The International Affairs Association

Here are some interesting stories from the last week:
>The New York Times had a great chart on Wednesday showing the changing state of affairs in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan over the past four years with some interesting data.
>The story of a boy who built a windmill during a famine in Malawi.  William Kamkwamba appeared on [...]

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A while ago, I blogged about the Taliban and the truce they established with the Pakistani government to rule in the Swat Valley, north of Islamabad.  Things haven’t gotten much better for Pakistan, which is a key ally of the US and justly so.  Nawaz Sharif, an opposition party leader of the Muslim League who [...]

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Last week, Pakistan’s government handed legitimacy to the Taliban in the Swat Valley of the Northwestern Frontier Province (just north of Islamabad).  In exchange for a cease-fire (in a region where thousands of soldiers have been trying to quell the Taliban militants), Sharia law - the Taliban’s version - can now be implemented in place [...]

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Earlier this week, Muammar Qaddafi, Libya’s longtime leader, was elected chairman of the African Union for a one year term.  Libya’s dictator used to be a pariah to the West and a leader towards Arab integration - now, his newest endeavor as he has reconciled with the West (after halting nuclear programs and resolving an [...]

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For even the most pro-Israeli among us, the attacks on Gaza should be nothing less that disenchanting.
Sure, there’s a strong argument for Israel’s right to retaliate against Hamas targets, and Hamas without a doubt is leading Gaza in the wrong direction, but neither of these facts justifies the war, especially with Kadima’s intertwined politics.

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First, make sure to see Alex’s post below.
Along with Zimbabwe, Sudan, Iraq, and maybe Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of the Congo seems to me one of the most plagued countries. I figured I would supply some more background information:

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President Bush is trying to get a free trade agreement with Colombia passed through Congress (as part of his very minimal legacy), but the Democrats have been pretty unyielding in their opposition. They argue that Colombia has failed to improve labor rights, following along the Democratic platform that free trade is alright as long as [...]

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Evidence is emerging that shows Georgia’s role in instigating the August conflict with Russia. What a surprise.

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Over the past two years, the United States has pledged $410 million in arms to Lebanon, but the aid has only trickled to the military, which is dwarfed by Hezbollah’s presence in parts of the country. Now that is changing for the better. Aid of various sorts has poured into Lebanon since war [...]

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On Tuesday Oct. 7, I attended the debate hosted partially by the IAA between an advisor in Middle Eastern policy to Barack Obama and an Israeli Outreach Chair (I believe that’s the title) for John McCain. As expected the debate revolved around Iraq policy, the defining difference between the candidates amidst agreement that Israel [...]

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