The AP is reporting that internal documents show former detainee Yaser Hamdi, released in 2004, was undergoing psychological problems as a result of his confinement in Charleston, South Carolina's consolidated naval brig where U.S. citizens designated “enemy combatants” are detained. Hamdi was eventually released and deported to Saudi Arabia on the condition he give up […]
So what did you think of the Presidential Town Hall debate? I was pleased that there was a good bit of time devoted to foreign policy questions. I’d like to repeat my experiment with the debate transcript, again using the comments to break out the answers from each candidate. Reviewing the issues like this […]
In the past few weeks some 40,000 residents of Mogadishu have fled a violence that has continued unabated since the removal of Somali leader Siad Barre in 1991. The origins of this conflict like so many on the continent are remnants of a civil society torn apart by colonialism and then again by US/Soviet proxy […]
It’s not as catchy as “Drill, Baby, Drill” but it’s actually where we’re going in the developed world. There have been a number of important developments recently entirely worthy of note. (See observations I’ve made previously in this area under Carbon Markets.) Energy and Commerce – The US House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee […]
Our colleagues at The Grotian Movement have obtained the only English language translation of the decision on the Anfal campaign, an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kurdish population in the north of the country. The repercussions of the Anfal campaign are apparent in the disputed provincial elections law. Iraq lawmakers passed a long-awaited provincial elections […]
Last week, on October 3, 2008, President Bush signed the Child Soldiers Accountability Act into law. The Act “makes it a federal crime to recruit knowingly or to use soldiers under the age of 15 and permits the United States to prosecute any individual on US soil for the offense, even if the children were […]
Serb general Momcilo Perisic's trial began in front of ICTY late last week. Perisic served as Yugoslav army commander during the conflict. The indictment against Perisic filed by the office of the Prosecutor charges Perisic with command responsibility for failing to punish war crimes committed by subordinates, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws […]
The Presidential Town Hall Debate between Barack Obama and John McCain will air live tonight, Tuesday October 7th at 9 pm eastern time, 6 pm pacific time, on every major broadcast network and cable news network. Belmont University is the host for this debate, and Tom Brokaw of NBC News is the moderator. This is […]
In another blow to the Bush administration's authority over so-called enemy combatants, a federal judge ordered the release of 17 Chinese Muslims of the Uighur sect released from U.S. custody at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay. U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina said Tuesday there was no evidence to suggest the Uighurs were “enemy combatants” […]
A couple of weeks ago, I thought I was writing on the worst the economy had to offer. Fast forward to now – the world is involved and my local newspaper is reporting on the expected dip in non-profit donations. The economy, coupled with the newly released Matthew Bishop/Michael Green book on Philanthrocapitalism, has me wondering […]
The Institute for War and Peace Reporting has a new article about growing international concerns that the Afghan judiciary is "composed of religious hardliners with Taleban sympathies." The article looks at two convictions that are based on violations of Islamic law and points out that "some have suggested that the cases expose what they see […]
“Every 2.2 seconds, a child loses a parent due to war, natural disaster, poverty, disease and other causes. Today, there are 133 million children who have lost one or both of their parents, and 15 million are orphaned due to AIDS.” This week is World Orphan Week (October 5-11, 2008), and in support of the […]
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin gets "mavericky" on the wars, global warming, Israel and Cuban food. Not as funny as the Palin/Clinton and the Couric/Palin skits but still pretty funny. My hat is off to Queen Latifah for her fabulous performance as NewsHour's Gwen Ifill.
This is a follow-up post to last week's post about the Vice Presidential debate, more of an experiment really. I thought it would be interesting to go back to the transcript and review the foreign policy topics that were covered and then separate out the replies from each candidate so they could be more easily […]
All the positive things I’ve described here at the blog regarding business practices, technological breakthroughs, and political developments are very much in train. They signal, in my mind, real hope for the future. I don’t, however, want to live with rose-colored glasses obscuring my vision. We’re heading into a tempest now. The world economic crisis […]