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Scenes from Suez
Al Jazeera, which the Times reported today is helping to fan the protest flames, is live-blogging the the protest.
December 2, 2010
November 15, 2010
September 27, 2010
September 17, 2010
September 13, 2010
September 9, 2010
June 5, 2010
June 3, 2010
April 26, 2010
Video of the Day
In international institutions, China scored big diplomatic points this weekend.
Interestingly enough, while this is ostensibly a move motivated by economics, Robert Zoellick uses words more closely associated with power politics, like "polarity," than with political economy.
For more videos on topics from around the world, check out the Real Clear World videos page.
April 13, 2010
Video of the Day
The election in Great Britain is shaping up to be an interesting contest:
To read about their policy prescriptions from the source you can see the Labour and Tory websites.
For more videos on topics from around the world, checkout the Real Clear World videos page.
April 8, 2010
April 6, 2010
Video of the Day
At least yesterday, the bloodiest insurgency was not in Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Iraq, but in India:
The Naxalites have been around for a long time and it looks like they are still going strong. This hearkens back to the days not so long ago when insurgencies were generally looked at as domestic rather than foreign problems.
For more videos on issues from around the world, check out the RealClearWorld videos page.
March 30, 2010
Video of the Day
Our video of the day is an interview with NYU Professor Stephen Cohen on the Moscow bombings:
For a manipulatable data set on past suicide attacks you can look at the Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism. There is also an old article on female suicide bombers, by Lindsey O'Rourke. (Full Disclosure: I am a fellow at CPOST, and an associate of Lindsay O'Rourke.)
For more videos on issues from around the world check out the Real Clear World videos page.
March 29, 2010
Video of the Day
Today's video of the day focuses on one of the few terrorist or insurgent organizations that claims to be Christian, the Lord's Resistance Army in central Africa:
To learn more about the Lord's Resistance Army, you can read a summary of the organization, a summary of the Ugandan Civil War, a summary of the Human Rights Watch Report, and the report itself.
For more videos on topics from around the world, check out the RealClearWorld videos page.
March 18, 2010
Video of the Day
For today, please enjoy a little intentional and unintentional humor at an international gathering, courtesy of Vice President Joe Biden:
There is so little humor in international politics, sometimes it is worth highlighting when it comes along.
For more videos on topics around the world, check out our Real Clear World Video Page.
March 15, 2010
Video of the Day
In today's video, we get to play "Spot the War Crime":
It goes without saying that Al Jazeera is often very critical of Israel, so they highlight one that implicates Israelis, but there is another war crime that the report describes and it goes completely unnoticed; or at least uncommented on.
For more videos on topics around the world check out the Real Clear World videos page.
March 8, 2010
Video of the Day
We thought we had this guy for a bit on Sunday:
As it turns out, we did not. I must confess that I was a little bit disappointed, because Adam Gadahn is the first person indicted for treason in years, and watching this video he is not helping his case.
For more videos on topics from around the world check out the Real Clear World videos page.
March 2, 2010
Video of the Day
Today's video of the day is in keeping with the question of American military decline:
While military expenditures are not perfect measures of military capability, the U.S. military budget is currently greater than the rest of the worlds military expenditures combined, meaning that there is no country, nor combination of countries that can muster the military capital to equal the U.S. That one third of the populace is confused about this is amazing.
For more videos on issues around the world, check out the Real Clear World videos page.
March 1, 2010
Video of the Day
While there seems to be little danger of an actual coup in Turkey at this time, past coup attempts are in the news because of a recent crackdown in the country:
Turkey has an interesting history where coups are almost always pro-liberal events. The military overthrows the democratically elected government, because the government strays too far from principles of freedom, and so far the military has always willingly returned power to the people. Coups in Turkey are therefore often an illustration of how processes (democracy) is not the same as ideology (liberalism, in the classical sense). It is also an interesting case of the difficulty of democracy in the Middle East.
