Russian President Medvedev urges ratification of new START treaty

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday urged a swift ratification for the U.S.-Russia START treaty, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Medvedev called on the Russian Parliament to ratify as quickly as possible the treaty which consists in the new nuclear arms reduction pact with the United States and signed last April in Prague, Czech Republic.

"The Americans have done what they have promised to do. They have ratified the treaty with several amendments," Medvedev said. "Now it is the turn of our parliament. You have all possibility to do the same. I hope that decision will be made."

Afghan official blames Iran's blockade for fuel shortage

Afghanistan's commerce minister has blamed Iran for the country's fuel shortage, the DPA news agency reported on Monday.

"Afghanistan is suffering. The stoppage of fuel tankers has created great problems and a crisis for us in terms of fuel supply," Anwarul Haq Ahadi told journalists.

Iran cut its fuel supply route to Afghanistan for more than a month without providing a convincing reason in early December. It has been allowing only small numbers of trucks, 40 tankers a day, to cross the border. There were still about 1,800 to 1,900 tankers on the other side, Ahadi said.

Indonesia backs East Timor's ASEAN membership

Indonesia on Sunday expressed its support of East Timor's bid to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), local media reported.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the country "openly supports" East Timor's wish to join ASEAN, which currently has 10 members, Indonesia's state-run media Antara news agency reported.

Even though no official application has been submitted, Natalegawa said he had heard that East Timor would begin processing it this year to follow the ASEAN membership stages.

Turkey, Qatar and Syria to meet over Lebanon government crisis

Leaders from Turkey, Syria and Qatar will attend a meeting in Damascus on Monday to seek a solution to the political crisis in Lebanon, Turkey's state news agency reported.

Hillary Clinton: Tunisia is enduring a significant transition

United States State Secretary Hillary Clinton on Friday said that Tunisia is enduring a significant transition following reports that President Ben Ali left the North African country.


"The United States continues to closely monitor the rapidly evolving events in Tunisia, where earlier today President Ben Ali left his country following several weeks of demonstrations and popular unrest," said Clinton.

Clinton remarked that the United States condemned the violence and urged restraint on all sides. The State Secretary added that the U.S. expects that Tunisian authorities will work on ensuring the right of its people to peacefully assemble and express their views.

Arab Riots: Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution

Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution

By Mona Eltahawy

Not once in my 43 years have I thought that I'd see an Arab leader toppled by his people. It is nothing short of poetic justice that it was neither Islamists nor invasion-in-the-name-of-democracy that sent the waters rushing onto Ben Ali's ship but, rather, the youth of his country.

Read more at the Washington Post


Tunisia gets a change of Zine

by Globe and Mail Editorial

The first successful overthrow of an Arab leader by his own people since the colonial era ended is a warning sign to many of the region’s autocrats that their grip on power is no longer assured.

Read more



Tunisia Seethes

by New York Times Editorial

With as many as 30 people dead and the country in an uproar, criticism has been pouring in from Washington, the European Union and the United Nations. France, Mr. Ben Ali’s most influential ally, has so far remained shamefully silent.

Read more


Ouster of Tunisia president: An opportunity for Arab autocrats to respond to the people

by Christian Science Monitor Editorial Board

The demonstrations were sparked in December when an educated but typically jobless young man killed himself after authorities confiscated fruits and vegetables he was selling without a permit. As one witness told Reuters, however, “It is not just about unemployment any more. It’s about freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, all the freedoms.”

Read more


Is Tunisia Next?

by Elliott Abrams

What’s next? The regime has no real alternatives except members of Ben Ali’s family, a solution unlikely to satisfy Tunisian society. While his wife is said to view herself as a successor, and this might have worked ten years ago, the time for an Argentine-like hand-off to the ruler’s wife is over.

Read more at the Council on Foreign Relations


Tunisia: Dependence on Europe Fuels Unemployment Crisis and Protests

by Lahcen Achy

Even as the level of education among job seekers in Tunisia has improved, the government has failed to make policies guaranteeing enough job creation to absorb new entrants to the labor market, especially among those with university degrees.

Read more at the CATO Institute



Tunisia: Lessons of Authoritarian Collapse

by Thomas Carother

With democracy’s spread having slowed over the last decade we've gotten out of the habit of receiving such news and have forgotten some of the basic lessons of authoritarian collapse. The fall of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia usefully reminds us of them.

Reade more at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace


Obama's 'Arab Spring'?

by Marc Lynch

Yesterday I noted the spread of seemingly unrelated protests and clashes through a diverse array of Arab states -- Tunisia, Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt. Last night, protests spread to Algeria, partly in response to rising prices on basic food items but more deeply by the same combination of economic desperation, fury over perceived corruption, and a blocked political order.

