Copyright 2012 The New York Sun Fri, 25 May 2012 21:46:24 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Foreign :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/foreign admin@nysun.net (Seth Lipsky) webmaster@nysun.com en-us CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/spectacle-of-unsuccessful-politicians-at-g-8/87831/ Tue, 22 May 2012 10:17:46 EST The spectacle of the G-8 leaders in the bucolic verdure of Camp David, as they were strutting in their leisure attire capped by prudent sweaters against any non-fiscal Catoctin chill for photo-ops for those at home, could momentarily disguise what an appalling mess all the G-8 countries except Germany and Canada have made of the art of government. Not all the leaders who attended are equally blameworthy, of course. The French and Japanese leaders are new. Some — Mario Monti (of Italy) and David... JEROLD AUERBACH http://www.nysun.com/foreign/how-benzion-netanyahu-helped-put-in-the-un/87809/ Wed, 2 May 2012 12:01:05 EST Benzion Netanyahu, who died Monday in Jerusalem at the age of 102, has been widely scrutinzed this week for his myriad contributions to the history of Zionism in Israel and the United States. Yet arguably the most important one has been overlooked. After World War II, Benzion Netanyahu, along with Irgun activist Peter Bergson, nephew of Mandatory Palestine Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, and liberal American Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, drafted an article for inclusion in the United Nations Charter... SETH LIPSKY http://www.nysun.com/foreign/of-fatherhood-and-war-benzion-netanyahu-doubted/87808/ Wed, 2 May 2012 10:41:22 EST 'Can you imagine what it must have been like having him for a father?" asked one of the writers for the Jewish Forward newspaper after an editorial dinner with Benzion Netanyahu. Mr. Netanyahu's son, Benjamin, had recently been elected prime minister of Israel, and we'd all been expecting expressions of paternal pride. Instead, the elder Netanyahu bluntly voiced doubt that his son was tough enough to lead the Jewish state. That was back in the late 1990s. It was the only meal I ever had with... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/fifth-republic-in-france-teeters-in-spectacle/87797/ Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:53:32 EST The simultaneous election campaigns in France and the United States furnish an astonishing spectacle of the limits and hazards of democratic government. The French Fifth Republic, founded by Charles de Gaulle in 1958, is the most successful state in French history, suffering neither the capricious despotism of the various French monarchical dynasties and two Bonapartist empires, nor the instability of the four previous republics, much less the shortcomings of the Directory, Consulate, or... JEROLD AUERBACH http://www.nysun.com/foreign/house-at-hebron-becomes-a-case-of-dickensian-even/87775/ Wed, 4 Apr 2012 12:05:54 EST In the ancient city of Hebron, twenty miles south of Jerusalem, the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Jewish people are buried. When Sarah died, according to the biblical narrative, Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite, paying his asking price of four hundred shekels of silver to remove any doubt about the legitimacy of the purchase. Jews have worshipped and lived in Hebron for three thousand years, Muslims permitting. For seven centuries (1267-1967) they were... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/popes-visit-to-cuba-stirs-hope-as-palsy-of/87758/ Sat, 24 Mar 2012 06:46:34 EST In regard to the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Cuba next week, the official version of events from the Vatican and from the cardinal in Havana, Jaime Ortega y Alamino, is one of uplift and celebration of the Church's progress since the visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba in 1998. What the pope actually expects to accomplish is disconcertingly unclear. According to Britain's Catholic Herald, Raul Castro now lists his religion as Catholic. Even allowing that this would be the most improbable... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/will-america-abdicate-its-status-as-a-great-power/87734/ Thu, 8 Mar 2012 09:50:51 EST The visits to Washington of the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, and, a day later, Prime Minister  Netanyahu bring the question of the Iranian nuclear program to a head at last. President Obama came into office encumbered with the sophomoric idea that he had only to advise those parts of the world that were not mainly inhabited by white people that the United States was, for the first time, not led by someone who was white and had an entirely Christian background, and, abracadabra, there would... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/nephew-of-yasser-arafat-surfaces-as-aide-to-kofi/87733/ Tue, 6 Mar 2012 19:25:57 EST UNITED NATIONS — Yasser Arafat’s nephew, Nasser Al-Kidwa, will accompany former Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is scheduled to visit Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus this weekend. Mr. Al-Kidwa’s visit will renew a complex history of relationship between two infamous Middle Eastern families that have dominated the region’s politics for much of the last century. The president of the Arab League, Nabil el-Arabi, today announced the appointment of Mr. Al-Kidwa as a deputy to Mr. Annan, who was... