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Category Archives: Foreign affairs
Pulling Strings in Foreign Relations
Seems to be an awful lot of “testing” going on. Mutiny in Georgia!!! Iran attacks Kurdish guerillas in Iraq with helicopters Pakistan is melting down!!! Chinese Ships Come Dangerously Close to American Vessel
Posted in Foreign affairs, Keith's Page
Tagged Georgia, Iran, Iraq, kurdish, Pakistan, President Obama, taliban Cheinese, testing
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Send in the SEALS
Well, here’s a true foreign crisis to test the President with. My response is noted in the title. And we should kill the pirates. In fact, after rescued the hostages, and killed the pirates, we should get all Jeffersonian with … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, Keith's Page, Military Matters
Tagged maersk alabama, pirates, Somalia
1 Comment
Iraq – We’re Winning!!!
A funny thing happened on the way to Iraq, President Obama declared that we’re winning. Anyone who’s been keeping up to date knows we’ve been making great progress, and I say, winning in Iraq. President Obama acknowledges the courage and … Continue reading
The Permission for Resistance
Brief except of a talk at the 92nd Street Y between Salman Rushdie and Irshad Manji, discussing the possibility of reform against extremism in the Islamic faith. Rushdie draws a fine parallel with the experience of the Western left during … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Foreign affairs, Uncategorized
Tagged 92nd Street Y, Cold War, criticism, iron curtain, Irshad Manji, islam, reform, resistance, Salman Rushdie, socialism, totalitarianism, western left
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Bleh, Sullivan.
Just when I was thinking that Andrew Sullivan must have hit some sort of moral and intellectual bottom by now, I read his retrospective on neoconservatism. It turns out the philosophy was actually a vast Zionist conspiracy: The closer you … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged Andrew Sullivan, conspiracy theories, Dick Cheney, Israel, Likud, neoconservatism, Pat Buchanan, zionism
2 Comments
David Cay Johnston Puts on his Bad Idea Jeans
(Edit: Mr. Johnston graciously replies in the comments section. It seems the invasion was a bit of a modest proposal that I failed to pick up on. While there are things to disagree with in the rest of the article, … Continue reading
Posted in Chris' Page, Foreign affairs, taxes
Tagged bad ideas, calls for invasion, militant left, mother jones, tax shelters
3 Comments
Gaza War Arrives in Second Life
And amid the protests, obscenities, and intolerance we find a scene that you’d only find virtual worlds like Second Life:
Posted in Chris' Page, Foreign affairs, Technology
Tagged Gaza War, Israel, online communities, Palestine, virtual reality
2 Comments
The West as Nuclear Proliferator
(NYT) The New York Times has a fascinating little chart today, illustrating the primary sources of nuclear weapons proliferation over time. In looking at the diagram, one cannot escape the overall impression that until recently the West has been the … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Technology
Tagged Africa, Asia, authoritarianism, chart, China, civic culture, communications, democracy, diagram, DPRK, eastern bloc, English, espionage, former soviet republics, government, individualism, infographic, lingua franca, military intelligence, networks, New York Times, North Korea, nucelar research, nuclear proliferation, nuclear weapons, political dissent, prc, proliferation risk, rogue states, Russia, scientific community, Soviet Union, Technology, technology transfer, trade, translation services, Transportation, USSR, western democracy
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A Scandal in Seven Hills
The premier of New South Wales, Mr. Nathan Rees, was reportedly surprised to discover that an illegal brothel was in operation above his offices, in a commercial building in the Seven Hills area outside Sydney. Unfortunately for the brothel’s owners, … Continue reading
Malaysia’s War on Tomboys
Malaysia’s National Fatwa Council issued a warning to human rights groups yesterday that should they criticize its efforts to repress “tomboy behaviour” among Malaysian women, it could result in…further repression. One has to marvel at this sort of thinking. How … Continue reading
The Voice of Murder
The subject of the bloody 1965 Indonesian mass murder of suspected communists is not often openly discussed history even in today’s Indonesia. Given the pervasive silence, estimates vary on the actual number of people killed, but it’s generally accepted as … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, History
Tagged 1965, antidemocratic, Asian communism, Associated Press, Autocracy, banyan tree, Cambodia, China, CIA, clove cigarettes, communism, communist, Darmo, death tool, decapitation, democracy, freedom, Hamid, History, Indonesia, Indonesian, Indonesian massacre, islam, Islamic clerics, Javanese sarong, mass graves, mass murder, murder, Nahdlatul Ulama, nationalism, PKI, pogrom, preemptive murder, prisoners, purge, Quran, religion, sledgehammer, Suharto, Sukarno, Sulchan, US, Vietnam
1 Comment
Sarkozy The Georgian Hero?
