Global Geopolitics

U.S.-Russia Rift Could Impact Upcoming Nuke Talks

By Thalif Deen
The growing political rift between the United States and Russia triggered by the granting of temporary asylum to U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden, who is now holed up in Moscow, is threatening to further undermine relations between the two superpowers at the United Nations.

Indictment of Iran for ’94 Terror Bombing Relied on MEK

By Gareth Porter
Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman based his 2006 warrant for the arrest of top Iranian officials in the bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires in 1994 on the claims of representatives of the armed Iranian opposition Mujahedin E Khalq (MEK), the full text of the document reveals.

Seeking More Indian Business, With Chinese Help

By Amantha Perera
As he stood on the westernmost edge of Colombo’s new harbour expansion, it was hard for Priyath Bandu Wickrema - the man tasked with reinventing the port as a regional giant - to cap his enthusiasm.

Fearing August Terror Attacks, U.S. Takes Precautions Overseas

By Jared Metzker
U.S. authorities claim the month of August may be a dangerous one for U.S. citizens residing abroad, and they are apparently going to great lengths to reduce the risk.

U.S. and Pakistan Try to Mend Frayed Ties

By Jared Metzker
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, on an official trip to Pakistan, announced Thursday that high-level policy discussions will begin anew between Washington and Islamabad.

OP-ED: Bahrain Declares War on the Opposition

By Emile Nakhleh
The special session of the Bahraini National Assembly held on Sunday Jul. 28 was a spectacle of venom, a display of vulgarity, and an unabashed nod to increased dictatorship.

U.S. Hedge Funds Paint Argentina as Ally of Iranian ‘Devil’ – Part Two

By Charles Davis
Vulture capitalist Paul Singer has hundreds of millions of dollars at stake in his legal battle with Argentina over the country's 2001 debt default.

Egypt-Like Disputes Stir Tunisia

By Louise Sherwood
As political divisions threaten to destabilise the national transition process in Tunisia, Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh has set deadlines for finalising the new constitution and holding elections. Not everyone is convinced these will be met.

Kirkuk Plays Dice With Violence

By Karlos Zurutuza
Two teams struggle to find an olive under one of the 11 cups displayed on a tray. The traditional game sin-u-serf  (tray and cup in Kurdish) is only played during the Muslim fasting month. In one of Iraq’s most violent cities, it is nothing less than a challenge to death.

Mixed Verdict for WikiLeaker Bradley Manning

By Jared Metzker
A U.S. military judge ruled Tuesday that Private Bradley Manning, the young soldier who shared a mountain of classified data with the rogue pro-transparency group WikiLeaks, is not guilty of "aiding the enemy".

Ex-Envoy’s Account Clarifies Iran’s 2003 Nuclear Decision

By Gareth Porter
Newly published recollections by the former French ambassador to Iran suggest that Iran was not running a covert nuclear weapons programme that it then decided to halt in late 2003, as concluded by U.S. intelligence in 2007.

Positive Signals Between Iran and U.S. Intensifying

By Jim Lobe
Within days of the inauguration of Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s new president, both Tehran and Washington appear to be sending positive signals to each other.

Mideast Peace Talks Get New Lease on Life

By Mitchell Plitnick
Six months of United States diplomatic efforts have finally restarted talks between Israelis and Palestinians, yet pessimism about their potential for success persists.

U.S. Hedge Funds Paint Argentina as Ally of Iranian ‘Devil’ – Part One

By Charles Davis
When Argentina defaulted on its national debt in 2001, U.S. hedge funds swooped in to buy the nation's bonds at pennies on the dollar, confident they would eventually prevail in the U.S. legal system and force the country to pay out in full.

Bands Play Across Political Discord

By Pierre Klochendler
Two heavy metal bands, the Israeli-Arab Khalas (‘enough,’ in Arabic) and the Orphaned Land, a Jewish band, performed simultaneously this week under the roof of Club Hangar 13 in the refurbished port of Tel Aviv. The bands are slated to play together this fall in a series of 18 gigs across Europe.

Q&A: “Angela Merkel Is the Decider of Our Fate”

By Mario Queiroz
“Who do I call if I want to call Europe?” This famous question attributed to former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger has an obvious answer today: Angela Merkel, the conservative German chancellor.

For First Time Since 2009, U.S. Senate Talks Closing Guantanamo

By Jared Metzker
Momentum appears to be building in the push to close down the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, where 166 inmates, 86 of whom have been cleared for release, remain held without charges.

BOOKS: China’s March to “Wealth and Power”

By George Gao
The China pavilion is a red, inverted pyramid in Shanghai that was built for the city’s bustling 2010 World Expo. While the pavilion pays some homage to China’s ancient past, it mostly shows off China’s 21st century ambitions, with as much swagger as the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

New Bid for Mideast Talks after Five-Year Hiatus

By Mitchell Plitnick
There is a real opportunity for peacemaking between Israel and the Palestinians, even though the obstacles are more formidable than in the past. That was the assessment of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, speaking Monday at a public event which posed the question “Can the Two-State Solution Be Saved?”

Rouhani Faces Tests at Home and Abroad

By Jasmin Ramsey
The successful campaign of Iran’s President-elect Hassan Rouhani may have been built on the persistence of hope among Iranian voters for a better future.

Indonesia Comes under Fire for Fires

By Baradan Kuppusamy
With a propensity to devour everything in their path and spiral quickly out of control, leaving behind swathes of scorched earth, forest fires are considered a hazard in most parts of the world. In Indonesia, however, fires are the preferred method for clearing large areas of land for massive plantations of commercial crops.
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