The publication of the National Peace Corps Association, WorldView Magazine, takes on global food issues in its latest edition. In the article, “A Push for Self-Determination” Kyle Freund, the Communications Manager for Coffee Kids, writes about the campaign for food sovereignty in Veracruz, Mexico. The article discusses how the people of Veracruz have, with the […]
I was a fan of Gordon Brown on climate change. Among other virtues, he was outspoken about the Denialists and he picked up the ball on climate finance and ran with it after Copenhagen. He is leaving No. 10 today and David Cameron will soon be the new Prime Minister. See this from the AP. […]
The Elena Kagan nomination has re-un-corked discussion about Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Kagan, while serving as dean of Harvard Law School (HLS), wrote an email criticizing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, calling it “repugnant.” You can read the full text of the letter here. As Kagan explains in the letter, HLS has a policy that requires […]
I am interested in how the issue of nuclear non-proliferation is addressed with a variety of audiences and, to what extent, this existential discussion is driven by non-governmental organizations. The following are a few selected links (many more are available) that highlight how this most global of matters is being engaged: 1. The Nuclear Threat […]
Financial Regulatory Reform Update from around the horn for the week of 11 May 2010.
According to the WHO, a “well-functioning health system ensures equitable access to essential medical products, vaccines and technologies of assured quality, safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness, and their scientifically sound and cost-effective use”. In 2007, the pharmaceutical industry racked up revenues of $643 billion, with almost half of that generated in the United States. Not so for long: emerging markets are […]
My fellow FPA blogger Rob Grace asks why I think Iran is determined to develop nuclear weaponry, and whether it might not just be shooting for breakout capacity—the ability to build an atomic bomb quickly, perhaps upon giving sudden notice of NPT termination. Good questions. In November 2003, the IAEA reported that over two decades […]
By Robin Gerber On the afternoon of December 11, 1978, a woman in her sixties with well-coiffed, snow white hair climbed the steps of the Federal Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, her husband at her side. Looming over the couple, the eighteen story building’s rectangular tower sat encased by smaller buildings all clad in pale […]
Yesterday was Mother’s Day and hopefully everyone took a moment to honor the mother’s, and mother figures, in their lives. While being a mother in any country brings with it endless struggles and joys, some bring greater struggle than others. Therefore in which country is it best to raise your children? According to the State […]
Kanayo Nwanze, president of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), recently told Reuters that African governments need to invest more in agriculture to not only feed their people, but to secure jobs and prevent flight from rural areas to urban areas. “You have to invest in the rural economy if you want people […]
A federal judge has allowed Chevron to subpoena filmmaker Joe Berlinger for hundreds of hours of footage not used for “Crude,” a 2009 documentary. “Crude” is about the 17-year, $27.3 billion lawsuit brought against Chevron for allegedly dumping toxic oil waste in the Amazon sector of Ecuador. The 30,000 residents of the area have filed […]
The Middle East Channel at Foreign Policy has an interesting story on Israel’s escalating attacks on South African judge Richard Goldstone, written by Foreign Affairs senior editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky. Goldstone was the leader of a UN report on Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, which accused Israel and Hamas of war crimes during the January 2009 clash […]
Last week, Senator Joseph Lieberman (I – Conn) introduced the “Terrorist Expatriation Act” – legislation that would allow the State Department to revoke the citizenship of Americans who provide support to a foreign terrorist organization. Yesterday morning, Attorney General Eric Holder and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani discussed last week’s attempted terrorist attack in Times Square […]
I wrote about The Melting Himalayas over a year ago. Notwithstanding the relatively absurd brouhaha in January caused by the discovery of a one-paragraph error in the 4th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, research on glacier loss in the Himalayas has been continuing apace. The minor peccadillo in the report was […]
Europe has certainly made headlines recently, and unfortunately not for good things. From an ongoing volcanic ash plume out of Iceland to the Greek debt crisis, it appears that it is Europe’s turn to hold the news spotlight. One of the many headlines coming out of Europe is of course the general election held last […]