Khamenei celebrates capture of U.S. sailors as ‘God’s deed’, welcomes closer ties with China

Khamenei celebrates capture of U.S. sailors as ‘God’s deed’, welcomes closer ties with China

Special to WorldTribune.com Iran seeks closer ties to China as it “never trusted the West,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Jan. 23. During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Teheran on Jan. 23, Iran’s supreme leader said the United States was “not honest” in the fight against terrorism in the Middle East. “Iranians never trusted […]

China’s Xi calls for Palestinian state, announces aid for region

China’s Xi calls for Palestinian state, announces aid for region

Special to WorldTribune.com Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing supports the creation of a Palestinian state. Xi made the pledge of support on Jan. 21 during a visit to Cairo, according to Egypt’s Al-Ahram newspaper. The Chinese president said he supported creation of a Palestinian State with eastern Jerusalem as its capital, based on the […]

Xi signs Egypt deals as China looks to boost Mideast clout

Xi signs Egypt deals as China looks to boost Mideast clout

Special to WorldTribune.com Chinese President Xi Jinping on Jan. 21 pledged billions of dollars in aid to Egypt as Beijing moved to boost its influence in the Middle East. “China supports Egypt’s efforts to maintain stability, develop the economy and improve livelihoods, and … play an even greater role in international and regional affairs,” Xi […]

A former U.S. diplomat’s inexplicable defense of Kim Jong-Un

A former U.S. diplomat’s inexplicable defense of Kim Jong-Un

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, EastAsiaIntel.com Donald Gregg, former U.S. ambassador to Korea, makes an astounding statement in a piece published after North Korea’s fourth nuclear test. Striking “a very positive note,” he praises “the performance of Kim Jong-Un in improving the North Korean economy and downplaying nuclear threats and nuclear weapons development.” It […]

The foreign policy ‘vision’ at Obama’s last State of the Union cries for an opthalmologist

The foreign policy ‘vision’ at Obama’s last State of the Union cries for an opthalmologist

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address, the annual speech to a joint session of Congress, has emerged as more of a political pep rally than a clear overview of America’s standing in the world both domestic and foreign. The address was touted as […]

Djibouti: Tiny strategic hub plays host to armies from seven nations

Djibouti: Tiny strategic hub plays host to armies from seven nations

Special to WorldTribune.com By Backgrounder, Geostrategy-Direct.com Djibouti, a former French colony, is a country of searing heat (summer temperatures average over 100 degrees) and little rain (17 days a year on average). The population of the East African state is 900,000, which ranks 159th in the world. But the tiny state on the Horn of […]

North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un starts 2016 with a bang

North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un starts 2016 with a bang

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Not one week into the New Year, the North Koreans jolted global concerns as well as the Richter scale with a nuclear weapons test. While the underground blast shook the remote Punggye-ri region near the Russian border, the political reverberations of the bomb have been […]

2016: Light vs darkness, time to solve Syria, opportunity in Latin America, rising China threat

2016: Light vs darkness, time to solve Syria, opportunity in Latin America, rising China threat

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler NEW YORK — It’s time to consult the crystal snow globe for a look at both the likely and unexpected events which will shape the New Year. Serious strife both in the Middle East, and Africa to a lesser extent, have expanded leading to a culture of conflict […]

Best of Lev, 2012: China demonstrating will to dominate as West loses the will to resist

Best of Lev, 2012:  China demonstrating will to dominate as West loses the will to resist

Lev Navrozov From Moscow, the capital of the slave country founded in 1917, I came to New York, to the 21st floor of a skyscraper. The owners of the slave country had created their radio and television and even their own art and philosophy — in short, they created a new culture, with inevitable shortcomings. […]

Best of Lev: China demonstrating the will to dominate; West losing the will to resist

Best of Lev: China demonstrating the will to dominate; West losing the will to resist

Lev Navrozov, May 18, 2012 Lev Navrozov emigrated from the Soviet Union with his family in 1972. He so cherished the freedom of press he found here that he dedicated his remaining years to alerting otherwise-oblivious Americans to the global context of news. From Moscow, the capital of the slave country founded in 1917, I […]