archives :: diplomacy
St. Patrick's preview
About a month back, a drive-by commenter suggested that “War on Terror” ought best be understood as “War on Terrorists of the Wrong Sort”. To which I replied: Enlightened self-interest dictates that not every terrorist movement will be treated alike:... [read more]
a Hezbollah primer
Reader Tom Bombadil sent along this essay on the self-proclaimed Party of God and its influence in and around Lebanon. As I've been meaning to write more on the subject, Master Bombadil's essay will serve as a useful introduction. Party... [read more]
hardball
Even within the conservative punditocracy, President Bush's diplomatic tour of Europe last week received mixed marks. At NRO on Friday, Denis Boyles pronounced the President's efforts charmless; in the next column over, Larry Kudlow judged the trip a smashing success.... [read more]
what he said
Manolo shouts, work it, sister! Like many InstaPundit readers yesterday, I followed the link to Dr. Rice Enters the Matrix. But then I searched newsites looking for images that weren't scanned from the print edition of the WaPo. With mixed... [read more]
one week on
Today Orrin Judd points up two very interesting stories from Iraq. The first is in the NYT: Suddenly, It's 'America Who?' Through 22 months of occupation and war here, the word “America” was usually the first word to pass through... [read more]
in with the new
Europe, that is. Viktor Yushchenko became Ukraine's president Sunday and vowed to overturn its post-Soviet legacy by seeking a place in Europe for the people he led in a peaceful revolt against a rigged election and pressure from Russia. Watched... [read more]
Ukraine looks West
As expected, Viktor Yushchenko has won the (latest) presidential election in Ukraine. [I]nternational observers praised the conduct of Sunday's re-run vote, held after the second round was annulled over ballot-rigging. With nearly all votes counted, Mr Yushchenko has an eight-point... [read more]
Russia and Ukraine, II
Several days back, reader TomBombadil posted a few questions which led to an unplanned Russia Week here at andúnië.net. I all but exhausted my knowledge of the subject here. Master Bombadil then followed up with a veritable essay of his... [read more]
the headless horseman of the Near Abroad
Ever noticed how NY Timesmen are suckers for strained metaphors? In these long winter nights, a headless horseman is roaming Russia's “near abroad,” threatening independent countries and raising fears of a renewed cold war. This specter is Vladimir Putin. Let's... [read more]
Russia and Ukraine
It's safe to assume that now, and for the forseeable future, Vladimir Putin is Russia. He remains wildly popular at home—even after a string of terror attacks that, had they occurred here, might well have gotten the Bush Administration voted out for incompetence. [read more]
she's the one
A few thoughts on the Cabinet turnovers. Last week Roger Simon wrote a heartfelt tribute to a man who, just a few years ago, he regarded as an ideological opposite: John Ashcroft. I admire the outgoing AG as well, even... [read more]
snapshots
I. [Andrew] Thomson, who spent two years pulling bodies out of mass graves in Rwanda and the Bosnian town of Srebrenica — corpses of people who had sought safety with the U.N. — concludes: “If blue-helmeted U.N. peacekeepers show up... [read more]
Kerry and Allawi, redux
This might have all markings of an interblog feedback loop, but bear with me. Earlier today Zach Wendling of Hoosier Review linked to my post from yesterday, which quoted both Iraqi PM Allawi's speech before the Joint Session and Sen.... [read more]
must see tv
On Friday Claudia Rosett published the latest in her series of groundbreaking stories on the Oil-for-Food debacle, aka UNSCAM. (I missed it then, because the Fox News site, aka Worst Designed News Site in All of Creation, wasn't playing nice... [read more]
Jimmy Carter's revenge, II
A few days ago I quoted two articles suggesting that John Kerry's foreign policy is inspired more by Jimmy Carter than by Bill Clinton. It's getting worse (links via lgf). Q: One of the findings of the 9/11 Commission concerns... [read more]
Jimmy Carter's revenge
Last fall I stated that a Democratic victory would mean defeat in the broader war. That may not be true. But what is certain is that a Kerry victory will give our enemies good reason to believe that the United States can be alternately attacked and then lulled back into slumber. [read more]
context
Michele of A Small Victory provides a roundup of reactions from Iraqi bloggers regarding their nation's new independence. So does Joe Katzman of Winds of Change. And Tim Blair points up a moving story from Ali at Iraq the Model.... [read more]
independence day
Staying up most of the night coding has consequences. Like sleeping through history in the making, for instance. From the Voice of America: The transfer of sovereignty in Iraq became official during a small ceremony in Baghdad Monday. The... [read more]
