ear in the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
FBI Director Robert Mueller told Congress on Wednesday that bringing Guantanamo Bay detainees to the US could pose some risks even if they were kept in maximum-security prisons. According to Mueller, these risks consist of “the radicalization of others” and “potential individual attacks in the United States”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s carefully-framed speech on 14 June portrayed a peaceful Israel pursuing all necessary steps for a regional peace agreement.
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After the purported re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the President of Iran, a selection of 
Much has changed in US foreign policy since the Bush Administration pulled its ambassador from Damascus in 2005 to protest Syria’s suspected involvement in the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Since the advent of the Obama Administration, not only the hopes of change in US-Syrian relations but the quest to unblock the Palestinian-Israeli peace process has brought the prospect of dialogue.
The “America is less safe” rhetoric of the former Vice President Dick Cheney has finally found a receptive ear in the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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