At a time when the European Union is struggling to act together to develop a coherent strategy to tackle its deepening financial problems, the EU Commission has published a recent Communication designed to enhance closer unity in the energy security arena and forge a coherent “single voice” approach in the energy sector when dealing with […]
In his critically acclaimed book on the Indian Ocean last year, author Robert Kaplan warned that with growing Sino-Indian rivalry, the “the Indian Ocean and its adjacent waters will be a central theater of conflict and competition.” It seems that Kaplan’s prophetic claim was made none too soon. Last week, an editorial in the Global […]
In 2024, I’ll be middle aged, turning 40. Maybe filthy rich, much more probably struggling to feed the kids. Or without any kids. Or maybe even dead – who knows? The polar ice caps might be gone and the US broken up into individual chunks run by China and Norway. Maybe not. But one thing […]
President Barack Obama met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly this week. This was Noda’s first meeting with Obama since his ascendancy to the office of prime minister earlier this month. He is the sixth prime minister in five years. The two leaders predictably discussed the relocation […]
An exceptional wildfire near Bettles, Alaska in 2007 released as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as the entire Arctic tundra absorbs in a year according to a new report in the journal Nature. The Anaktuvuk River fire lasted for more than three months and burned across more than 1,000 sq km in central Alaska. […]
For the second year in a row, the Russian Geographical Society has organized the International Arctic Forum. While last year’s forum took place in the capital, Moscow, this year’s forum, “The Arctic – Territory of Dialogue,” has moved farther north to Arkhanghelsk, Russia – a city Putin deemed in his speech “the ancient capital of […]
What makes a currency unique? The symbols, monuments, leaders figuring on the paper money, are exemplifications of the collective identity and shared culture. In the case of the Euro, as underlined by Gideon Rachman, the symbols on Euro’s coins and bills are fictitious. Last week, I ask one of my close friends, Dr. Maria Lorca-Susino, […]
The irony of independence “He took me across the border and sold me to the Dominican soldiers for $8,” said Andre Prevot, a young Haitian boy caught in the pervasive slave trade along Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic (DR). Young Prevot met a man who promised him a good job in the DR; however, […]
As the Media and the international community focused their attention on the advances of the rebels against the Gaddafi forces and gasped at the horrors unfolding in Syria, Yemenis were left to their fate, ignored and unspoken of. Even back in March when the Media was drumming the tune of the Arab Spring onto the […]
Reporters Without Borders voiced concern today for the safety of Ethiopia’s journalists after a long-time government critic was arrested along with four opposition party members on 15 September in Addis Ababa, becoming the latest in a series of local and foreign reporters to be held on “terrorism” charges. Ethiopia’s 2009 “anti-terrorist” law has today become […]
The International Day of Peace which was established by a U.N. resolution in 1982, and is marked every year on September 21, is a global event whose activities are significant in highlighting the worldwide efforts towards conflict resolution and peace building. This day is however more relevant to the continent of Africa where most conflicts […]
Another of Azerbaijan’s prominent defense lawyers was effectively disbarred late last week, the third such incident involving attorneys for opposition figures in recent months. Elchin Namazov, who had been representing four defendants involved in street protests in April, was expelled from Azerbaijan’s “Collegium,” an organization that vets attorneys for participation in felony trials. Lawyers Khalid […]
I recently got an e-mail from one Patrick McPike, the father of two American-born sons who were abducted in Japan by their Japanese mother in March. He has since been fighting an uphill battle against Japan’s backwards and incompetent legal system in order to gain access to his sons. He chronicles his story on his […]
Yesterday evening, I had the privilege of attending two separate speeches, featuring two top diplomats. The first was former U.S. Secretary of State under President Reagan, George P. Schulz; the second was current Greek Foreign Minister, Stavros Lambrinidis. What stood out most to me about the two respective addresses were remarks, concerning current economic and […]
Two months ago Netflix announced plans to expand its online streaming service to nearly all of Latin America, possibly tripling the company’s customer base. By 2013 it projects the $7.99 a month service will be a profitable enterprise, largely due to demand in Mexico and Brazil. And for 100 pesos, also about eight dollars, Fluffy […]