The high price of food has been attributed as one of the underlying causes of unrest that launched the reform movements of the Arab Spring. As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins and unrest continues in much of the Middle East and North Africa, the price of food may figure into the campaigns for […]
The folks at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) continue their quest to educate with a primer on the global nonproliferation landscape. In a two-part video, Leonard “Sandy” Spector, deputy director of Center, and director of the DC office does a great job of reviewing not only the formal, enduring nonproliferation instruments but […]
They may no longer be on the opposites side of the Cold War, but Russians and Americans still see the world in opposite ways. While even most blue collar Americans believe they are middle class, 45% of Russians consider themselves to be poor, according to Svetlana Kononova’s piece in Russia Profile, which relies on new […]
Women, children suffer most in drought Across the Horn of Africa, women and children are bearing the brunt of drought-related famine and humanitarian organizations need additional funding to deliver lifesaving supplies, writes Caryl Stern, president and CEO of the U.S. fund for UNICEF. Children are susceptible to malnutrition that decreases their ability to fight off […]
The International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) has recently released their 2010 annual report, “building a just world for workers”. The ILRF seeks to achieve just and humane treatment for workers worldwide, from campaigns working to end the use of child labor in cocoa and cotton, to our urgent action efforts aimed at defending the right […]
For followers of Islam, Ramadan is the holy month that marks the revelation of the first verses of the Koran to the Prophet Mohammad and is a time of fasting, contemplation, and charity. As the Arab Spring continues to progress through 2011, many wondered what effect Ramadan would have on the protests. On the one […]
In a June 30th post, I wrote about the long-time coming changes to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) rules on enrichment and reprocessing technologies. Now Mark Hibbs at Carnegie has written a good synopsis of the evolution of the so-called “clean text”, the ultimately agreed-upon changes, and their implications. Hibbs points out, for example, that […]
Well, some think so. The question has generated quite a bit of controversy; here’s my blog post on the topic: http://stepheniefoster.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=319&Itemid=54
Well, it’s a new week and the same old, same old is happening in Washington. The House Appropriations Committee has released the 2012 State and Foreign Operations Bill and, unsurprisingly but disappointingly, in its current form the bill proposes an 18% cut below last year’s appropriation. The proposed total on for appropriations is $39.6 billion, […]
There are so many events competing for our attention right now, there’s the debt crisis, the Norway attacks and a foiled attack here at home, it’s easy to get distracted. There’s another event unfolding in Africa, a humanitarian tragedy brought on by the perfect storm of drought and civil war. Even amid all the other […]
“Today in the Senate, I met with Senators Jon Kyl and Mark Kirk”, announced Russia’s ambassador to Nato Dmitry Rogozin. “I…was transported in a time machine back several decades, and in front of me sat two monsters of the Cold War, who looked at me not through pupils, but targeting sights.” “The meeting is very […]
CAFE – That stands for Corporate Average Fuel Economy. What President Obama announced today was a much higher federal requirement, negotiated with the car companies, for more miles per gallon on average for cars sold in the United States. As we know, Lower Gasoline Consumption = Lower GHG Output. How much? Billions of tons of […]
22 July’s heinous, neo-fascist killings in Norway fill us with sorrow for many reasons. Not to detract from the deaths or suffering that occurs on a daily basis elsewhere, but the events that unfolded struck us differently because of their context – Norway seems so peaceful – and the evident, calculated manner in which the […]
It’s not exactly yellow cake, but the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the US Treasury Department accused Iran of aiding and partnering with Al Qaeda: The U.S. for the first time formally accused Iran of forging an agreement with al Qaeda, helping operatives move money, arms and fighters through Iranian territory to the terrorist […]
While the world community finally mobilizes to secure funding to provide aid to the people of the Horn of Africa, I wanted to provide the readers with five more recommendations (in addition to the five from an earlier post) for how you can donate directly to relief efforts. I also encourage you to send me […]