Italian foreign policy in the Second Republic: new wine in old bottles?
Revelations about the alleged payment by Italian troops of protection money to local Afghan commanders to stop attacks on their forces have reignited a recurrent debate among scholars of international affairs: does Italy have a coherent foreign policy, or even a foreign policy at all? In the long term, Berlusconi or not, Italy is poised to remain where it firmly belongs: in the Atlantic and European camps.
ICE
Do you remember when I mentioned “Greenfinger” on this blog a couple of months ago? Greenfinger would be a rich master environmental criminal — perhaps pursuing climate geoengineering without international approval.
The Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, and the Division of Europe
The Truman doctrine was a manifestation of foreign policy resulting from the insecurities and fears of Soviet power filling the vacuum in Europe. Together with the Marshall Plan it solidified the reality of a divided Europe and a divided world.
NORWAY’S CRUEL JOKE
The selection of Barack Obama as the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize belittles the President. Everybody knows that with just a few months in office that he has not had time to accomplish anything significant. His speeches may be inspiring, but they are likely written by others and usually express broad, vague aspirations that are neither unusual nor likely to be fulfilled soon.
Washington’s 2-level-game
This past weekend, Carol Browner, Director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy proclaimed that the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade climate bill (which passed the House this summer) is not going to become law prior to the upcoming climate negotiations.
Tribute to William Safire (1929 – 2009)
On Monday 28 September 2009 it was announced that William Safire, Pulitzer Prize Winner, speechwriter and columnist had passed away. The loss of Safire deprives enthusiasts of Presidential history from a player that oversaw one of the most tumultuous yet successful American Presidencies of the Cold War. It is in his indelible role as speechwriter for the 37th President of the United States Richard Nixon, that Safire most notably left his mark.
Re-discovering Kwame Nkrumah
The recent centenary of the birth of Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, passed without murmur in this little corner of the continent. Why this happened has both puzzled and, yes, hurt me a little.
Dirty energy subsidies
Last August, the UN Environmental Programme reported that “around $300 billion or 0.7 per cent of global GDP is being spent on energy subsidies annually.” These subsidies are particularly important because most are devoted to fossil fuels.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE NATION BUILDERS GONE?
Six months ago the US military was being praised by many security specialists as finally having gotten it – understanding that its future was counter-insurgency best practices which means nation building under fire from insurgents in the world’s toughest neighborhoods. Yes, it had taken a while, but the military’s top leadership had finally seen the light.
The Problem of China: As viewed from the USA
For more than a century, the overwhelming majority of greenhouse gases have been emitted by advanced industrial states. Recently, however, China has assumed the top spot in annual emissions. On a per person basis, of course, China still trails the global leaders by a good distance.
