Whether or not Iran is going to build nuclear weapons remains uncertain, as does the time-span in which it could be achieved.  This is still some years away as Israel has only recently confirmed.  A breakdown in the current attempt at Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations could lead to conflagration: anything other than a two state solution [...]

A worrying and increasingly bitter debate continues in the United States on whether a mosque should be allowed at Ground Zero.  But how widely is it understood  that: • The building is two blocks away from Ground Zero and cannot be seen from there • The building is not a mosque as we know it, but a [...]

In interpreting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s long speech of 22 March, the audience – the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) – has to be taken into account.  Her support for Israel was effusive: • The relationship between the US and Israel has never been more  important. • The US has long recognized that a [...]

My blog post of 12 March reported Premier Wen Jiabao, in his annual address to the National People’s Congress, stating that corruption threatened the rule of the CCP.  China’s former state auditor, Li Jinhua has, in the official ‘People’s Daily’ on-line, identified the business dealings of Party officials as the main source of public dissatisfaction.  [...]

This forum was held in Hangzhou, from 8 to 10 November 2009, organized by the Europe Research Centre of Zhejiang University and sponsored by the Hangzhou municipality. This was an impressive, demonstrating a clear desire by the municipality to improve the quality of life, which is already comparatively high in Zhejiang province. Hangzhou exudes entrepreneurialism, [...]

The following are my concluding remarks at the 6th China-EU Think Tank Roundtable (CIIS-EPC) held in Changzhou, PRC on 21-22 October 2009:   We have had a rich and fruitful discussion facilitated by excellent time discipline.    Underpinning all discussions was the search for mutual understanding and the elimination of misperceptions.  We do not sufficiently [...]

A G20 summit was held in Pittsburgh on 24-5 September 2009.  Hosted by President Obama, there was quite a turnout.  Leaders in attendance were: States Argentina   Cristina Fernández de Kirchner President  Australia   Kevin Rudd     Prime Minister  Brazil   Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva  President  Canada   Stephen Harper    Prime Minister China   Hu Jintao     President France   Nicolas Sarkozy    President  Germany   Angela Merkel    Chancellor  India    Manmohan [...]