The Associated Press reports: Haleh Esfandiari, the 67-year-old director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, had been jailed in Tehran’s Evin prison since early May after enduring months of intense interrogations. She was released after her elderly mother used the deed to her Tehran apartment to post bail, relatives said. “I’m very happy. It was unexpected. I thank all those who made efforts to make it possible for me to go home,” Esfandiari told Iranian television. The footage showed her walking out of the prison and meeting family members in a car on [...]
In this week’s Corridor’s of Power, Roland Flamini reports: LULA WHO? SAY MOST AMERICANS — There’s an old journalism adage that says Americans are willing to do anything for neighboring Latin America, except read about it. Nothing much has changed in that regard, according to a new Zogby Interactive poll. Having surveyed 7,362 adults nationwide, Zogby concludes that Americans “show a stunning ignorance” about the region. Only 10 percent of online poll respondents said they were familiar with Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva, the second-term president of Brazil. Twenty percent recognized the name of Felipe Calderon, the president of Mexico. [...]
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 [...]