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/america-takes-canada-for-granted-at-its-peril/87728/ Sat, 3 Mar 2012 12:28:02 EST The estimable American military writer Max Boot, a guerrilla-war expert associated with the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, wrote in Commentary magazine last month that Canada is a country that most Americans consider a “dull but slavishly friendly neighbor, sort of like a great St. Bernard.” That’s true. The world knows Canada as a comparatively blameless country that has not been the author of atrocities on the scale even of other democracies such as the British at Amritsar, the... IRA STOLL http://www.nysun.com/editorials/sarkozy-shows-that-voters-punish-conservatives/87813/ Mon, 7 May 2012 09:15:04 EST Six takeaway lessons for Americans from socialist candidate Francois Hollande’s victory in Sunday’s election in France: Growth beats austerity. “Austerity isn’t inevitable. My mission now is to give European construction a growth dimension,” Mr. Hollande said on election night. As other commentators have observed, the definition of austerity in Europe has become somewhat muddled. It has been taken to mean everything from an increase in the income tax rate to 50% (the not-so-genius idea of... YOUSSEF IBRAHIM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/farewell-to-an-american-princess-murdered-in-syria/87718/ Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:12:45 EST This is a personal tribute to a dear friend and highly respected colleague, Marie Colvin, the Middle East correspondent whose eye patch photos are all over the front pages today after being murdered by the Syrian regime yesterday at Homs. Marie lost an eye covering the Sri Lanka revolt led by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil many years ago. She was traveling with the rebels in their jungle hideouts when the Sri Lankan army troops shot her. It took her three months of surgery and rehabilitation... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/editorials/west-falters-in-defense-of-christians-who-are/87699/ Wed, 8 Feb 2012 22:05:42 EST Perhaps the gravest under-publicized atrocity in the world is the persecution of Christians. A comprehensive Pew Forum study last year found that Christians are persecuted in 131 countries containing 70% of the world’s population, out of 197 countries in the world (if Palestine, Taiwan, South Sudan, and the Vatican are included). Best estimates are that about 200 million Christians are in communities where they are persecuted. There is not the slightest question of the scale and barbarity of... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/a-brilliant-reign-nears-its-diamond-jubilee/87691/ Sat, 4 Feb 2012 08:21:21 EST It does not seem like 60 years ago that my late brother said to our half-asleep parents as we departed early for school: “There was a bug in my cereal, and by the way, the King is dead.” A much admired man, only 56, there were some comparisons between George VI and then U.S. president Harry S. Truman, as men who had not sought the greatest offices for which they were eligible, neither expected nor wished them, but acquitted them admirably when they were thrust upon them. In other respects, King... RAFAEL MEDOFF http://www.nysun.com/foreign/how-the-mufti-of-jerusalem-once-impacted-americas/87688/ Wed, 1 Feb 2012 09:22:04 EST WASHINGTON — A Palestinian mufti has called for violence against Jews, Prime Minister Netanyahu is demanding Palestinian leaders disavow him, and America's presidential race could be affected. That could be the lead sentence of a news report from last week. Or from 1946. Sixty-five years ago, another Palestinian mufti, another Netanyahu, and another American presidential race likewise intersected in an unexpected round of high-stakes Middle East politics and diplomacy. At the center of the... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/lost-decade-is-the-price-of-success-in-war/87793/ Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:14:55 EST It must be said that the War on Terror has substantially been a success. After the 9/11 atrocities, the conventional wisdom — which was reflected in the claims of bin Laden and others in their bloodcurdling videos — was that terrorism would be routine and devastating against any countries that displeased militant Islam. There was the fear and the promise of unlimited numbers of suicide attackers. But despite close calls over Detroit (the panty-bomber) and in Times Square, and doubtless many... YOUSSEF IBRAHIM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/egypts-revolution-will-see-more-blood-ere-army/87671/ Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:58:27 EST The revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak will mark its first anniversary Wednesday. The date may pass quietly or it may see another roar, but either way there is little doubt the iconic Tahrir Square revolution is entering a second phase.  If anything Egyptians are learning that while the dictator is gone his regime endures. Alaa Al-Aswani, the Egyptian novelist profiled in the January 16 issue of the New Yorker summed up the picture succinctly saying:  ‘’We cannot create real change with... YOUSSEF IBRAHIM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/gas-at-the-pump-could-go-to-20-if-war-comes/87648/ Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:47:41 EST Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz is a promise of heart attack for the world’s economy and a challenge for military planners. Yesterday, Iran doubled its taunt by sentencing a former marine with dual Iranian-American citizenship to death, for spying. The moves set up America and its Western allies for a confrontation with Iran. A clash would be the third armed conflict after Iraq and Afghanistan. The former two began triumphantly until they transformed into quagmires. How is a new... