The ancient Soviet Republic of Kyrgyzstan became independent in 1991. Since then political stability has been elusive and corruption a normal thing in the government. Thus Russia and the US were able to establish one base each in the country to use for their own purposes. Read the rest of this entry »

President Obama had barely signed the health-care reform bill into law when 14 states filed suit over the constitutionality of the burden imposed by such legislation. Starting in 2014, this health-care reform will make as many as 15 million more Americans eligible for Medicaid which will cost the states billions- for new staff and planning- and swamp their budgets. Read the rest of this entry »

The year-long battle about health reform in the US has been won by the Democrats and President Obama. The bill should be shortly on its way to Obama’s desk to be signed into law. Between that moment and last night, when the House finally vote for the bill, a 153 page package of amendments will go to the Senate to be passed using the reconciliation rule. Read the rest of this entry »

All is not as perfect in Afghanistan as the military would like to be or would like us to believe. The problem is that together with the American conventional forces and coalition troops plus the Afghan troops, there are American Special Operation forces that are also taking part in the Afghan war. Read the rest of this entry »

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems to be enjoying the visits to his neighbors. First he went to Syria and now he just arrived in Kabul, by a curious -maybe- coincidence just before the departure of the American Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Read the rest of this entry »

It would appear that in the push to win the hearts and minds of the Afghans NATO is taking good care of some of them, specially of those appointed as top officials in Marja, the area where the surge against insurgents is taking place. Read the rest of this entry »

Preoccupied by the Afghan war, health care, the bizarre killing in Dubai and so much more, the situation between Switzerland and Lybia almost escaped us. And yet the tense relation between the two nations has been going on for a while. It all began apparently in 2008 when Gaddafi’s son, Hannibal, was arrested in Geneva accused of having abused his domestic servants. Read the rest of this entry »