Last month, the Senate voted 73-27 to end a $6 billion per year tax credit to the ethanol industry as part of an amendment to Bill S. 782, also known as the Economic Development Revitalization Act of 2011. This vote was largely symbolic however, as the bill itself has yet and is not expected […]
The New York Times reported on Saturday that Iran is stepping up its enrichment efforts, and that the man in charge is Fereydoon Abbasi, who narrowly escaped assassination along with his wife eight months ago. Abbasi, a nuclear physicist and member of the Revolutionary Guards, which manages Iran’s nuclear program, is in charge of the […]
On Monday, the UN’s Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) convened over 200 delegates, representing the 191 countries who are members of FAO, as well as NGO representatives, to discuss a a two-track plan for immediate relief to over 12 million people in the Horn of Africa region. Part of the action plan was also mapped […]
Airing tonight as part of the POV series on PBS is the stirring documentary film “Mugabe and the White African.” The film follows the story of Michael Campbell, one of the few White farmers to stay in Zimbabwe following the introduction of Robert Mugabe’s controversial Land Reform program in 2000. Fed up with intimidation and […]
Coca-Cola Commercial – Lyrics: We have sworn to erase the impossible/ It should be hope, or no other alternative/ No matter how long they say the night is/ There is no sleep, when it is time for seriousness/ Make tomorrow better, with your hands, you will defy the clouds/ Make tomorrow better, the sun rises […]
Last year, Russian people stuck it to the Man by painting a giant penis on a St Petersburg drawbridge. The Kremlin’s revenge sends that message right back. It’s much less funny, much more obscene, but also involves a bridge: a $1.3 billion bridge to a remote island as part of an overall $24 billion bill […]
President Obama appealed to the American people last night in a televised national address asking them to support a “balanced” plan to avoid imminent financial default. Declaring that the “the world is watching,” Obama called for compromise between the Democrats and Republicans to maintain U.S. credit worthiness and global standing. There can be no doubt […]
The House Oversight Committee calls ATF’s Fast and Furious a ‘failed and reckless operation,’ but was it? If you look at it from Calderon’s perspective, or from the perspective of administration officials–including Obama, Holder, and senior ATF executives–who favor stronger gun legislation, Fast and Furious was a huge success….
Robin Wright of the US Institute of Peace has a new book on the role of culture in both reflecting and inspiring this year’s uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa. Rock the Casbah, released earlier this month by Simon & Schuster, “chronicles the new order being shaped by youth inspired revolts toppling leaders, clerics repudiating […]
UGANDA: Sanitary pads keep girls in school While other children head home after school, some pupils in Uganda’s northern Amuru and Gulu regions stay behind to make sanitary pads using cheap, locally available materials, to ensure girls do not miss school during menstruation. Pakistan polio campaign struggles in CIA aftermath Recent revelations about a […]
The Economist recently ran an article that highlights the tension between spending on foreign assistance and domestic political support for it. Prime Minister David Cameron, who ran on a platform supporting more aid and has insulated it from the cuts he has levied on almost every other part of government, is the latest to find […]
Yes, this is a blog post about the new Captain America film, and I know you wouldn’t expect a post about a summer movie on Foreign Policy Association’s blog network, but please, bear with me. And no, this is not a movie review. For that, please read A. O. Scott’s review in The New York […]
Earlier this week, NATO’s Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, warned that European countries’ cuts in defense budgets risk the “gradual decline” of Europe. NATO’s engagement in Libya has exposed weaknesses in the alliance, particularly regarding who contributes to operations and how much. As Europe leaps to implement austerity measures, defense budgets are the first on […]
I’ve written about the potential positive effects of mobile technology on global health and human rights before, but I came across a paper from AudienceScapes (PDF) on inequalities in mobile phone access and penetration rates in lower-income countries and thought I’d follow up. The brief, by Gayatri Murthy, outlines the gender and wealth disparities that […]
After my most recent post (Drought and Social Enterprise) I received a number of emails from non-profits and NGOs about their work in Somalia and issues facing the Somali people. Although this post does not exactly fit within the parameters of “Ethics and Economics,” I wanted to share it with you. I had the opportunity to […]