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/vindication-is-piling-up-for-one-of-the-greatest/87641/ Sat, 7 Jan 2012 09:37:17 EST Though it is probably happening too late to be overly gratifying to her, events are piling on to vindicate Margaret Thatcher completely in her reservations about British integration in Europe. Her response to the proposal to reduce Britain to a local government in a federal Europe was, memorably: “No, no, no, and never.” And her reward for her refusal to get on board what was then the thundering bandwagon of Euro-federalism, was to be sent packing by her own ungrateful party, though she was the... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/deaths-of-kim-jong-il-vaclav-havel-lead/87627/ Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:16:01 EST The deaths, only a couple of days apart, of the Manichaean figures of Kim Jong Il and Václav Havel invite some historical reflection. In Korea, the 38th Parallel was determined to be the division between North and South Korea one summer night in 1945 by two junior American officers — including the future secretary of state Dean Rusk, then a colonel. It was chosen as the dividing point to determine whether the Japanese garrison in Korea should surrender to the Soviet Union or to the United... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/israels-prospects-have-never-been-brighter-as/87625/ Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:23:56 EST Up until the mid-1960s, when I was young, the television news and airwaves at this time of year were full of references to the “Holy Land.” There were endless melodious carols and much sacred music portraying cities such as Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and many other geographic names such as the Jordan River, and even Babylon, in sanctified tones, as quiet, spiritual places. Of course, decades of bloodshed, terrorism, and confected and orchestrated sectarian hatred have engulfed the region since... IRA STOLL http://www.nysun.com/foreign/opportunity-knocks-at-north-korea-with-the-death/87616/ Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:10:43 EST The pictures accompanying the news of the leadership change in North Korea are those of the dead dictator, Kim Jong Il, and his son and heir apparent, Kim Jong Un. But there are some other Koreans whose names and photos, though absent from the front pages, tell the real story. Ri Hyon Ok was a 33-year-old mother of three who was publicly executed by the North Korean government on June 16, 2009, for the crime of giving away bibles. Her husband and children were banished to North Korea’s vast... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/foreign/deal-to-free-gilad-shali-reportedly-under/87516/ Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:52:44 EST A deal to release the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is under consideration in Jerusalem, newspapers in the Middle East are reporting. The Israeli soldier has been a captive since 2006, when he was seized in a cross-border raid, and Israel’s cabinet was reportedly meeting this afternoon to decided on an agreement said to have been brokered by Egypt. Israel’s Army Radio is reporting that the deal could involve swapping as many as “450 specific Hamas prisoners” being held by Israel and “up to 500... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/foreign/obamas-fortunes-plunge-in-capital-of-germany/87497/ Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:53:58 EST NEW YORK — Little more than three years after Barack Obama was greeted during his presidential campaign by an adoring and enormous crowd at Berlin, a leading newspaper in the German capital is criticizing the president as “overbearing, arrogant and absurd.” The criticism is coming from the German daily Bild, which issued an editorial attacking Mr. Obama for his criticism of the failure of the Europeans to find a way out of their economic crisis. The criticism of Europe by Mr. Obama, and by his... RICK RICHMAN http://www.nysun.com/foreign/clinton-in-a-sharp-turnaround-warns-against-even/87496/ Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:18:25 EST Secretary of State Clinton, in a sharp departure from her stance when she was a senator, is warning that any American action, even symbolically, toward recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel must be avoided for the reason that it would jeopardize the peace process. Her warnings were issued in a brief she has just filed with the Supreme Court — in which she is arguing that a law she voted for when she was Senator is unconstitutional because it could require the U.S. government to give to... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/obama-siding-with-un-against-reforms-proposed/87466/ Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:22:55 EST UNITED NATIONS — Even as the Obama administration admonishes the United Nations for an “unwarranted” pay hike for staffers, it is going to bat for the United Nations against legislation proposed in Congress that would revolutionize the way America finances international institutions and give Washington better leverage over them. Proponents of the legislation, offered today by the chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican of Florida, say... