http://tags.foreignpolicyblogs.com Just another Foreignpolicyblogs.com weblog Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:01:42 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A colleague here at FPA brought to my attention last week proposed legislation in the US congress regarding Afghanistan-Pakistan duty-free areas that looks like it may have promise.  The legislation, spearheaded by Rep. Chris Van Hollen, would open up segments of Afghan-Pakistan territory to be free trade or duty-free zones.  ... http://tags.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/13/duty-free-zones-in-afghanistan/ There are a series of UNFCCC meetings this year leading up to the Copenhagen Conference of the Parties - the 15th COP.  As you know, Copenhagen is where the post-Kyoto agreement is going to be finalized.  The first of the five planned negotiating sessions leading up to the COP wrapped ... http://tags.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/13/bonn/ This past weekend brought news of a mega business deal in India.  Tech Mahindra was the highest bidder (at $1.2 billion) for Satyam Computer Services, a large and fraud-ridden information technology/outsourcing company that had been taken over by the Indian government after a series of scandals.  Tech Mahindra is set ... http://tags.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/13/indias-outsourcing-prowess-continues-to-grow/ Terrorists are carrying out attacks inside Pakistan with incredible ease and stunning accuracy. Taliban are seizing more and more territory everyday. The sense of security and protection in the country is long gone. Everyone in Pakistan is nervous, and nobody knows how and when, if ever, life will become stable ... http://tags.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/13/saving-pakistan-2/ A recent interview with Hamas leader Khalid Meshal denotes a potentially change in posture by the terror group. While the organization continues to imprison abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, launches rockets into southern Israel, and plans additional terror strikes, perhaps Western pressure and legitimacy vis-a-vis President Obama's approach could force ... http://tags.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/13/possible-change-in-meshal-posture/ Hong Kong magnate Stanley Ho is at it again. Not formulating a "Ho Plan" for Hong Kong energy security that centers around wind power, as the growing similarities between him and T. Boone Pickens might suggest. Stanley Ho's investment du jour, while on par with his recently established eco-trend, will ... http://tags.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/13/westward-ho-hong-kong-tycoon-invests-in-africa-based-biofuels/ In a somewhat rare state-sponsored rally, over 8,000 students gathered in Beijing’s Olympic Park last Saturday to show their commitment to environmental protection. The event launched the newest phase of the “Green Long March,” an ongoing effort to bring youth together and initiate a grassroots-esque environmental conservation movement nationwide. Working with ... http://tags.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/13/communist-youth-eco-team-revs-up-for-green-long-march/ Every interaction with Israelis this week began and ended identically, with a smile and a warm exchange of “Chag sameach,” happy holiday. Israelis, secular and religious, heralded the opportunity to vacation to the southern resort-town of Eilat, spend a few nights with the family in a cabin in the Galilee, ... http://tags.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/13/apparently-its-passover/ Just outside the Schuman metro station, in front of Brussel's executive arm - the European Commission, a Romani woman cradles her small child.  Next to her is a cup.   It is a sad spectacle for a Europe that has had and continues to have an entire people either living on ... http://tags.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/13/europes-outcasts/ ISLAMABAD: Differences over India’s enhanced role in Afghanistan led to the drift in strategic relations between Pakistan and the United States that caught public eye after prickly Foreign Minister Qureshi pointed towards a trust deficit between the two allies and asked the senior partner for a fair treatment based on ... http://tags.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/12/foreign-policy-disputes-with-the-us-intensify/