Not sure how true this is, but here’s what the London Times says about how close Putin came to over throwing the Georgian government. With Russian tanks only 30 miles from Tbilisi on August 12, Mr Sarkozy told Mr Putin … Continue reading
Posted in Chris' Page, Foreign affairs
Tagged ceasefire, France, Georgia, Putin, Russia, Russo-Georgian War, Saakashvili, Sarkozy
1 Comment
Getting Drunk with Oilfield Trash
I was sitting in an airport lounge yesterday and got to chatting with a member of the self-described “oilfield trash” who was bound for Lagos, and then for an FPSO in the Gulf of Guinea. These are rough and ready … Continue reading
Posted in energy, Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged Africa, commerical-adventurer, drinking, drunk, energy, FPSO, grandchildren, Gulf of Guniea, gunboats, incompetent, international watrers, Lagos, Nigeria, offshore exploration, oil, oil exploration, oil reserves, oilfield trash, piracy, pirates, quasi-war, West Africa
2 Comments
Flaccid in Mexico City
When you think of the numerous problems routinely facing residents of Mexico City, things like an astronomical violent crime rate, standstill traffic, urban poverty, collapsing infrastructure, chronic water shortages, claustrophobia-inducing overcrowding and toxic pollution might come to mind. Even aircraft … Continue reading
A Man Without a Season
Stéphane Dion, leader of the defeated Canadian Liberal Party, has rather ignominiously resigned his position today. Thereby he becomes the first Liberal Party leader since the 19th century to have never become Prime Minister of Canada. Given his dismal political … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged Canada, Canadian politics, Dion, Domestic Politics, election, English, language, Liberal Party, National Post, Stéphane Dion
2 Comments
Stock and Awe in Baghdad
The Markets have spoken, the best place to invest in the world is…Iraq! Now it’s stock and awe in Baghdad! As the Dow plummeted nearly 700 points yesterday to fall well below the 9,000 mark, the Iraqi stock exchange – … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Foreign affairs, Investing, Lance's Page
Tagged Bull Market, Iraq, Stock market, Wall Street
2 Comments
Georgia’s Tapes
Who jumped first in South Ossetia has become a bit of a information war between Georgia and Russia. Today, the Georgian government went a ways toward resolving it by releasing recordings of intercepted radio traffic preceding the Russian invasion. The … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged ceasefire, Daily Telegraph, Georgia, Georgian army, infrormation war, intercepts, invasion, irrationalism, lies, peace, Putin, radio, recordings, Russia, Russian invasion, South Ossetia, strategy
3 Comments
When They Came for Kenny…
Photos of Russian kids mounting a street protest against the banning of South Park by the state. This is no small or meaningless act. As daily experience, one of the worst aspects of living under a repressive fascist regime is … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Foreign affairs
Tagged boredom, entertainment, fascism, Kenny, liberalism, Media, opera, photos, pics, propaganda, Putinism, radio, repression, Russia, South Park, State, teenager, television, tv, youth
1 Comment
The New Russian Diplomacy of Profanity
Russian FM Sergei Lavrov reportedly went berserk on David Miliband in phone discussions over the Georgia war. Apparently he was raving, shouting obscenities, and ridiculing Miliband’s knowledge of history. There’s something incredibly deranged about that government. They’ve taken the traditional … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged Britain, David Miliband, diplomacy, foreign secretary, Georgia, History, invasion, Putinism, Russia, Sergei Lavrov, UK, United Kingdom, war
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Four Hours to Tbilisi
Well, well. Mr. Putin held a press conference and there’s much to condemn as usual. Not the least of which is Putin’s continued delusion that Russia was invaded by Georgia. But foremost perhaps, is an education for those who argued … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged Abkhazia, Bagpash, CIS, Eduard Kokoity, Georgia, Kokoity, Mikheil Saakashvili, Putin, Russia, Saakashvili, Sergei Bagpash, Tbilisi
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Be Thankful for Insurance Companies
Don’t like them? Cuba hasn’t any…and thus hurricane damage is forever. Ike is thereby beating down on towns in Cuba still unrepaired from Hurricane Charlie, in 2004. “It’s been four years since Charlie and we’re still waiting for new homes,” … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged 2004, Charlie, concrete, Cuba, hurricane, Ike, insurance, La Contra Revolucion, Rachel Gonzalez Ojeda
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Buying Tymoshenko
