Arcadia Foundation

The following, excerpted from the Opinion column of Canada’s ‘The National Post‘, does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Arcadia Foundation, however we must commend Mr. Frum for his candor and unique brand of insight in to an administration unquestionably veiled by popular culture and often scrutinized with ‘kid gloves’:

Can you name one major foreign policy initiative of the Obama administration that is not mired in failure?

The Afghan war is going wrong. Diplomatic outreach to Iran was slapped away. Concessions to Russia failed to buy meaningful sanctions. Pro-Obama European governments have declined to send more troops to Afghanistan.

The President’s personal relationships with leaders of Germany, U.K. and France are cool to chilly. The President’s outreach to the Islamic world has achieved nothing: In fact, more anti-American terrorist plots were launched in 2009 than in any year since 2001.

When a pro-Hugo Chavez president tried to hold power illegally in Honduras, the Obama administration backed the lawless president over a unanimous Honduran Supreme Court.

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African gay activists in Africa and in the diaspora are increasingly using the Internet to have their voices heard, while still trying to figure out how to advance homosexual rights on the continent.

One of the more popular blogs advocating gay rights in Africa is called Gay Uganda. Its author chooses to remain anonymous.

“I am somebody in the heart of Africa who has been lonely without the rest of the Internet, without the rest of the global sphere, talking about what I would like to talk about, with that kind of freedom,” he said from Kampala.”I cannot do it elsewhere.”
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pleaded Monday with Latin American countries to welcome Honduras back into their circle.

Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua and other nations have thus far refused to recognize the new Honduran leader, Porfirio Lobo, who was elected following the ouster of former President Manuel Zelaya.

Addressing a meeting of the Organization of American States here, Mrs. Clinton noted that the United States had originally condemned Mr. Zelaya’s ouster. But she said, “We saw the free and fair election of President Lobo,” and she praised him for nonetheless setting up a truth commission to investigate Zelaya’s removal from office, which was legally authorized by the Honduran judiciary. Read Full Paper

Rwanda. A nation geopolitically renowned for its great strides in finding economic prosperity from the ruins of 1994.

We haven’t discussed much in the tone of Rwandan human rights on this site. That changes today. Enter lawyer Peter Erlinder, an American political prisoner of the Rwandan government who was detained under false charges on May 28th, just one week after his client, the opposition leader Victoire Ingabire was jailed.

Despite a formal request from the U.S. State Department that Rwanda immediately release Erlinder, things have only gotten worse, as the judge has rejected all motions for bail, extended his remand for another 30 days, while Erlinder’s own defense attorney has been chased from the country fearing his own detention.

“There has been a lot of theatrics surrounding this case, but the fundamental issue at stake is whether Rwandans believe it is permissible for Genocide defenders and deniers to threaten the hard-won stability and harmony they have built in 16 years,” Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo said in a statement released by her office. Read Full Paper

The following post is brought to us by Amsterdam Group.net, Public Relations liaisons to the Arcadia Foundation:

World Cup fever is in full swing – the event shines a geopolitical spotlight on every nation showcased on a daily basis. This time around, the public relations initiatives behind each team seem to be near-tangible. For some of the more oppressive regimes, they may even be downright embarrassing.

Since leaving the country is an impossibility for prison- er, citizens of North Korea, the marketing gurus from the Jong-Il administration have decided to recruit their Chinese friends to make the trip for them and support the Chollima, the nickname of North Korea’s embattled but unbowed soccer team.

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The daughter of a Venezuelan farmer who has repeatedly staged hunger strikes over a land dispute with the government says his condition is worsening.

Angela Brito said Sunday that her father is barely able to speak after many days without food or water. She told the Venezuelan TV channel Globovision that his health is “very, very delicate.”

The 49-year-old Franklin Brito has said his protests are aimed at forcing the government to acknowledge it violated his property rights.

Santiago Cantón, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), thought that the Venezuelan State, in accordance with the precautionary measures issued by the IACHR, had allowed Franklin Brito to be assisted by doctors trusted by him.

However, wife Elena de Brito, told him on the phone that the Venezuelan government has ignored the request and holds him “hostage” at the Military Hospital.
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Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s forthcoming visit to Myanmar will have a profound significance on the traditional friendship between the two countries and further boost bilateral cooperative ties, said Chinese ambassador to Myanmar Ye Dabo.

Premier Wen will start a two-day visit to Myanmar on Wednesday, on the ‘occasion‘ of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Myanmar.

During his visit, Wen will meet Myanmar’s top leader Senior-General Than Shwe, Prime Minister U Thein Sein and other government officials. The two sides will sign a package of documents aimed at strengthening economic and trade cooperation, Ye told Xinhua.

What is truly astonishing is not simply that the meeting is being hailed as near-joyous by both the Chinese and Myanmar diplomatic communities, but that is critically coincides with the Chinese government being pressured to take a firm international stance on the growing North and South Korean dispute. Watching China’s instant condemnation of the Israeli assault on an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, South Koreans must be wondering more than ever if rather than when China will muster a clear response to their own nautical tragedy.

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