Read more at the Foreign Policy

The Birth of a New Nation in Africa: The Sudan Referendum

In Sudan, an Election and a Beginning

by Barack Obama, President of the USA

NOT every generation is given the chance to turn the page on the past and write a new chapter in history. Yet today — after 50 years of civil wars that have killed two million people and turned millions more into refugees — this is the opportunity before the people of southern Sudan.

Read more at NY Times



Jimmy Carter: Where Sudan is headed

by Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the USA

Key challenges include demarcating final borders, resolving citizenship issues, building a framework for economic cooperation and managing the division of revenue from oil, most of which is currently extracted from fields in the South, but refined and pumped through pipelines crossing the North for export via Port Sudan on the Red Sea. An especially critical problem concerns the disputed oil-rich border area of Abyei, which remains unresolved and a source of much tension.

Read more at CNN International


Africa unhinged?

by Benny Avni

Yet the first significant breakup of an African country since the end of the colonial era raises the specter of splits in other ethnically divided nations in the continent -- and those divorces are less likely to be amicable. Is a wave of secessions ahead?

Read more at the NY Post


Sudan's vote: Independence could work for both North and South

by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial

Virtually all nations, including China and the United States as well as Sudan's neighbors, are watching the referendum in Southern Sudan on whether it should become an independent nation or continue to be yoked to the North as part of a single nation.

Read more

A vote to celebrate for south Sudan

by Solomon Attari

I am very proud that in my time as chief there has not been a single fight or any violence. In a village this size, with all of us who know each other so well, there are often disagreements. But one thing that we can all agree on is the value of peace. We will settle our differences through discussion and compromise, and never resort to force.

Read more at the Guardian


Answering Your Sudan Questions, Take 1

by Nicholas Kristof

The intense and prolonged suffering of the Sudanese people has naturally aroused humanitarian concern of the international community. In addition, a resumption of civil war would inevitably affect the nine bordering nations. The entire continent of Africa could be affected, as well as the worldwide religious community. It is important to recognize the enormous size of Sudan – equal to the United States east of the Mississippi River.

Read more at the NY Times


Americans: Support Today's Referendum - and Democracy - in South Sudan

by Heather Robinson

Omar al Bashir, president of Sudan, has spoken nicely in recent days about respecting the outcome of the vote. But his history of reportedly unleashing janjaweed militias on ethnic African villages and his indictment by the International Criminal Court for war crimes against fellow Muslims in Darfur, combined with his recent statement threatening imposition of Sharia Law in the North if the South breaks away, are troubling.

Read more at the Huffington Post

Dividing rights and obligations

by Boston Globe Editorial



There are now about 1.5 million southerners in northern Sudan, mostly of Christian or traditional animist faith. “If south Sudan secedes,’’ Bashir said last month, “we will change the constitution and at that time there will be no time to speak of diversity of culture and ethnicity. Sharia and Islam will be the main source for the constitution, Islam the official religion, and Arabic the official language".

Read more







Sudan’s Referendum—The Birth of a New Nation?

by Marina Ottaway

Southern Sudanese are widely expected to vote for independence—splitting the largest country in Africa and the Arab world in two—in a referendum on January 9. The referendum was designed to be the culmination of a peace process ending decades of conflict between the north and the south, but there are lingering fears that tensions could erupt into violence.

Read more at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Sudan, Oil, and Security

by Chris Scanzoni

Though the conflict in Darfur has publicly captivated Americans, U.S. officials are vigorously striving to prevent a war in Sudan that promises even greater human costs. A January referendum for southern secession and the potential derailment of a delicate 2005 peace deal ending a 22-year civil war between the northern Arabs and southern Christians could revive the bloody conflict in the nation.

Read more at the Roosevelt Institute

Sudan, after the breakup: Can violence be prevented?

By Ibrahim Sharqieh

Though a creation of an independent South Sudan may solve one source of the conflict, renewed violence is still a possibility since the referendum does not address many of the root causes of this conflict. Most important, the referendum fails to address the issue in the oil rich border city of Abyei, whose inhabitants face the choice of staying with the North or joining the South.

Read more at the Christian Science Monitor

EU condems the Shepherd Hotel demolition in East Jerusalem

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Vice President of the European Commission made today the following statement:

"I strongly condemn this morning's demolition of the Shepherd Hotel and the planned construction
of a new illegal settlement. I reiterate that settlements are illegal under international law,
undermine trust between the parties and constitute an obstacle to peace. Furthermore, we recall
that East Jerusalem is part of occupied Palestinian territory; the EU does not recognise the
annexation by Israel. We are also concerned by the recent upsurge of violence in the Occupied Palestinian territory, and deeply regret the loss of life. We call on all parties to exercise restraint, and for a halt to all violence.”

