Month: August 2009

But Timber Doesn’t Sink, Right?

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Post date 13/08/2009
1 Comment on But Timber Doesn’t Sink, Right?

Lego Rambo with a missile, photo: Andrew Becraft / flickr

In one of the most bizarre stories of the month, a Finnish-owned ship with a timber load belonging to Stora Enso (a Finnish company and the second largest paper producer in the world) worth an estimated 1.3 million euros, vanished (yes, vanished!) as it was passing through the English Channel nearly three weeks ago on its way to Algeria. The ship and its all-Russian crew have not been heard from since. Reports state that the ship was hijacked off the Swedish coast in July and subsequently released by suspected pirates who had reportedly boarded the vessel dressed up as Swedish anti-narcotics police. The ship, upon failing to bring its load to Algeria on 4 August was reported missing.

While the Finns seem oddly indifferent and blasé about the whole thing, Putin is already flexing his well-toned muscles and threatening to launch a Rambo-mission to find the poor hijackees (with the help of his sidekick, Medvedev, of course). We needn’t worry though- apparently timber can’t sink, so the ship will be found, intact or as a sea of floating Finnish timber in the Atlantic.

Tags Finland, Transport, Natural Resources, Russia

ISN Weekly Theme: US Achievements in Iraq

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Post date 13/08/2009
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Welcome to Baghdad, photo: Austin King / flickr

In the wake of US troop withdrawals from Iraqi cities and with the scheduling of full withrawal still ahead, the ISN looks at the past, present and future of US involvement in Iraq. With a new president, a new strategy and a set of new challenges at home, the level of US engagement is changing drastically and rapidly altering the realities and demands on the ground. Will Iraqi troops stand up once Americans stand down? Will political reconciliation and institution-building take root?

In this week’s ISN Podcast: Iraq: The Endgame we discuss the balance sheet of the US occupation with Christopher Allbritton, a former AP and New York Daily News reporter and blogger.
In our Publications section we feature After the Fire: Shaping the Future US Relationship with Iraq, a Center for a New American Security paper providing a comprehensive overview of Iraq’s challenges and possible avenues for US policy.
We also feature Dysfunction and Decline, a Combating Terrorism Center paper on the state of Al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) and a United States Institute of Peace paper on Iraq’s regional relations.
In Primary Resources we feature ‘Responsibly Ending the War in Iraq’, a speech by President Obama.
In Policy Briefs, a United States Institute of Peace brief examines ways in which the Iraqi Interior Ministry can strengthen the Iraqi police force.

Tags International Relations, United States of America, Foreign policy, Iraq, War, Troop withdrawal

What is that A-Bout?

An alleged international weapons trafficker, searched for by Interpol and placed under an international travel ban by the UN, will soon be running free?

What is that about?

Kalashnikov: Photo: melomelo/flickr — Kalashnikov/Photo: melomelo/flickr

On 11 August, a Thai court ruled against extraditing Viktor Bout to the US. The US is accusing Bout of trying to sell weapons to the Colombian rebel group FARC, a group that is deliberately targeting Americans assisting the Colombian government in the drug war. (A year ago, ISN Security Watch featured an in-depth analysis on Victor Bout’s unsavory career: see part I and part II).

Yet unlike the US and the EU, Thailand does not consider the FARC a terrorist group – hence, in the eyes of the Thai judge, Bout cannot be extradited for ‘political’ reasons. This is a big slap in the face for US counterterrorism efforts. To capture international terrorists and those supplying them with weapons, the US relies on a strong network of allies – and Thailand has historically been a strong ally of the US.

Tags International Relations, Security, Russia, United States of America, Thailand, Arms trade

‘Socialized Medicine’ in America: Old Habits Die Hard

Post author By Jennifer Giroux
Post date 12/08/2009
3 Comments on ‘Socialized Medicine’ in America: Old Habits Die Hard

Health care reform, a painful issue / Photo: Z Peckler/flickr

The health care debate in the US continues to become more heated by the day, revealing new characters with dramatic twists and turns. From the outside it almost plays like a movie (well, maybe not a great movie) where I nearly reach for a soda and a bag of popcorn while watching constituents yelling at their local representative during town halls or US politicians debate about whether the health care reform will create so-called “death panels.”

However, as an American with family stretched across the country I am soon reminded of the sobering reality that this debate cuts much closer to home.

Family members on Medicare or Medicaid? Check. Family members uninsured? Check. Family members with insurance but poor, expensive coverage? Check. Family members struggling or unable to pay health care bills? Check. Family members discriminated by insurance companies due to pre-existing conditions? Check.

Tags United States of America, Communism, Government, Health