Meanwhile in Countries Not Called America is a place where I normally go out of my way to find issues that are completely independent of the United States. But given the events in Northern Syria over the last few weeks, I feel compelled to break that rule and attempt to explain just how awful a situation the Kurds find themselves in. And while the geopolitics of the situation may be complicated, the morality is not. As always you need to understand the history of the region to properly put all of this into perspective. The Kurds are the…
Category: Meanwhile in Countries not called America
Meanwhile in Countries Not Called America……The Boris of it All (Or Brexit for Idiots)
As of last week, the United Kingdom has yet another Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. Or as he is more commonly known here in the States: The British version of Donald Trump. In a country of nearly sixty-seven million people, Boris was elected by, *checks notes*, ninety-two thousand one-hundred and fifty-three people or roughly .0013% of the population. Yay democracy!!! Boris’ rise comes on the heels of previous Prime Minister Theresa May’s failure to negotiate a successful Brexit deal. This is of course because Leave campaign and its supporters have what some would call delusional expectations concerning the terms by which…
Meanwhile in Countries not called America- India’s Water Crisis
Water. The source of all life and something most of us in the western world take for granted will be there when we need it. But clean water is not something that just happens. It is the result of complex systems engineered to keep us safe from harmful diseases and bacteria that our predecessors on this planet so often fell victim to. It’s not flashy and its certainly not cheap, but water infrastructure is perhaps the most important investment a nation can make. Without it, a country can grind to a halt and risk serious disease and even famine for…
Meanwhile in Countries Not Called America-Venezuela’s Economic Crisis
It’s no secret that Venezuela has been a mess for a while now. The country’s particular brand of Strongman Socialism has discouraged foreign investment and resulted in an economy that is almost entirely reliant on the nation’s oil production. This would be a precarious economic model under even the most ideal circumstances, but under the corrupt regimes of President’s Chavez and Maduro, it has proven to be downright disastrous. Back in 2003, Chavez replaced the executives of Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA with his own corrupt cronies. Their ineptitude and graft have resulted in a steady decline in Venezuela’s oil…
Meanwhile in Countries Not Called America: A State of Emergency in Ethiopia
Africa’s second largest nation is no stranger to political unrest but the surprise resignation of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on February 15th has the potential to escalate an already volatile situation. Mr. Desalegn’s resignation comes after his failure to stem the tide of violent anti-government protests that have plagued the East African nation for years. To understand the current state of affairs it is important that I provide you with a little context. Ethiopia is ostensibly a federal parliamentary republic with a prime minister and a bicameral parliament. However, since this form of governance was first adopted in 1994 it…
Meanwhile in Countries Not Named America- Civil War in Yemen
The world is a big place. With over 7 billion people divided among nearly 200 nations it’s easy to see how even the most well informed of individuals may not be aware of everything that is currently happening in our world. One of the goals of Meanwhile in Countries Not Named America is to select issues of importance and brief my readers in such a way that they are at least generally aware of the players and principles involved. With global attention tied up in the future of the EU, tensions in the Ukraine, President Obama’s Trans-Pacific Trade agreement, and…
Meanwhile in Countries Not Named America…….Election Season
Despite what Fox News might have you believe the United States does not actually hold the patent on freedom and democracy. A concept that is reflected by the fact that occasionally there are elections in this world that do not involve Iowa or New Hampshire. We’re going to take a look at these rare unicorns of democracy in this month’s edition of Meanwhile in Countries Not Called America…..Election Season. For our first stop on our global goodwill tour of democracy we go across the pond to America’s closest ally the estimable United Kingdom. General elections are scheduled to be…
Meanwhile in Countries not Called America- Greece needs a President
This morning the Greek Parliament failed to elect a new president in the final stage of a three stage vote. The Government Coalition’s Candidate Stavros Dimas fell twelve votes shy of the required one hundred and eighty votes. That’s the story. So what does it mean? Well the most immediate consequence is the dissolution of the Greek Parliament and a snap election to form a new government. Multiple news outlets are reporting that Prime Minister Antonis Samaras intends to schedule the elections for January 25th. The opposition party Syriza is leading in the polls and in all likelihood will gain seats…