The UN food agency has announced that the drought in China could place that country’s winter wheat crop in jeopardy. Experts warn that if much of the crop fails it could lead to social unrest like that in Egypt and Tunisia (Associated Press, February 8, 2011). Currently, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization believes that more than two-thirds of China’s wheat crop could be at risk for failure.

EU officials working in Palestine recently “proposed that EU officials should be present at the site of imminent house demolitions or evictions and intervene if non-violent Palestinians face arrest in East Jerusalem, according to a new confidential report.” “The Consuls-General—who are the ambassador-level representatives to the Palestinian Authority—suggested that in addition to being present when houses are demolished, they sho

George Friedman, geopolitical author and founder of STRATFOR has released his most recent book: The Next Decade. In the “Author’s Notes,” Mr. Friedman makes the following observation, contrasting America as a Republic and an Empire: “I have spent a great deal of time thinking about the relationship between empire and republic, and the only conclusion I have reached is that if the republic is to survive, the single institution that can save it is the presidency.

Flour and salad oil prices have doubled in Algeria in the last couple of months. Although official government statistics place unemployment in the nation at about 10%, independent organizations place it closer to 25%. The result of increasing unemployment and increasing food prices has been rioting. Hundreds of people throughout the nation, mainly youth, have clashed with police and damaged government buildings (Guardian, January 7, 2011). Riots have killed several and injured hundreds of people.

Rapidly developing events in the Middle East have placed Israel  in a precarious position.  On January 12, the pro-Western government of Lebanon collapsed, when ten Hezbollah ministers and the State Minister resigned.  Subsequently, a Hezbollah-backed Prime Minister was selected who is said to be a proxy for Iran (Associated Press, January 26, 2011). This places an avowed enemy on Israel’s northern border.