President Obama said back at the end of February that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2011, with most out by August 2010. His policy is to pull out of Iraq and take American power instead to Afghanistan and Pakistan in order to root out Al Qaeda and […]
The world is swimming in oil. This coming less than one year after record high oil prices and when the world was running very low in spare capacity (the difference between what can be produced and the amount demanded and the linchpin to lower prices). US inventories are at record levels. Tankers are sitting off […]
In the past few months, there have been three very high-profile cases of journalists being captured, imprisoned, and accused of espionage. They include two Americans who are now trapped in North Korea, and one Iranian-American who is being held in a notorious Iranian prison. Roxana Saberi has been charged with espionage by the Iranian government. […]
A question arose for me the other day: How would the world regard the Skeptics/Denialists if they were Holocaust Deniers? The short answer is the “NY Times” wouldn’t have a cover story in their Sunday magazine on a prominent and well-regarded scientist who is, for whatever inexplicable reason and using whatever tortured logic, an outspoken […]
When in July 14, 2008 prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo charged Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir with genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, few people would have argued against. Only a month before, Moreno-Ocampo stood in front of the United Nations Security Council and said Khartoum had slaughtered some 300,000 people. The evidence is there buried […]
“There is a ”sanctity” involved with bringing a child into this world: it is better than bombing one out of it.” – James Baldwin (1924-1987) African-American writer. So often we take for granted the power and fragility of life, for the power and miracle of birth is often quickly overshadowed by the power of destruction […]
As many as two million people are being displaced because of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in China. “Up the Yangtze” chronicles the life of two teenagers who work on a cruise ship that gives “farewell” tours to those who want to see the Yangtze before the dam alters it forever. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/Q1fFuynf-Yw” […]
The Fed is already printing trillions of U.S. dollars, now plans to start injecting foreign currency swaps into the equation, too, according to minutes recently released from its March meeting.
I posted this a few days ago, but I’m bumping it up as it remains timely. As you know the situation with the Somaili pirates remains fluid, the American hostage made a daring escape attempt but was recaptured, this LA Times report has the details. This report in The New York Times suggests that the […]
Travis Sharp, an expert on United States defense policy, says that China’s economic growth and military modernization are “tipping the East Asian balance of power more in Beijing’s favor.” To gain insight into the relative hard power of states, I interviewed Mr. Sharp about US military strategies. Mr. Sharp is a military policy analyst for […]
The Economist has jumped on the debate train: This past week they looked at the resolution on religious defamation, adopted by the UN Human Rights Council. Actually, they asked the question (which shows perfectly the confusion in this debate), “What exactly is it the drafters of the council resolution are trying to outlaw?” The answer […]
The recent salmonella outbreaks in peanuts and pistachios may have been wake-up calls to the public about the dangers of food-borne illness, but U.S. agencies that measure food safety have seen how “progress has plateaued” in government efforts to combat contamination of U.S. food supply. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released its […]
During his recent tour of Europe, United States President Obama displayed a humbled diplomacy. Is this the end of American exceptionalism? Is this a sign of America’s decline and indication of its weakness? Not necessarily. Some view Obama’s conciliatory tone as a symbol of an overextended superpower without adequate influence to dictate events. In reality, […]
The discussions were imperfect and the actions were inadequate, but it was better that they met than not. Last week, leaders representing nearly 90 percent of the global economy convened to solve the world’s economic ills. There were no absolute remedies offered, but did the Group of 20 summit address the hopes of rising powers? […]
Show throwing is quickly becoming a popular form of protest. Both former United States President George W. Bush and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao previously fell victim. This week, Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram became the latest world leader to enjoy the dubious distinction of having a shoe thrown at him. If it’s a sign […]