For more videos on topics from around the world, check out the Real Clear World video page.
February 26, 2010
February 24, 2010
Video of the Day
If Hugo Chavez was not a virtual dictator of an important country in Latin America, I would say that he would be one of the funniest comedians in Latin America:
There is so much to chuckle about here, including addressing the Queen as if she controls British policy. Just in case you were wondering, though, the last time Argentina had any settlements in the Falklands was the 1830s. Now it is basically a huge sheep farm, with a population of about 3,000, all of whom speak English. So why care about the Falklands? You guessed it: Oil.
For more videos from around the world, check out the Real Clear World videos page.
February 22, 2010
Video of the Day
It seems universally true that a problematic few cause problems for all, and this is no more true than in Iran:
Iran has a long and justifiably proud history of scientific research, and it is impressive to see them pressing on in the face of sanctions and isolation. The saddest part is that there are probably many scientists caught in Iran who only want to advance their science, but are being inhibited because most of the world is concerned that their government is going to develop WMDs. It's possible that even some of the scientists working on the nuclear program feel that way.
For more videos on issues from around the world, check out the Real Clear World videos page.
February 17, 2010
Video of the Day
This is a topic that we have covered elsewhere on this blog, and yet a possible Mossad assassination is just too good to leave alone.
While there have always been conspiracy theories, the Internet has given them a home they never had. To be sure, there was a conspiracy here: to kill a Hamas commander. It succeeded, and maybe someday we will know who and why. In the mean time there will be a ton of speculation. Just for fun, kick in your conspiracy theory in the comments. I found it interesting that the conspirators apparently used the identities only of Europeans who speak Arabic.
For more videos on issues around the world, check out the Real Clear World Videos page.
February 16, 2010
Dubai Releases "Hit Squad" Video
Two weeks ago a Hamas commander was killed in his hotel room in Dubai. Now the authorities have released CCTV video showing the assassins tracing the man's movements:
The assassins had passports from a variety of European countries and now that their faces have been plastered all over Dubai, the awkward diplomacy begins. Here's the Daily Telegraph:
The Foreign Office was investigating how the identities of six innocent Britons — at least three of whom lived in Israel — came to be used by the alleged hit team...As police in Dubai released CCTV footage of the suspects yesterday, some of the Britons whose identities were stolen voiced their anger after waking up to discover that they had been named in the plot.
"I have not left Israel for two years and I certainly have not been to Dubai recently," said Kent-born Paul Keeley, 42, a builder who has lived on a Kibbutz in northern Israel for the past 15 years.
"When I first heard about this I immediately looked to make sure my passport was still there and it was. It has not been stolen, so I don’t know what on earth has happened.
I'm obviously in no position to tell what's going on, but it does strike me as extremely problematic to steal an innocent person's identity to carry out an assassination. Of course, there's almost certainly a lot more to this story.
Video of the Day
If Secretary Clinton's portrayal of the administration's view of Iran is accurate, then it has a very peculiar view indeed:
This characterization is interesting, as it presents the current government in Iran - or in the recent past - as a legitimate one, just as the election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is being challenged.
For more videos on topics around the world, check out the Real Clear World Video Page.
February 12, 2010
Video of the Day
Sometimes people forget that China remains an authoritarian regime, but unfortunately, they cannot go long without reminding us:
It is strange to me that Liu Xiaobo has not received the attention that other causes celebres do. If there is any modern analog to Ghandi, or Martin Luther King, it is probably Liu Xiaobo. Poignantly, he is only accused of signing the Charter 2008.
For more news on issues from around the world check out the Real Clear World videos page.
February 10, 2010
February 9, 2010
Video of the Day
It seems as though Iran really enjoys stirring up trouble with the west:
For those who are not familiar, 20% enriched uranium is called Highly Enriched Uranium, and is a higher grade that what you find just lying around, or than what is commonly used for experiments at universities and so forth. It is still well short of the 90% enriched uranium necessary for weapons, but getting to 20% is the hard part. Once a country can create HEU, it is a relatively small step to weapons grade. For a reference on uranium enrichment, check out the Federation of American Scientists page on enrichment.
