Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Eurasia Review: News & Analysis

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• Why Afghanistan Can’t Wait – OpEd
• SABIC To Assess Future Of Plastics Industry In Saudi Arabia
• Afghanistan’s Future: Civil War Or Soccer Rivalry? – Analysis
• Sahel Security Threats Worry Moroccans
• Kosovo: Central Bank Exercises Its Authority
• Libya Elections: Broader Implications – Analysis
• Journey Into Oblivion: Silwan And The City Of David – OpEd
• US Pivot To Asia Promises More Of The Same – OpEd
• Israel Itching For War – OpEd
• The Pussy Riot Flap – OpEd
• The Critical Life Of Robert Hughes – OpEd
• US State Dept. Fingers Saudi National As Al-Qaeda Trainer – OpEd
• Discovering The Ancient Green Past Of Argentina’s Arid Puna Plateau
• July Was Hottest Month On Record In US
• Jennifer Lopez Sues Former Driver Hakob Manoukian For Extortion
• Nano Tool May Transform How We Define Electrical Current
• Quantum Technologies Seen Just Round The Corner
• Wiki Where You Work?
• Study Shows Official Measures Of American Poverty Off-Base
• Researchers Discover Earliest Use Of Mexican Turkeys By Ancient Maya
• Gov. Jindal’s Voucher Program – OpEd
• Corn Ethanol Issues Not Expected To Significantly Impact Gasoline Prices In 2012 – Analysis
• The Way Things Work At The Central Bankers’ Club – OpEd
• Blackwater Settles In Arms Smuggling Case
• Blackwater Amid New Scandal – OpEd
• Egypt Fires Missiles Against Suspected Militants In Sinai
• 54.5 MPG And The Law Of Unintended Consequences – OpEd
• Some Serious Introspections In China – Analysis
• India: Time For Special Task Force On Maritime Security – Analysis
• Emerging Chinese Security Threats In Indian Context: Need For India To Review Security Strategy – Analysis

Why Afghanistan Can’t Wait – OpEd Posted: 08 Aug 2012 09:15 PM PDT By Kathy Kelly and Dr. Hakim Two days ago, we spent three anxious hours in an outer waiting area of the ‘Non-Immigrant Visa’ section of the U.S. consulate here in Kabul, Afghanistan, waiting for our young friends Ali and Abdulhai to return from a sojourn through the inner offices where they were being interviewed for [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

SABIC To Assess Future Of Plastics Industry In Saudi Arabia Posted: 08 Aug 2012 09:11 PM PDT By Ibrahim Al-Ghamdi Recognized worldwide as a thought leader on petrochemicals, plastics and new business opportunities in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Basic SABIC was recently selected by the prestigious AllWorld Summit@Harvard to present on the future of the Saudi Arabian plastics industry. Richard Crosby, general manager for the Middle East and Africa at SABIC, co-chaired a [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Afghanistan’s Future: Civil War Or Soccer Rivalry? – Analysis Posted: 08 Aug 2012 09:06 PM PDT Soccer symbolizes Afghanistan’s choices coming full circle as US forces prepare to withdraw from the Central Asian nation more than a decade after they invaded it. Back in late 2001 and early 2002, US troops fresh from overthrowing the Taliban viewed soccer balls and shoes as just as basic to mending Afghanistan’s social fabric as [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Sahel Security Threats Worry Moroccans Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:51 PM PDT By Siham Ali Moroccans are increasingly focussed on security threats in the Sahel. From discussions in Parliament to round table meetings, many are closely following the developments. “Morocco attaches great importance to the latest developments in the Sahel-Saharan region,” Foreign Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani told Parliament on Monday (August 6th). The minister said the [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Kosovo: Central Bank Exercises Its Authority Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:47 PM PDT By Linda Karadaku The Central Bank of Kosovo is taking action against two financial institutions in Serb-dominated enclaves that have been operating without the authorisation of the Central Bank. The Central Bank has the exclusive legal responsibility for regulating, licensing, registration and supervision of all financial institutions in the country. But the two banks that [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Libya Elections: Broader Implications – Analysis Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:43 PM PDT By Daniel Bodirsky On July 7th 2012, Libya held its first elections of the post-Gaddafi era. This historic event saw the moderate National Forces Alliance emerge as a surprise winner over the Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party. Many have been quick to trumpet the success of Mahmoud Jibril’s broad coalition as a secular victory [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Journey Into Oblivion: Silwan And The City Of David – OpEd Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:39 PM PDT By Melkam Lidet Jerusalem lies at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Having occupied east Jerusalem in the 1967 war, Israel claims it is its “eternal and undivided” capital, something the international community including the United States does not recognize (even though president hopeful Mitt Romney begs to differ). For Palestinians, a future Palestinian state [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