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/could-nato-emerge-as-an-alliance-of-democracies/87398/ Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:40:16 EST Outgoing defense secretary Robert Gates’s final policy speech in office, on June 10 in Brussels, laid out the problems and anomalies of NATO more clearly than any figure of such authority has done before. He was upbeat about most aspects of the Afghanistan operation, which, he usefully reminded us, is the first actual ground combat NATO as an alliance has ever fought, as well as the first serious test of the alliance in this century. In 2006, there were 20,000 non-U.S. NATO combat troops in... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/son-of-syrias-ex-president-appeals-directly/87390/ Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:50:57 EST UNITED NATIONS — The son of a former president of Syria, in a startling but so-far-unreported demarche here, is appealing directly to the Kremlin in the hopes of clearing the way for the Security Council here to condemn the atrocities being committed in his homeland. Samir Shishakli, who is himself a former high ranking official of the United Nations and is the son of Adib Shishakli, has written to the only person he knows who might help: Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov. Russia leads a... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/three-questions-emerge-from-obamas-speech-on/87353/ Thu, 19 May 2011 17:32:19 EST UNTIED NATIONS — Here are three immediate questions I have following President Obama’s speech at the State Department today: 1. Mr. Obama made clear that “Ultimately, it is up to Israelis and Palestinians to take action. No peace can be imposed upon them, not by the United States, not by anybody else.” So why did he go on to do the imposing on borders? “We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized... LAWRENCE KUDLOW http://www.nysun.com/foreign/could-imf-morph-into-a-force-for-growth-instead/87354/ Thu, 19 May 2011 18:12:03 EST    As the IMF gets ready to choose a successor to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who resigned following his arrest on charges that he sexually assaulted and raped a hotel housekeeper, it would be a good thing to step back for a moment and ask: What should the IMF do? More specifically, can the IMF possibly morph itself into a worldwide force for economic growth instead of Bailout Nation? Yes, it’s a powerful global economic agency. It’s also one with a very checkered past. Usually opting for austerity... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/astonishment-spreads-at-un-over-chaos-in-libyan/87281/ Wed, 30 Mar 2011 23:43:51 EST  UNITED NATIONS — One of Colonel Gadhafi’s former diplomats, an envoy who as recently as last year served as president of the General Assembly, has broken with the regime, according to a diplomatic source, and is expected to make an announcement tomorrow in yet another setback for Libya’s strongman. The announcement expected tomorrow — that Ali Treki, who has served as the president of the General Assembly in 2010, has broken up with the regime — would come on the heals defection earlier today... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/editorials/united-nations-rolls-out-the-red-carpet-to-fete/87261/ Sun, 13 Mar 2011 14:07:06 EST UNITED NATIONS – The General Assembly, for the first time, will attempt tomorrow evening to morph itself into Hollywood, conducting a red-carpet premiere event that will see diplomats mingling with film stars and cinema moguls – and, in the process, promote an anti-Israeli view of the bloody wars between Arab and Jews. Julian Schnabel’s “Miral,” a tale of the Middle East’s travails through the eyes of a young Palestinian Arab girl, has already received advanced notices as a film heavy on... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/has-the-west-become-so-feeble-that-we-are-afraid/87253/ Sat, 5 Mar 2011 08:06:22 EST Has the West become so feeble that we are afraid to help Libyans get rid of their murderous fruitcake of a despot? It was a signal achievement for the United Nations Security Council to censure Libya for barbarities against civilians. Also laudable was the General Assembly’s decision to suspend Libya from its preposterous position as chair of the Human Rights Council. But otherwise, the toing and froing of the Western powers over Libya is becoming alarming: Bold talk of a no-fly zone and of... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/obama-follows-european-lead-on-libya/87249/ Tue, 1 Mar 2011 23:42:26 EST  UNITED NATIONS – Struggling to develop a coherent strategy on Libya, Washington is attempting instead to rehabilitate the image of international institutions, including the Security Council and, amazingly, one of the United Nations’ most odious organs, the Human Rights Council. Today’s suspension of Muammar Gadhafi’s Libya from the Geneva-based 47-member human rights body was hailed by our ambassador here, Susan Rice, as an act in the “noblest traditions of the United Nations.” But the U.N... PRANAY GUPTE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/palin-will-draw-a-contrast-with-obama-in-her/87248/ Sun, 27 Feb 2011 22:01:26 EST Sarah Palin’s choice of an international venue to deliver an address on “My Vision of America” is canny. She will speak in March before India’s business, political, diplomatic, academic and media elite at the annual India Today Conclave. The gathering arguably possesses the biggest private-sector megaphone in the world’s largest democracy. And while the delegates may not be a microcosm of the country’s 1.2 billion mostly poor people, they certainly make decisions that matter. Mrs. Palin’s... