Archive | September, 2011

The UN High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) was held last week in New York and resulted in the adoption of a Political Declaration (PDF here).  As I feared a few weeks ago, the declaration is weak and does …

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani convened a grand All Parties Conference (APC) in Islamabad on September 29 to develop consensus on a national stance in response to Admiral Mike Mullen’s allegations about links between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate and …

Next month (October 23rd) the people of Tunisia will vote to elect a Constituent Assembly, with the primary task of drafting a new constitution!  The National Constituent Assembly (NCA) will be composed of 218 members, and will have to draft a new constitution for Tunisia within …

The Obama Administration checked another high profile terror suspect off its’ list today. A senior Administration official reports that a U.S. drone strike in Yemen killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. born cleric that allegely sought to inspire “lone – wolf” …

Those attending to Russian politics this week will have noticed that among the stated reasons for Finance Minister Kudrin’s rebellion and dismissal was his unhappiness with high Russian military spending. It’s important, indeed, to keep an eye on Russia’s military buildup and on the increased emphasis …

Last Spring I brought you the piece, Bullying is Abuse, regarding the case of 15 year-old Phoebe Prince, who committed suicide in Boston following instances of bulling.  Now with technology in every child’s hands bullying is even easier, quicker and can be more widespread with only the click of a …

The hurly-burly of two dozen supporters of former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier shouting obscenities and paralyzing an Amnesty International press conference rattled the civil community, rights and advocacy groups. “It was a chilling reminder of the intimidation tactics the 1957 regime used against opinionated citizens,” wrote the Platform of Haitian Human …

It’s no secret that representing the U.S. abroad entails both risks and rewards. Ambassadors though are rarely in the news and rightly so- they are sent to represent their country, not make a name for themselves. I’m sure most people would be hard-pressed to name any …

I don’t know about you, but in the morning the first thing I do after hitting snooze a few times is start to dream about my first cup of coffee.  I jump from the bed all energized thinking about the aroma of that hot cup of dark wonder…  as if …

Nostalgia is everywhere these days, a far cry from the good old days when we used to live for the future. Woody Allen. South Africa politicians. Even Mad Men are in on the act.
But nostalgia for …

On Thursday, September 29, 2011 the China Manned Space Engineering Office (China’s version of NASA) plans to launch Tiangong-1 into space. According to CMSE, Tiangong-1, “will be mainly used to carry out the rendezvous and docking test, so as to master the technologies relating to the …

Anybody concerned about the possible spread of drone warfare outside the core theaters of Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan, or about drones generally, will want to consult the review article by Christian Caryl in the Sept. 29 issue of the New York Review of Books.
Two …

India’s Afghanistan policy is a classic case displaying the pros and cons of soft power approach in international relations. Soft power is fruitful as a continuum of the smart power strategy where hard power is purposefully used. Soft power is helpful in creating space for and …

As the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty continues to languish in Senate purgatory, the rest of the world keeps reminding us – along with the other slackers – to get with the program. Its been fifteen years and its starting to get embarrassing. For reals.
So, the …

Last week, President Obama gave a speech to the UN. In it, he spoke about keeping nuclear weapons from Iran and working with the Israelis and the Palestinians to reach peace through negotiations, not through half-measures and paperwork filed at the UN.
He came out hard against …