For more videos on topics from around the world check out the RCW Video page.
February 8, 2010
Video of the Day
It looks like Sherman was right:
It is apparent to me that Al Jazeera is attempting to paint the U.S. in a negative light with this video. While U.S. soldiers are in vehicles, who do you suppose delivered (and secured) those supplies? Nevertheless, this video highlights the Catch-22 that many Afghans feel they are in now.
For more videos on issues around the world, check out the Real Clear World Video page.
February 5, 2010
Video of the Day
The wide world of weird nuclear politics raises its head again:
It is interesting that a system completely incapable of withstanding a concerted assault by Russia should be so important not only to Russia, but to states like Romania and Poland. In this case it is not because of the capabilities, but the symbolism of the system. Eastern European states view the missile system, and presumably the troops that comes with it, as a clear signal of U.S. commitment in the region. Based on the reaction from the Kremlin, the Russians apparently agree - and they do not like it.
For more videos on topics throughout the world, check out the Real Clear World video page.
February 3, 2010
Video of the Day
Gordon Chang is extremely well known for being bearish on China, and so represents only one side of the scholarly debate on China and Chinese policy. Nevertheless, he points out something that is very interesting, and is often overlooked when dealing with U.S. and Chinese relations. Often people seem to think that the U.S. needs China because China has a huge market, but the trade balance shows that really it is China which needs the U.S. market. The only thing China buys in large quantities is U.S. debt, which I think most Americans would happily quit exporting.
For more videos on world events, check out the Real Clear World Video page.
February 2, 2010
Video of the Day
Relations continue to sour between the United States and China:
This could be an interesting natural experiment on the power, or lack thereof, of sanctions. While it is possible that a wobbly company might be hurt by sanctions, it seems unlikely that the economic titans that are U.S. defense contracting companies are among them. If this squabble heightens, this may finally spell the end of "Chimerica."
For more videos on the events of the world, look at the Real Clear World Videos page.
January 29, 2010
Video of the Day
The plan to 'reintegrate' the Taliban with money may seem like a new idea, but some are skeptical of its potential effectiveness:
The logic behind aid for current Taliban fighters is roughly the same as that behind foreign aid: we give you money to meet your needs, and you do not support our enemies. Underlying this is the assumption that these groups are actually somewhat autonomous and independent. If it works, 300 million is actually a fairly cheap price to make Afghanistan calmer.
For more videos, be sure to check the RCW video page.
January 28, 2010
Video of the Day
Yemen has gotten a lot of attention since the 'Panty Bomber' set his nether regions aflame and admitted to receiving training there. However, some Yemeni's are not all that thrilled about it:
No one should be surprised that people do not like outsiders interfering in the national business. Nevertheless, powerful states will always protect their interests, often at the expense of weaker states sovereignty. Sometimes there is a causal relationship, such that weak states are the target for groups like Al Qaeda, and since Al Qaeda threatens powerful states, the weak state is subject to powerful state influence. Regardless, complaints about outside interference are almost always a hallmark of weakness in a given area. Nobody ever really interferes in internal U.S. matters because that is a good way to get a non-humanitarian visit from the U.S. military.
For more videos, be sure to check the RCW video page.
January 26, 2010
Video of the Day
Vice President Biden seems to think he knows something about Middle Eastern politics. Iraqi's apparently disagree:
Some will view this as another rejection of the Obama administration, but primarily it is a demonstration of the fierce independence that most Arabs and Iraqis have with regards to their own affairs. It is possible that this disagreement could devolve into violence, but there does not seem to be much that the U.S. could do to stop it. It's disingenuous however to represent the Iraqi government as currently divided with "pro-" and "anti-" U.S. branches. Clearly there are going to be factions within any democratic government, but since Iraq is a partial parliamentary system, the parliament chooses the president, and therefore minimizes the differences across branches.
