As the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders met in Abu Dhabi, they used the opportunity to come down heavily on international terror groups. Rejecting terror in all forms the GCC expressed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia in its fight against these groups. The GCC expressed its grave concern over the growth and spread of al-Qaeda […]
Christina Figueres and Ban Ki-moon (Reuters) COP 16 winds up at the end of this week. It is not the blockbuster that Copenhagen was last year – and that’s no surprise. All the foofaraw from last year has been replaced by a bit more focus and many fewer expectations. There are far fewer people as […]
Wikileaks has successfully created an online forum that publicizes normally secretive communications. Its most recent attacks on the U.S. government and military have brought widespread condemnation from officials, diplomats, and civilian experts. It remains to be seen whether this public shaming will create more transparent government or just encourage diplomats to be increasingly secretive. But […]
On Anarchism THE LIE: According to David Brooks, “Assange seems to be an old-fashioned anarchist who believes that all ruling institutions are corrupt and public pronouncements are lies.” Gideon Rose stole this line and used it on The Brian Lehrer Show, saying Assange is “essentially an old-fashioned anarchist” with “an adolescent world view that all […]
In yet another tragic attack carried out by terror outfits in the temple town of Varanasi in India, one child was killed and at least 32 others injured. It has been reported that the terror blast was carried out by Indian Mujahideen. The blast occurred outside the temple at Shitla Ghat in Varanasi town in […]
Leading political realist and Harvard professor Stephen M. Walt recently published an article in Foreign Policy which argues that realism is intrinsically at odds with the concept of American exceptionalism. While Walt’s construct of American exceptionalism may appear overly simplified for the sake of the argument, the article does shed light on the inherent dangers […]
Since my post on WikiLeaks last week in which I half-seriously called for a declaration of war against the group I’ve had some rather interesting conversations with my politically-aware friends. I have liberal and conservative friends (as a moderate, I can do that) and had fully expected them all to share my views on WikiLeaks. […]
A very interesting juxtaposition in the news caught my eye this last week, thanks to WikiLeaks. I’m not praising WikiLeaks, mind you, merely pointing out that leaked cables revealed that the president of Mexico had been urging the U.S. to take a more active role in the region to counter belligerent actors in South America […]
In Greece, police on Sunday, arrested and charged six people of having connections with a terrorist group after confiscating guns and explosives at various locations across the country. Newspaper reports suggest that the suspects range in age from 21-30. The group also includes one woman member. They were detained following police raids in Athens, the […]
According to UPI and NYTs reports about WikiLeaks diplomatic cables, ‘when the European Parliament ordered a halt in February to an American government program to monitor international banking transactions for terrorist activity, the US administration was blindsided by the rebuke from among our closest allies in continental Europe. “Paranoia runs deep especially about US intelligence […]
We live in a fast paced world that few find a way to escape from, including teens, However its not about escape, but coping, and learning to deal with the stress of everyday life. There is no one that this is not important for than children and teens, but often they are the most overlooked. […]
As many as 76 percent of all black boys in Baltimore fail to finish high school. That prompted a school in Kenya to accept a group of these at-risk boys, all around 12 years old, and teach them not only academics but also how to respect themselves and others. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/C2ol5SHchLo” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] […]
On my personal blog, I posted a piece about my interactions with exploitation and violations of workers rights in Haiti. To see the full post go to: http://developmentandpolitics.blogspot.com/2010/12/some-musings-on-workers-rights-and.html Sometimes when the day, the week, the month, has been long, I take a stroll to some kind of stress release, to see friends or sneak into […]
Low-resource countries often carry the heaviest disease burden and maintain the smallest health workforce. The deadly cholera epidemic in Haiti is only the most recent example of how the time for ‘task shifting’ has arrived. By Allyn Gaestel for ISN Insights http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Current-Affairs/ISN-Insights/Detail?lng=en&ots627=fce62fe0-528d-4884-9cdf-283c282cf0b2&id=124470&contextid734=124470&contextid735=124469&tabid=124469
Recently there was a lot of blow-up and anger at Amazon.com over the sales of “The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure,” an electronic book written and published by Phillip R. Greaves (various news). The book itself was unimaginable in the eyes of anyone who cares about the welfare of children and seeking their protection […]