Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Eurasia Review: News & Analysis

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• Tunisia: Draft Constitution Marred By Setbacks
• Georgia: Details Of Ivanishvili’s US Lobbying Efforts
• Violence In Syria Increases While Brazil Takes Policy Of Silence – Analysis
• The Inadequacies Of The UN Arms Register – Analysis
• Syria’s Sectarian Echoes In Turkey – Analysis
• By Way Of Deception: Dragging US Into Israeli Proxy War – OpEd
• Obama Lurching Toward Nuclear War By Threatening Iran – OpEd
• Competition Based On Quality Of Healthcare: Why Does Quality Rise In Free Markets And Decline With Government? – OpEd
• When Washington Doesn’t Get Its Way – OpEd
• US: The Sideshow At The DOJ – OpEd
• Puerto Rico Church Council Welcomes Referendum Results
• Hindus Want Water Supply Of Poor Gypsy Families Restored In Bulgaria‏
• A Mediterranean Diet Rich In Olive Oil May Protect Your Bones
• Britain Withdraws Threat To Raid Ecuador’s Embassy
• Exodus Of Northeasterners: Reversal Of Globalisation? – Analysis
• Iran Claims IAEA Negotiations ‘Constructive’
• Obama And Romney Buying Fake Twitter Followers?
• Colombia: The War At Home
• Oil. Religion. Occupation: A Combustible Mix – OpEd
• Arctic Sea Ice At Record Low
• Google Nexus 7 Rumored To Hit Continental Europe Sept 3
• Destroying Our Military From Within – OpEd
• Syria: Thousands Of Christians Trapped In Village
• Syria Between Scylla And Charybdis – Analysis
• Georgetown Not Looking Good: Partisan Strife In Guyana – Analysis
• How AIPAC Corals American Journalists Into Pro-Israel Camp – OpEd
• Iranian Activists Urge Egypt’s Morsi To Speak Out Against House Arrest Of Green Leaders
• Ukraine Extradites ‘Putin Plot’ Suspect To Russia
• Iran: Arrests Announced Ahead Of NAM Summit
• Iran To Offer New Proposal; Report Claims Assad Ready To Leave

Tunisia: Draft Constitution Marred By Setbacks Posted: 25 Aug 2012 09:18 PM PDT By Monia Ghanmi While Tunisia is in the midst of drafting a new constitution, many legal experts are concerned that the process is not on the right track. The Association of Constitutional Law and the International Institute for Democracy on Wednesday (August 22nd) held a round-table seminar in Tunis, intended to serve as a preliminary [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Georgia: Details Of Ivanishvili’s US Lobbying Efforts Posted: 25 Aug 2012 09:15 PM PDT (Civil.Ge) — Filings submitted in recent months by several U.S.-based consultancy, law and lobbying firms under the Foreign Agent Registration Act with the U.S. Justice Department reveal some details of lobbying efforts in the United States undertaken by billionaire politician Bidzina Ivanishvili, who leads major opposition coalition Georgian Dream. Ivanishvili contracted earlier this year campaign [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Violence In Syria Increases While Brazil Takes Policy Of Silence – Analysis Posted: 25 Aug 2012 09:12 PM PDT By Stacey Berger On July 20, 2012, Brazil’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Patriota, announced the withdrawal of all Brazilian diplomats from Syria due to the intensified fighting and violence throughout the country. Though, for Brasilia, this was a note-worthy step, it should not be regarded as a clear political move intended to condemn the Bashar al-Assad [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

The Inadequacies Of The UN Arms Register – Analysis Posted: 25 Aug 2012 09:09 PM PDT By Prashant Dikshit It was certain that the shortcomings of the UN Register of Conventional Arms would resurface in the run up to the failed Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). This is because the deficiency lay in the type of weapon systems contained in this register and not so much in the spirit of the Treaty. [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Syria’s Sectarian Echoes In Turkey – Analysis Posted: 25 Aug 2012 09:03 PM PDT By Giorgio Cafiero Shortly after the turn of the century, the newly ensconced Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayep Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad steered Turkish-Syrian relations in a new direction. Old animosities that defined the historically tense bilateral relationship — primarily driven by Cold War politics, water disputes, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

