Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Brazilian police on Friday were questioning former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and searching his home and other buildings linked to him as part of the sprawling corruption case at the oil giant Petrobras.
Aaron David Miller, RCWorld
There will be no determinative end state; perhaps just a stalemate locked in, with a predictable level of accepted violence.
A. Panda, Diplomat
Taking Harris recent comments on the possibility of U.S.-India-Japan trilateral exercises in the South China Sea and a possible resumption of the QSD nearly a decade later together, its clear that the United States is working to coalesce multiple networks of like-minded Asian states concerned about Chinas revanchism in the South China Sea. The trilateral exercise in particular, if it does come to pass, will be a major moment in the evolution of multilateral security activities in the South China Sea.
PBS Newshour
I think, for starters, as I mentioned, the resolution is about actually blocking stuff coming into North Korea and blocking their ability to traffic in coal, in iron ore, in gold, and to use those proceeds in order to again acquire technologies, dual-use and just straight-up technologies that they have used to advance the program.
S. Tegel, Gl. Post
When a guy like that comes along, it would be very bad for the United States, but Latin America is pretty independent, and, given the [provocative] message [of a Trump White House] for the progressive tendency in Latin America, this would be very positive.
David Pilling, FT
Part of the problem is underfunding. When Mr Kale took up the job, he had a budget of m, now increased to m. Mr Jerven recalls visiting the Central Statistical Office in Lusaka only to find a crop survey delayed because vehicles were not roadworthy. In 2010, he writes, Zambia’s national accounts were being prepared by a single soul. Even if there were sufficient people to measure it, much economic activity is almost invisible. Neither subsistence farmers, hawkers, itinerant labourers... Читать дальше...
Justin Parkinson, BBC
The project shows "the potential for using online data", says Matt Brosnan, a historian at London's Imperial War Museum. Given the source "it is almost impossible for something like this to be historically definitive and reliable", he adds. "However, it does show how large amounts of data can be shaped into something geographically and visually interesting that aims to convey the wider sweep of history."
Martin Kettle, Guardian
Ever since British exit from Europe became a realistic possibility, there has never been any doubt that Germany would be a pivotal player in the negotiations leading up to any deal; or that Angela Merkel might even play a significant role at some stage in the referendum campaign. Merkel has many problems – not least the migration crisis and difficult regional elections later this month – but it would be surprising if the chancellor did not make an intervention in the Brexit debate before it is over. Читать дальше...
A. Panda, Diplomat
Taking Harris’ recent comments on the possibility of U.S.-India-Japan trilateral exercises in the South China Sea and a possible resumption of the QSD nearly a decade later together, it’s clear that the United States is working to coalesce multiple networks of like-minded Asian states concerned about China’s revanchism in the South China Sea. The trilateral exercise in particular, if it does come to pass, will be a major moment in the evolution of multilateral security activities in the South China Sea.
Hugh White, Lowy Interpreter
Would we go to war with China over any of the issues which now loom as tests of the future order in Asia - in the Spratlys, or the Senkakus, or even Taiwan?
L. Todd Wood, Washington Times
The onetime KGB operative is often quoted as lamenting that “the collapse of the Soviet Union was a major geopolitical disaster of the century.” But it was not just the loss of geopolitical power that shocked Mr. Putin. It was the financial weakness that helped bring down the Soviet giant. You can see the lessons Mr. Putin learned in how he deals with financial realities that confront his country today.
De Bretton-Gordon, C-Brief
One of the most startling aspects after the Paris attacks was the French Prime Minister’s warnings of the threat of chemical and biological attack from ISIL. This shocking revelation was accompanied by the French government’s issuance of atropine—the nerve agent antidote—because it believes there is a high probability that a nerve agent will be used against the military and police. Apparent threats to poison the Paris water supply and a hoax anthrax attack in Brussels... Читать дальше...
Allison Fedirka, Geo. Futures
Like many revolutions, not all participants shared a clear picture of what the end goal should be and how to get there. Some called for complete independence, while others wanted greater autonomy under Spanish rule or to remain loyal to Spain. Though inspired by the U.S. and French revolutions, Bolvar did not intend to model an independent state in Spanish America after these nations. He envisioned independent countries brought together under a pan-American entity. Читать дальше...
Taisu Zhang, Foreign Policy
Recent statistical studies suggest that these trends go well beyond the sheltered confines of China’s top universities and halls of power. An oft-quoted 2015 paper by Harvard and MIT researchers, for example, found that Chinese Internet users have largely coalesced around two poles: a “Leftist-Confucian” pole that advocates an expansive socialist state, limited civil rights, aggressive foreign policy, and some rehabilitation of traditional culture; and a “Western liberal” ... Читать дальше...
James Rubin, Economist
Britain is now unique, for its diplomats are plugged in to all the key levers available in the international system. Why throw that away?
Christopher Balding, Bloomberg View
Services are certainly growing faster than manufacturing and real estate. But much of that growth comes from two sectors. The first, financial services, got a major boost in 2015 from the stock-market boom in the first half of the year and from the continuing flood of lending encouraged by the government. If one strips out the contribution made by the sector, consumption continued to slow last year.
Beppe Severgnini, New York Times
This passionate turn by Britain — actually, England and Wales; if Northern Ireland and Scotland could, they’d stay put — is not particularly surprising. The passion is not only about Europe, and it’s not entirely new. The warming of the English sang-froid has been going on for some time.
Alidad Vassigh, Worldcrunch
Millions of residents drinking and eating from plastic containers, which are wrapped in bags and wrappers that are all tossed within seconds or minutes. The volume of plastic and synthetic trash in Mexico City is monumental. Unlike cities in Europe, there are no street containers for recycling glass, cans, plastic and paper. You can take cans to places you will have to find yourself, where metals are bought by weight. Needless to say, few people do that.