In an effort to expand our scope of topics and coverage on TedMatt I will be adding a new section today: Countries to Watch. This will be a list of countries that are playing or are set to play an important part in the affairs of the globe and have a direct relevance to many issues we deal with here at TedMatt. Followers of TedMatt will know that there is already a category of articles being posted under the heading of Venezuela Watch. The idea is to expand this framework to other countries of the world that are of importance economically, politically, and socially. This list will also help provide us with a consistent core of countries to which we can extend our focus. Basically its a win-win situation for readers and writers alike.
We will attempt to limit the coverage to a news/summary of current events type format with links provided to encourage deeper engagement with the issues by individual readers. Any attempt to engage in a wider analysis of the multiple countries at this point is not practical due to time/labor constraints. Hopefully it can serve as a jumping off point for others and perhaps eventually grow to encompass more in-depth analysis of each of the countries on the watch list. To begin with I have selected eight countries that are especially pertinent today for a variety of reasons. I came this list a couple years back while living in Buenos Aires, Argentina (only recently stumbling upon it again) and the countries selected reflect the period a bit. The eight countries are Turkey, India, Argentina, Brasil, Venezuela, China, Russia, Iran. I have also decided to include three others that have taken on exceptional significance as of late due to their magnified importance as the object of the US imperium’s focus; Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
It’s always exciting (and challenging) to launch new ventures in ideas and coverage at TedMatt. As with any other this one is going to be a continual work in progress. I would like to invite any and all interested parties to contribute material to this section. Any help is welcome and encouraged and will receive full recognition. If interested please contact TedMatt administrators under the contact or submissions link.
-Ted
The Other Americas 