I don’t like it when it appears that the U.S. is letting down our allies. Two recent examples suggest that the U.S. can be less than loyal when it comes to how we treat allies. The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted this week to submit a resolution to the House recognizing the massacres of hundreds […]
Last week Canada pledged to join the ranks of almost every other country in the world to support the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In his Throne Speech to Parliament, Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated the importance of indigenous culture in Canada and the need to improve the welfare of First Nations citizens. […]
In a clever play on words, Theo Sommer rejects the concept of “Chimerica,” a bipolar order run by the United States and China, as a “chimera” in the March issue of The Atlantic Times, a monthly German English-language newspaper. Sommer, the newspaper’s Executive Editor, is equally dismissive of “Chindia,” a liaison between China and India, […]
Americans are getting a majority of their news online – and have a much more dynamic relationship with their information sources. Bad guys are taking over your computer in ways you don’t expect. Adobe, please get on the ball, will ya? Congress is putting tech firms in the hot seat for undermining human rights online. […]
A hilarious example of new media blowing up entirely fictional stories into a feeding frenzy which then is debunked, becomes the butt of jokes, and now lives on as a cautionary tale – in under an hour. I give you the 35-Minute John Roberts Retirement. Clearly the Feiler Faster Thesis is only getting, er, faster. Erroneous […]
As we approach International Women’s Day on March 8, the pressing need to address gender inequality and violence for women and girls across the globe presses once again into the spotlight. The key to a prosperous future lies in the youth of the world, however if we ignore half of our future we will […]
Like a thunderbolt from Zeus, financial markets are struck by the perils of a sovereign debt default. In financial crises, markets and policy makers fight the last war. In the Great Depression, countries made the mistake of balancing budgets instead of offering a Keynesian stimulus; in today’s crisis, they are spending like crazy by issuing debt (like […]
By Miranda Jolicoeur, Guest Contributor The effect of the African Commission’s ruling last month on indigenous land rights in Kenya is an important ruling, not only for the recognition of land rights among indigenous populations in Africa, but for a wide-scale acknowledgment of indigenous people and their marginalization. The ruling could also potentially help other […]
In lieu of a substantive post, I offer you links: 1) The UK is establishing a barrier to implementing universal jurisdiction: approval of arrest warrants by public prosecutors. 2) Violence and voting irregularities marred Iraq’s continued attempt to practice democracy. 3) The UN Security Council is beginning to focus on Iranian arms sales that violate […]
Italian politics is always colorful, especially so when Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is involved. His latest move gives an ironic twist to corruption fighting. Berlusconi has been accused of everything from womanizing to mafia links, but to date he has mostly slithered out between the fingers of the law. One current trial accuses him of […]
Perhaps —no, undoubtedly — only the World Bank would host an event to discuss the fiscal systems different countries have to divide oil and gas revenue. The conference, held in Washington DC by the Bank’s Oil, Gas and Mining division, concludes today. While some systems are unitary (like, on balance, Indonesia), many today are federal. […]
1. On March 3rd, the Obama Administration announced its support to declare the bluefish tuna endangered and to ban international trade of the fish. Japan is not happy and Europe is divided. Sushi aficionados in Japan and elsewhere have consumed bluefin for decades, causing the fish’s population to plummet. This month, representatives from 175 countries […]
A U.S. Army sergeant is suing the makers of the Oscar-nominated film “The Hurt Locker.” He says he felt betrayed because they stole his story. Master Sergeant Jeffrey S. Sarver, 38, claims in court documents the film makers turned an account of his frightening duties defusing bombs in Iraq into the much lauded action-thriller without […]
The culpability of doctors in the U.S.-run torture program bubbles up every now and then, as it did in the New York Times earlier this week. Here are some highlights: According to Justice Department memos released last year, the medical service opined that sleep deprivation up to 180 hours didn’t qualify as torture. It determined […]
Relations between the U.S. and China have become strained of late. Currency values, climate change, computer hacking, Tibet, arms sales to Taiwan, and debt concerns are just a few of the many challenges burdening the relationship. According to this newswire report, the two countries are working on addressing these issues. Two high level U.S. emissaries […]