Former British MP sentenced to 18 months for expenses fraud

LONDON -- Britain's David Chaytor, a former Member of the Parliament (MP) for Bury North, on Friday was sentenced to 18 months in prison for expenses fraud.

Chaytor, 61, of Lumbutts, Lancashire, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court where he pleaded guilty on Monday to three charges relating to the false accounting of over £20,000 (approximately $31,105).

EU High Representative Ashton urges Israel and Palestine to return to negotiations

The European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton on Thursday urged Palestine to return to negotiations during her visit to the Middle East.

Ashton visited both Palestinian and Israeli leaders during her two-day visit which ended on Thursday. The EU representative discussed latest developments and ways to move beyond the current impasse.

"I am pleased to begin the New Year with a visit to the Middle East. My trip to the region so early in the year is an expression of my personal commitment and that of the European Union and its 27 Member States to peace in the Middle East," said Ashton.

Israeli PM Netanyahu meets with Egyptian President Mubarak

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and discussed ways to advance the diplomatic process.

The meeting took place in the Egyptian city of Sharm e-Sheikh. The two leaders had a a lengthy discussion on the bilateral efforts. The two Middle East leaders also discussed the situation with Palestine.

Joint venture between Shell and Brazilian company approved by European body

BRUSSELS -- The European Commission on Tuesday approved the joint venture between Shell and a Brazilian sugar and ethanol company.

The Commission cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the establishment of a joint business between UK-based Shell and Brazil's Cosan S.A. Indústria e Comércio of Brazil.

The new joint venture will dedicate to the production, distribution and sale of sugar, ethanol and related products. The merger would be made through Shell Brazil Holding B.V. which belongs to the Shell Group.

In addition, the activities of the venture will also include the development and licensing of certain ethanol technologies, the supply, distribution and sale of transportation fuel products in Brazil, and the production and sale of co-generation power at the sugar and ethanol facilities of the joint venture in the South American country.

Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies. On the other hand, Cosan is dedicated to the manufacturing and trading of sugar and ethanol, the co-generation of electricity from sugarcane, the distribution of fuels, and the production and distribution of lubricants in Brazil.

The merger was approved after the Commission determined that the market of suppliers of bio-ethanol for ex-refinery, non-retail, and retail sales of motor fuels has the participation of a considerable number of other suppliers. Thus, the new joint venture by Shell will not raise competition concerns.

Former Kenyan Minister Kogsey denies corruption charges against him

NAIROBI, KENYA -- Former Kenyan Industrialization Minister Henry Kogsey on Tuesday denied the corruption charges and was released on bail, local media reported.

Kogsey appeared before the anti-corruption court in Nairobi as he was charged with twelve counts of abuse of office charges. Kogsey is also the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party chairman.

The former minister is accused of using his position to exempt 123 imported vehicles for certain individuals and organizations in Kenya from the application of the nation's Standards code of practice for road vehicles without the advice of the National Standards Council.

Kogsey's attorneys asked the court to release him on a free bond as they cited that the former minister has served the country for over 30 years. However, the request was denied and Kogsey was freed after paying a $25,850 bail.

According to the charges, the former minister used his position at the Ministry of Industrialization headquarters, in the Teleposta Towers in Nairobi to favor Hussein Mohamed of Lagdera Technologies.

On November 19, 2009, Kogsey exempted four vehicles imported by the company from the application of Kenya Standards code of practice for road vehicles under the legal notice.

Previously, the ODM chairman also exempted two vehicles imported by Simon Maina Kamau and one vehicle imported by Lawrence Karanja Waweru in February 2009. One month later, he exempted 20 motor vehicles for Yuasa International Limited, a motor vehicle importer with 22 additional units on June 3.

The former minister is also suspected of several other similar cases involving car importer companies for a total of 123 exempted vehicles. If found guilty, Kogsey may spend the next ten years behind bars.

Kenya prohibited importing of vehicles manufactured eight or more years before the date of importation. The Standards Act allows the Industrialization Minister to allow vehicles older that eight years to be brought into the country but on the advice of the board of Kenya Bureau of Standards.

President Obama signs 9/11 first responders bill

HONOLULU -- President Barack Obama on Sunday signed a bill which will provide assistance to survivors of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and to rescue workers who became ill as a result of working at Ground Zero.

The 'James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act' establishes the World Trade Center Health Program and extends and expands eligibility for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. It was named after New York City Police Department officer James Zadroga who died of a respiratory disease that has been attributed to his help during rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero.

Obama said he believed the bill is a 'critical step' for those who continue to bear the physical scars of the September 11 attacks. "I was honored to sign the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to ensure that rescue and recovery workers, residents, students, and others suffering from health consequences related to the World Trade Center disaster have access to the medical monitoring and treatment they need," he said after signing the bill. "We will never forget the selfless courage demonstrated by the firefighters, police officers, and first responders who risked their lives to save others."

