In reading this wonderfully erudite and interesting essay about Iran by the British writer Martin Amis, this passage jumped out:
In 1997, the regime felt confident enough to sanction the surprise victory of President Muhammad Khatami, who won by the same landslide margin of 69% in a joyous election that no one disputed. Khatami, a cleric, [...]
Near the end of an interesting article about Russia’s unpopularity among its neighboring countries, Ellen Barry explains the nub of the problem:
Herein lies the problem: Russia’s appeal to them just does not sound very seductive. Ideally, it would present an attractive model for its neighbors, politically and economically. Young generations would learn Russian because they [...]
Robert Kaplan has an interesting article up at The Atlantic concerning Beijing’s relationship with its far-western province, Xinjiang. In the text, he touches upon an issue that occasionally flies under the radar in international coverage of China:
As China’s zone of influence expands westward, a network of north-south roads through Pakistan, India, and Burma will one [...]
As the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War passes, the American press has shifted into full-reflection mode. Slate magazine’s coverage is typical: round up a group of disaffected war hawks and extract mea culpas from each.
Most of the apologies can be summarized in one sentence: I didn’t expect the Bush team to fuck it [...]
Like ice cream, idiotic quotes by George W. Bush come in many flavors. Some are notable simply for their sheer malaprop quality, while others reveal a detachment from the real world so complete that you wonder whether the man has a single sentient thought circulating in his head, a frightening notion considering that he remains, [...]
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the ailing Fidel Castro announced his resignation as President of Cuba. In practical terms, new President Raul Castro (Fidel’s younger brother) has been the de facto head of state for the past eighteen months, so very little will likely change.
Cuba is one of the five remaining Communist [...]
The world’s club of independent nations added Kosovo to its members list this week, to decidedly mixed applause. The US, Britain, France, and Germany immediately recognized the new republic, while Spain ruled out following suit. Serbia, having seen its territory further reduced, is incensed. Its long-time patron Russia also opposed the independence declaration, while other [...]
In August of last year (2006), at the end of my month-long trip to Vietnam, I had dinner at a Hanoi restaurant with a middle-aged American with extensive experience living and working in Asia. During our conversation, I remarked how nice it was to be able to travel safely in Vietnam now only thirty years [...]
At The Box, one of Kunming’s popular watering holes, the mood last night was jovial. The Australian general election results came in and Labor scored a decisive victory, booting long-tenured Prime Minister John Howard and his Liberal Party from office. Aussie expats, like their American counterparts, tend to be decidedly left-wing. As a result, many [...]