On September 5, this blog discussed the social debate over the construction of a sensationally beautiful mosque in Cologne. Now, there is news that conservative forces in Italy are also attempting to limit the construction of mosques. Reuters reports that "polls show Italians mistrust Muslims, and a third do not want a mosque in their […]
This month Free the Slaves, the United States oldest anti-slavery/abolitionist organization launched the Freedom Awards, honoring those who have struggled for freedom and won, those who fight in the name of those who have been silenced by the chains of slavery, those who never look back and face hardship as if it were only a […]
The folks at PBS’ “Frontline/World,” a national public TV series that focusing on global issues, have been producing material that is highly relevant to this blog's scope. Their “The World is Watching” series investigates global views of the US presidential election. For example, the site features reporting on the US elections in Afghanistan: “The elections are a […]
Last week there was a diplomatic row between the US, Bolivia and Venezuela. Bolivian President, Evo Morales, expelled the US Ambassador to Bolivia, Philip Goldberg, from the country, accusing the Ambassador of “conspiring against democracy.” The expulsion comes at a time of social upheaval in Bolivia. Wealthy people from Bolivia's oil-rich provinces have been protesting against the populist […]
I’d like to follow up on my previous post on the foreign policy advice being given to Barack Obama by noting the advice being given to John McCain. My fellow FPA blogger Melinda Brouwer noted foreign policy advice presented at the Republican National Convention on a panel moderated by the Council on Foreign Relations’ president […]
North Korea remains veiled in a murky shadow as their laconic leader, Kim Jong il, has taken ill after supposedly suffering a stroke. No one has seen him since and he was conspicuously absent at a September 9 parade marking the country's foundering. No more fan fare, no more god awful spectacles filling stadiums teeming […]
Last week, a sports-fan friend introduced me to an on-line forum where he publicly posts his weekly football picks. Coupled with the team he believes will prevail is a brief rationale of why he is making this choice and placing his bet on a particular team. For him, its a way to keep both a historical record […]
The deployment of a reported 10,000 Syrian troops near the country's border with northern Lebanon has many concerned, according to several Arab sources. As-Sharq al-Awsat stated that some Lebanese fear that it could be the sign of a Syrian incursion, with French and Turkish cover, to counter extremists originating from northern Lebanon. However, Lebanese Army […]
By Reginald Dale and Eve Copeland "Greening the dream that drives America: The U.S. should put the same creativity that produced the car into tackling the energy crisis it has caused' September 18, The Times of London This short essay, part observation from a motel window, part finger-wagging at America, and part book review, maintains […]
In Haiti the term Restavek, a Creole word derived from the French "rester avec", meaning "to stay with" or "to remain with", is deeply rooted in the countries history. While sending your children away to work as a domestic may be deeply rooted in the impoverished countries history, however the modern reality is that some […]
The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, called on the world community to work in unison to bring Sudanese war criminals to justice. Moreno-Ocampo, who was in New York Monday ahead of the 63rd annual session of the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 23, said world leaders could do a better job […]
Sometimes television advertising fails to reach even an interested consumer. I had no idea that CNN was going to convene a panel of past secretaries of state, if I had, I would have promoted that event here. The CNN special The Next President – A World of Challenges aired this past weekend, in which a […]
The Taliban in Pakistan have denied responsibility for the Islamabad Marriott bombing that left over 50 dead and 250 injured. According to Al Jazeera, Talibani senior commander Baitullah Mehsud claims "that their group does not believe in killing so many locals and would never overtly attack civilians.' Mehsud backs this assertion by highlighting the use […]
By Eve Copeland and Cecily Boggs For many months, Iran's nuclear ambitions have taken center stage in both American and European news and analytical reports. On September 15, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released what has been described by the Financial Times as "one of the most damning reports it has yet published on […]
Congress might be a little preoccupied this week with saving the world from the consequences of the overleveraged, unregulated excesses of the financial industry, nevertheless, they may actually make time to find a way to create a package of tax credits that will bolster the renewables industry, keeping its incredible recent momentum going. Senate to […]