The press is struggling slightly over the Iranian ‘rendition’ story at the moment - it can’t quite keep hold of front page news. Outrage and indignation abound from most corners, along with ‘breaking news’ headlines whenever Blair opens his mouth. But I fear the gravity of the situation hasn’t achieved widespread recognition yet.
Background first of [...]

Filed under: foreignpolicy, iran on March 27th, 2007 | 1 Comment »

Rudy Giuliani, ahead in the polls for several weeks, has now overtaken John McCain as the favourite for the Republican presidential nomination. The time lag between the shift in the polling numbers and the adjustment of the odds is intriguing. Part of the explanation must be the fact that - as we’ve discussed previously - [...]

Filed under: election2008, foreignpolicy, rudyriuliani, uspolitics on March 1st, 2007 | 1 Comment »

A curious silence has descended on Britain’s political news and blogging spheres in the aftermath of last week’s announcement that another 1,000 British troops were being sent to the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. The war zone is captured in the footage found on this link. The fatalities in this largely forgotten battle zone, within the [...]

Filed under: foreignpolicy, iraq on February 25th, 2007 | 17 Comments »

The European Union has a good deal going for it. It has the greatest GDP of any economic bloc on earth (an estimated $14 trillion). It is stable, peaceful, democratic. It encourages trade and travel. It offers an alternative model for foreign relations to that showcased by the United States.
However, significant proportions in most members [...]

Filed under: defence, europe, foreignpolicy on February 18th, 2007 | 46 Comments »