As I write this, British voters are going to the polls in what has been billed as one of the most exciting UK elections of the post-war period. Nick Clegg, member of the third-party Liberal Democrats, could overtake his mainstream rivals Gordon Brown (Labour) and David Cameron (Conservative). Regardless of the outcome, this is the […]
I’ve noticed a couple arguments recently that use the same logic to disprove a causal relationship. The first one comes from Alan Dershowitz: [J Street’s] Executive Director, Jeremy Ben-Ami, has joined the off key chorus of those who falsely claim that Israel, by refusing to make peace with the Palestinians, is placing the lives of […]
My post earlier this week drew attention to the nuclear weapons assistance that Iran almost certainly obtained from China via Pakistan, and the astonishing possibility that China actually tested Pakistan’s first atomic bomb for it at Lop Nur in May 1990. First, on the general question of Chinese nuclear weapons assistance to Pakistan, there’s not […]
I’m currently attending a conference about sustainability in the HIV/AIDS sector, hosted by a prominent NGO that provides technical assistance to US Government funded organizations. The opening session was quite interesting, addressing the topic of “What is the future for HIV/AIDS programmes in South Africa?” It was a good crowd-attention getter, since everyone in the room […]
Over the last two days, May 3-4, 2010, members of parliament (MPs) from across Africa met in Dakar 3-4 to discuss a continental ban on female genital mutilation (FGM). The African MPs are calling on the United Nations to pass a General Assembly resolution appealing for a global FGM ban, in accordance with the practices […]
A bad problem grows worse: ransom money moves abroad as pirates and Islamists jostle for influence. Members of Hizbul Islam took over the Somali town of Haradhere earlier this week, pushing out the town’s previous pirate rulers. Everything happened without a shot being fired: the pirates gathered their TVs and trucks and simply moved north […]
The Petersberg Climate Dialogue took place near Bonn this week. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Felipe Calderón brought together environment and climate ministers from 45 countries to “discuss what concrete steps should be taken” prior to the next UNFCCC “Conference of the Parties” (COP) in Cancún in December. Merkel said prior to these […]
In the latest edition of Foreign Policy Magazine, Robert Paarlberg writes about how despite high-profile campaigns to raise awareness of the benefits of growing food organically, the movement’s ethos of “…organic, local, and slow — is no recipe for saving the world’s hungry millions.” Instead, Paarlberg defends industrial farming as the method to ensure a […]
Britain holds parliamentary elections this Thursday (May 6) that are widely viewed as the closest in the country’s recent history. The latest polls show the opposition Conservatives under David Cameron in the lead with anything from 33 percent to 37 percent, against 27 percent or 28 percent each for Gordon Brown’s governing Labour Party and […]
Soap operas could save the world. Who knew? Soul City, one of the longest-running, most popular soaps in South Africa, is funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and carries the messages of HIV prevention regularly (watch a clip here). And an article in Sunday’s Boston Globe makes the case that soaps are also changing the ways […]
Dystopic near-future sci-fi is one of my favorite genres. Gattaca, Blade Runner, The Matrix, Twelve Monkeys – some intriguing ideas there, and always beautifully shot. Today we take a wander down that path – not things to be Deeply Offended™ about today, but to consider for the future. Given the technological power at the disposal of […]
Health Service Delivery: a commonly-used term without common definition. Despite searching high and low for a definition that would satisfy me – the WHO, my source of choice, even failed me here – I have been forced to try my hand at crafting one. But let me start with a story from my adopted country, […]
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Article 1: “Each nuclear-weapon State Party to the Treaty undertakes not to transfer to any recipient whatsoever nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or control over such weapons or explosive devices directly, or indirectly; and not in any way to assist, encourage, or induce any non-nuclear-weapon State to manufacture or otherwise […]
Pakistan’s short-sighted foreign policies and military spending will not lead to long-term regional stability.