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/editorials/drama-building-at-united-nations-over-maneuvering/87240/ Thu, 17 Feb 2011 07:33:25 EST UNITED NATIONS – Arab diplomats here are hoping that the controversy that is erupting over a Security Council resolution on Israel’s settlement policies will deflect attention from the spreading democratic protests in the Middle East against the non-democratic regimes. Arab diplomats at Turtle Bay decided to push the Obama administration for a decision to either wield its first Security Council veto on Friday, a move likely to anger an already agitated Middle East, or allow an anti-Israel... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/united-nations-silence-on-revolution-in-egypt-is/87238/ Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:52:28 EST  UNITED NATIONS – While the Middle East undergoes a remarkable transformation, one New York spot that remains almost defiantly uninterested – and totally irrelevant – is Turtle Bay. Like the Baskerville Hound, the United Nations won’t bark. Our ambassador here, Susan Rice, is finalizing a “major address” she’s expected to deliver tonight at Portland, where the World Affairs Council of Oregon is meeting. The title of her address — “Facing 21st Century Threats: Why America Needs the United... YOUSSEF IBRAHIM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/suleiman-playing-a-weak-hand-against-an-army/87229/ Mon, 7 Feb 2011 17:50:40 EST In a picture of Egypt’s new Vice president launching his negotiations with the nascent opposition movement of Tahrir (Liberation) Square, General Omar Suleiman looked vigorous for his 75 years, dapper, as always, in dark suit, surrounded by the fearsome aura he cultivated over 20 years as Egypt’s overall chief of Intelligence.  By contrast, the four men and one woman representing the revolutionaries ranged in age from early twenties to under 40. Two young men wrapped scarves casually around... YOUSSEF IBRAHIM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/suleiman-playing-a-weak-hand-against-an-army/87230/ Mon, 7 Feb 2011 17:50:43 EST In a picture of Egypt’s new Vice president launching his negotiations with the nascent opposition movement of Tahrir (Liberation) Square, General Omar Suleiman looked vigorous for his 75 years, dapper, as always, in dark suit, surrounded by the fearsome aura he cultivated over 20 years as Egypt’s overall chief of Intelligence. By contrast, the four men and one woman representing the revolutionaries ranged in age from early twenties to under 40. Two young men wrapped scarves casually around... CONRAD BLACK http://www.nysun.com/foreign/could-degaulles-playbook-work-in-egypt/87227/ Fri, 4 Feb 2011 08:46:14 EST There are only three ways to deal with the sort of uprising that has occurred in the last week in Egypt: smash it, face it down more or less peacefully, or yield to it. Mobs, even when they are championing a good cause, are cowardly and easily routed by force. Napoleon demonstrated this with his famous “whiff of grapeshot” (cannons loaded with small pellets or other hard objects). So did Deng Xiaoping in Tiananmen Square. Charles de Gaulle wrote the playbook for facing down demonstrators and... YOUSSEF IBRAHIM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/revolution-at-egypt-is-not-about-palestine-but/87226/ Wed, 2 Feb 2011 22:48:19 EST The revolution underway at Egypt is not about Palestine, Israel, America, food prices, or even bad living conditions. It is about Freedom, a value America once championed beyond all. President Obama’s wobbly speech of barely four minutes Tuesday night about that revolution was so hesitant it left Egyptians stunned. In the face of a glorious uprising in the leading Arab country by millions of its people young and old, a president of America they all looked up to, merely asked their ruling... YOUSSEF IBRAHIM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/a-new-egypt-likely-to-emerge-from-revolution/87220/ Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:33:50 EST The revolution ignited by a new generation in Tunisia is moving so fast across the Arab world that it is no longer too soon to speculate on the new Egypt that will emerge after the riots and mayhem taking place there — and what kind of repercussions will be felt in Washington. “Our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable,” Secretary of State Clinton said only days ago. But this evening there is a growing sense in Egypt that President Mubarak would have to leave — and that he... