“The United States doesn’t have friends; it has interests.” That from a US official speaking to a Rwandan human rights activist. That was the line most governments used while sitting idly by during one of the worst genocides of the 20th century. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/agYCx2sPg98″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] “Ghosts of Rwanda” is a Frontline documentary […]
“I think the American invasion of Iraq was the biggest mistake in American foreign policy history,” said veteran journalist Ricks, who added that the future of the region looks bleak, especially when it comes to who will ultimately come to power. “I think what we [will] end up with is a smarter, tougher version of Saddam Hussein.”
Congratulatory emails have been pouring in to the Italian Embassy in Washington after Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta wrote to the Washington Post to protest against a front page report from Rome March 1 headlined ‘As Italy’s Banks Tighten Lending, Desperate Firms Call on the Mafia.’ The emails are from Italian Americans sick and tired of what […]
This is half a documentary. It focuses on the lives of teen and preteen Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip in 2003. This film captures the rage felt by many youth regarding Israel. Two of the children, Ahmed and Mohammed, are close friends and both say they would rather die together as martyrs than to die […]
Could it be that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown borrowed a speech-writer from his French counterpart President Nicolas Sarkozy for the stirring address he delivered March 4 to the joint houses of Congress in Washington D.C.? Brown’s speech was unusually emotional for the strait-laced Scot. Just like Sarkozy, who spoke from the same podium on […]
This documentary shows the lives of three young Colombians living in a hillside suburb of Medellin called La Sierra. This film follows Edison, Cielo and Jesus. Edison is a lothario who leads a paramilitary gang who has six children from six different women. Cielo is a teenaged widow whose boyfriend is a jailed paramilitary member […]
Newsweek’s Christopher Dickey examines the NYPD’s fight against terrorism in his new book, “Securing the City” By Genevieve Long When the American public thinks of the United States fighting terrorism, the federal government naturally comes to mind. Yet for some in New York City, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the […]
Coming Soon: Military Power at CUNY by Genevieve Long For students and observers of up-close foreign affairs analysis on Tuesday, March 10, the City University of New York (CUNY) will host a free evening event at one of their Great Issues Forums. Entitled, Military Power, the event will feature Alex de Waal, program director of […]
By Genevieve Long For the consumer of news seeking smart, informed opinions about the war on terror from an insider with world-class credentials and experience, take a look at Steve Coll’s blog for The New Yorker, Think Tank. Coll is President & CEO of the New America Foundation and a staff writer for The New […]
“For all the dangers of the place, it’s an incredible story. It’s one of the biggest stories of our lives. Leaving the violence aside, it was a chance to see history being made and to see history unfold—really, really big history, and extraordinary human drama. That’s a rare thing. It’s pretty wonderful to be able to see it, even for all of the violence and the horror that I witnessed. It was endlessly interesting and thrilling, even as it was depressing at the same time.” –Dexter Filkins on why he stayed in Iraq for 3 years reporting for The New York Times
If you read only one book about Iraq and Afghanistan this year, make it “The Forever War”, by New York Times foreign correspondent Dexter Filkins. It is full of insightful, lyrical vignettes about the war in Iraq from 2003 to 2006, when Filkins was living there and reporting for the Times. It also includes about forty pages about Afghanistan just prior to the beginning of the war in Iraq.
The Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Center recently released ‘PalTube’, a YouTube-like video hosting service featuring various media content dealing with the recent Gaza crisis and its aftermath. This includes ‘foreign’ media, most notably that dealing with the white phosphorous issue, as well as a speech by controversial British MP George Galloway at a rally denouncing the […]
This documentary doesn’t quite live up to its name. Filmed entirely in black and white, it combines photographs and films to tell the story of revolutionary Che Guevara. At little less than an hour, “Che Guevara: Where You’d Never Imagine Him” covers the high points of Guevara’s life as a rebel. Director Manuel Perez shows […]
Today marked the first anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah militant figure Imad Mughniyeh (pictured left). Hezbollah has promised retaliation for what it deemed an act by Israel, and there are indications the group has indeed attempted to launch retaliatory operations against Israeli interests outside the Middle East, leaving many eager to see if and […]