By Way Of Deception: Dragging US Into Israeli Proxy War – OpEd Posted: 25 Aug 2012 08:59 PM PDT By Jamal Kanj Western and Israeli media are lush with purported leaks on joint efforts of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Ehud Barak trying to enlist reluctant military brass on a plan to attack Iran. All this is hogwash. Israel has no intention to move solo. The leaked information published in [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Obama Lurching Toward Nuclear War By Threatening Iran – OpEd Posted: 25 Aug 2012 08:52 PM PDT By Stephen Lendman Irresponsible leaders risk the unthinkable. Media scoundrels cheerlead mindlessly. So do neocon think tanks. Ordinary people are more concerned about mundane trivia than survival. Nero didn’t fiddle while Rome burned. The violin wasn’t invented for another 1,500 years. Today’s officials go where earlier ones wouldn’t dare. They risk regional or global disaster. [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Competition Based On Quality Of Healthcare: Why Does Quality Rise In Free Markets And Decline With Government? – OpEd Posted: 25 Aug 2012 08:48 PM PDT Lack of quality competition is in part the result of certain characteristics of healthcare quality. What we call core quality is not a variable at all. As I discuss in my recent book Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis, it is the result of other decisions made by the providers. Since the vagaries of medical practice [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

When Washington Doesn’t Get Its Way – OpEd Posted: 25 Aug 2012 08:17 PM PDT By Fawaz Turki The White House, which sees itself as the Supreme Court that adjudicates cases involving global disputes, has just handed down a decision: To speak to Iran is unseemly, to legitimize it is unpardonable, and to befriend it is criminal. So unless you want to be cuffed and carted off to a holding [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

US: The Sideshow At The DOJ – OpEd Posted: 25 Aug 2012 08:14 PM PDT Step right up, folks! We have here behind these mysterious walls curiosities to amaze and astound. See the lawyer with anger issues who’ll scream at the court like Sam Kinison and then put a take-down move on the bailiff. See the attorney who’ll sue on your behalf because American Airlines didn’t hire your legally blind [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Puerto Rico Church Council Welcomes Referendum Results Posted: 25 Aug 2012 08:10 PM PDT By Jorge Zijlstra The Council of Churches of Puerto Rico has congratulated the people of the island for their showing of civility, democracy and respect for constitutional values in the 19 August referendum, in which government proposals were defeated. With two months to go before general elections, Puerto Ricans turned down the government’s proposal to [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Hindus Want Water Supply Of Poor Gypsy Families Restored In Bulgaria‏ Posted: 25 Aug 2012 08:08 PM PDT Hindus have asked Bulgaria to immediately restore the water supply of “Byalata Prast” Roma (Gypsy) settlement in the northeastern Bulgarian city of Shumen, which was reportedly cut-off. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, urged Bulgaria government to come to the rescue of these poor Roma families with small children who [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

