There are not too many UN Security Council vetoes. So when one comes along it shows that things at that top table are not in good shape – lack of grown-up consensus and/or serious miscalculation by those who pushed the offending Resolution. Although of course there may be cases where […]
Should one support one’s own country at international sporting fixtures? If so, why? Take the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Bosnian Muslims (Bosniacs) and Bosnian Croats have been busy rioting again following the defeat of Croatia by Turkey in the Euro 2008 football match. The Bosniacs supported Turkey, the […]
Imagine. You fairly win an auction to buy a house. But having attempted to rig the auction the previous owner will not move out, and starts to attack you viciously when you come to claim the property. Most of the others living on the street and further afield are dismayed, […]
Imagine you are the Foreign Office in London. A bit of a wildcat in your youth. Yet still squeaky keen to show Relevance and Cleverness. Egad! An idea dawns. Let London lead the praise for the sybaritic delights of latter-day Western personal freedom! British Embassies should all fly the LGBT […]
Zimbabwe as expected falls ever more steeply to total disaster. The gang of military/security leaders previously dependent on Mugabe now look to be running the shop, desperate as they are to cling on to power and privileges at the cost of ruining their own country. A text-book case. Yet the UN still […]
James Rogers’ website Global Power Europe is an elegant and eloquent example of the far opposite of British Euro-Scepticism – Euro-Uberzeal. If it’s European, he wants More. Much More. In his latest entry James urges Ireland to vote Yes to the Treaty, lest Europeans turn into minnows. He cites IMF statistics […]
Prompted by my previous post on (not) talking to Al Qaida, a reader comments: [T]ell me again why you thought invading Iraq was such a great idea? Fair enough. My very basic view on Iraq is to be found in the Blogoir FAQs. More generally, what constitutes a Great Idea […]
You may well be wondering how many countries have formally recognised the independence of Kosova (or Kosovo as HMG call it). Here is what looks like a pretty comprehensive list. Thus as of the end of May 2008 Kosovo’s independence has been recognised by (only?) 42 out of 192 UN member […]
On the subject of Pollarding, the case of Jonathan (Jay) Pollard is interesting. Basically, JP in 1986 was sentenced to life imprisonment in the USA for spying for Israel. He is still in prison, despite the generally close US/Israel relationship and numerous public and private requests by Israel at the highest level […]
Tragedy is said to be unfolding within the UK Labour Party. Phil Collins (former speechwriter for Tony Blair) with Richard Reeves argue that the Party has lost touch with its liberal tradition. The full text is in Prospect (subscription only). But the core thought is here: Labour politicians too often see a social problem—obesity, […]
