Homeless and sick more important than a dog or a church

It is hard and discouraging to realize that with all the problems the USA has the American media is writing articles about the dog the Obamas just got or for that matter to which church they are going to go tomorrow. Read the rest of this entry »

In Afghanistan, troops in the middle of corruption

The global financial crisis has managed to get most of our attention. Now and then some of us wonder about the world outside our countries but not for long. Keeping our jobs, feeding our families and holding to our houses has taken priority above anything else. And yet, we should be aware that the global political conflicts are destroying and disrupting millions of lives. Just think Afghanistan if you have doubts. Read the rest of this entry »

Democratic primaries could finally yield results

With a major milestone possibly being reached today in the US democratic presidential race - a majority of the pledged delegates going for one of the democratic candidates - maybe we can start concentrating on what a presidential race Read the rest of this entry »

Sarkozy on the hot seat

Yesterday evening, Thursday April 24th at 8 p.m. French time, Nicolas Sarkozy, the now beset French president gave a 90 minute TV interview direct from the Elysée, the presidential palace. With this appearance, on the anniversary of the first year in power, the government hopes to get back some of the public support. According to polls the majority of French people think his first year in office has been a failure and a great number are dissatisfied and confused over the supposed reforms his government has proposed. Most of the hardest reforms, such as general pensions and health care, remain to be made and the economic downturn leaves little room for maneuver. Read the rest of this entry »

USA and Spain: a new chapter

Spain had general elections a few weeks ago and the incumbent socialist government of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero won. In 2004 Zapatero defeated the previous conservative president Jose Maria Aznar who had been a follower of Bush, agreeing blindly to all decisions of the American administration, and an avid supporter of the Iraq war. One of the first acts of Zapatero upon his ascension to power had been to bring all the Spanish troops home from Iraq, following so the wishes of the majority of the Spanish population. This obviously did not carry favor with the Bush administration and the last four years have been characterized by a certain coldness between both countries.

Today in his speech of investiture Zapatero sent some warm signals towards the United States. Expressing his wishes for a new chapter in the relations he declared “we want to look towards the future, counting in a mutual respect to confront the common challenges and to intensify our relations.” If the next president of the United States is a Democrat, it is most probable that such an improvement in the relationship of both countries will take place.

Will the ‘La Marseillaise” be sung in Afghanistan?

Just because Sarkozy announced at the NATO summit last week that French troops would be sent to Afghanistan does not mean that it is necessarily going to happen. There is a big resistance to it in France, among the people and among the different political parties. As could be expected, the socialist party specially are unanimously opposed to a political alignment with the United States. They put forward the bogging down of the Afghan conflict with it’s human costs and denounce what they call “the Atlantic turning” of the French politics.

Among the intellectuals, the idea has also not been well accepted. According to the well known French historian Emmanuel Todd the reinforcement of the French troops in Afghanistan is a grave diplomatic error and would show the outline of an extreme right ideology at a global scale.
This is obviously the opinion from somebody from the left though if one talks with the French people in the streets many of them are convinced Sarkozy has an obsession with the USA and he is going to do his best to agree with the Americans. Having been “burned” by Bush and his foreign policy the French will not give Sarkozy the “carte blanche” and it is not so sure that ‘La Marseillaise’ will be sung in Afghanistan!