Much has been made over WikiLeaks’s recent document leak on Afghanistan. Some of the most interesting commentary can be found from journalists. The Columbia Journalism Review says in an article called “The Story Behind the Publication of WikiLeaks’s Afghanistan Log” that the most interesting part of the story is what happened behind the scenes before […]
Grim projections for global population growth New population research shows that while population growth remains high in developing countries, low population growth in developed countries may lead to financial insecurity for increasingly elderly — and long-lived — populations. Projections show that the population, which will grow to 7 billion people next year, will eclipse 9 […]
The bank, now a unit of Wells Fargo, leads a list of firms that have moved dirty money for Mexico’s narcotics cartels–helping a $39 billion trade that has killed more than 22,000 people since 2006. –Michael Smith, Bloomberg Markets Magazine, July7, 2010
“Misunderstanding on this level breeds arrogance, fear and inequality in our relationships with other cultures at home and abroad…“ Read this paper today, released by Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) in the UK in 2002. The VSO conducted interviews with more than 1,000 Brits over 15 about their perceptions of international development and aid. What they […]
A bit late on the Friday spotlight, but here we go: the Playpump. Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t, but few aid innovations have sparked levels of international outcry similar to that surrounding the Playpump. The Playpump was invented by a South African named Trevor Field, who saw children playing in a school […]
In case you missed it, June 20th marked an historic day in the search for an effective method of HIV prevention. The Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) announced its results from a groundbreaking study that affirmed the effectiveness of a microbicide The nearly 3-year study showed a 39% reduction in HIV infection rates amongst participants […]
The current administration has placed some priority on issues affecting children, however in light of the recession much of this has failed to materialize in state budgets. How do your representatives vote when it comes to issues effecting children? Vote Kids released the 111th Congressional Scorecard this month, which shows how each member of the […]
Last weekend I attended the 9th Workshop of Parliamentary Scholars and Parliamentarians, held at Wroxton College in the UK. The workshop is organized by the Centre for Legislative Studies at the University of Hull and co-sponsored by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Research Committee of Legislative Specialists of the International Political Science Association. The driving […]
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/XaG0eYDPutM” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Feel a little bit better about development aid with this fabulous video about the Millennium Development Goals in Africa. Practicality of the MDGs aside, this is a really wonderful clip. How many of the singers can you identify? I’ll start you off with Angelique Kidjo and my girl Yvonne […]
Last week the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence did not violate international law. Read the opinion here. This came as no surprise since international law is largely silent on secession, and as John Cerone wrote at Opinio Juris: Similarly, if I were to stand in my living room […]
Secretary Clinton identified net reedom as a core value that the US will promote – and by all accounts, the various tentacles of the US government apparatus have gotten the message. The US is aggressively promoting the Freedom to Connect around the world using all the different tools at its disposal. In the State Department, […]
If increases in global air temperatures or decreases in Arctic sea ice aren’t enough to convince you of the clear and present danger of the climate crisis, then maybe looking at eight other indicators that show the same trend might be. “Past Decade Warmest on Record According to Scientists in 48 Countries – Earth has […]
Media Agree, The Road from Ankara to Brussels Remains Unpaved, Let Alone Gilded Britain’s new prime minister, David Cameron, has created his first policy rift with France and Germany, the backbone of the European Union, by promising aggressive help for Turkey’s bid for EU membership, which both Paris and Berlin oppose. In a visit to […]
This is the second blog I’m writing on insights gained during my participation in a series of three bloggers roundtables sponsored by the Department of Defense. On July 21, 2010, I had the opportunity to interview Capt A. Heather Coyne the Community and NGO liaison officer for NATO Training Mission Afghanistan. The job is a […]
Yesterday, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution to make access to clean drinking water and sanitation a human right. The vote was 122-0, with 41 abstentions. Why is this a bad thing? Check out the United States’ justification of its abstention, from the UN’s summary of the proceedings: The representative of the United States […]