Copyright 2012 The New York Sun Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:49:33 -0500 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/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... 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... 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/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... 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... 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/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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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/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... 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... 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... PRANAY GUPTE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/obamas-outreach-to-india-seeks-to-cement-ties/87127/ Fri, 5 Nov 2010 19:38:51 EST President Obama starts his three-day visit to India hoping to strengthen America’s political ties and expand American trade relations with the world’s largest democracy. Indians, in turn, expect that America will open its doors to even more imports from the world’s second fastest growing economy — after China — and will further ease the path for India, also a nuclear power like China, to acquire nuclear technology for civilian uses. Both parties would be wise to prepare to be disappointed when... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/uns-anti-jewish-resolutions-loom-as-an-early-test/87122/ Tue, 2 Nov 2010 17:26:29 EST UNITED NATIONS — The first post-election test here for President Obama — and the new leadership in the Congress — will be the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which has taken five decisions that disparage Israel’s claim of linkage to some of Judaism’s most revered shrines. Among those who call on America to withdraw from UNESCO are the presumptive Republican Speaker, Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, and Majority Leader, Eric Cantor of Virginia. Other Republicans... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/support-for-israel-costs-canada-seat-on-un/87110/ Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:58:17 EST UNITED NATIONS — Canada’s increasing ties with Israel and its defense of Jerusalem have cost it a seat on the United Nations Security Council, diplomats here are saying after days of maneuvering by Arab countries, Brazil, and Cuba in which the United States had nearly disappeared. Canada’s failure to capture a seat on next year’s Security Council will break a tradition in which America’s northern neighbor has been elected to the most prestigious United Nations body in every decade since 1948... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/cuban-minister-hews-hard-line-at-united-nations/87097/ Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:22:48 EST On the eve of hearings that had been set to open in the United States Congress on whether to ease the ban on Americans traveling to Cuba, Havana’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, has been taking a hard, even strident line here at the United Nations, very much at odds with the way Fidel Castro is trying to portray Cuba in the American press these days. It has prompted old hands here at the United Nations to quote another, albeit different kind of, Marxist —  Groucho, who famously... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/see-no-evil-in-lebanon-or-korea/87026/ Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:53:04 EST UNITED NATIONS — Responding to combative provocations with meek diplomacy, the West is allowing North Korea and Iran to further arm themselves and their proxy armies, risking a much more serious military confrontation in the next rounds. Meeting the American-led United Nation command today at a village in the Korean demilitarized zone, mid-level Pyongyang military officials began negotiating a return to diplomacy that would eventually lead to a renewal of the Six Party talks. Those talks, a... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/stage-is-set-for-a-new-clash-between-america/87020/ Mon, 5 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST UNITED NATIONS — The next crisis between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyah — one from Venus, the other from Mars — is only a matter of time, though the vibes will be discernibly positive when the two meet at the White House tomorrow. The two hold diametrically opposed political philosophies: the “realist” Mr. Obama – Venus – is all about nurturing regional hopes and dreams: think Palestinian state. The “ideological” Mr. Netanyahu – Mars – is keenly attuned to the region’s real and... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/obama-administration-irked-at-israel-over-pace/86998/ Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:44:01 EST UNITED NATIONS -- The Obama administration has been complaining to Israel about the pressure Washington is coming under to agree to an international probe of Israel’s raid on the Turkish “peace flotilla,” sources in both Washington and Jerusalem are telling The New York Sun. Mostly, the sources say, Washington is complaining that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cabinet has taken too long to set up its own investigation. Israel’s foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, told The New York Sun Wednesday... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/iran-will-use-un-sanctions-to-seek-to-expand-its/86993/ Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:42:48 EST UNITED NATIONS – Iran is hoping to turn the sanctions resolution that the Security Council approved today into the next platform on which it is building its ever widening sphere of international influence. One of the Islamic republic’s first objectives on its way to becoming a regional power and a world leader is to create the impression that Iran and America are playing on a leveled field. If the impression sticks, the world will increasingly see two sides to every issue: in the blue corner... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/last-ditch-effort-to-block-sanctions-on-iran-is/86991/ Mon, 7 Jun 2010 20:50:54 EST UNITED NATIONS – The Security Council is expected to vote on an American-backed resolution to impose the next round of sanctions on Iran as early as Wednesday, but two countries bent on enabling Iran, Brazil and Turkey, are making a last-ditch effort to delay the vote. Ambassadors of the two countries called for a hasty Security Council consultation earlier today to try to schedule a public debate — a procedure that remotely resembles the Congressional filibuster — before any vote could takes... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/turkeys-next-move-will-be-to-marshal-moves/86984/ Mon, 31 May 2010 22:06:43 EST UNITED NATIONS – After initiating and aiding a provocation that resulted in the deaths of at least ten of its citizens, Turkey will next move to marshal world opinion and attempt to harness it to promote Prime Minister Erdogan’s regional goals, which increasingly resemble those of Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran. The Turkish government supported, guided, and aided the so-called “humanitarian” flotilla, condemned Israeli “piracy” after Monday morning’s violent clashes, and is now planning to... YOUSSEF IBRAHIM http://www.nysun.com/foreign/turkey-emerges-in-a-sinister-new-role-as-aid/86982/ Mon, 31 May 2010 14:53:37 EST The emergence of Turkey in a leading position against Israel is developing as the most significant aspect of the efforts of an “aid flotilla” to run the blockade of Gaza that is maintained by both Egypt and Israel. Turkey, which is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and aspires to join the European Union, ranks as chief instigator, leader, and organizer of the so-called Gaza aid flotilla of boats arrested overnight by Israeli commandoes. Inevitably the clash resulted in several... BENNY AVNI http://www.nysun.com/foreign/high-seas-drama-looms-off-gaza-district-as/86979/ Wed, 26 May 2010 20:27:08 EST UNITED NATIONS — A drama on the high seas is brewing in the Mediterranean as a Turkish government-backed flotilla, laden with various goods and carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists, is attempting to reach Gaza’s shores in the next few days to deliver what its members say is much needed humanitarian aid to the Hamas-controlled strip. Israel’s Navy said it would prevent the flotilla from entering Gaza and, if necessary, board the eight boats and arrest the activists. Nevertheless...