Vlad the Cunning
This is already old news in certain corners of the blogworld, but is notable nonetheless. From The Moscow Times: Giving an unexpected boost to U.S. President George W. Bush's claim that Saddam Hussein's regime had posed a threat to the... [read more]
quick links
I'm going to try getting my hands dirty with Movable Type 3.0 later tonight, hence no time for a substantive post. So although this weblog (in its present form) isn't given to quick links I will tonight make an exception.... [read more]
o me of little faith
About ten days ago I lamented that the rope-a-dope strategy—which has served this President so well—had been effectively nullified for the present political season. Perhaps that remains true on the domestic front; but in the world of diplomacy it appears... [read more]
friends and allies
Someone ought remind the Senator that a shameless lie is still a shameless lie, no matter how oft he repeats it. [read more]
news from the old country
Diplomacy makes for odd bedfellows. British PM Tony Blair has been the most stalwart of allies, yet is determined to further integrate his country into the EU—a process that will without doubt erode Britain's national sovereignty while simultaneously rendering the... [read more]
O Canada
Last year during the lead-up the to Second Gulf War, our northern neighbor's Liberal government seldom missed an opportunity to cast aspersions on the Bush Administration in particular, and US policy in general. Much of this animus can perhaps be... [read more]
French whine
Although the epithet “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” actually originated with Groundskeeper Willie of The Simpsons fame, Jonah Goldberg is credited with its popularization. So it was only appropriate that today he would point up this claim by no less a luminary... [read more]
St. Jimmy
By longstanding tradition, former presidents do not publicly cast aspersions on successors currently holding office. Former presidents do not—in a time of war—make unsupported accusations against a leader of a closely allied nation. And former presidents certainly do not do... [read more]
a really delayed SotU comment
The State of the Union is last week's news. Literally. But to review, here's the best part: Some critics have said our duties in Iraq must be internationalized. This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain,... [read more]
ICC follies
Remember the fuss over the Bush Administration's refusal to make the US a signatory to the International Criminal Court? The best argument against the ICC—well, besides the clear constitutional issues—is that it would be used (especially) to hamstring US foreign policy. [read more]
with friends like these
The planned US troop redeployment in South Korea can't happen quickly enough. It's about time the twentysomething ingrates took responsibility for defending their own damn country. [read more]
good news on the subcontinent
ISLAMABAD: Putting behind past rivalries and pledging to take forward the peace process between the two countries, India and Pakistan on Tuesday came out with a Joint Statement on the sidelines of the 12th SAARC Summit, agreeing to “commence”... [read more]
the plot thickens
So why did Libya's Gaddafi decide that WMD were no longer worth the hassle? And is his change of heart genuine? It's too early to know the answer to the second question—but there's a lot of reporting on the first.... [read more]
Libya comes clean
At least that's the report: Libya's leader Colonel Gaddafi has said his country sought to develop weapons of mass destruction capabilities but will dismantle this programme completely, Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced. … Colonel Gaddafi had told him the... [read more]
kowtow?
This might seem familiar: Presidential candidate A, running against incumbent administration B, criticizes B's China policy as too meek. A becomes president, and within months has a China policy indistinguishable from B's. I have only two solid data points to... [read more]
Kofi gets spanked
From yesterday's NYT: Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, accused the United Nations Security Council today of having failed to help rescue his country from Saddam Hussein, and he chided member states for bickering over his beleaguered country's future. “Settling scores... [read more]
so who are these people?
Amir Taheri gives the rundown on the groups behind this week's planned protests in London. The coalition has a steering committee of 33 members. Of these, 18 come from various hard left groups: Communists, Trotskyites, Maoists, and Castrists. Three others... [read more]
this will be interesting
And not in a good way, I fear. British ex-pat Andrew Sullivan excerpts a letter from an American ex-pat in London, on the welcoming committee for President Bush's trip there next week: The BBC is working the country into a... [read more]
