Competition for immigration

More and more qualified migrants decide not to go to the US or Europe, being more attracted by the opportunities that Asia offers them.

The Economist has a piece on "Migration after the crisis"

http://www.economist.com/node/21526777

The innovator's DNA

A short paper from the Harvard Business Review about what separates innovators from the rest of us. The qualities you're supposed to have, and to exercise if you want to improve your innovating skills, are:

-questioning

-observing

-experimenting

-networking

-associating

Apparently travelling a lot and living in different countries helps too

http://www.epicentret.dk/hbr.pdf

China's investments in Europe

Following on the previous post, a paper from the European Council on Foreign Relations about China's investements in Europe.

European countries are dividing themselves into two camps: a group of countries that seeks to obtain in China as much freedom of investment as China enjoys in Europe; and a group of cash-strapped countries, eager for China to invest in their countries and buy their bonds.

This disunity is proving damaging to Europe's interests.

http://www.ecfr.eu/page/-/ECFR37_Scramble_For_Europe_AW_v4.pdf

The Chinese in Africa

A Report on this week's Economist about China's economic presence in Africa

http://www.economist.com/node/18586448

While you were watching Egypt....

Eastern Approaches, a blog by a journalist from the Economist, has a round-up piece on recent developments in the Balkans.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2011/02/crises_balkans

more on Sudan

Following from an earlier post on Sudan, the BBC has an article on internal violence in the soon-to-be-independent Southern Sudan
Most interesting is the interactive map at the bottom of the page, showing the differences in development between North and South Sudan
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12430115

Small Arms, Big Problems | Foreign Affairs

Today I read this article from the current edition of Foreign Affairs. It uses the example of the war in Afghanistan to show some of the workings of the global arms trade. I was surprised to learn how old are the rifles used by the insurgents - many were built in the Soviet Union in the 1950s-1960s, with one exemplar dating from 1915! (a Lee Enfield used by the armies of the British Empire).

Small Arms, Big Problems | Foreign Affairs

The situation in South Sudan

An article from this week's Economist about South Sudan, which, after the recent referendum, is likely to declare independence shortly.
As a sign of hope and possible future development, it was interesting to read that Southern Sudan has lots of fertile land, mostly underdeveloped.
On a darker note, the article explains how the most worrying security problem at the moment seems to be not border issues between north and south, but internal conflicts among landlords in the south itself.

http://www.economist.com/node/18070450

Conflict or Cooperation? | Foreign Affairs

This article on Foreign Affairs looks at the three most important IR books of the post-Cold war decade (the ones by Fukuyama, Huntington and Mearsheimer), and tries to evaluate how the passing of time has reinforced or weakened their assertions.

Conflict or Cooperation? | Foreign Affairs

Why is America so rich?

Some interesting thoughts on what made (makes) the US so rich. Most interesting is the point about immigration

http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2010/11/growth

Iran's role in Iraq

Meet Me in Baghdad | Foreign Affairs

An article on the Foreign Affairs website that describes how Iran's influence in Iraq has grown over the past few years, with Iran being very cunning in taking advantage of the possibilities brought about by the US invasion and the subsequent civil war.

Negotiating with the Taliban

Asia Times On Line has an interesting piece that describes how the (indirect) talks between Washington and the Talibans are being carried out.

the Pakistan army has already been in contact with top Taliban commanders, including Sirajuddin Haqqani. Information is then passed onto the Saudis, who in turn liaise with the Americans.

The aim of the US seems to be to separate the Taliban from Al-Qaida, and strike a deal with the former with a guarantee that the latter are not allowed safe haven in Afghanistan.
Trust-building measures seem to be revolving about the issue of 60 pakistanis held prisoners in Guantanamo Bay

The article then goes on to describe how Al-Qaida has evolved over the years, and how it has kept on operating (or rather, lending its brand to operations conducted) on a global scale

A few thoughts on the special relationship

You can now find in the "my writings" section of my website the translation of the final chapter of my dissertation:

A few thoughts on the special relationship

It tries to answer these questions: Can we really qualify the relationship between the US and Britain in the 1980s as “special”? What differentiates it from the relations that the US and the UK have with other countries?

Stoning in Iran

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may end up as Genghis Khan with a nuclear bomb

I wonder if what Alasdair Palmer says in this article on the Telegraph is true:

a large portion of Iran's leadership, and of its population, is not ashamed or embarrassed: they think stoning is entirely right and proper

You don't usually get to read this kind of things, and I appreciate the departure from political correctness:

This is the reality of multiculturalism: human rights are not universally recognised or accepted. Barbaric practices can be deeply embedded in the convictions of thousands, even millions, of people.

However, I'm not sure this can be applied to Iran. Do you think the people that took part in the mass demonstrations against Iran's president a few months ago have a "deeply embedded" convinction that stoning is a just punishment?

India

A summary of the situation in India by the Economist. Too high expectations after Mr Singh's party won the elections in May with a good margin, allowing him to be rid of the Communist party, which was in the coalition government before the elections. The incompetence is most clearly shown in the handling of the worsening problems in the Kashmir and with the Maoist rebels, but it encompasses many fields of (in)action. The economic reforms that had been promised have not been realized yet.

http://www.economist.com/node/16953189

Democracy and deficits: Competing with Dutch budgetary responsibility | The Economist

Looks like Dutch politicians are serious about it:
Democracy and deficits: Competing with Dutch budgetary responsibility | The Economist

Russia, NATO and Europe: Marching through Red Square | The Economist

The Economist analyzes Russia's new foreign policy
Russia, NATO and Europe: Marching through Red Square | The Economist

British politics: Britain's accidental revolution | The Economist

The Economist approves the new coalition government in Britain
British politics: Britain's accidental revolution | The Economist

The Geography of Chinese Power | Foreign Affairs

The Geography of Chinese Power | Foreign Affairs

Labour's record: Things could only get better | The Economist

The Economist looks back at 13 years of Labour in Great Britain
Labour's record: Things could only get better | The Economist

I'd like to read more about the "erosion of civil liberties" under Labour