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/editorials/report-vindicating-israel-in-boarding-of-the-mavi/87215/ Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:19:11 EST UNITED NATIONS — Today’s findings by Israel’s Turkel Commission present a problem for Secretary General Ban and also for Washington, which tacitly assisted him in forming, under United Nations auspices, a separate panel to probe last May’s deadly boarding of the Mavi Marmara. The Israeli commission, headed by a former judge of the Supreme Court, Yaakov Turkel, issued a 250-page report saying that Israel’s blockade of Gaza was legal under international law, as were the actions of Israeli... YOUSSEF IBRAHIM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/jasmine-scent-of-revolultion-wafting-through-arab/87214/ Fri, 21 Jan 2011 21:08:47 EST “Freedom does not come in ‘Home Delivery.’” This is one of multiple quotes, jokes, and bitter commentary, lighting up the Arab blogosphere ever since the outbreak Friday of the revolution in Tunisia that threw out president-for-life Zein El Abedine Ben Ali, who now resides in a royal palace somewhere at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In its short lifetime of less than one week, the uprising emerged as a challenge to the remaining 21 potentates holding onto their seats across the League of Arab States... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/next-flashpoint-in-mideast-could-be-gas-fields/87184/ Wed, 5 Jan 2011 21:35:21 EST UNITED NATIONS – The next flashpoint in the Middle East could be the gas fields off Israel's Mediterranean coast, where the discovery of large cashes of natural gas is raising hopes that Israel could soon become energy-self-sufficient but where a dispute with Lebanon could be ignited.  The Iran-influenced Beirut government is threatening to defend its maritime “rights” and is complaining about Israel’s explorations. Lebanon’s appeals for international intervention begun last summer, immediately... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/scramble-to-avoid-a-genocide-lies-behind-ivory/87178/ Fri, 31 Dec 2010 09:01:22 EST UNITED NATIONS — Behind the controversy over the clients of Washington superlawyer Lanny Davis lies a desperate effort to avoid what threatens to become Africa’s next genocide. The drama centers on the search for a face-saving exit for the president of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, who, against the backdrop of a civil war, was defeated in the national election in the fall. Though the results are in dispute, the winner is generally acknowledged to have been Alassane Ouattara President Obama... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/iraqs-isolation-at-end-draws-to-an-end-with-less/87169/ Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:27:12 EST UNITED NATIONS — Iraq’s return from the isolation into which it was cast by Saddam Hussein will be ended with less of a bang than a whimper here, as Vice President Biden chaired the proceedings but Kuwait held out out for a substantial payday. The emirate of Kuwait blocked the American-led attempt to readmit Iraq, a budding democracy, into “the international fold” by ending restrictions imposed here during the last two decades as punishment for Saddam Hussein’s transgressions. The Kuwaiti... ALEX STOROZYNSKI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/obama-gives-a-lump-of-coal-to-poland-in-pre/87164/ Thu, 9 Dec 2010 17:44:55 EST When the president of Poland, Bronislaw Komorowski, hung an ornament on the majestic pine in the Oval Office yesterday, President Obama remarked, “It’s the prettiest one on the tree.” But when jet-lagged journalists from Warsaw were then brought into the room, they were disappointed, and surprised, to learn that Poland would not get the gift it was hoping for — a waiver of visas for Poles visiting America. This is the eighth Christmas that Polish soldiers will spend in assisting American GIs in... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/un-seeks-obamas-attendance-at-durban-iii-on-10th/87151/ Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:13:20 EST UNITED NATIONS – If the majority here gets its way, President Obama may attend next year an event celebrating a decade of verbal anti-Israel attacks at the same time that most Americans commemorate the tenth anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. Countries pushing to convene a “Durban III” conference in the fall of 2011 are hoping to schedule the parley on September 11. They also call on heads of state, who will gather in New York at that time to attend the annual... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/key-un-official-admits-to-concern-over-arms/87143/ Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:57:09 EST UNITED NATIONS — The next contretemps here is going to erupt over what is a small step for the World Body that has major implications for the future of Israel’s security – the admission today by a the top United Nations official in Lebanon that he has “concerns” about the ability of a multinational force deployed there to monitor and prevent the flow of arms to Hezbollah. After briefing the Security Council today, Secretary General Ban’s special envoy to Beirut, Michael Williams, a Briton... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/obama-clinton-camps-divide-over-african-hotspot/87134/ Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:42:36 EST Tension between human rights absolutists of President Obama’s inner circle and the pragmatists in Washington’s Clintonian wing will next be glimpsed in a fight that is emerging around the small but resource-rich western Africa country, Equatorial Guinea. The country has long been an American ally, but with petroleum reserves that oil analysts equate with Saudi Arabia’s, and rare earth mineral reserves that can be used in high technology manufacturing, Equatorial Guinea can easily fall prey to...