Words matter a great deal in world politics. There has been a lot of press attention to how a senior Romney aide interpreted Governor Romney’s likely policy toward Iran. That aide stressed that the Governor would support military efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability. President Obama has drawn the line at preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons. The difference is substantial: “capability” can be interpreted as being anywhere along in the process of developing nuclear weapons, whereas the possession of nuclear weapons is a very clear point in time. I am not sure that the American people believe that this distinction is important, but foreign policy very rarely plays a significant role in American elections.
There is a very serious battle being waged in the city of Aleppo in Syria. Aleppo is the financial center of Syria, and its inhabitants were initially supportive of Assad since business depended a great deal on political stability and connections. But the situation has changed dramatically and Assad is waging an all-out attack on the city to bring it back under government control. Many lives are at stake and the symbolic outcome of the battle is very important.
There is an important political test going on in Russia. Three dissidents are in jail for protesting Vladimir Putin’s government, and the outcome of the trial will determine how much latitude political freedoms will be given in Russia. The dissidents, a punk rock group known as “Pussy Riot”, protested in a church and will likely receive little sympathy from much of the Russian population.
World Politics News 
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