Worldfocus’ Daljit Dhaliwal spoke with Flynt Leverett, director of theIran Project at the New America Foundation for some insight into theIranian leadership’s reservations about the IAEA’s recent proposalwhich would send low-enriched uranium first to Russia to be enrichedthen to France for further processing.
President Obama welcomed Senator David Boren and Senator Chuck Hagel asco-chairmen of his Intelligence Advisory Board. “I look forward toworking with Chuck and David in their new roles — they will report tome, they will have my full support, and they will have the fullcooperation of my national security staff,” Obama said. ThePresident continued his remarks by commenting on his intendedtransparency, where appropriate, when it comes to the IAB.
Experts estimate that China’s re-education through labor programs holdanywhere from 300,000 to one million citizens, but beyond that, notmuch else is known. France24’s report looks at the secrecy of thesecamps and some of the their tenants’ more suspicious deaths. Someexperts believe Beijing is trying to do away with such camps, but ismeeting push-back from provincial government officials.
Qatar, along with the rest of the United Arab Emirates, has always been known for its wealth of natural resources such as natural gas. Though Qatar’s development has hinged on this direct flow of revenue, the state is now working to diversify their economy through the arts, particularly through a growing film industry. Qatar will try to reach their goal of zero percent natural gas reliance by 2030, though a new gas plant was recently built.
As WPR Contributor Nicolas Nagle discussed, it looks like Tony Blair is the front-runner for the position of President of the European Council, though Blair has not said that he will run for the position. As the Lisbon Treaty comes into effect in the coming months, the Council will be looking for a permanent president and some, including current British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, feel Blair is the man for the job.
President Nasheed of Maldives and his cabinet held the first everunderwater cabinet meeting on Oct. 28. The spectacle was intended todraw attention to the issue that plagues the archipelago — climatechange. Outfitted in scuba suits and surrounded by fish, the Maldiviangovernment focused on the U.N.’s Climate Change Conference inCopenhagen in December.
Matthew Hoh, the first U.S. official known to resign in protest to America’s presence in Afghanistan, talks with Judy Woodruff about his decision.
Iranian film “No One Knows About Persian Cats” offers a look inside theworld of Tehran’s youth. Sixty percent of Iran’s population is underthe age of thirty and this film, debuting at the London Film Festival,aims to show the trials and triumphs that face Tehran’s music-lovingyounger set while they participate in an illegal underground.
A new survey by the Asia Foundation shows that more people inAfghanistan feel the country is moving in the right directioncompared to the same poll last year. Those who felt that Afghanistanwas, in fact, worse for the wear, contributed the downfall to a lack ofsecurity and corruption. VOA News’ Meredith Buel reports on theresults.
U.S. Senator John Kerry suggests that a surge in Afghanistan would be too much too fast. VOA News reports.
World Politics Review managing editor Judah Grunstein appeared on Bloggingheads.tv today with the New America Foundation’s Michael Cohen to discuss counterinsurgency and the Afghanistan War.
The latest report (.pdf) on Sudan by U.N. Secretary General says that there has not been adequate implementation of the peace agreement in Sudan. Notably, Sudan is still without a scheduled date for elections and there has been a proliferation in arms in parts of the country.
Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton met with Minister Mentor LeeKuan Yew of Singapore who said that now is the time for a resumption ofengagement between Southeast Asia and the United States.
B. Lynn Pascoe, Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefed on eastern and southern Africa, focusing on Somalia. “We have to give the people there a real chance,” he said. He continued by saying that without development aid, it will be difficult for the Somali government to show what it can do.
Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton urged the international community to strengthen and focus non-proliferation efforts in a speech given at the U.S. Institute of Peace. She discussed the IAEA’s need for rights and resources upgrading. “All states with nuclear materials or technology have a responsibility to protect them against theft or illicit transfer,” she said.
Charlie Rose interviewed the New York Times’ David Rohde who was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan for seven months before escaping.
David Miliband, U.K. Foreign Secretary, delivered a speech at the International Institute for Strategic Studies on the need to shape a strong european foreign policy. “A strong Europe is the best way to preserve and advance our interests in the modern world,” he said. In his speech, Miliband suggests that Britan be at the forefront of this new foreign policy as Europe risks becoming a spectator in a U.S.-China world.