Last year there was Jack Goldsmith’s The Cheney Fallacy. Then, a few months later, came Eric Posner’s article in Foreign Policy. Now comes John Bellinger’s New York Times editorial (h/t to Opinio Juris). These editorials hit the nail on the head. As Bellinger writes, “the Bush administration demonstrated a greater commitment to international law in […]
In case you missed it, the New York Times had an interesting article last week about the Holder v. New Humanitarian Law Project case. The case concerns Ralph Fertig, who would like to provide support to the Kudistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to help them peacefully achieve their objectives. However, Fertig’s endeavor may be illegal, as […]
In the January/February 2010 edition of Foreign Affairs, Carlisle Ford Runge and Carlisle Piehl Runge wrote an article titled “Against the Grain, “ which questions if the current global balance between food prices (high) and food supply (low) invites a return of the theories of Thomas Malthus, who posited that overwhelming human population growth would be held back by a decreasing availability of food. […]
I’ve been trying to stay out of the thick of the vastly media-inflated controversy over the science. There are folks, in any event, who are much better grounded in the complexities of the arguments than I am. These include the very good minds at RealClimate, Skeptical Science, Stoat and Climate Feedback, among others. I have […]
Following documentary filmmaker Paul Martin’s kidnapping in Gaza on Monday by Hamas, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) noted that the kidnapping came just when he was about to give evidence at a military tribunal. The IFJ called it a “shocking violation of journalists’ rights” and demanded his immediate release. IFJ and its UK affiliate, […]
While the debate over the current ban against openly gay service members in the US military continues in Washington, there is another story about the consequences of breaking barriers in the military that is also getting attention: the ongoing prevalence of sexual violence against women in the military. The BBC carried an interesting story this […]
Last week I blogged about the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR); I thought this week I’d take a look at the Intelligence Community’s annual threat assessment. The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dennis Blair presented the report before Congress on February 2. I found it interesting that in spite of the spotlight focused on the […]
If the accuracy of the Japanese finance ministry’s revision of their GDP estimates are to be believed, then it appears the Nippon economy is, finally, awakening from its ‘Lost Decade’ of economic slumber following the collapse of its once heralded economy. According the their finance ministry, Japan’s GDP expanded +4.6% in 4Q 2009.
Two months ago, the provincial government where I live asked some of its disability service providers to help pay the provincial deficit – by returning a portion of money from previously signed government contracts. It was a particularly callous move being two weeks before Christmas. In Canada, like other countries, many services that are labeled […]
Goldman Sachs, after being generously bailed out, is now leading the Wall Street pack in the Eurozone, in fragile economies , such as Greece, by engaging in the same types of complex financial transactions that precipitated the global financial crisis. This is further proof that more vigorous regulatory reform and transparency is required of large financial institutions.
On Friday, Haiti marked the one month anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake which had left the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere in the dire situation of providing food and shelter to nearly 1 million displaced survivors. Following recent outbreaks of violence by Haitians seeking food aid and supplies, feelings of desperation among […]
The NYT decided to count the ways in which China is threatened by the Intertubes these days. The piece combines the two major aspects of the Web’s foreign policy impact: online organizing as threat to authoritarian control, and cybersecurity data compromises. … While much of the rest of the world frets about Chinese cyberspying abroad, […]
I’ve been looking at energy and environmental policy for many years and I’m usually happily surprised when things take a smart turn. Even thoughtful, progressive policymakers like Barack Obama, though, wind up making bone-headed calls. Obama offers nuclear plant loan guarantee, as the FT reports, is one good example. I’m, to put it politely, less-than-sanguine […]
As the day dawns on love, millions of couples are exchanging gifts which symbolize their love and affection for each other. While the commercialization of this day of love has left many emptying their pockets, while others are left entangled in the brutal world of modern slavery. Much of our chocolaty symbol of love comes […]
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, has changed his mind. He loves big oil companies after all. The history of Big Oil and Hugo Chavez reads like one of those dysfunctional relationships most of us have at least briefly been involved in: he or she only loves you when they […]