John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — As the seemingly interminable election campaign nears the finish line, there are a few glaringly missing topics which remain almost untouched. The first deals with an issue affecting nearly everyone and the other one which may determine America’s future scientific prowess and potential. Gasoline prices. Here we have record […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — President Barack Obama’s speech before the UN General Assembly was directed to two domestic audiences. One Main Street USA where outrage and anguish over the killing of American diplomats, the trashing of diplomatic property throughout the Middle East, and the seething resentment towards America is viewed as a both […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The killing of the American Ambassador to Libya John Christopher Stevens, along with three other American diplomats, the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt and the tearing down of the flag replacing the stars and stripes with a black banner, all allegedly in response to an American-produced […]
John J. Metzler PARIS — One of the more common misperceptions in transatlantic relations is the near instinctive knee-jerk comment that “the French don’t like Americans.” That is unless you overlook much of the music on French radio which is American, a considerable segment of prime time TV are American programs, and a majority of […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — As the carnage against civilians continues across Syria, there’ a compelling humanitarian case for international intervention to stop the violence which has killed more than 10,000 civilians. Yet, what started as a political uprising against the authoritarian rule of Bashar Assad sixteen months ago, has morphed into a complex […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The Falkland Island Road Show has come to the United Nations, with all the political trappings of drama, hyper-nationalism, and self-righteous moralizing. The focus remains on the future of this windswept British territory in the South Atlantic claimed by, and also once invaded by, neighboring Argentina. Now thirty years […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The world needs a good party and reason to forget, even fleetingly, the conflicts, crises and economic doldrums which have befallen us. Thus Britain’s Diamond Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II brings us that wistful respite but more importantly a lesson; that tradition trumps trendy, and often celebrity too. The […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Despite the persistent economic headwinds which are expected to slow economic expansion this year, “growth in the Asia and the Pacific area remains better than in any other region; continuing as an anchor of stability and a new growth pole for the world economy.” That’s the guardedly optimistic prognosis […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Tone, tenor, and style separate Nicolas Sarkozy from Francois Hollande as much as clear political ideology divided the two contenders for the French presidency. But sentiments like voter discontent, backlash and anti-austerity describe the mood French voters were in when they elected the Socialist candidate. Francois Hollande’s victory with […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — In the bizarre ritual of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, a recent rocket launch was intended to put the icing on the dynastic cake of the centennial birthday celebrations of the late dictator Kim Il-Sung. The world press had been invited to the reclusive neo-Stalinist state, and the […]
