The New York Times reported yesterday that the Bush administration is considering designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. The purposes of that move are myriad (including, according to Ralph Peters, to provide a legal basis for bombing IRGC sites in Iran). But it’s clear that a major aim would be to allow the U.S. government, in concert with allies in Europe and elsewhere, to further tighten financial sanctions against the IRGC and its business interests. Military organizations with business interests? Unfortunately, it’s a not uncommon phenomenon around the globe (even in some democracies, such as Indonesia). [...]
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti — I get conflicting answers as I talk to Haitians about their views of the U.N. MINUSTAH peacekeeping force and the legacy of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Many Haitians I speak with express their disgust at MINUSTAH inaction in the face of a wave of kidnappings by former Aristide supporters that swept the country after Aristide’s departure in 2004. One computer technician described a situation where dozens of kidnappings occurred each day, many perpetrated by Cité Soleil-based gangs. If a kidnap victim couldn’t raise ransom, more often than not they were shot. Another Haitian I spoke [...]
In compiling the commentary section of our Media Roundup each day, we browse the opinion pages of many tens of international newspapers, journals and magazines. Given that opinion editors follow the news cycle, its not unusual to see distinct trends in commentary coverage. However, the heavy focus on Iran today caught our eye because it was so pronounced, and because there was no one news event that obviously triggered the deluge. Iran, of course, has been a prominent subject of international coverage for many months now, and Ahmadinejad did set off on a tour of Central Asia this week (we [...]
