With both Canada and the U.S. passing new federal stimulus packages, it has been interesting to hear from the respective non-profit sectors on how pleased they are with the outcomes. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that a congressional compromise will include funding for arts, social service, and volunteerism – including $50 million for capacity building […]
Successful solutions to the world’s most pressing issues – international trade, global financial institutions and regulations, nuclear proliferation, human rights, failed and fragile states, terrorism, poverty, health and diseases, energy and climate change – will increasingly rely on the cooperation and leadership of rising powers. Answers developed by the G7 group of rich countries without […]
The recent salmonella outbreak caused by contamination in peanut plants in the United States has raised new fears about domestic food security. To date, eight people have died in connection with the contamination and 600 hundred have become ill. A recent video from the New York Times recaps the development of the outbreak and challenges […]
One-third of the annual crop yield in the United States is placed into the production of alternative fuels such as corn-based ethanol. The development of this kind of energy, known as “biofuel,” is in large part the result of a desire in the U.S. to shift away from dependence on foreign oil and the harmful […]
Women who are raped have to marry their rapist says Syrian activist Mouna Ghanem. “She is a victim twice. She is a victim the first time she gets raped and she is a victim the second time because she has to marry the man who raped her,” says Ghanem in an openDemocracy 50/50 podcast. The […]
Today marked the first anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah militant figure Imad Mughniyeh (pictured left). Hezbollah has promised retaliation for what it deemed an act by Israel, and there are indications the group has indeed attempted to launch retaliatory operations against Israeli interests outside the Middle East, leaving many eager to see if and […]
Fixing Global Finance By Martin Wolf (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008) http://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/ecom/MasterServlet/GetItemDetailsHandler?iN=9780801890482&qty=1&viewMode=3&loggedIN=false&JavaScript=y The latest book from FT economics columnist, Martin Wolf, explains why global imbalances cause financial crises—including the one ravaging the U. S. right now — and outlines the steps for confronting this destructive cycle. Reviewing global financial crises since 1980, Wolf lays bare […]
This week’s (7 Feb 2009) issue of the ‘Economist’ magazine has a brilliant cover story — not about the emergence, but rather, the return of economic nationalism led, unfortuantely, by the former Bush administration’s penchant for protectionist ‘bi-lateralism’. It’s an interesting peice set in context of an emerging consensus on Capitol Hill that weak money-center […]
As you’ve probably read elsewhere, it wasn’t handed down today – in fact, the ICC’s only announcement was that no decision has been made. Michelle at Stop Genocide has some analysis of what may be going on here. Assuming the indictment and concomitant arrest warrant are eventually handed down, the Enough Project has this must-read […]
I’m off to the annual meeting of the International Studies Association, normal posting will resume the week of the 23rd.
The International Criminal Court approved the indictment of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir today. The indictment is the first against a sitting head of state. There’s been a great deal of commentary on the case recently – Wes Rist criticized the African Union for rallying around al-Bashir, and Alex de Waal summarizes the arguments on genocidal […]
February 14th means a lot to many people around the world, but it most it means a day of love. However in 1998 V-Day began to take on a new meaning, and what was synonymous with love, soon began to symbolize power, femininity, and most importantly a stand against gender based violence. This year V-Day Founder […]
It just so happens that today – the day our blog went live – a book on the issue of rising powers and the place of the United States in the world got featured in the New York Times. The book is Great Powers: America and the World After Bush by Thomas P. M. Barnett. […]