World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

For those who wish a completely different perspective on the Iranian nuclear weapons issue, Glenn Greenwald of Salon offers a benign view.  The Russian press also notes the growing Iranian military presence as a response to its growing responsibilities in the region.  Finally, Sri Lanka is offered a way to work around the US sanctions on Iranian oil, by none other than the US.  So while we’re hearing a loud and united front in the press against Iran, there are multiple layers of activity that belie any sort of consensus.

The talks between Greece and its lenders have been “paused.”  Greece must “roll over” much of its debt by 20 March (it must issue new bonds to cover the expiration of old bonds–the difference in interest rates between the old and the new bonds is a critical determinant of how risky investors regard Greek bonds).  In order to do so in an orderly fashion, it needs to come to an agreement about how much the old bonds are worth.  The investors are demanding very severe austerity measures that Greek politicians are reluctant to concede.  I suspect that we’ll see some violence in the streets of Athens this week.