IDEALS

UNITED NATIONS, (Mar. 29, 2010) IPS/GIN – Since the expiration of
the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in December, U.S. and
Russian negotiators have been busy hammering out a new pact that
will reduce the number of nuclear warheads deployed in both
countries by about one-quarter, according to Washington.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow Mar. 18 to discuss the
progress of the START agreement, originally signed by the United
States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Jul. 31
1991, during the Cold War.
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CAIRO, (Jun. 26, 2009) IPS/GIN – Egypt has appointed an ambassador
to Iraq, ending four years without diplomatic representation in
Baghdad. While the last year has seen other Arab capitals do
likewise, some critics question the wisdom of the move in light of
Iraq’s still volatile security situation.

“Sending an ambassador now is a strategic mistake,” Ahmed Thabet,
political science professor at Cairo University told IPS. “Despite
recent relative improvements, the security situation is still far
from stable.” Read the rest of this entry →

ROSEAU (Mar. 12, 2010) IPS/GIN – As he travels back to
his headquarters in Washington, World Bank president Robert
Zoellick must be painfully aware that Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
countries have very strong feelings on the redevelopment of Haiti
following the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Zoellick met with regional leaders on Thursday, the first of the
two-day CARICOM intersessional summit. While Haitian President RenÇ
PrÇval was not present, Caribbean leaders there pressed for a
“designated development fund for Haiti where all the resources
which have been pledged by various countries and institutions could
be deposited into a special account”. Read the rest of this entry →