Democracy produces stability only when it actually responds to the needs of the people. So India is taking steps to neutralize a Maoist rebellion in eastern India by increasing payments to local people being displaced by mining development. The government will introduce a new bill, probably in the current session of parliament, to raise the payout […]
High profile battles over gay rights is something more commonly found in the West rather than in Africa. But the proposed changes to Uganda’s anti-gay laws being considered by Parliament has brought that country to the forefront of the global battle for LGBT rights. Homosexuality is already criminalized in Uganda but the Anti-Homosexuality Bill currently […]
The devastation of Haiti’s earthquake has left behind more than rubble and the stench of death, it has shaken a fragile nation to the core, depleting not only the few physical resources and straining an already fragile economy, but is has take many of the country’s future leaders. The quake not only brought down homes […]
John Kerry gave a speech this past week in which he said that he is “on a short track” to introducing climate and energy legislation that can be passed. Kerry said he’d been working with key administration officials and Senators to create a package. In a Reuters article on this, Carol Browner is quoted as […]
On the heels on the announcement that Latin America is forming a new regional organization without the US and Canada to rival the Organization of American States, it looks like the current Inter-American system is coming under fire. Or at least it is from Venezuela. After the release of a 300 page report by the […]
Yesterday I took a break from watching the Winter Olympics to read press accounts of a couple of Soviet Union ballistic missile tests conducted in the fall of 1987. According to a report in the October 2, 1987 Washington Post, the warheads of one of the missiles fell into the Pacific Ocean “about 500 miles […]
Another major earthquake has hit a hemispheric neighbor and the U.S. is standing by to offer assistance. President Obama released an official statement of support to the people of Chile and took to the White House lawn to offer the following remarks: From what I can tell, Chile will probably not ask for U.S. assistance […]
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Deaths in Haiti could total 300,000 More than 200,000 bodies have been found in the aftermath of Haiti’s January earthquake, and the total could climb as high as 300,000, according to Haitian President Rene Preval. Preval issued a call for emergency shelters to house the 1.5 million people living in camps. Rebuilding costs could reach […]
By Miranda Jolicoeur (Guest Contributor) The International Violence Against Women Act, commonly referred to as I-VAWA, is the first attempt of its kind to call attention to violence against women in the public and private spheres around the world. For the most part international law focuses on the state, known as the public sphere, […]
In the wake of tragedy and destruction, and amid the ciaos of rebuilding after natural disasters and war children are often lost in the shuffle. In the aftermath of such disasters children are left the most vulnerable and susceptible to the country’s torment. What children need most in the face of tragedy is not just […]
I wrote last month about The Reaction to EPA’s proposed regulations on greenhouse gases. The virus of fear is spreading. People who should know better, in my opinion, namely eight Democratic Senators from coal, oil and industrial states, wrote to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson warning her, for all intents and purposes, to back off. Coal-State […]
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court heard arguments for the Holder versus Humanitarian Law Project case. You can read the arguments here. The case concerns Ralph Fertig, who wants to help the PKK use non-violent means to achieve its objectives. However, since the U.S. dubs the PKK a terrorist organization, Fertig finds that his endeavor […]
NEW YORK—A look at global press freedom during 2009 offers a glimpse into dangers journalists face as the media industry adjusts to years of corporate meltdowns. Of particular concern are those who rely on the Internet to get news and information out—more than half of imprisoned members of the press are online journalists, including bloggers. […]
Cool idea to handle some of the problems with verifying that funds are being spent appropriately in a war zone written up by Wired: If an area is too dicey to send in expats, Mercy Corps sends in Afghan staff with GPS cameras — either a Nikon point-and-shoot, or a Garmin handheld GPS with built-in […]