Hurricane Katrina jolted us as Americans. “How could something like that happen here?” “Why so much destruction? Why so little help? Why so late?” It brought back issues of inequality, race, poverty, and what a cad once called the “Two Americas.”
After a few days of eerily similar footage coming from Haiti, after a 7.0 earthquake [...]
Entries Tagged as 'foreign affairs'
The Enduring Cost of Poverty
January 20th, 2010 No Comments
Tags: foreign affairs · haiti · poverty
Liz Cheney Sharpens Her Candidate Teeth
August 3rd, 2009 No Comments
In the video below, Liz Cheney, the daughter of former VP Dick (Cheney), flogs Obama over his attempts to reach out to foreign leaders like Nicaraguan president Danny Ortega. According to her, his desire to lessen nuclear armament worldwide by minimizing it at home is hogwash.
She obviously leaves out the fact that Ronald Reagan also [...]
Tags: foreign affairs · gop · liz cheney · obama
Mexican Army Using Torture In The Cartel War?
July 9th, 2009 1 Comment
According to human rights monitors, political leaders, and the written testimony of alleged victims, the Mexican Army, in their pursuit of key members of drug cartels, are using torture and extortion to find their man.
From The WashPo:
In Puerto Las Ollas, a mountain village of 50 people in the southern state of Guerrero, residents recounted how [...]
Tags: drug war · foreign affairs · mexico
Ayatollah Khomenei Offers Veiled Threat
June 19th, 2009 No Comments
One full week after the election that has capitvated the world and Twitter, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomenei spoke. Addressing more than one million assembled at Tehran University, the Ayatollah minced few words when referring to Mir Hossein Mousavi and his legion of followers:
His answer was ominously clear: “Riots after an election put democracy at [...]
Tags: ahmedinejad · foreign affairs · iran · khamenei · mousavi
Is Mousavi the same as Ahmedinejad?
June 17th, 2009 No Comments
Yes and no.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Mousavi has a conservative record that dates back to the 80’s, when he was one of the first prime ministers after the 1979 Iran Revolution.
He was one of the early supporters of Iran’s nuclear program, and as prime minister he specifically approved Tehran’s purchases of centrifuge equipment [...]
Tags: ahmedinejad · foreign affairs · iran · mousavi · nuclear
Iran WashPo poll conclusive–maybe not
June 15th, 2009 1 Comment
Nate Silver to the rescue. The poll I mentioned in an earlier post, conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow and in today’s Washington Post, may carry less weight than I thought (props to SelectiveEcho).
From FiveThirtyEight:
While it is dangerous to make inferences about the preferences of undecided voters [nearly 30% in the poll, along with 15% who [...]
Tags: ahmedinejad · foreign affairs · iran · mousavi
Iran’s Election Aftermath
June 15th, 2009 No Comments
photocredit: Hamed Saber
Maybe this is the international crisis Joe Biden was talking about during the campaign. Maybe this will be the first international test of the Obama administration.
The rattled state of affairs in Iran is dominating the global news cycle. Fraud. Riots. Corruption. Imprisonment. Threats. Iran’s democracy is being called a “charade.” Some consider the [...]
Tags: ahmedinejad · foreign affairs · iran · khameini · mousaiv
poliPicks
June 12th, 2009 No Comments
There’s drama everywhere:
Palin v. Letterman. Ahmedinejad v. Mousavi. Mexican police v. Mexican police. Beckham v. Ronaldo. Makes you want to start a soap opera based solely on the news.
This, along with other much sunnier topics, are inside this weekend’s poliPicks. Enjoy!
Who you gonna call? The police? Sorry, they are out fighting the police: In Monterrey, [...]
Tags: ahmedinejad · foreign affairs · gay marriage · george bush · iran · mexico · obama · poliPicks · ronaldo · stephen colbert · twitter
Iran’s Election, Iran’s Drama
June 11th, 2009 No Comments
photocredit: ali reza_parsi
There’s a very good chance Obama might not be dealing with Ahmedinejad anymore after the weekend.
The presidential election in Iran on Friday is not just of regional interest, but of American and global implications.
There are currently four major candidates in the running: current President and thorn-on-everyone’s side, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad; former prime minister and [...]
Tags: ahmedinejad · foreign affairs · iran
Obama’s Cairo Speech (VIDEO) and Reactions
June 4th, 2009 No Comments
photocredit: Offical WH Photostream
Did you expect anything less than a 53-minute, expansive, sweeping, and cautiously worded speech from Obama?
The reactions to the speech have been indicative of the divided political climate (which century will eventually see the end of this tug-of-war?). In Israel, some were not too enchanted with the speech, acknowledging that it was [...]
Tags: cairo · foreign affairs · islam · muslim world · obama
Obama’s Trip to the Middle East: Showing Off America’s New Face
June 3rd, 2009 No Comments
In his four-country, six-day trip, President Obama is trying to work his PR magic once more. He weaved a convincing (and, for lack of a better word, “American”) story out of his unique background during his campaign. His appeal is wider than that of his policies. He is known to consistently deliver to his benefit [...]
Tags: foreign affairs · middle east · obama
Al Qaeda Targets Pakistan
May 11th, 2009 No Comments
“They smell blood, and they are intoxicated by the idea of a jihadist takeover in Pakistan.”
From The NYT.
Tags: al qaeda · foreign affairs · pakistan
American Soldier Kills Comrades In Iraq
May 11th, 2009 No Comments
From The New York Times:
The United States military said Monday that five American soldiers had been shot to death by a fellow soldier who opened fire on them at one of the biggest American bases in Baghdad, and that the suspected shooter was in custody.
[...]CNN, citing unnamed officials, said that at least three others were [...]
Tags: foreign affairs · iraq war
Obama Approved Mission To Save Boat Captain
April 12th, 2009 No Comments
Maersk Alabama crew is held hostage.
No wait, they are free.
Wait, they were held hostage but are now fighting off the Somali pirates.
Ok, they are free…
Except for the captain who is still held captive by the pirates!
Nevermind, everyone is back home and fine.
The captain is still with the pirates!
Obama approves mission to save captain. US forces [...]
Tags: foreign affairs
Somali Pirates Kidnap American Sailors
April 8th, 2009 No Comments
Add this to the foreign affairs laundry list. Somali pirates have struck again, this time taking a 17,500 ton container ship–an American container ship. The Maersk Alabama, with a crew of 20 Americans, was attacked during the night. According to the company that owns the vessel, they are fine.
Tags: foreign affairs
