Even though the Greek elections were in some sense indeterminate, one message seemed clear on 17 June: the Greeks may have been divided about whether they wished to stay in the eurozone, they were united against continuing austerity policies. That shoe has now dropped, and the Greeks are asking for a two-year delay in implementing the bail-out plan laid out by the EU. The response of the EU will likely be a qualified “no.” Then hard bargaining will begin.
There have been on-and-off-again violent acts between Israel and residents in the Gaza over the last few weeks. The violence, however, seems to be more regular and sustained as the summer goes on. It is not clear why the violence is escalating, but much has to do with the Israeli desire to delegitimize the policies of Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah in the West Bank. If true, then it’s unlikely that a cease-fire could be easily brokered as long as Abbas pursues some sort of recognition at the UN.
It’s often hard to find humor in world politics. But this blog post from Foreign Policy about life in the Syrian army is hysterical. Makes one wonder how the Turkish fighter plane was downed.
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