Reports of continuing misery caused by the flooding tragedy continue to come out of Pakistan. The flooding has affected one fifth of that nation, killed 1,600 and is affecting as many as 20 million people. According to a BBC report, “Tens of thousands of villages remain underwater and there are warnings the crisis may worsen […]
Corruption in the police force is commonplace in countries with high levels of petty bribery. In Georgia, the solution was to fire the entire traffic police force and rehire through objective procedures. In neighboring Armenia – where the government is either more gradualist or less committed, depending on your viewpoint – the Achilles project is […]
The impending July trial of Omar Khadr at Guantanamo Bay sets a dangerous precedent on the treatment of child soldiers. In May UNICEF head Anthony Lake warnned about trying Khadr, saying that the use of children in conflict is a war crime and those responsible should be prosecuted, but the children involved are “victims, acting under coercion.” Lake stated […]
I came across two articles that speak volumes about the reality of how culture, particularly pop culture, is transmitted from one country to others (and how the US is much less dominant than some triumphalist voices assume and proclaim). 1. “Soft Rock Power” in Foreign Policy reports on the work by Joel Waldfogel and Fernando […]
I’ve been thinking a lot about green building this week, as I’ve been working on a big writing project with that, among other things, as an important component. See also my last post below. I’ve been meaning to flag this article – Slash bills and save the world – from a month ago in the […]
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Poverty is the worst form of violence.” Poverty is the worst form and the most common form of violence which is committed daily against on quarter of the world’s children. Recently the World Bank revised poverty figures, to show a substantial increase in the number of people around the world living […]
For those interested in the growing U.S.-China rivalry in the South China Sea, a very good read here. It opens thusly: The nations of Southeast Asia are building up their militaries, buying submarines and jet fighters at a record pace and are edging closer strategically to the United States as a hedge against China’s rise […]
Many people claim that international law is not like other law. Some claim it is not even law. (See an earlier post of mine on the subject.) But there are many ways that international law is just like good old municipal law. From a lecture David Kennedy gave last fall: Indeed, many military professionals remain […]
After Japan’s anemic 0.1% economic growth in the 2Q, China has now supplanted its ancient rival as the world’s second-largest economy marking another milestone in the country’s transformation from an impoverished ‘Third World’ communist state to global economic superpower, and carries with it broad geopolitical implications.
I have written before about the negative effects on the US Government because of an over-reliance on contractors, especially by USAID. But the distortion runs both ways – the organizations scrambling for and implementing those contracts are also affected. In an article this month in The New Republic, “How NGOs Became Pawns in the War […]
Maxine Waters and OneUnited Bank: Some Minority and Community-Owned Banks Fail to Pay Dividends to Treasury
Monday morning Secretary Clinton spoke at my school about the future of U.S. global health aid. I got to school four hours before she was due to speak, and had to stand outside in the blazing sun for two hours before I was even let inside the building. It’s a bit unnerving to see your […]
Sounds like a great vacation. (It is. I’ve been there a couple of times.) But the Portuguese are putting their ocean waters, abundant wind and sun to another use as well: producing renewable energy. Libby Rosenthal had a characteristically interesting and informative article in the NYT last week on Portugal’s inspiring push to provide 45% […]
I’ve been spending some time reading the pledges rolling in for Gates’ and Buffet’s Giving Pledge – the movement to inspire global billionaires to give away 50% or more of their wealth. I’m curious to know what impact this pledge could have on health research and treatment. Here are some excerpts from pledges that give […]
A major Venezuelan newspaper is butting heads with the government over the right to publish graphic photos on their front page. El Nacional, one of the country’s oldest newspapers, has been ordered to stop publishing certain types of photos. According to the Associated Press: A court ordered one of Venezuela’s leading newspapers on Tuesday to […]