A Mediterranean Diet Rich In Olive Oil May Protect Your Bones Posted: 25 Aug 2012 08:06 PM PDT (CORDIS) — New research suggests that a key ingredient to keeping osteoporosis in check may be found in the traditional Mediterranean diet – olive oil. Osteoporosis is a disease where the density and quality of bone is progressively reduced, it affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50, [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Britain Withdraws Threat To Raid Ecuador’s Embassy Posted: 25 Aug 2012 08:02 PM PDT Ecuador says Britain has withdrawn a threat to raid its embassy to arrest WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange – easing tensions between the two nations in their ongoing diplomatic standoff. The Ecuadorian government revealed that it received”a communication from the British Foreign Office which said that there was no threat to enter the embassy.” “We consider [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Exodus Of Northeasterners: Reversal Of Globalisation? – Analysis Posted: 25 Aug 2012 07:59 PM PDT Way back in December 2001, Naga insurgent outfit NSCN-IM organised an event in Nagaland capital Kohima. One of the many programmes included in the day-long affair, ostensibly to unify the warring Naga factions, was to burn the ‘Indian’ currency notes. As a currency note was thrown into the makeshift pyre, in the presence of some [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Iran Claims IAEA Negotiations ‘Constructive’ Posted: 25 Aug 2012 05:39 PM PDT The Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has described the country’s new round of negotiations with the agency as “constructive.” “We had about eight hours of intensive discussions. The meeting was in a constructive environment… we mostly tried to bridge the gaps because there are some differences in the structure, approach, or [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Obama And Romney Buying Fake Twitter Followers? Posted: 25 Aug 2012 05:33 PM PDT While Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are neck in neck at the polls, another fight between the two presidential candidates has emerged — one that isn’t measured by votes but with retweets. Are politicians paying for their Twitter followers though? Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney made headlines with his Twitter account earlier this month after [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Colombia: The War At Home Posted: 25 Aug 2012 05:29 PM PDT By Paolo Moiola Ezio Roattino is an Italian Consolata missionary who is working in the southwest Colombian department of Cauca, where guerillas, the Army, and paramilitaries clash non-stop at the expense of the same civilians they say they are fighting for. After 30 years in Latin America, Roattino heads the church in the town of [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Oil. Religion. Occupation: A Combustible Mix – OpEd Posted: 25 Aug 2012 05:21 PM PDT By Victor Kattan – Al Shabaka A Freedom of Information request with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by Al-Shabaka has led to the release of new documents on Gaza’s gas fields, and surprising new information about the possibility of oil fields in the West Bank. The released documents support Al-Shabaka’s previous policy brief [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Arctic Sea Ice At Record Low Posted: 25 Aug 2012 05:14 PM PDT The Arctic sea ice extent has fallen to 4.21 million square km, its lowest level since satellite observation began in 1979, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) reported. The previous record low was 4.25 million square km on September 24, 2007, JAXA said. The sea ice extent will continue shrinking until mid-September. The record low is [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Google Nexus 7 Rumored To Hit Continental Europe Sept 3 Posted: 25 Aug 2012 05:11 PM PDT The rumor is afloat that Google will finally bring the Nexus 7 to continental Europe, with Germany being among the first countries to get the 7-inch tablet. IntoMobile reports, citing the German-language AndroidNext, which got an information from a Germany’s electronics retail chain Saturn employee, that the world’s first Jelly Bean tablet will start selling [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Destroying Our Military From Within – OpEd Posted: 25 Aug 2012 05:09 PM PDT “Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.” — Ronald Reagan If you want to know how President Obama feels about the U.S. military, consider that in all the years since D-Day 1945 there have been three occasions when a President failed to go to the D-Day [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Syria: Thousands Of Christians Trapped In Village Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:57 PM PDT By Kevin J. Jones Syrian rebel forces have trapped over 12,000 Greek Catholics in a village near the Lebanese border, causing shortages of food, medicine and other urgent supplies. For over 10 days the village of Rableh in the area of Homs has suffered under a strict blockade from armed opposition forces that have surrounded [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Syria Between Scylla And Charybdis – Analysis Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:53 PM PDT By K. P. Fabian With the Free Syrian Army being supplied aid by the West and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the endgame for the Syrian regime has begun. Does Assad’s exit guarantee the replacement of autocracy with democracy? What implications will it have on regional politics? The key question is: When, how, and whether [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Georgetown Not Looking Good: Partisan Strife In Guyana – Analysis Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:48 PM PDT By Elizabeth Briggs Guyana’s historical ethnic tension between the Indo-Guyanese and the Afro-Guyanese communities is routinely manifested in the political life of the small South American country. In Guyana, the larger Indo-Guyanese segment of the population favors the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C), while Afro-Guyanese largely support the coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

How AIPAC Corals American Journalists Into Pro-Israel Camp – OpEd Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:41 PM PDT Journalists don’t quite maintain a code of silence when it comes to covering professional misconduct in their own business, but there’s clearly a general reluctance within the press to scrutinize itself. No one wants to look treacherous or close doors to their own career advancement. So, the following report from The Forward is unusual in [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Iranian Activists Urge Egypt’s Morsi To Speak Out Against House Arrest Of Green Leaders Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:38 PM PDT A group of activists in Iran’s pro-democracy Green Movement have called on Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to speak out against the continued house arrest of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi during his visit to Tehran. The 16th summit of the Non-aligned Movement member states will be held between 26-31 August, during which [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Ukraine Extradites ‘Putin Plot’ Suspect To Russia Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:33 PM PDT (RFE/RL) — Ukraine has extradited to Russia one of two men who were allegedly plotting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian television’s Channel One said on August 25 that Ilya Pyanzin, who is a national of Kazakhstan, had been brought to Moscow. Pyanzin was detained in Odessa in February after he was injured in [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Iran: Arrests Announced Ahead Of NAM Summit Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:31 PM PDT Islamic Republic Security Forces have announced the arrest of a number of individuals who “planned to disturb the order of the NAM summit.” Iranian media report that Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam, the head of Iran’s security forces, announced on Saturday the launch of security drills in connection with the upcoming meeting of the delegations of Non-Aligned [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Iran To Offer New Proposal; Report Claims Assad Ready To Leave Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:28 PM PDT Iran, a close ally of the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad, will make a proposal to end the bloody conflict in Syria during the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran next week, said the Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi. Iran “has a proposal on Syria and will submit it to the Non-Aligned” countries on [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.