Today, August 19, marks 20 years since the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union. Although it could be argued that the USSR was already collapsing well before August 19, 1991, it’s also fair to say that the coup attempt by hardliners that took place on that day to preserve the Union ultimately hastened… [Read more]
Political risk is a perennial concern for foreign investors in Turkey, and a frequent cause of volatility on the Istanbul markets. Yet despite threats of military coups, an on-again off-again EU accession process, deep social tensions between secularist and moderate Islamist institutions, and a protracted ethnic Kurdish insurgency, the Turkish economy and financial markets have… [Read more]
Personally I thought it would be some time before President Obama was next forced to put his diplomacy skills to the test, but just a few days after condemning the Iranian authorities’ crackdown on protestors, another political crisis is dumped on his doorstep. At first glance, Honduran politics seems like a relative backwater when compared… [Read more]
Recent events in Madagascar remind me that coups remain a clear and present danger in sub-Saharan Africa. Just two weeks after the assassination of Guineau-Bissau’s president, Madagascar’s leader has been ousted by the opposition. Sure, some countries have been making democratic headway, with Ghana’s December 2008 elections having cemented the nation’s reputation as a beacon… [Read more]