US Pivot To Asia Promises More Of The Same – OpEd Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:29 PM PDT The United States claims to be pivoting its martial involvement toward Asia, but one can truly discern the U.S. military’s priorities by looking at where it warehouses military weapons for war. When these stockpiles are examined, it looks like the future will be similar to the 1990s and the first decade of the new millennium. [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Israel Itching For War – OpEd Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:25 PM PDT By Stuart Reigeluth The EU seems oblivious to the fact that Tel Aviv is using the Syria violence to encourage disastrous regional conflict and divert attention from Palestine. The annual EU-Israel Association Council meeting was meant to be about trade, but it was mostly about the next round of war between Israel and its Arab [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

The Pussy Riot Flap – OpEd Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:23 PM PDT In March 2012, three women from the feminist punk-rock band Pussy Riot were arrested and charged with “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred or hostility” for staging an unauthorised and profane performance at Moscow’s Christ the Saviour church. The women who were arrested — Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Samutsevitch– claim that their action was [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

The Critical Life Of Robert Hughes – OpEd Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:19 PM PDT “Life goes on despite theory, and so does art.” – Robert Hughes, “Jean Baudrillard: America,” New York Review of Books, 1989  They do seem to be falling like flies, creatures who wish to flee whilst they can – critics and practitioners of history of various persuasion, interest and intensity.  Gore Vidal, Alexander Cockburn, John Keegan [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

US State Dept. Fingers Saudi National As Al-Qaeda Trainer – OpEd Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:16 PM PDT The U.S. Department of State on Tuesday identified Azzam Abdullah Zureik Al-Maulid Al-Subhi as an international terrorist and added his name to the State Department’s specially designated global terrorist list. According to State Department officials, the Saudi citizen is an active trainer for al-Qaeda and a top member of that group of deadly radical Islamists. [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Discovering The Ancient Green Past Of Argentina’s Arid Puna Plateau Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:01 PM PDT By Marcela Valente The arid high Andean Puna plateau in northwest Argentina was much greener thousands of years ago. Climate changes forced the local inhabitants to develop adaptation strategies that could offer lessons for today, researchers say. “The Puna region was always a desert area. But until about 10,000 years ago, there was greater vegetation [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

July Was Hottest Month On Record In US Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:57 PM PDT Americans knew it was hot in July, and now the government is saying last month was the hottest on record. U.S. weather officials said Wednesday the average temperature across the contiguous 48 states in the country – excluding the geographically separate states of Alaska and Hawaii – was 25.3 degrees Celsius [77.6 degrees Fahrenheit] in [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Jennifer Lopez Sues Former Driver Hakob Manoukian For Extortion Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:54 PM PDT Jennifer Lopez is suing her former driver for extortion. The singer/actress claims Hakob Manoukian demanded £1.75 million) from her in return for his silence after overhearing secret conversations she had with friends and associates. Her case is a countersuit to a claim filed by Manoukian, who previously alleged he was forced to resign after Lopez’s [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Nano Tool May Transform How We Define Electrical Current Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:50 PM PDT (CORDIS) — Researchers in the United Kingdom have developed a novel nanodevice that could revolutionise the way electrical current is defined today. Presented in the journal Nature Communications, the study demonstrates how using specially designed gale drive waveforms can increase the accuracy of a semiconductor quantum-dot pump. National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and University of Cambridge [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Quantum Technologies Seen Just Round The Corner Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:48 PM PDT (CORDIS) — Until recently scientists thought that quantum entanglement, when particles such as photons and electrons interact physically and then become separated, was required to run a quantum computer. But although entanglement, a phenomenon famously derided by Einstein as ‘spooky action at a distance’, can be facilitated in the laboratory in near ideal conditions, outside [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Wiki Where You Work? Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:08 PM PDT Do corporate wikis work? Two University of Alberta researchers say they can, providing they fit the corporation’s culture and provide for the needs and interests of their users and editors. PhD candidate Lisa Yeo and Ofer Arazy, an assistant professor in the Alberta School of Business, say that using wikis as a form of corporate [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Study Shows Official Measures Of American Poverty Off-Base Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:05 PM PDT For more than 45 years, the poor in this country have been identified by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Official Poverty Measure — a tool that determines America’s poverty rate based on pretax money income, which does not reflect all the resources at a family’s disposal. That method of calculating who is poor and who is [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Researchers Discover Earliest Use Of Mexican Turkeys By Ancient Maya Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:02 PM PDT A new University of Florida study shows the turkey, one of the most widely consumed birds worldwide, was domesticated more than 1,000 years earlier than previously believed. Researchers say discovery of the bones from an ancient Mayan archaeological site in Guatemala provides evidence of domestication, usually a significant mark of civilization, and the earliest evidence [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Gov. Jindal’s Voucher Program – OpEd Posted: 08 Aug 2012 06:59 PM PDT The people of Louisiana love their governor, Bobby Jindal, and no segment of the population loves him more than the poor. That’s because Governor Jindal, over liberal opposition, is fighting for educational equality: his school voucher program, the biggest in the nation, gives the poor the same choice of schools that the rich can afford. [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Corn Ethanol Issues Not Expected To Significantly Impact Gasoline Prices In 2012 – Analysis Posted: 08 Aug 2012 06:52 PM PDT (EIA) — In recent weeks, drought conditions have lowered the outlook for this year’s corn harvest across the Midwest and raised concerns over the higher costs of fuel ethanol and satisfying the blending mandates of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Ethanol production fell from 920,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) for the week ending June 8, [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

