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Paraphrase of NYTs Helene Cooper’s 26 Nov 2010 article: A fundamental tenet of foreign affairs doctrine holds that sovereign nations will always define and act in their own national interests, and will rarely against their own interests. Somebody needs to tell that to the United States when it comes to China, many foreign policy experts say. A key part of America’s relationship with China now turns on a question that is, at its heart, an interminable conundrum: How to get Beijing to do what its leaders don’t believe are good for their country, but will benefit ours? From economics to climate change to currency to Iran and finally culminating with North Korea last week, America has sought to push, prod and cajole China, to little or no avail.

The use of child soldiers continues to be a plague on our global society, as thousands of children continue to be recruited into armed conflict by both government forces and armed rebel groups in spite global efforts to combat the continued use of children.  UNICEF estimates there are some 300,000 child soldiers globally, while Human Rights, with […]

It’s only the media–not a special, dedicated tunnel team–who might believe the identification of Guzman as the tunnel mastermind qualifies as breaking news.Any agent who’s worked the southwest border for a while already knows that if a tunnel or any other kind of operation is high-end, it’s almost certainly the work of “El Chapo”…

“Fact:  The only sustainable path to growth is a low-carbon path.”  Felipe Calderón, President of Mexico The last newsletter of the year from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has useful information on a number of subjects including adaptation, finance and technology. Here is President Calderón in a clear, succinct message before the […]

According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO), World Health Report, released on November 22, 2010 there are some 1 billion people globally who are unable to pay for health care, while another 100 million placed in situations of poverty as a direct result of health care expenditures.  The report stated that both wealthy and impoverished […]

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has announced a new project focused on strengthening U.S. global engagement and strategic communications (called “Strengthening America’s Global Engagement – SAGE).  Here is what they say about the project: In July 2010, the MacArthur Foundation joined with the Wilson Center to host a dinner that included key Obama […]

Yesterday American’s filled their plates with the barrage of Turkey Day delights and their homes with friends and family.  Today with  bellies full the Christmas Shopping season has officially begun as Black Friday consumed the shoppers across the country.  Its the American way to look for a deal and a bargain, but does your bargain […]

Today citizens and residents of the United States set forth to spend the day amongst family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving.  The day is one where we are able to escape the ciaos that has become our everyday lives and take a moment to gather around tables covered in bountiful food and partake in traditions […]

In time for Thanksgiving in the United States, The New York Times featured an article about the emergence of the sweet potato from an American holiday vegetable to one of the fastest growing vegetables in American diets, both at home and in restaurants. “Food and farming experts attribute the sweet potato’s escape from the limited […]

by Meritxell Ramírez-Olle This Sunday, November 28, voters in Catalonia go to the polls. Catalonia (El Principat de Catalunya) is one of the Spain’s 17 autonomous communities with a population of 7.5 million people whose capital is Barcelona. Catalan, spoken by more than 9 million people, is the national language and has, since 2006, been […]

The issue of whether a country should openly sanction offensive use of “cyber attack” by their military is one of touchier issues in the world of cyber warfare. Interestingly, US Cyber Command has openly expressed an interest in developing offensive cyber capabilities. Specifically, they refer to offensive operations to prevent cyber attacks on the US. […]

Last week I attended the latest installment of the Global Challenges Forum, held in Geneva and co-chaired by the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization.  Here is what NPS says about this effort: The Global Challenges Forum will bring together representatives from governmental and non-governmental partners to explore joint policy research […]

If you are looking for an illuminating bit of commentary on U.S.-North Korean relations in light of the North’s recent shelling of its southern neighbor from someone who knows quite a bit about the subject, check out this clip of CSIS’ Michael Green on Washington Journal, courtesy of C-SPAN.  Green also wrote a great feature […]

Stuxnet, the worm from Russia America Israel who knows where designed to take out the American power grid Iranian Uranium refinement centrifuges BCS computer something controlled by Siemens machines has gotten a lot of attention. Rightly so, as it’s the closest we’ve actually come to something that looks like a genuine cyber attack. The worm […]

This month was the biannual International Anti-Corruption Conference, which took place this year in Bangkok. The conference is an opportunity for a large portion of the world’s people who are thinking about corruption to get together, share ideas, learn what’s new, and of course schmooze (a bit). The theme of the conference this year was […]