World

World Leaders Don't Shake Bush's Hand At G20 Summit (VIDEO)

Posted by Jeff from Huffington Post

It appears in this video that President Bush's approval is in a sorrier state than polls indicate. In a video taken at the G20 summit, Bush walks across a line of world leaders without shaking or being asked to shake any of their hands. Whether the President is being rejected by the world leaders or he is rejecting them, CNN's Rick Sanchez aptly says that Bush looks like "the most unpopular kid in high school that nobody liked."

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Immigration Reform in 2009?

Posted by Shemuses

Will Barack Obama's historic election victory give new impetus to immigration reform in the United States? Analysts and political observers in the United States and Mexico have mixed assessments. Auguring against a quick fix are the economic crisis and the Iraq war, both of which the president-elect promises to prioritize early on his administration. Speaking on Univision Spanish-language television network shortly after Obama's victory, Chicago City Councilman Billy Ocasio said he did not think immigration reform would be possible within the first 100 days of the new administration, but he proposed the suspension of ICE raids and mass deportations until a solution to the question of illegal immigration could be further analyzed.

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Tibetans plot future after Dalai Lama admits failure

Posted by Jeff from Rawstory

Leading Tibetan exiles were set to meet in India on Monday for a week of discussions that could usher in a more radical approach to their long struggle against Chinese rule in Tibet. The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, called the meeting after admitting that his attempts to secure greater autonomy for the region through negotiation with the Chinese government had failed.

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Chávez’s Venezuela Positions Itself as a Salon for the World’s Leftist Thinkers

Posted by Shemuses from New York Times

The Nepalese Maoist smiled as he glanced around the lobby of the Hotel Alba Caracas. To his left, West African delegates to the World Meeting of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity chatted in French. To his right, the Egyptian author of a book on President

puffed on a cigarette. This has been a most enjoyable forum, allowing us to learn from the glorious heritage of socialist revolution in Latin America," said the Maoist, Chandra Prasad Gajurel, 60, a Politburo member of the Communist Party of Nepal, which put an end to that country's monarchy in elections this year

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Obama said planning U.S. trials for Guantanamo detainees

Posted by Shemuses from Globe and Mail

U.S. president-elect Barack Obama's advisers are quietly crafting a proposal to ship dozens, if not hundreds, of imprisoned terrorism suspects to the United States to face criminal trials, a plan that would make good on his promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison but could require creation of a controversial new system of justice. During his campaign, Mr. Obama described Guantanamo as a "sad chapter in American history" and has said generally that the U.S. legal system is equipped to handle the detainees. But he has offered few details on what he planned to do once the facility is closed.

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Will Obama Make the Mistake of Latin American Leaders?

Posted by Shemuses

Barack Obama's historic victory is reminiscent of recent precedent-setting Latin American elections, in which indigenous and mixed-race candidates triumphed over centuries of entrenched discrimination to achieve election wins. Those leaders took office borne on similar waves of cathartic celebration. But President-elect Obama would be well-advised to learn from his Latin American counterparts' subsequent disappointing trajectories in office if he is to avoid repeating their mistakes. Initial elation gave way to bitter disappointment and polarization, as Latin America's new leaders failed to deliver on their promises and instead contributed to divide their societies further.

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UN: Hope that America Rejoins the World

Posted by Shemuses from The Nation

Jubilation should be the order of the day at the United Nations when an American who is also a son of Kenya and a child of Indonesia is elected president of the most powerful country in a world in need of healing. But while there is quiet joy and relief at the victory of Barack Obama, there is also a strong undercurrent of caution. Is the end of an unfriendly Republican era enough in itself to bring the United States back? Or have the Democrats, the heirs of the UN's founders, drifted too far from internationalism?

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