The Way Things Work At The Central Bankers’ Club – OpEd Posted: 08 Aug 2012 06:47 PM PDT The case of the rigged Libor turns out to be the scandal that just keeps on giving. It reveals a great deal about the behavior of the Federal Reserve Board and central banks more generally. Last month, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke gave testimony before Congress in which he said that he had become [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Blackwater Settles In Arms Smuggling Case Posted: 08 Aug 2012 06:45 PM PDT The Academi LLC company, formerly known as Blackwater, agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine to settle federal criminal charges related to arms smuggling and other crimes before the US District Court in North Carolina. The US international security contractor, also formerly known as Xe Services, in particular faced charges of illegally providing arms to [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Blackwater Amid New Scandal – OpEd Posted: 08 Aug 2012 06:42 PM PDT Academi LLC, America’s largest commercial security firm, is willing to pay $7.5 million to settle criminal charges over illegal arms sales and services to foreign governments without Washington’s approval. Better known as Blackwater Worldwide, its former name, it was more than once linked to the killing of civilians, arms smuggling and conflicts that tarnished U.S. [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Egypt Fires Missiles Against Suspected Militants In Sinai Posted: 08 Aug 2012 06:39 PM PDT The Egyptian military has launched an assault against suspected Islamist militants after they attacked security checkpoints along the Egyptian-Israeli border. At least 20 people have reportedly been killed. This comes just two days after 16 Egyptian soldiers were killed in similar attack. Egyptian security officials told AP that attack helicopters had fired missiles just hours [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

54.5 MPG And The Law Of Unintended Consequences – OpEd Posted: 08 Aug 2012 02:22 PM PDT Rules that make cars less affordable – and less safe – are unethical and should be reconsidered By Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Jr. Legislators and regulators need to observe a fundamental Golden Rule: Do not implement new laws if you have not considered or cannot control important unintended consequences. A perfect example is the Obama [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Some Serious Introspections In China – Analysis Posted: 08 Aug 2012 02:17 PM PDT By Bhaskar Roy As the Chinese Communist Party has been trying extract itself from the Bo Xilai incident with the minimum damage, a serious debate appears to have emerged seeking both internal and foreign policy re-evaluation for the future. The next generation of the Chinese leadership, or the 5th generation, will come into place in [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

India: Time For Special Task Force On Maritime Security – Analysis Posted: 08 Aug 2012 02:15 PM PDT Maritime security, which was a two-dimensional concept before 2000 focussing essentially on likely threats and challenges from State actors and pirates, has now become a three dimensional concept as a result of the increasing threats of maritime terrorism with a global or trans-national reach. Till 2000, the concept was seen largely through the prism of [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.

Emerging Chinese Security Threats In Indian Context: Need For India To Review Security Strategy – Analysis Posted: 08 Aug 2012 02:10 PM PDT “If he strikes me once, it is his fault. If he strikes me again, it is my fault.” Chinese Saying (Anonymous) Introduction The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has the largest population in the world, the fastest growing economy in the world, the largest army in the world, the largest middle class in the world, [...] To continue reading this article, click on the headline.