Welcome to the Foreign Policy Association’s relaunched Energy Blog. As we all know, energy comes from a variety of sources with different international political-economic concerns tied each of them. Oil is affected by politics in the Middle East and affects politics around the globe. Coal and natural gas play different roles in global energy and […]
by Cate Mackenzie When it emerged in October 2010 that there was an outbreak of cholera in Haiti, sympathy poured in for those affected; the presence of journalists and international aid workers meant that people across the world were quickly alerted to the situation. But the fact that 16,000 kilometers away, in Papua New Guinea […]
Android smartphone owners had a bad week with several pieces of malware emerging in the Android App Store – necessitating the frightening step of remote-nuking the evil apps. I have yet to hear of a significant iPhone Trojan horse or virus. It’s not that the platform is bulletproof- the jailbreakers would be out of business […]
Below are some interesting Global Trade related links: PRI’s The World: An Alternative to the Panama Canal – They’ve been talking about making these “dry canals” for years. Doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense, but neither did the Panama Canal. NYTimes: Maersk Line Orders 10 Container Ships With Options to Buy More – […]
I’ve said this any number of times: Environmental protection is much more about public health than it is about the natural environment. Every time you hear somebody tear down the EPA or some other environmental protection agency, just remember that sometimes they may be the only thing standing between you and lung disease, cancer and […]
UN plans to launch Libya crisis appeal on Monday United Nations officials are preparing to launch a global humanitarian appeal to aid the tens of thousands of people in need due to the violence in Libya. The UN plans to ask support for humanitarian operations in Egypt, Tunisia and Niger where migrants fleeing Libya are […]
“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State.” – Muhammad Ali […]
he disclosure by Iran last week that it has had to remove the initial fuel load from its newly built Bushehr power reactor has ignited or re-ignited a storm of speculation, much of which is best ignored. Well before the latest difficulties, a controversy was raging among experts as to whether the plant had been […]
In April of 2010 health officials stated that Guinea worm disease was on target for elimination (CNN). Officials stated that they believed that they can eradicate Guinea worm disease, a water-born parasitic disease, entirely by 2015 by changing water-sanitation habits and ensuring access to clean water in sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease has yet to […]
Unsurprisingly, after the UN Security Council referred the Libya situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC), John Bolton took the opportunity to criticize the ICC and, more generally, international law itself. He dubs the ICC “one of the world’s most illegitimate multilateral institutions,” argues that the threat of ICC prosecution will not alter Gadhafi’s behavior, […]
I recently read Robert Kagan’s article ‘The Price of Power‘. Here’s his intro: The looming battle over the defense budget could produce a useful national discussion about American foreign and defense policy. But we would need to begin by dispensing with the most commonly repeated fallacy: that cutting defense is essential to restoring the nation’s […]
As part of its “Room for Debate” series, The New York Times convened a panel of experts to discuss the causes and possible solutions to currently high global food prices, in particular, whether the world is producing enough food. The panelists pointed out that some of the usual suspects from the 2007-2008 crisis are at […]
I was recently faced with the question regarding children in the developing world versus that in those in the West or developed world. The question being asked was; are those in the West leaning to live in a world of excess? Secondly the question was raised; Is this unrealistic view point (of excess and over […]
By Sean Patrick Murphy This film follows the rise of an Arab sentenced to six years in a French prison. At 19, Malik El Djebena is a lone wolf. That is until he is ensnared in a plot to kill someone on behalf of the powerful Corsicans in the prison. Literally, it’s kill or be […]
I noted a great innovation a few years back – kites to enhance the power of ocean-going shipping. Last week, we looked at Sustainable Shipping in general, plus I got a heads-up from the good folks at Forum for the Future on their Sustainable Shipping Initiative. Today there’s a story at GreenBiz.com on Cargill’s plans […]