In a rather stunning development, Iran has been invited to join the talks about a negotiated settlement in Syria. The move undoubtedly strengthens the position of Syrian President Assad since both Russia and Iran favor his continued rule. It also represents a setback for the US position which favors Assad’s removal. It is probable that the Obama Administration is now moving toward the Russian/Iranian position although it will likely not make that statement. The invitation also elevates Iran’s position in the Middle East which is a setback for Israel and Saudi Arabia. The chessboard pieces are moving quite fast right now.
The sovereign debt crisis in Europe seems to have receded after the recent Greek elections and Greek compliance with the austerity demands of the troika. But appearances can be deceiving. Portugal is also a highly indebted country, and its recent inconclusive elections, in which the center-right party that accepts austerity managed to maintain control of the government even though the anti-austerity left-wing parties garnered 62% of the final vote, will lead to an extended period of stalemate and drift. A heavily indebted country can ill afford a weak government.
Despite a ruling by the International Court of Justice that its whale killings do not constitute scientific research, Japan has indicated that it intends to continue hunting whales in the Antarctic. Scientific research is one of the two exceptions to whale hunting granted by the international community (the other is hunting by indigenous peoples who have traditionally hunted whales for food), but the International Court of Justice found that Japan was not in fact conducting any research at all. In response Japan said that the ICJ’s jurisdiction “does not apply to … any dispute arising out of, concerning, or relating to research on, or conservation, management or exploitation of, living resources of the sea”. Most international legal scholars would disagree.
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