For more video on Iraq check out the RCW Videos page.
January 25, 2010
Video of the Day
That China and Google are still in the news tells you that this story is more significant than perhaps originally thought:
Part of the reason this story may have such long legs could be the fact that Google is such a powerful corporation. However, more tellingly, instead of backing off and denying everything, the Chinese Communist Party has decided to double down on their control of the internet. This is potentially significant for two reasons: 1. the party views its control of the internet as critical to its survival, meaning that China may not be as stable as many currently perceive, or 2. China now believes that its power vis-à-vis the United States is great enough that it can forge its own path in the international community,meaning that China's heretofore peaceful rise may have been ephemeral.
For more videos on international subjects check out the RCW Videos page.
January 22, 2010
Video of the Day
Russia has a new reason to feel insecure; at least it thinks so:
If there were ever a country that embodies the security dilemma as described by John Mearsheimer, it is Russia. Every increase in capabilities by near or not-so-near countries causes them to feel threatened. It is worth noting that the Patriot Missile system is primarily defensive, and Russian airspace is well out of range when deployed 100km from the border. Nevertheless, the tension in the U.S.-Russian relationship highlights the strange dynamic of nuclear politics where increases in defensive capabilities also increase first strike incentives.
For more videos on subjects from around the world, check out the RCW Video page.
January 21, 2010
Video of the Day
On the RCW video page we will periodically host interviews and speeches. Today we have Joseph Stiglitz:
Regardless of how many Nobel's someone has, one should never accept what they say uncritically. Nevertheless, Joseph Stiglitz is probably the most important critic of unchecked free markets in the west today. In academic circles, one would likely describe him as an opponent of the Chicago School, however in popular parlance, both Stiglitz and the Chicago School often devolve to parodies of themselves. One can see in this interview that Stiglitz may favor a second stimulus, but he is also concerned about deficit spending.
January 19, 2010
Video of the Day
Haiti is having the same problems that occur in the wake of many natural disasters.
Most people may remember that there were significant problems in the wake of Hurricane Katrina with the rule of law. Even without the problems of natural disaster, Haiti has had problems. Of course, many of these looters are probably just doing what it takes to stay alive, but as the rebuilding of the infrastructure drags on it would be unsurprising if we see many more casualties from lack of supplies and violence. Of course, there are always those, who wish to ignore that reality.
For more videos on subjects from around the world, check out the RCW Video page.
January 18, 2010
RCW Video of the Day
It seems that the Taliban may be hoping for their own Walter Cronkite moment.
While in retrospect we know that the Tet Offensive was a complete disaster for the Viet-Cong, it was a turning point in the Vietnam war, in no small part because it led to Walter Cronkite's famous editorial, declaring the war unwinnable. The political success of Tet led many who oppose the U.S. to believe that all that was needed was a well timed coup de grace to win. If this is what the Taliban were trying to do, it failed, in part because they seem to have failed to hold any area, and in part because the soldiers fighting them are Afghans.
(For more videos, check out the RCW Video page.)
January 14, 2010
January 12, 2010
RCW Video of the Day
News that probably will not get a lot of play but may have far reaching consequences:
It is worth noting that Bangladesh is a primarily Muslim country, which actually used to be known as Eastern Pakistan. It was able to break away from that country as a result of Indian intervention which was part of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. It may be significant that India is able to warm ties to an Islamic country in South Asia.
For more videos on the latest issues from around the world check out the RCW video page.
January 6, 2010
RCW Video of the Day
On Monday, the United States joined South Korea in allowing HIV-positive people to visit and immigrate to their countries:
While this story has been up against a lot of domestic and international issues in the news cycle, I am surprised that outside of a few AIDS advocacy groups and the United Nations, almost nothing has been said on the topic. The closest we got was this report by ABC.
For more videos on the latest issues from around the world check out the RCW video page.