Christian Poveda, a Franco-Spanish documentary filmmaker, was shot and killed yesterday morning on the road near his home in Rosario, El Salvador. Poveda was a veteran journalist with experience reporting in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. His documentary about El Salvador’s two most notorious gangs, “La Vida Loca” is set to premiere on […]
Children around the world are forced into the sex trade, very often by their own families, mislead by promises of economic opportunity or pushed by desperation. The commercial sex industry is fueled by poverty, but driven by demand and while the issue of poverty must be addressed, so must the those who prey on women […]
Size. Strength. Potential. Neighbors. The world’s two fastest rising powers – China and India – are often considered strategic rivals, not close friends. Sure, Beijing and Delhi often sing the same tune in international powwows, but their differences are real and could become more pronounced. Beijing and Delhi largely agree on climate change, trade and […]
Twelve Awa Indians were massacred in rural southwest Colombia last week. Seven children were among the dead including one infant. They were apparently shot by masked men wearing camoflauge. One suspect is in custody. He is alleged to have extorted the victims. However independent news organizations report that the government played a role in the […]
Oil giant Chevron says that it had obtained video recordings — and has posted them on its website — that appear to show an Ecuadorean political operative seeking $3 million in bribes, in connection with a $27 billion lawsuit the company. It is the latest wrinkle in the on-going class action lawsuit brought by dozens […]
A recent Boston Globe article discussed the dramatic impact of the large-scale migration of workers from the Philippines, and the remittances that they send back home. Two major points are worth noting here: 1. Over 10 million Filipinos workers have migrated overseas, representing an astounding 11% of the country’s population. What does this mean for […]
Central Africa is not the first place energy people traditionally think of when it comes to oil. Now it appears Uganda may have up to 2 billion barrels of the stuff, according to their government. The question is what to do about it. Uganda would like to have a refinery, although some oil companies say this […]
In a NY Times Op-Ed, Sheila Bair, Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) outlines a compelling litany of reasons why the Obama administration’s proposed regulatory changes, while good in many respects, does not sufficiently address the issues that caused the current – or will prevent future – financial sector crises.
Oberlin College will screen a film series next week examining the relationship between the U.S. and Iran. From the press release: “Iran and the West” is the title of the three-part film series by producer Norma Percy ’63 and her colleagues at Brook Lapping that explores how all previous attempts to open a dialogue between […]
The increasing professionalization of (Western) Philanthropy has left most of us, the average check writer, in the dust. Professionalization is not necessarily a bad thing, but it elicits a similar answer to questions of “why I am unable to do my husband’s treasury job” and “why I need a lawyer to help me buy a […]
The human rights group Physicians for Human Rights released a new report yesterday detailing the role that health professionals played in interrogating and torturing inmates at Guantanamo Bay. The role of health professionals first came to light in a 2004 CIA report, but Physicians for Human Rights now claim that they played a much more […]
Should America be a great power? If so, can the United States remain a great power? Christian Brose, senior editor at Foreign Policy, and Rachel Kleinfeld, president of the Truman National Security Project, debate the future of the world’s hegemon and rising heavyweights on bloggingheads.tv. Christian Brose argues that “the greatest advantage that the United […]
Last week I was thrilled to host a dinner for a delegation from Uganda in the US on a State Department International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) visit. The conversation over dinner was an amazing mix of informal chat and high politics. The members of the delegation came to Albany, NY on the final leg of their multi-city tour […]
As we wait for Gen. McChrystal’s report on the war in Afghanistan I thought I would call your attention to this YouTube video in which the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen invites questions from the public on national security and military personnel issues for an online discussion billed as a […]
According to reports in both the Financial Times of London, as well as the New York Times, the Federal Reserve has made a $14Bn profit on TARP loan programs to struggling banks using tax-payer funds.