Transition from military rule to full democracy is never easy and often involves serious questions about accountability. This can involve accountability for past actions, or new questions about how a civilian government can be held accountable to the people. Because of the complicated nature of any transition, some governments opt to take the easy way […]
Today was National Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day (NGHTAD) and the buzz against human trafficking was all about. E-mails and 24 hour campaigns were bustling around the Internet, while Facebook was exploding with chatter on what one could do on the day to promote the day. People across the country were sharing resources and information […]
In the midst of a debate about whether the Boumediene v. Bush decision granting habeus corpus rights to Guantanamo prisoners should apply to prisoners at Bagram, the U.S. has arranged for Afghan officials to take control of the prison.
Broadly speaking, the U.S. government has three sets of policy options available when it comes to creating a greener global economy. Far at one end is traditional regulation, that includes initiatives like mandated energy standards for washing machines and chirpy public education reminders to turn off the water when brushing teeth. At the opposing end […]
In a recent interviews with MSNBC, Bloomberg and VentureBeat, PayPal co-founder and Slide CEO Max Levchin has discussed the development of social networks and similar online worlds as “self-enclosed economies,” in which all the normal economic rules can be made to apply in the new, burgeoning trade of virtual goods. He suggested that this is […]
As you know, the U.S. is currently collaborating with other Security Council countries on the question of imposing some kind of sanctions on Iran over the nuclear issue. In international affairs, sanctions are most often imposed on countries that are antagonistic, which is why this report from the Voice of American stands out as noting […]
NAFSA: Association of International Educators released a report last month on visa and immigration reform.The report is titled “A Visa and Immigration Policy for the Brain Circulation Era: Adjusting to What Happened in the World While We Were Busy Making Other Plans” and is authored by Victor Johnson, a senior advisor for public policy at […]
Sixty percent of all the world’s development aid comes from Europe. That is something one will always hear when you hang around the EU corridors here in Brussels. In charge of this colossal sum is the European Commission (the executive power of the European Union). And in charge of this dossier at the European Commission […]
I was talking with an old friend last week about how much renewable energy and energy efficiency can do for us. Pretty much everything is my argument. We are making progress along these lines that is sometimes breathtaking. There was a breakthrough announcement on renewable energy last week from the British: They will be deploying […]
On CNN yesterday, General David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, told Christine Amanpour that in addition to diplomacy and sanctions, the US has developed contingency plans in order to deal with Iran’s refusal to curb its nuclear program. However, Petraeus was vague in his description and chose not to elaborate on the specifics of […]
Today marks National Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day (NGHTAD), as a resolution passed by the US Senate on June 22, 2007 has forever marked January 11th as a day of awareness and vigilance for the countless victims of Human Trafficking across the globe. Take action today, be it via the internet or in your own […]
Reflections of a retired Baby Boomer Topic: Obama and the Intelligence Community On Thursday, President Obama and his staff discussed the findings of their internal review of the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack. They concluded there was not a failure to share information such as was seen in the pre 9/11 days; but […]
Traffickers target Kenyan economic refugees Human traffickers are taking advantage of Kenyans seeking to escape extreme poverty, droughts and rampant unemployment. Anti-trafficking advocates say Kenya lacks existing laws and manpower to combat the problem. Nepal frees hundreds of former child soldiers Hundreds of former child soldiers bid their comrades farewell today at a camp in […]
Based on the most recently available information on foreign direct investment (FDI), by nation, the Palestinian state has experienced an unexpected surge in its economic growth in 2009, and a burdgeoning effort to attract foreign investors and entrepreneurs.
Zimbabwe continues to battle controversy over diamond mining Abuses at Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond field continue despite agreements with internal monitors to end military control of the area, rights monitor Global Witness says. Zimbabwean authorities were forced to make a last-minute cancellation of a planned auction of 300,000 carats of rough diamonds after failing to obtain […]