As the European Union commendably attempts to pull Ukraine closer into the safety of the West, Russia has reportedly earmarked $1 billion to fund suddenly pro-Kremlin Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, against heroically pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko in the 2010 presidential … Continue reading
Ruining Ramadan in Egypt
Ramadan always means new soap operas in the Arab world. I learned today it also means not even thinking about masturbation. A small thing to you perhaps, but in a repressive sexual society where the curves of the female figure … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Foreign affairs, Lee's Page, Religion and theology, Travel
Tagged Arab, Cairo, casino, cigarettes, Egypt, fear, freedom, God, haram, Helwan, infidel, islam, masturbation, Muslim, North Africa, raincoats, Ramadan, religion, roulette, sacrifice, sex, sin, smoke, soap operas, tobacco, Travel, Tunisia, western
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A Shattered Idol in the Black Garden
(photo: Rahim Alizadeh) In Verdi’s opera Nabucco –the namesake of the western gas pipeline to Europe that holds the promise of partial independence from Russian energy reliance– the Jewish patriots take the daughter of the Babylonian king hostage, in order … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged Abkhazia, administration, Aliyev, Armenia, Artur Rasizade, Azerbaijani, Azeris, Babylon, Baku, black garden, Boris Yeltsin, Clinton, crypto-fascism, Denena, Dick Cheney, Dmitry Medvedev, Elmar Mammadyarov, energy, ethnic, Europe, Henry Kissinger, hostage, imports, Iran, Jerusalem, Karabakh, King, Kommersant, Medvedev, miltiarism, Moscow, Nabucco, Nabucco pipeline, Nagorno-Karabakh, natural gas, opera, OSI, Persia, petrocracy, Rahim Alizadeh, Russia, security, South Ossetia, Soviet Union, United States, Verdi, Washington, Yagub Eyubov
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Uneven Anti-Western Attitudes in Russia
A survey finds that public perspectives in Russia are turning sharply anti-Western in matters of international relations. But what’s particularly interesting about this, is that such sentiments have grown fastest and strongest in Russia’s most cosmopolitan and urban regions, whereas … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged anti-Western, cosmopolitan, far east, government, international relations, Moscow, poll, Russia, St. Petersburg, survey, Urals, urban, xenophobia
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Independence to Scale
Another splendid ad for SOSGeorgia. I say again, in the conceptual appeal to world opinion, the Georgians are simply better at this sort of thing than their far better financed adversaries. (Carpetblog)
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged advertisement, advertising, Georgia, no surrender, Russia, SOSgeorgia
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Containing Russia – The Battle for Ukraine
Westhawk“Ukraine is the big prize and thus a dangerous flash point between Russia and the West. For the West, a firm alliance with Ukraine would anchor the containment of Russia. But for Russia, such an alliance would be a step … Continue reading
Posted in Around the Web, Foreign affairs, MikeR's Page
Tagged containment, foreign policy, NATO, Russia, Ukraine
3 Comments
Medvedev’s Caribbean Dream
A depressingly confused analogy from Medvedev on US aid to Georgia: “I wonder how they would like it if we sent humanitarian assistance using our navy to countries of the Caribbean that have suffered from the recent hurricanes.” (AFP) We’d … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged 1898, Caribbean, Cold War, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Georgia, Grenada, Haiti, hegemony, human rights, humanitarian, hurricane, Medvedev, Moscow, Putin, Putinism, resistance, Russia, United States, Venezuela
1 Comment
A Test for French Will in Afghanistan
In the wake of a horrific magazine spread depicting Taliban fighters showing off war trophies looted from the bodies of French soldiers, President Sarkozy has been predictably and commendably resolute. France isn’t going to run away for a change. Unfortunately … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged Afghanistan, Eric de Lavarene, France, French, magazine, NATO, Sarkozy, Taliban
1 Comment
Substantive Debate vs Pot Shots vs Mudslinging
An interesting debate occurred through email over my short jab at Obama’s experience. Now, I think it’s great when we have substantive debate about important issues, but I’m not above taking pot shots at our political class. A little sarcasm … Continue reading
Anders Aslund on the Russian Economy
After forcefully savaging the Russian invasion of Georgia, controversial Swedish economist Anders Aslund lays out ten reasons he expects an impending economic collapse in Russia. Each point is sound, although some are more problematic than others. Particularly cogent are the … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Foreign affairs
