So it’s a war - now what?
London Read More
PRC less critical of US than many countries; it’s all about the almighty yuan
China, is an excellent example of the complexity of the American image abroad. U.S. China relations are intertwined at every level of politics, economics, and society and becoming more so daily.
Let me put this in a factual context.
China is now the seventh largest economy in the world. Within five years it is likely to be the fourth largest. Read More
Civil War Isn’t Coming - It’s Here
Amman, Jordan
Incipient civil war. The phrase has been repeated over and over since former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft used it in a speech last week to the New America Foundation. “The Iraqi elections, rather than turning out to be a promising turning point, have the great potential for deepening the conflict,” he said, according to the Washington Post. Read More
Redefining Iraq’s Identity
Amman, Jordan
Here’s a question that has been bothering me as I watch the Middle East watch Iraq’s election campaign: if Iraq’s Arab neighbors are worried about the country breaking up (and conventional wisdom holds that they are) then why do they insist on addressing Iraqi issues in language guaranteed to make things even worse than they already are? Read More
The Safest Places to Vote
Amman, Jordan
It is one of the many perverse aspects of this month’s Iraqi elections that the safest places to vote are probably going to be outside Iraq. Read More
Public Diplomacy (with skim milk, please; no sugar)
Amman, Jordan
Ahh, yes. This is a very American way to spend an hour: sipping coffee in Starbucks, pecking away on my laptop. OK, the experience is not entirely American. For one thing, I appear to be the only person in the store using a computer, but give it time (the manager just wandered past and told me the wireless internet access will probably be up and running next month). Read More
Differences of Perspective
Amman, Jordan
There is a peculiar disconnect when you talk to Westerners here and in Baghdad about the upcoming Iraqi elections. Read More
Election Propaganda
Amman, Jordan
A few days ago The Washington Times wrote glowingly of election coverage plans at Al-Hurra, the US-funded Arabic-language satellite TV station. Correspondents all over the place. US-style rolling coverage of the returns as they come in. A slew of pre-election documentaries and talk shows designed both to air the issues at stake and to teach people the mechanics of voting. Read More
Wolfensohn announces plans to step down at World Bank amid criticism of his tenure
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 -- A key post in global soft power will soon be vacant: James Wolfensohn confirmed today that he expects to step down as president of the World Bank when his current term ends this spring. Read More
The Middle East: Things to Watch in 2005
Amman, Jordan
I watched quietly from my window as 2004 turned to 2005. Fireworks sprouted from the horizon in four or five places – some of them large parties or hotel celebrations, others private revelry. The explosions and firecrackers continued for the better part of half an hour (with the left-overs being set off throughout the day today). Read More
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