Ocnus.Net

Think Again: The Peace Corps

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:38:59 PST

In the eyes of Americans, no government agency better exemplifies the optimism, can-do spirit, and selfless nature of the United States than the Peace Corps. Unfortunately, it’s never lived up to its purpose or principles

War On Wounds

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:35:51 PST

Why the military is backing the cool new field of regenerative medicine.

The West is Conspiring to Unseat that Valiant Warrior, Mugabe

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:31:53 PST

I suspect there is more to the Zimbabwean election than meets the eye. It’s hard to decipher where the truth lies, what with MDC-aligned activists masquerading as “independent analysts”.

The Circassians

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:09:09 PST

Prospects and dangers of Circassian nationalism

Pakistani Rupee Resumes Slide

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:05:55 PST

KARACHI -- The Pakistani rupee slid back towards record lows on Monday amid fears that Pakistan's 6-week-old coalition government could split at a time when the economy is facing mounting problems.

Zim Settles $700 Million Debt

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:04:10 PST

Despite faced with deepening economic crisis, Zimbabwe has paid back US $700 million to the African Development Bank.

China Buying Farmland Abroad, Ensuring Food Security

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:02:19 PST

Rattled by rapidly rising global grain prices, China is looking at strategies to ensure long-term food security for its 1.3 billion people such as procuring farmland overseas and opposing the formation of any international grain price- fixing monopolies

Hezbollah's Real Power in Lebanon

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:00:19 PST

An attempt by the Lebanese government last week to rein in Hezbollah triggered the worst sectarian violence on the streets of Beirut since the 1975-1990 civil war.

How Long Can Medvedev and Putin Share Power?

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:58:44 PST

The rise of the silovki

Thunder from Tibet

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:56:40 PST

A review of The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Pico Iyer ,Knopf, 275 pp.

Jumblatt's Men Set Back Iran's Militia in Lebanon

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:54:21 PST

Our friend and colleague in Lebanon Elie Fawaz writes in to remind us that The War for Lebanon has not even begun yet in earnest and Hezbollah's "victory" in Beirut is not all it seems:

Dublin lLunches EU Treaty 'Yes' Campaign

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:52:35 PST

The Irish government has launched its campaign in favour of the EU treaty with the new prime minister, Brian Cowen, calling for a "yes" vote in next month's referendum.

Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Agrees to Second Round of Elections

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:50:36 PST

After weeks of delay since the March 29 elections, Zimbabwe faces a second round presidential runoff. Last weekend Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), finally agreed to stand in the runoff against incumbent President Robert Mugabe.

Le JTF2 : Un escadron de la mort Made in Canada ?

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:48:57 PST

On a longtemps dit du Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) (1) qu’il forme l’unité d’élite la mieux entraînée des Forces armées canadiennes. Peut-être devrait-on plutôt parler de la plus dangereuse bande de tueurs à agir sous les ordres de l’État canadien. Car bien que les missions de sauvetage et la protection de personnalités politiques fassent partie des attributs du JTF2, l’assassinat semble être l’une de ses principales spécialités.

China's New Arbitration Law

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:44:41 PST

At around the time of the child trafficking investigations in Dongguan City that I reported on in my last post, China began implementing its new (LDMAL or simply “The Arbitration Law”). The legislation, which went into effect on May 1, has attracted little attention abroad, aside from a good piece at the Global Labor Strategies blog in October 2007. Nonetheless, LDMAL is a significant, if incomplete, step forward.

Who will stop Hezbollah? Not the Lebanon Army

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:35:20 PST

Hezbollah's rapid and savvy raids of recent days brought to light the true balance of power in Lebanon, and, at the same time, the close connection between the Lebanon Army and Hezbollah.

Equity’s Entry into Uganda Raises Stakes

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:33:25 PST

Players in the banking sector in Uganda are focusing on widening their customer base following the entry of Equity Bank into the country’s financial scene.

Sierra Leone Syndrome Moves South

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:30:31 PST

The savagery of South African crime

Revealed: Torture Centre Linked to MI5

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:27:47 PST

A secret interrogation centre in Pakistan where British terrorism suspects are alleged to have been tortured after UK authorities had them arrested has been found by the Guardian

Iraq: Will We Ever Get Out?

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:20:46 PST

A review of: The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict

Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilmes, Norton, 311 pp.

Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy

by Andrew Cockburn, Scribner, 247 pp.,

Still Broken: A Recruit's Inside Account of Intelligence Failures, from Baghdad to the Pentagon

by A.J. Rossmiller, Ballantine, 236 pp., $25.00

The Soviet-Afghan War: How a Superpower Fought and Lost

by the Russian General Staff, translated from the Russian and edited by Lester W. Grau and Michael A. Gress,University Press of Kansas,364 pp.,

The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan

translated from the Russian and edited by Lester W. Grau National Defense University Press, 223 pp

The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War

by Ali Ahmad Jalali and Lester W. Grau, US Marine Corps Studies, 419 pp.

The Fateful Pebble: Afghanistan's Role in the Fall of the Soviet Empire

by Anthony Arnold, Presidio, 225 pp. (1993)

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

by Steve Coll, Penguin, 712 pp.,

The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran

by Yossi Melman and Meir Javedanfar, Carroll and Graf, 285 pp.,

The Persian Puzzle: The Conflict Between Iran and America

Kenneth M. Pollack,Random House, 539 pp.,