Many of us feel passionate about foreign policy. We read about it. We analyze it. We voice our concerns about policies that are at odds with our core values and view of the world. And we offer support for the policies that, we believe, will make the world a better place, according to our understanding of what "better" is. Depending on where we stand ideologically, we also form various opinions about the people who shape foreign policy as part of their daily jobs—national leaders, diplomats, policy activists, etc. My blog seeks to shed a brighter light on the international movers and shakers in foreign policy to help us understand "where they are coming from," figuratively speaking.
Each week, I will pick a Politician of the Week—someone who has been talked about extensively in the international media in relation to a certain local or regional event that may have international repercussions. I will attempt to dissect that person's political stance by analyzing why they say what they say, and act the way they act. What interests do they represent? What are their deeply held values and beliefs? And what strategic considerations do they have in mind in assuming that particular stance on the issue in question? When the policies these people defend jeopardize the interests of the United States, how can the U.S. government work with these politicians to bridge the gap and avoid a crisis? And should we even try to avoid a crisis? These are some of the questions I hope to address through my blogging. Please tune in and let me know what you think—I would love to hear from you.
New Latin American and Caribbean Alliance Excludes the U.S.
The gathering of Latin American leaders in Cancun, Mexico on February 23 grabbed the headlines after its 32 participants pledged to create a Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. The new alliance, which includes Cuba and excludes the United States and Canada, was conceived as an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS), a regional institution established in 1948 to fight communism and promote democracy and human rights.
Sarah Palin: A Comeback in Sight?
This week, I continue my review of John Heilemann's and Mark Halperin's book, Game Change, and discuss the book's portrayal of Sarah Palin.
Hillary Clinton's 'Race of a Lifetime'
In politics, as in everyday life, a convergence of circumstances can prove fateful -- gleefully so for the winners, and maddeningly unfair in the view of the defeated. This is one of the many observations one may divine from John Heilemann's and Mark Halperin's newly-released book on the 2008 U.S. presidential race, Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime.
Coalition Government May Help Ease Tension in Yemen
The Obama Administration says it's determined not to send American troops to Yemen to fight Al-Qaeda. American equipment and training may be sufficient in helping the Yemeni army to push Al-Qaeda out, so a direct American military involvement may, indeed, be neither necessary nor desirable. However, U.S.
Look Who's Talking Exclusive: Middle East and Terrorism Experts Comment on the Situation in Yemen
I have asked recognized experts on Middle East and terrorism to comment on the current situation in Yemen, which I covered last week, and to share their views regarding the U.S. policy in that country and the nations surrounding it.
Dr. Ariel Cohen Cohen, a Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC:
Terrorist Acts in the U.S. Draw Attention to Yemeni President Saleh's Failing Governance
The CIA investigation of the U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan’s November 5 murder of 13 soldiers at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas, and the December 25 failed attempt by a Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, to detonate a bomb inside a 300-passenger plane in Detroit has revealed links between these terrorists and a spawning Al-Qaeda network in Yemen. Major Hasan reportedly exchanged e-mails and sought spiritual guidance from a radical U.S.-born Islamic cleric, Anwar Al-Awlaki, who grew up in Yemen. Mr. Abdulmutallab said he received training and explosive devices from the Al-Qaeda operatives during his four-month stay in Yemen last year.
Q&A on the November 2009 Political Massacre in the Philippines
This week, we are launching a joint project with the Global Voices Online's (GVO) Philippine page. GVO's Philippine blogger, Karlo Mikhail Mongaya, will invite his readers in the Philippines to comment in my blog on the implications of last November's political massacre in Maguindanao.
The Indomitable Manuel Zelaya
Gloria Arroyo's Domestic Anti-Terrorism Efforts Haunted by Past Presidential Policies
"No effort will be spared to bring justice to the victims and hold perpetrators accountable to the full limit of the law... Civilized society has no place for this kind of violence." (Philippine President Gloria Arroyo on the November 23 political massacre in Maguindanao province, November 24, 2009).
The Philippine President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, hit the headlines last week when the news spread about a blood-chilling massacre that occurred in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao.
Funny, Inspirational and Thought-Provoking Quotes of Female Politicians
As a woman, I am proud to see smart and hard-working women elevated to the positions of power in the world. Below are the quotes of several world-famous female politicians, which I find to be funny and thought-provoking. Whether you like or dislike these particular women, there is no denying the fact that each of them has left her own distinct mark on the world affairs.
Eleanor Roosevelt, Former First Lady of the United States and a Democratic Political Activist:
