by Wayne White The Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) ended on January 2 a fire that raged for days among tanks in Libya’s largest oil export terminal of Es-Sider, but the militia violence fed by the implosion of governance that caused it continues. Indeed, the levels of suffering, civilian casualties, refugees, and those internally displaced
by Robert E. Hunter Following President Barak Obama’s decision to restore diplomatic ties with Cuba, it is remarkable to see so much speculation about whether this will set a precedent for a restoration of US ties with Iran The word “remarkable” is chosen deliberately because, on the face of it, the two situations seem so
by Mark N. Katz What a difference a few months make. During much of 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin was riding high. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine quickly and relatively bloodlessly. Putin was also able to help pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine effectively secede from the rest of the country and prevent the Ukrainian government
by Thomas W. Lippman The country that could ultimately suffer the most damage from a sustained depression in the world price of oil could be one that is not a major producer: Egypt. Unable to sustain itself, Egypt is being propped up by big infusions of cash from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani The decision announced last Monday in Vienna to extend the talks aimed at a compressive agreement on Iran’s nuclear program for an additional seven months has resulted in Iran’s currency taking dive. In one week, the rial lost more than 5% of its value in the unofficial market. The devaluation has clear political
by François Nicoullaud Paris, France—This is not the first time that we may have trapped ourselves when drafting UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that were intended to trap another country—in this case, Iran. The present situation recalls in some respects the period around 1997 when most Security Council members would have liked to rescind, or
by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani
Economic issues are paramount on the minds of Iranian voters as they ponder the long list of candidates registered for president: who among them is likely to survive the vetting by the Guardian Council, and, of those, who offers the best plan to get Iran’s economy out of the rut it has [...]
Earlier this month, the Heartland Alliance, a leading Midwest-based anti-poverty organization, released their annual poverty report about Illinois. Their findings are deeply troubling. Instead of mirroring the U.S. government’s rhetoric of recovery and job creation, the report shows an increase in joblessness, poverty, homeless youth, and the divide between rich and poor.
The numbers [...]
Though the big winter holidays are behind us, we are now looking toward another year filled with birthdays and many other celebrations. Most of these are centered around the exchange of gifts, which presents us with the same dilemma we faced in December: We really don’t want to engorge ourselves in mindless purchasing of empty [...]
via Lobe Log
By Mark Jansson
Although President Obama has another four years, he will surely continue to hear from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu and a chorus of critics at home, that he has far less time to convince Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA). But the administration [...]
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