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."

German police discovers explosive devices in front of Croatian embassy

German police on Monday discovered explosive devices in front of the Croatian embassy in the capital city Berlin, Welt newspaper reported.

A suspicious package was discovered in front of the Croatian Embassy in Berlin. A special police team was rushed to the scene to avoid an explosion. A hand grenade was found inside the package. 

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.

First U.S. ambassador since 2005 arrives in Damascus

Robert Ford, the first U.S. ambassador to Syria since 2005, arrived in Damascus on Sunday, the DPA news agency reported.


"Ford will have a challenging job bringing the different views of Syria and the US to some common ground on issues related to Lebanon and neighboring countries," a western diplomat based in Beirut said, as cited by DPA.

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 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.

Iran invites International officials to visit nuclear facilities in mid January

TEHRAN, IRAN -- Iran on Monday announced that a number of prominent figures from six countries will visit two nuclear facilities in mid January.

According to the Fars news agency, ambassadors of two Non-Alignment Movement Troika members (Cuba and Egypt), Head of the Group 77 and representatives from China, Brazil, Russia and Turkey will visit the Islamic nation on January 15 and 16.

The group would have the opportunity to take a tour at the Arak heavy water facility and Natanz uranium enrichment center, both in Central Iran. This visit is expected to have a positive effect towards the next round of talks between Iran and the Group of 5+1.

G5+1 are the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany and are scheduled to meet Iranian officials in Istanbul, Turkey in the new rounds of talks in late January.

Last December, Iranian officials met with the G5+1 group in Geneva, Switzerland, amidst n ea international skepticism as it was believed that the meetings would not last a single day. However, Iranian officials said the talks were held under a positive and constructive atmosphere and agreed to hold additional meetings.

Iran has alleged that it has always pursued a civilian target use for its nuclear program. The Islamic country claims that its program is a civilian path to provide power to Iran's growing population, as fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

The country led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is building a 300-megawatt light-water reactor in the southwestern town of Darkhoveyn as well as its first nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr.

Iran is currently under a fourth round of sanctions, which were backed by the U.S. They were imposed upon Tehran citing the proliferation risks of Iran's nuclear program and its continued failure to comply with International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) requests.

Ahmadinejad said that the sanctions against his country were illegal and downplayed any effect it might have had in Iran. He added that the measures only strengthen the country and accelerate the progress.

UN Secretary-General condemns church bomb attack in Egypt

UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned the deadly church attack that killed 21 people in Alexandria, Egypt.

According to Martin Nesirky, spokesman for the Secretary-General, the UN chief was appalled by the terrorist attack that also injured over 70 individuals at the al-Qiddissin Coptic Church in Alexandria during New Year's Eve festivities.

Ban also called for the Egyptian authorities to act swiftly and bring to justice those responsible for the terror bombing. In addition, he conveyed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims.

The international community also condemned the explosion that killed 21 and wound 97 people. The blast took place outside the church as worshipers were leaving the New Year's mass in the early hours of Saturday (January 1), according to the Daily News Egypt.

Initial reports indicated it was a car bomb but the Ministry of Interior later informed that the terror attack was perpetrated by a suicide bomber. President Hosni Mubarak said that the attackers were not Egyptian and they will be found and prosecuted.

"All of Egypt was targeted by the attack," said Mubarak. "Blind terrorism does not differentiate between Muslims and Christians."

Authorities informed that the situation in Alexandria is tense but everything is under control. The Egyptian government alleged that the attack was made by foreigners attempting to divide citizens.

The Muslim Brotherhood also strongly condemned the crime. The officially banned opposition group stated that this crime is not accepted by any religion, and that Islam calls for protecting the rights of non-Muslims and Muslims alike.

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

Belarus closes OSCE office in Minsk

MINSK, BELARUS - Belarus on Friday closed down the office of the Organziation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) after the European body criticized December's presidential elections.

According to RIA Novosti, Belarusian authorities decided to discontinue the mandate of the OSCE mission in Belarus after the body said it was disappointed with the election process and the results of the last controversial presidential polls.

"This was a well thought-out decision conditioned by a lack of objective grounds to retain the OSCE mission in Belarus," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Savinykh.

Russia and Cuba sign inter-parliamentary cooperation pact

HAVANA, CUBA - Russia and Cuba on Thursday signed an inter-parliamentary cooperation pact in order to improve bilateral relations, the Cuban News Agency (ACN) reported on Friday.

The pact was signed by Ricardo Alarcon de Quesada, president of the National Assembly of the People’s Power (ANPP) and the speaker of the State Duma, Boris Grizlov. The document will help to improve trade and economic ties between the two nations.

"This important agreement opens up new possibilities for broader dialogue and wider cooperation between our lawmakers," Gryzlov said. "Russian and Cuban lawmakers must play a more active role in boosting and modernizing trade and economic ties between the two countries."

On the other hand, Alarcon expressed his satisfaction with the agreement and remarked that between Cuba and Russia has existed a long standing relationship based on mutual support and friendship. The ANPP president said that such relation would strengthen with this cooperation pact.

Russia has supported Cuba against the economic, financial and trade blockade imposed by the U.S. In addition, the European country has collaborated in the development of the Caribbean island nation since its revolution, said Alarcon.

UK Foreign Office removes Côte d'Ivoire Ambassador

LONDON - The United Kingdom Foreign Office (FCO) on Friday removed Ambassador for Côte d'Ivoire in order to recognize the one designated by President-elect Alassane Ouattara.

The FCO informed Ambassador Philippe D Djangone-Bi that he was withdrawn from his position to the UK as it will be moving to recognize the appointee of Ouattara in the usual manner. This decision was also taken in order to increase pressure on former President Gbagbo to desist power.

U.S. revokes Venezuela amassador's visa

CARACAS, VENEZUELA (BNO NEWS) -- The Venezuelan government on Wednesday confirmed that its ambassador to the U.S. had his visa revoked by the U.S. State Department.

"I confirm. USA revoked the visa of ambassador Bernardo Alvarez," Temir Porras, Venezuela's Deputy Foreign Minister, said through his Twitter account.

Following the U.S.' decision to revoke the envoy's visa, State Department spokesman Mark Toner recalled that the department "said there would be consequences when the Venezuelan government rescinded agreement regarding our nominee, Larry Palmer."