Tagged Anders Aslund, banking, commodities, East Asia, Economic Development Ministry, economy, efficiency, finance, GDP, Georgia, industry, invasion, investors, Mechel, Medvedev, Moscow Times, oil, Putin, Renationalization, Russia, Russneft, UBS, United Heavy Machineries, VSMP-Avisma, World Bank, WTO
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Declinism as Exceptionalism
Francis Fukuyama argues in the Financial Times that the United States should have traded European missile defense and/or Kosovar independence in order to pacify a resurgent Russia. This strange proposal of strategic charity work for the Kremlin, is animated by … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged American exceptionalism, Declinism, Financial Times, Francis Fukuyama, Georgia, imperialism, Iraq, Kosovo, machtpolitik, power politics, Russia, United States, war
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China and Provincial Secessionism
Extremely interesting post from Seth Weinberger on the opportunity for pulling China in the pro-Georgia camp, after the SCO failed to endorse Russian actions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Seth is as mystified as I am that the Russian foreign … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged Abkhazia, China, expansionism, foreign policy, Georgia, ideology, Mao, prc, Russian foreign ministry, SCO, secession, secessionism, separatism, Seth Weinberger, South Ossetia, taiwan, tibet, United States
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Black Signs at the Exhibition
The IMF has come through for Georgia in an enormous way, approving a $750 million credit line for the beleaguered republic. Beyond the much needed aid, it’s a powerful political reminder for Russia of the gargantuan economic advantage the West … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page, Media
Tagged Atrocity Exhibition, Ballard, Ballardian, competitive advantage, complex interdependence, credit, Domestic Politics, English, Georgia, IMF, industry, JG Ballard, Johanna Neuman, markets, Media, mercantile, military, power, productivity, Russia, sensationalism, SOS Georgia, Wall Street Journal, West
1 Comment
To be the King of Libya
When Muammar al-Gaddafi was a student at the Benghazi Academy in the 1960s, he swore to destroy monarchism in Libya. In September 1969, when his military coup finally overthrew the monarchy, Libya was proclaimed a republic by Gaddafi. Shortly thereafter, … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged Arab Nationalism, Benghazi, Benghazi Military Academy, crown prince, dynasty, Egypt, exiles, Gaddafi, Hasan as-Senussi, Idris, Idris I, islamic socialism, Italy, King, Libya, marxism, monarch, monarchism, monarchy, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Muhammad as-Senussi, prince, rapprochement, republic, republicanism, revolution, scepter, Seif al Islam, Tripoli, vagrant
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Albright Supports Georgian NATO Membership
I often find former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s supporting arguments irksome and occasionally even masochistic. But she has a certain knack for ending up in the right place by the wrong course. It’s a unique skill really. Thus it … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged Abkhazia, Georgia, Kremlin, Madeleine Albright, Russia, Secretary of State, territorial security
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Christopher Hitchens on Robert Mugabe
I’d heard that Hitch addressed the situation in Zimbabwe in his introductory remarks at the Freedom Fest 2008 debate with Dinesh D’Souza, but I hadn’t seen the video of it until today. It’s worth a watch. The subject of the … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs
Tagged Africa, anticolonialism, Catholic, Christopher Hitchens, Dinesh D'Souza, Freedom Fest, God, Harare, hypocrisy, ideology, Maoism, Mugabe, mythology, nationalism, racism, religion, Rhodesia, Robert Mugabe, secularism, socialism, western, Zimbabwe
3 Comments
War of Conquest
A couple of days into Russian-declared, universally unrecognized independence (excluding Hamas and Belarus), South Ossetian officials have expressed their desire to be annexed by Russia. The brave new defenders of Russian imperialism on the American Left have thus suddenly found … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Tagged American, annexation, Belarus, Boris Yeltsin, comonwealth, conquest, Georgia, Hamas, imperialism, independence, left, Russia, self-determination, South Ossetia, trade
1 Comment
Woops.
Geography, people: Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) — Prime Minister Kevin Rudd sent extra diplomatic and police officials to west Africa to help investigate the kidnapping in Somalia of a group of reporters, including an Australian photojournalist. “We have deployed additional staff … Continue reading
Frank Miller’s Geostrategic Theory
Frank Lovece sat down with Frank Miller for Newsday to discuss his upcoming film The Spirit. Toward the end of it Lovece asked Miller about remarks he’d made in 2007 in support of the Iraq War, and offered him an … Continue reading →