On September 11, 2001, two hijacked airliners crashed into both towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Another airliner crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while a fourth crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed.

PM Netanyahu says U.S. rejected Israel's freeze proposal

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that the U.S. government rejected Israel's proposal over the settlement freeze, local media reported.

Netanyahu said that he agreed to the U.S. plan to extend by three months the West Bank settlement freeze moratorium but the Obama administration was the one that rejected the offer, according to the Haaretz newspaper.

"The United States asked us to consider extending the freeze by three months, and the truth is that we were prepared to do so," Netanyahu said. "It was eventually the United States who decided against that direction, rightfully, in my opinion."

In December, the United States announced that it ended negotiations attempting to reach a three-month-extension over the settlement freeze between Israel and Palestine. The U.S. said that it was unable to met Israel's demands.

Netanyahu also remarked that he supports a two-state solution and blamed Palestine for the lack of progress. The Prime Minister highlighted that this has been his position since 1996.

"During the cabinet meeting on Sunday, I called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, to hold direct negotiations, but I got no answer," he said. "We took many actions in order to move the peace process forward but the Palestinians did not even advance one millimeter despite the settlement freeze."

Also in December, U.S. Envoy George Mitchell announced that the U.S. were still pursuing the continuation of peace talks between Israel and Palestine. Some Middle-Eastern countries previously expressed their skepticism over U.S. interest in doing so.

One day before that announcement, Abbas expressed his disappointment with the U.S. after failing to resume peace negotiations and declare that the border talks with Israel will be based on 1967 lines.

After Hegemony: America is no longer the world’s only pivotal power. Americans are adjusting—but can their leaders?

by Nina Hachigian

One massive economic meltdown and a transformational American election later, three new books have come to warn us that even a more visionary president with a healthy respect for the rest of the world won’t be enough to put America back in the driver’s seat. The economic collapse has heightened our sense of anxiety at home. And challenging times lie ahead–not only are other powers still rising, as these volumes document, but America now has fewer resources and even less legitimacy to deal with an ever more complex global order.

These books accurately limn a multipolar world in which America can no longer dominate at will. But they underplay some crucial truths about the United States and the world that suggest a safe and successful future for Americans. America retains great strengths, and nations now depend on one another for their prosperity and security. And yet there’s little indication that most of our leaders recognize this new global reality–or that our politics is up to the task of steering the ship of state in the right direction.

Read full article here

Iran accuses Israel of kidnapping former deputy minister in 2006

JERUSALEM - Iran on Friday accused the Israeli government of kidnapping former Deputy Defense Minister Ali Reza Asghari who went missing in Istanbul, Turkey in 2006.

According to the Haaretz newspaper, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister in the Middle East and Commonwealth Affairs Mohammed Raouf Sheybani said that reports indicate that Ashgari was kidnapped by Israeli forces with the help of U.S. operatives.

Iran and Honduras in the Propaganda System: How the Left Climbed Aboard the Establishment's Bandwagon

by Edward Herman

What makes the Iran - Honduras comparison so telling are two sets of facts. The first, regarding Iran, is that Iran has been, and remains, under threat of a major military assault by the United States and Israel; that Iran has not advanced beyond its borders in the last century and beyond, and poses no threat of an offensive attack on the two countries that threaten it; and that while Iran's clerical regime is without question repressive, Iran is nowhere near as oppressed and  closed a society as are the U.S. allies in nearby Saudi Arabia and Egypt.  Furthermore, Iran held a presidential election in June 2009 that was seriously contested, even though the results were disputed and the belief that the presidency was stolen from the true victor triggered massive protests on a scale unseen since the overthrow of the Shah in 1979.  

Read full article here

South Korea: Seeking Reunification by Live Fire?

by John Feffer

Today North Korea followed Richardson's advice. Now it's the South Korean and U.S. turn to show maximum restraint. By following up on the offer on the table, all sides can step away from the precipice and go back to pursuing reunification the old-fashioned way: by talking, not fighting.

Read full article here

Photo source: http://lawormoney.com/deal-with-south-korea-may-help-american-jobs-and-more/1006/

Michael Gerson's moral myopia

                                                                                    
by Stephen M. Walt

A number of pundits have already explored what these disturbing remarks tell us about Kissinger himself and his relationship with Nixon, but Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush who is now a columnist for the Washington Post, has decided that the real culprit is the entire "realist" approach to foreign policy. Not only does he consider realism to be a "sadly limited view of power, discounting American ideological advantages in global ideological struggles," he claims that "repeated doses of foreign policy realism can deaden the conscience."

Read full article here