Foreign Policy Blogs

Archive | November, 2007

The Road to Bali

The Road to Bali

Bali and the UN meetings start next Monday, December 3, and run through midmonth.  These talks are to formally kick off the negotiations for a post-Kyoto regime on addressing the climate change crisis.  It seems like lots of folks are headed out there.  I'm …

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Flaws in the System

Is the process for choosing the ANC leadership fatally flawed? There are those who believe that the nominating procedure needs to undergo a significant change, bringing the process closer to that in the United States. Malusi Gigaba, South Africa's Deputy Home Affairs Minister and a member of the NEC

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Is Zuma’s Ascension Inevitable?

It really does appear that Jacob Zuma not only leads the pack in the ANC succession battle, but he also appears to be consolidating his hold on what he clearly believes to be the pending nomination. Part of the perceived change in momentum is the result of …

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Diamonds, Gold, and War

Respected Africa expert Martin Meredith has been on quite a roll lately. His book The Fate of Africa: A History of 50 Years of Independence represents one of the most highly regarded and extensive treatments of the continent and its difficult recent past. He recently reissued his indictment …

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Iraq requests custody of Chemical Ali

Iraq requests custody of Chemical Ali

The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, issued an appeal to U.S. President George W. Bush requesting U.S. officials hand over Ali Hassan al-Majid , “Chemical Ali” , and two other former Iraqi officials sentenced to hang for war crimes.  U.S. officials have been reluctant to hand the three officials over …

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"Where there is love there is life." -Mahatma Gandhi

"Where there is love there is life." -Mahatma Gandhi

 
Love is the fuel that gives us life,
 that gives us the fight for one more day.
The fuel that gives us hope and strength,
 which allows us to continue on the long hard journey.
Love is food for the hungry,
the main nourishment of a child.

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2008: The year of cleaning water (and immunizing children)

2008: The year of cleaning water (and immunizing children)

UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon has designated 2008 as the Year of Water Sanitation, a worthy effort which dovetails into public health and climate change issues–and which Central Asian states could use to their benefit.
According to the UN, investing $10 billion a year could halve the proportion of people …

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HOLLY Screening…

HOLLY Screening…

The special screening was held in Washington DC last night for the acclaimed film, HOLLY, opened by Ambassador Mark Lagon, and was followed by a question and answer session, with Ambassador Lagon, Guy Jacobson, and Adi Ezroni.
A young girl running desperately through the streets, being chased by two …

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New details in Hariri assasination

New details in Hariri assasination

The chief investigator for the U.N. commission investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri said the inquiry is developing new leads and “persons of interest.” Serge Brammertz, the Belgian prosecutor charged with investigating the assassination, issued his final report to the U.N. Security Council stating the …

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Calderon Cites "Culture of Machismo"

Speaking at a Mexico City event to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, President Calderon addressed what he called Mexico's “culture of machismo,” acknowledging that millions of women face abuse and workplace discrimination despite the passage of laws targeting gender inequities and violence against women.
Earlier this year, …

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Afghanistan: Now that's consistency

Afghanistan: Now that's consistency

Before NATO, there was Afghanistan's Taliban movement (you can't call it a government, because it offered no protection and no services to its people).  And the new Taliban, neo-Taliban, or whatever we call them have the same, tawdry, consistent practice of gratuitous cruelty in this regard–
Here's the whole story from AFP wire, …

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The Plight of Guinea-Bissau's Trafficked Children

The Plight of Guinea-Bissau's Trafficked Children

Three buses carrying some 140 children leave Guinea-Bissau heading to Senegal, the children are not going on a school trip, but are being trafficked to work in the cotton fields of southern Senegal. Two of the buses where stopped, but the third was never found, the children's fate is …

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The ANC and the SABC

The ANC has often faced accusations that it has meddled — or worse — in the country's media, particularly the state-owned but putatively independent South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). In turn the SABC has stood accused of acquiescing to the ANC, indeed of becoming a mouthpiece for the ruling party. …

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Hunt on for Nazis in South America

Hunt on for Nazis in South America

The Israeli Simon Wiesenthal Center embarked on a last ditch effort to hunt down surviving Nazis in South America.  "The passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of the perpetrators," the center's director, Efraim Zuroff, said.  The group put out a $460,000 reward for information leading …

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Kazakhstan: New, Improving Customs of the Country

Kazakhstan: New, Improving Customs of the Country

Today the World Bank announced the approval of a new loan to Kazakhstan for developing better customs procedures.  The total project cost is USD 62 million, with Kazakhstan committing 43.5 million and the World Bank 18.5 million to the effort.  This is a fantastic step for the state, …

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