The insurgent group, Boko Haram (which means “Western education is a sin”), has been waging a guerrilla war in the northern part of Nigeria. The group claims to represent the interests of the primarily Muslim population of the north against the primarily Christian population in the south. The Nigerian army has been trying to wrest control away from the rebels, but the violence has been widespread and extreme. It is very difficult to determine to what extent the group has support of the civilian population.
Max Fisher of the Washington Post looks at a map of where the American embassies and consulates are closed in the Middle East and North Africa. By simply looking at the map, he gleans some interesting questions about how the US defines and interprets the threat. It is less of a broad-brush than has been defined by many. The threat apparently is more specific than the government has intimated. It remains to be seen how real the threat actually is. Many writers in the foreign press believe that the alert is not genuine but a political ploy by the US government to deflect attention from the furor associated with the trial of Bradley Manning and the controversy over the leaks from Edward Snowden.
Max Fisher also has a very nuanced view of the recent speech by President Rouhani of Iran that has raised so much controversy. Some have interpreted his speech as similar to many speeches by former President Ahmadinejad. The actual translation seems to be quite different. There are some, however, who believe that Rouhani’s words only serve to disguise Iran’s true intent, which is to delay further sanctions while Iran continues to build its nuclear capability.
World Politics News 
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