World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

There are reports that Russia is thinking about selling advanced anti-aircraft systems to the Syrian government.  If true, the deployment of such systems would complicate any efforts on the part of the UN to intervene in Syria, since any intervention would require that the Syrian government be disarmed prior to the intervention.  The speculation is that the recent Israeli air attacks on Syria have concerned President Assad and his principal supporter–Russia.  The deployment would also signal the Russian determination to keep Assad in power, making the chance for outside intervention even slimmer.

There will be a national election in Pakistan on Saturday, a very important event marking the first peaceful transfer of power in the 66 years of Pakistani politics.  The polls indicate that Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the opposition, is most likely to win the election, ending the rule of the Pakistani People’s Party.  There has been violence associated with the campaigns, but it appears as if the election will be held and that its results should be considered legitimate.   But at this stage the results are unpredictable.

The Guardian, a lefty newspaper in Britain, has been leading a very robust investigation into tax evasion and offshore tax shelters.  It should be commended for its dogged work in this very secretive arena, and its efforts are beginning to have a real effect on tax evasion in Britain.  The investigation has led to several changes in EU policy, and will be on the agenda for the upcoming G8 meeting.  It is singularly unfortunate that none of the large media outlets in the United States has followed the lead of the  Guardian .