Category: Blogs

Turkish government, military reach deal on top commanders

By Suzan Fraser, the AP

Gen. Petraeus revises the rules of engagement for NATO forces in Afghanistan

By Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor

From Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor: Gen. David Petraeus, appointed this June to turn the Afghanistan war around, has just made his first visible impact on how the increasingly deadly conflict is being run.

China’s Post-Crisis Economic Rebalancing

By Pieter Bottelier

Years from now, we may look back at 2009 and see that it marked a critical turning point in China’s economic development strategy. The global financial crisis deprived China of a paradigm for economic development, casting strong doubts about western countries’ abilities to restore growth momentum while sustaining domestic fiscal and international financial stability. For […]

NATO helping Georgia to seduce S. Ossetia & Abkhazia – Russian envoy

By Russia Today

From Russia Today:  NATO states are using economic methods in an attempt to help Georgia reclaim South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russia’s permanent representative to the alliance Dmitry Rogozin has said. Tbilisi is receiving massive economic aid “so that it could display ‘Georgian capitalism’ at the border line with South Ossetia, in order to seduce the […]

Kyrgyz opposition leaders to be prosecuted for failed coup attempt

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  The Kyrgyz Prosecutor General has opened a criminal case on charges of mass unrest, an attempt to overthrow the ruling authorities and possession of weapons, Kyrgyz Security chief Keneshbek Dushebayev said. He said the organizers of the opposition rally had close links to the supporters of ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. "Funding […]

Chairman of the NATO Military Committee meets with Australia’s military leadership

By Allied Command Operations

From Allied Command Operations:  Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, concluded his official visit to Australia, upon invitation from the Australian Military Authorities. Welcomed by Lieutenant General David Hurley, the Acting Chief of Defence, Admiral Di Paola first met with the Chiefs of Services and Senior Officials from the Department […]

WikiLeaks Aftermath

By Shuja Nawaz

IN STAND-UP comedy and politics, timing is critical. There was nothing “funny ha-ha’’ about the recent leak of US documents about the Afghanistan war implicating Pakistan and its Inter-Services Intelligence agency. But there was plenty of what the British call “funny peculiar’’ for sure. The leaks followed a period of growing confidence of the ISI […]

Iran sees regional alliance to counter NATO

By Robin Pomeroy, Reuters

From Robin Pomeroy, Reuters:  Iran’s president told the leaders of Afghanistan and Tajikistan on Thursday that the three neighbors could provide a counterweight to NATO in Asia once foreign troops quit the region. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a bete noire of the West over Iran’s nuclear activities, said the three countries had all thrown off foreign domination […]

Kyrgyz forces tear gas protestors and arrest their leaders

By RIA Novosti

When Is Anti-Extremism Anti-Islamic? The View from Europe (and America)

By Scott Bleiweis

France’s decision to ban full Islamic veil-wearing in public stirred up accusations of anti-Muslim bias. Ongoing controversies in the Netherlands and here in the U.S. show the complexity of balancing religious tolerance and opposing the more radical elements of Islam. At the center of the controversy in Europe is Geert Wilders, leaders of the Freedom […]