Protests against corruption in Bulgaria have taken quite a turn as thousands of protesters trapped several parliamentarians in the legislative building. The political situation in Bulgaria has been tense since last May, when a new socialist coalition took power with 120 seats out of 240 possible seats. The appointments for cabinet posts are invariably controversial under such circumstances, and it is clear that many in Bulgaria do not believe that the government represents their interests well or fairly. Interestingly, China has banned the construction of new state buildings because of public anger for wasteful and extravagant government spending. The anger against government corruption is truly global.
The Turkish government has launched a variety of punitive measures against the protesters in Taksim Square a month ago. Some human rights groups believe that as many as 3,000 people have been arrested, including journalists. Repression is not typically productive under the circumstances facing the Erdogan government unless it is sustained and systematic. We’ll have to see what the reaction of the Turkish people to these measures will be. The reaction will not be immediate, but will build slowly over a period of months. Se we will keep our eye on Turkey.
The US CIA is closing down many of its operations in Afghanistan in preparation for the US troop pullout in 2014. The drawdown reflects the diminished strategic significance of Afghanistan as well as the growth of hostile groups in other areas of the world. The American withdrawal thus seems to be rather complete. Unfortunately, we have no idea how the US intends to help the Afghans reconstruct their country after the withdrawal. If Iraq is any guide, there likely will be no sustained American effort.
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