BAKU, Azerbaijan — In its latest effort to wean itself from dependence on the Middle East for its energy needs and to counter rival Russia’s influence in resource-rich Central Asia, the United States has signed an agreement with Azerbaijan to examine the feasibility of expanding the so-called Trans-Caspian Pipeline project to transport oil and gas from the region. The remote and isolated nations of Central Asia are the new playing field in the battle for control of the world’s dwindling resources of natural gas and crude oil, and Azerbaijan, wedged between Russia and Iran on the Caspian Sea, is a [...]
The Arab world is watching in disbelief — and growing concern — the recent spate of undiplomatic mudslinging between Syria and Saudi Arabia. Damascus and Riyadh have had tense relations for some time now, but the latest outburst, initiated by Damascus, left many looking towards Iran as the most plausible explanation for the renewed acrimony between these two Arab countries. It all began when Farouk al-Shara, the current Syrian vice president and former long-time foreign minister, gave a speech at Damascus University. Unexpectedly, al-Shara launched a scathing critique of Saudi Arabia’s influence in the Arab world, describing the Kingdom as [...]
NO MORE DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON? — Sixty years ago, Spain’s state-run television inaugurated its transmissions with a bullfight. This month, in an indication of the social change Spain has undergone in the past 25 years, the official television network, TVE, canceled afternoon transmissions of the corrida — the bullfight — one of its highest rated summer shows. When bullfight fans protested, TVE said daytime broadcasts of the national sport contravened the law banning violent programs during children’s viewing hours. But TVE’s decision to grab the issue by the horns reflected the growing controversy over the future of the Spanish [...]
