360 Articles
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360° Analysis / Ayatollah Ali Khamenei / Green Movement / Iran / Iranian Parliament / Iranian Presidential Election 2013 / Islamic Democracy / Mehdi Karroubi / Mir Hossein Mousavi / Mohammad Khatami / Politics / Protests / Middle EastBy Dina YazdaniKhatami's non-confrontational stance towards Ayatollah Khamenei serves as part of his grand-strategy for a political comeback. Mohammed Khatami has once again taken a backseat in Iranian politics. The former (and only) reformist president from 1997-2005 has, for the second election in a row, rejected a presidential candidacy. The public sentiment toward Khatami is split among liberals. While some believe that a second Khatami presidency could usher in a new era of social and political reforms, others perceive him as being too weak and unwilling to actually challenge the hardliner-establishment and supreme leader. Both groups, however, are undoubtedly disappointed with Khatami and his...
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360° Analysis / Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb / Algeria / Ansar Al Sharia / Ansar Dine / AQIM / France / French Intevention / Kidal / Mali / MNLA / MOJWA / North West Africa / Politics / Tuareg / Africa / Global SecurityAfter the successful French intervention in Mali, a fragile balance still exists in the country. This article is the second of a three part series. Read part one here. Fragile Coexistence of Anti-Malian Government Forces in Kidal Strong evidence from the ground suggests that currently, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) may be in control of Kidal but had been unsuccessful in asserting their full authority. Many other elements are present in the region including MIA and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Attacks against MNLA checkpoints by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA) back in April, and the latest full scale...
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360° Analysis / Barack Obama / Burma / China / economy / Emerging Economic Markets / Liberalization / Myanmar / Myanmar's Economic Opening / Southeastern Asia / United States / Finance & Economics / AsiaDespite pitfalls, Myanmar's opening offers lucrative investment opportunities. Long regarded as one of the world’s most reclusive and authoritarian states, the southeastern Asian nation of Myanmar (also known as Burma) is witnessing a period of cautious political and economic liberalization. Rich in oil and natural gas and an array of minerals vital to the world economy, Myanmar’s steady opening is attracting growing interest from foreign investors and trading partners eager to gain a foothold in one of Asia’s most isolated societies. The ruling regime’s decisions to release longtime democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest in 2010 and allow for her...
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360° Analysis / Anti-US sentiments / Barack Obama Second Presidential Term / Politics / United States / US Drone Warfare / US Foreign Policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan / US Security Policy / War on terror / Global Security / AsiaFor peace to have any prospects, the Obama administration has no option but to engage closely with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The US was in an unprecedented foreign policy crisis when Barack Obama first took office in January 2009 due to its military engagements in two of the modern history’s longest and costliest wars: the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War. Unsatisfactorily ending the latter, the US still continues with its involvement in the AfPak region as part of the on-going War on Terror. Obama: Merely a Politician? Re-elected to the Oval Office in 2012, President Obama has a second chance to redeem his legacy in the volatile region torn by war and terrorism. The US foreign policy...
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360° Analysis / China / Ethiopia / French Revolution / India / Lebanon / Man / Nicholas Kristof / Pakistan / Plato / Sara El-Yafi / sexual violence / Sigmund Freud / United States / women / Women's rights / Europe / Global Change / Middle East / Americas / Africa / AsiaBy Sara El-YafiIn the 19th century, the moral challenge was slavery. In the 20th century, it was totalitarianism. In the 21st century, let’s make it gender equality. As part of Fair Observer's 360° series, The Middle East: Fighting for Women's Rights, Sara El-Yafi reflects on the plight of women around the world. Abuse of the feminine, which is historically abuse of the weak, is a deviant offshoot of the more general human male quest to dominate nature. Nature: this wild power that lacks an endowment of consciousness; this vastness of savagery that makes man feel as vulnerable and powerless as he can be. Indeed, the frail man understood early on that his survival hinged upon his...
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360° Analysis / Afghanistan / India / India and Afghanistan / Kabul / Karzai / Manmohan Singh / NATO / New Delhi / Pakistan / Politics / Prakhar Sharma / Taliban / US Pullout / US withdrawal / AsiaA startling dichotomy is at play with India’s foreign policy in Afghanistan. There is an increasingly haunting gap between India’s opportunities and its strategic outcomes. India has historically enjoyed amicable relations with every government in Kabul with the exception of the Taliban regime. After the ouster of the Taliban regime in 2001, India was one of the first countries to re-open its embassy in Kabul. With its pledge of more than $2 billion since 2002, India is, by a considerable margin, the largest regional donor and the sixth largest bilateral donor to Afghanistan’s reconstruction. In 2011, India was the first country to sign a strategic agreement with...
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360° Analysis / Augusto Pinochet / BBC Persian / Chile / fake news / Iran / Media Freedom / Politics / Press Freedom / Santiago de Chile / Shahabe-3 missile / Tehran / Middle East / AmericasUnder Pinochet, the Chilean government used its power to fabricate news to suit its own needs. Are these techniques resurfacing in today’s Iran? During the hot summer days of 2009, people in Iran who were demonstrating against the disputed reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were shouting an interesting slogan: "Seyed Ali Pinochet, Iran won't be like Chile." They substituted the name of the Iranian supreme leader for that of the former Chilean dictator to emphasize their demand that state oppression could not continue. After two years of demonstrations, the Iranian government succeeded in cracking down on the 2009 uprising and imprisoned most of the opposition. But...
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360° Analysis / Aung San Suu Kyi / Burma / Burmese / China / Chinese / Ethnic Violence / Ian Carpenter / Myanmar / obama / Politics / Rohingya / U Thein Sein / United States / US / Washington DC / AsiaMyanmar's new government has been quick to welcome Western leaders while hastily distancing themselves from China. The move is potentially dangerous due to the country's domestic situation. Myanmar has recently become the center of attention in the growing competition between China and the US for influence in South East Asia, dubbed by D. Suba Chandran as the Eastern “Great Game.” Following the relatively successful elections of 2010, Myanmar (Burma) has been praised by Western powers, especially the US, for its commitment to democratization. Call it democracy with Burmese characteristics if you will, but the lingering strength of the military in Burma, as well as...
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360° Analysis / Abullah Gul / Ba'athism / Bashar Al-Assad / Free Syrian Army / Hafez Al-Assad / Ottoman Empire / Politics / Syria / Syrian Civil War / Syrian National Council / Turkey / Turkmen community / Western Kurdistan / Middle East / Global SecurityThe Turkmen community in Syria is becoming increasingly active in the struggle against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Nicholas A. Heras analyzes the minority’s history in Syria and its current position in the Syrian opposition. [Note: This article was originally published by The Jamestown Foundation.] Syria’s Turkmen community is becoming increasingly involved in the country’s opposition movement. The mostly Sunni Turkmen of Syria represent a significant ethnic minority that is located throughout the country, particularly in diverse and highly strategic areas that are currently the sites of significant conflict. The Turkmen community is charged by the Assad government of...