On November 22, 2011, CNN hosted a debate between the Republican candidates for the presidential nomination, this time dedicated to the theme of national security. The debate was sponsored by the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), two of the most conservative think tanks in the US, with considerable influence in shaping policies […]
Now that you have managed to make it through the Thanksgiving holiday, your mind has begun to drift away from thoughts of turkey and stuffing, not to mention pumpkin pie, to thoughts of holiday giving. Today the Christmas shopping season officially begins, as Black Friday consumes shoppers across the country. It’s the American way to look for […]
A huge topic in academia at the moment is the changing global economic and political landscape. The “Reshaping Power, Shifting Boundaries” theme of the 2012 International Political Science Association conference being held in Madrid in July is a testament of this. Academics from around the world will gather to discuss how power is being reconfigured […]
Today Americans are sitting down for what is, for most, the biggest meal of the year, spending the day with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. The day is one where we are able to escape the chaos that has become our everyday lives and take a moment to gather around tables covered in bountiful […]
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recently published a working paper, Maternal Health in Afghanistan. The paper is co-authored by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, fellow and deputy director of CFR’s Women and Foreign Policy program, and Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program. […]
As you undoubtedly know, thousands of people, young and old, descended on Washington on November 6th, ringed the White House and told the President that the Keystone XL pipeline was not in the best interests of either the US or the planet. The fact of the turnout was great news in itself, but even better […]
I recently came across two worthwhile pieces on Persian Gulf states punching above their weight. The first is a New York Times analysis of Qatar, the lil’ oil rich country that could: Qatar is smaller than Connecticut, and its native population, at 225,000, wouldn’t fill Cairo’s bigger neighborhoods. But for a country that inspires equal […]
It’s been quite a year for human rights. Almost as soon as the year began, popular revolts shook the foundations of authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Using the power of social media, people organized in opposition to autocratic rule across the Arab world. In Tunisia and Egypt, these movements overturned (or at least […]
The Congressional supercommittee charged with finding trillions of dollars in debt reduction has failed in their mission, opening the door to a drastic reduction in the U.S. federal budget. Like most people I would assume that debt reductions would take place in a calm and orderly manner, with decisions on reductions made by adults who […]
Outrage in Turkey over the verdict of a rape case is being heard following the verdict by the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals (Turkey’s highest court). The case involved alleged gang rape of a 13-year-old girl in 2002, for which the court has ruled that the child had consented to sex with her 26 accused […]
“There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and want and that they can grow up in peace.” – Kofi Annan Universal Children’s Day […]
Older Americans are more food insecure, with dramatic increases in age categories ranging from 40 to 49, 50 to 59 and 60 and older. The AARP Foundation’s August 2011 report, “Food Security Among Older Adults,” measured survey responses from older Americans in these three age categories. Respondents were then grouped as marginally food insecure; food […]
Malaria: The beginning of the end? Global eradication of malaria is a step closer after the announcement last week of the discovery by scientists of the disease’s apparent vulnerability, a critical component of human red blood cells that can be targeted to stop the malaria parasite from completing its life cycle within the body. Trials […]
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has produced four comprehensive Assessment Reports since 1990 detailing the science behind climate change, the impacts, ways to mitigate our radical forcing of the climate system, and ways to adapt to the clear, present, and intensifying dangers that this crisis engenders. The IPCC has also produced some extremely […]
Yesterday’s New York Times and presumably other major newspapers as well carried a small story on an inside page about a violent explosion that took place at an Iranian test facility, killing one of the country’s top rocket scientists, among others.”There was immediate speculation that Israeli saboteurs were responsible for the blast, which Israeli officials […]