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 […]
In an effort to stem the deepening collapse from the Greece Sovereign Debt crisis, finance ministers from the European Union agreed on a deal that would provide $560 billion in new loans and $76 billion under an existing lending program. Elena Salgado, the Spanish finance minister, who announced the deal, also said the International Monetary Fund was prepared to give up to $321 billion separately.
On April 27, a little-noticed hearing took place on Capitol Hill regarding an important and controversial issue that has been a sore spot in U.S.-Russian relations for some time: the status of the historic Jackson-Vanik Amendment. Not only is this issue worth examining for its effect on the Obama Administration’s “Russian Reset” agenda, it is […]
The role of U.S. films in cultural diplomacy is not new, nor is the distribution of American films around the globe. But those phenomena bear a reexamination every once in a while. In this case, it is through the movie Shrek,a worldwide blockbuster (with various sequels and spin-offs). That big green ogre has something to […]