Diplomacy | GlobalPost

Opinion: Time to return to Morocco

Ahmadou SouilemApril 22, 2010 09:24Updated May 30, 2010 13:29

DAKHLA, Morocco — Reading recently about the remarkable journey of 13 Western Saharan (Sahrawi) refugees from the camps of Tindouf in Algeria to their homeland in Morocco reminded me of the same journey I myself made a few months ago. What would make these people risk death under the unforgiving sun of the Sahara rather than remain in the Polisario-controlled camps in southern Algeria? The answer is all too obvious: Life in Tindouf is so unbearable, and disillusionment with the Polisario so bitter, that they were prepared to risk their lives to escape.

Return to the Hotel Rwanda

Jon RosenApril 18, 2010 08:47Updated May 30, 2010 13:29

KIGALI, Rwanda — It’s a Thursday night in the Rwandan capital and the poolside bar at Hotel des Mille Collines is thumping.

On Location: Bangkok protests

Patrick WinnApril 13, 2010 17:56Updated May 30, 2010 13:29

Opinion: Gadhafi holds Switzerland hostage

Karoline DurrApril 19, 2010 07:00Updated May 30, 2010 13:29

ZURICH, Switzerland — Switzerland’s neutrality has always ensured the Alpine nation a place in world diplomacy. But, increasingly, it’s the Swiss who are in need of a mediator in disputes with other nations instead of being called upon as one. Over the past 20 months Switzerland has been embroiled in a feud with Libya that involves trade embargoes, visa and travel restrictions, and the jailing of a Swiss business man in Tripoli.

Why the Polish plane crash is called "Katyn 2"

Patrice DabrowskiApril 14, 2010 06:29Updated May 30, 2010 13:29

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — On Saturday, a painful sense of deja vu enveloped Poland. News quickly spread of a terrible tragedy that had taken place in the forests near Smolensk in Russia, not far from the border with Belarus, where a plane crash killed Poland's president and 95 others.

China: The yuan diaries

Jonathan AdamsApril 13, 2010 06:32Updated May 30, 2010 13:28

TAIPEI, Taiwan — To get the scoop on China's currency, follow the "hot" money. So says Shanghai-based independent economist Andy Xie, a highly regarded maverick who used to be Morgan Stanley's chief Asia economist. Economists like Xie are locked in a fierce debate over the simple question: is the Chinese currency too cheap? "Hot money" — or speculative foreign money — is the key to the answer, he says.

Kyrgyzstan: What to watch this week

David L. SternApril 12, 2010 07:17Updated May 30, 2010 13:28

BISHKEK, Kygyzstan — The Kyrgyz capital still shows deep scars from last week’s bloody overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, which left at least 81 dead and more than a thousand injured. But the numbers of armed marauders who looted stores and turned the city center into a no-go zone at night have greatly decreased. Now the provisional government led by former foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva is trying to consolidate its hold on power. The country is calm, but not entirely stable.

Is the Kyrgyzstan upheaval bad for the US?

David L. SternApril 10, 2010 19:28Updated May 30, 2010 13:28

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — In the immediate aftermath of Kyrgyzstan’s violent government overthrow this week, American interests in the strategic central Asia region may suffer a profound blow, while Russia’s authority appears ready to increase. Thousands turned out today at a cemetery complex on the edge of Bishkek for a public burial for some of those killed in the fighting. Kyrgyzstan’s health ministry now places the number dead at 79.

Opinion: President Yanukovych threatens Ukraine’s democracy

Taras KuzioApril 12, 2010 09:40Updated May 30, 2010 13:28

WASHINGTON and KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s newly elected President Viktor Yanukovych is in Washington for the nuclear summit with the hope of securing a meeting with President Barack Obama. If a meeting goes ahead, Yanukovych should be reminded of the importance of democratic values to the U.S.-Ukrainian relationship.

Boycotts mar Sudan elections

Tristan McConnellApril 11, 2010 07:12Updated May 30, 2010 13:28

JUBA, South Sudan — Voters in Africa’s largest country are going to the polls Sunday through Tuesday in Sudan’s first multi-party election in more than two decades, but a raft of last minute boycotts have undermined the credibility of the vote.