… and I say, it’s alright. Here are a couple of items that should make you feel warm. First, RenewableEnergyWorld.com has a look at the US Utility-scale Solar Picture. How are we doing? Well, the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) “…is aware of contracts totaling over 1500 MW of PV and 4000 MW of concentrating […]
The end of the Cold War left the United States as the world’s sole superpower. The US enjoyed dominance in international affairs and theorists debated the future after the Soviet Union’s dissolution. Francis Fukuyama’s End of History differed from the Clash of Civilizations anticipated by Samuel Huntington. The 21st century could be the dawn of […]
China Tells U.N. Panel That It Respects Rights China defended its treatment of its civilians before the UN Human Rights Council, answering questions on a number of grounds pertaining to Tibet, torture, labor camps and other topics. Human rights organizations say China’s answers to the questions whitewashed the reality and that China has not committed […]
President Obama’s first prime-time news conference featured three questions about U.S. foreign policy, chief among them, relations with Iran. Caren Bohan from the Reuters news service asked about President Obama’s strategy for dealing with Iran, and in his reply, President Obama made clear that he is starting over, conducting a formal review of relations with […]
An appeals court for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda upheld a life sentence handed down in 2007 for a provincial leader implicated in attacks against Tutsis. The Appeals Chamber of the United Nations upheld the December 2007 ICTR ruling that convicted Francois Karera to a life sentence for three counts of genocide and crimes […]
The Foreign Policy Association has chosen to focus on last year’s global food crisis as part of the Great Decisions series for 2009. In addition to the article by Elaine Monaghan in the briefing book, and online resources, the FPA has also produced an episode of the Great Decisions Television Series on the global food […]
President Obama's Department of Justice will uphold the states secret defense used by Bush to prevent a lawsuit by five individuals who claim to have been tortured abroad under the controversial “extraordinary rendition” program. The states secret privilege, developed by the Supreme Court in 1953, entitles the US government to block all evidence from ever […]
Among the several tacks that Obama and Co. are taking on climate change, one very critical one is in international relations. The State Department has named its envoy on climate change, Todd Stern, and the Secretary of State is heading to Asia next week for extensive meetings in Japan, Indonesia, Korea and China. Secretary Clinton […]
New U.S. Middle East Envoy Wins Approval but Little Confidence for His Mission America's new Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, is back from his first trip to the region and will likely return there later this month. He met with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority and visited Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. […]
Yemen to Release About 170 al-Qaida Suspects Yemeni officials say they are releasing about 170 detainees with suspected ties to al-Qaida, two weeks after al-Qaida said it would use Yemen as its base of operations for the Arabian peninsula. India minister says “sincerity” needed to fight terror India and Bangladesh discussed on Monday setting up […]
Foreign Policy Beyond the Pentagon Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, believes that the United States’ foreign policy has become “too militarized.” US Vice President Offers Iran a Chance and a Choice In what appears to be a big shift in foreign policy, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden publicly reached out […]
Do you know someone who has truly been the change in children’s lives in your community, or around the globe? Now is the time to see that their hard work and dedication is honored by nominating them for a World of Children Award. Nomination categories include an award especially for youth under the age of […]
The Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Center (PIC) issued a report today alleging that a Hamas fighter died in the custody of Fatah security forces in the West Bank as a result of wounds suffered during torture. Citing a ‘local’ source the PIC states that the individual, Muhammad Al-Haj, was being interrogated at the preventative security detention […]
Change is what the Obama campaign was advertising. They won and I, for my part, am not complaining about false advertising. I’ve been raving here (and here, and here, among other places) about how the new administration is really rolling up its sleeves and getting down to cases on climate change, renewables, the green economy, […]
The Better World Campaignm which is the sister organization of the United Nations Foundation, is looking for your input. For ten years now the UN Foundation, has worked to support the United Nations, by connecting people, ideas and resources in an effort to solve some of the most difficult global issues. Under the UN Foundation, a […]