Smoking Increasingly Banned Worldwide
In the name of protecting people against themselves, smoking is heavily taxed and increasingly banned around the world.
Iran Under Pressure
Although hardly “crippling” its regime, the sanctions imposed upon Iran by the United Nations, Europe and the United States for its illegitimate nuclear program appear to have some effect at isolating the country. Brazil and Turkey approached Iran earlier this year to negotiate and reached a nuclear fuel exchange agreement in May under which Iran […]
Cameron Favors Turkish EU Membership
Britain’s premier says it’s wrong to let Turkey guard the camp but not allow it to sit in the tent.
Pakistan’s Hopeless Predicament
Pakistan is pivotal to America’s strategy in South Asia but it has little reason to continue to act as an ally.
Evidence of War Crimes? Not Really
There is little news to be gathered from the classified Afghan war reports released by WikiLeaks.
The Strainful Relationship: Where’s the Beginning and the End?
Is worrying over Anglo-American relations no more than a curious pastime?
East Asia’s Urbanization Problem
The fast growth of Asia’s cities is chaotic and rife with problems. But that is not unusual.
Republicans Unlikely to Win Back Congress
Republicans have high hopes for November’s midterm elections for Congress and for good reason. The president and his party are deeply unpopular with moderate and conservative voters, in spite or rather because of their push for health care and financial reform; monumental legislations which the opposition has been able to taint as unprecedented government takeovers. […]
Former MI5 Chief Denounces Iraq Invasion
Former Director General of MI5, Britain’s internal security service, Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller described the invasion of Iraq as a mistake on Tuesday, noting that the attack had exacerbated the terrorist threat to the country and was a “highly significant” factor in how “home grown” Muslim fundamentalists justified their actions. Manningham-Buller told the Chilcot inquiry that […]
The Man Who Will Save UK Defense
Like most world nations, faced with massive debt and unemployment, Great Britain is currently planning deep cuts in government expenditure to balance the budget. Not surprisingly, many of these will fall on the military, already greatly strained with replacing Cold War era weapons stocks, while at the same time fighting an ongoing counterinsurggency in Afghanistan. […]
Preparing for Defeat in Afghanistan
Instead of internationalizing the war effort or learning from previous counterinsurgencies, the United States will abandon Afghanistan.
America’s Spirit Invincible; China’s Still Puzzling
America stages large military exercises with South Korea while China’s views on the North are unclear.
Cameron on the Special Relationship
The British leader dismisses his nation’s endless preoccupation with the health of the transatlantic relationship.
A400M and the Politics of Aircraft Design
Seemingly good aircraft can get scrapped for political reasons and replaced with cheap imitations.
NATO Allies Weary About Future Afghan Mission
Skepticism about the war effort in Afghanistan is mounting.