Russia has issued the latest version of its strategic military doctrine. It is largely unchanged from previous versions, but it now specifically lists NATO and the US as global enemies. Interestingly, it lists NATO because it perceives a new NATO mission as the preservation of “global functions realized with violation of international law.” Presumably the doctrine regards the UN as the only legitimate protector of international law, but the doctrine does not spell out that obligation. If the UN fails to defend international law, the doctrine does not specify an alternative. Mark Galeotti, a professor at New York University, suggests that Russia will actually only function as a spoiler to international law.
Ceremonies were held all over Asia today as the region remembered the Tsunami that swept through the region 10 years ago. The Tsunami was the largest ever recorded by human beings and the devastation stretched from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Somalia. Tens of thousands were lost, and whole villages disappeared. The recovery in some areas has been robust, but there are still many areas that are desolate. There have been some improvements in detecting tsunamis, but the world still remains largely unprepared for a similar event.
Egypt is probably further from democracy now than at any other time in its recent history, including the regimes of Sadat and Mubarak. Unlike Tunisia, which has made rapid progress toward creating a liberal civic society, the current Egyptian regime has thwarted the Arab Spring revolution and returned to authoritarian rule. The Guardian lists the laws that have been promulgated by the regime without participation by the Parliament. Unfortunately, the outside world, including most dramatically the US, has offered few objections to this betrayal of democratic principles.
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