Pope Benedict XVI was in France for three days last week. On Friday he arrived in Paris, where he was met by President Sarkozy and his wife. As regards the intellectual content of the Pope's visit, a New York Times Article says that he warned "the Parisian intelligentsia of the dangers of secularism." Sarkozy, according […]
While most of the media's attention was turned to the speeches given at the recent Republican and Democratic national conventions, meanwhile, many of the nation's think tanks and non-profit organizations organized sidebar discussions about critical policy issues facing the country. Two excellent examples of such events were both sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, […]
In my review of a really great read, Cape Wind, I mentioned Bluewater Wind's proposal for Delaware waters. There was an informative story in yesterday's "NY Times" magazine on this project: Wind-Power Politics. It's got some great inside politics on how the Bluewater project forged ahead, was sideswiped by some key state legislators working with […]
Having recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russia has now decided to keep troops in those disputed regions (The New York Times – Moscow Will Keep Troops in Georgia Enclaves): Defense Minister Anatoly E. Serdyukov told Mr. Medvedev during a televised meeting on Tuesday that about 3,800 troops would remain in each […]
With every passing explosion in downtown New Delhi, it became more and more clear that America and its western partners are ignoring a valuable ally in their war against Islamic fundamentalism. India has always been regarded as somehow unique to the league of democracies, although there are no legitimate reasons for this exclusion. Perhaps it […]
New York ends schoolchildren's UN visits, citing safety concerns New York City has ordered city schools to suspend all class visits to the United Nations headquarters over concerns that the facility, now more than 50 years old, is not meeting current fire and safety codes. The city and UN have been at loggerheads over the […]
The Muslim Brotherhood's English-language website reports that Al Qaeda in Iraq's (AQI) leader is calling for war against the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq. Citing a report by the Italian Adnkronos news agency, the Brotherhood states that AQI's leader, Abu Amr al-Baghdadi, has offered a reward to those […]
A wave of bombings swept across New Delhi on Saturday, killing 20 people and injuring at least 50. While information is still coming in, multiple sources have confirmed at least six explosions in five different locations, with police defusing an additional two bombs. Areas affected by the bombings were: Gaffar Market, Connaught Place, M Block […]
This film is as much about empowerment for women as it is a slice of life in post-Taliban Afghanistan. It is about several women from the United States and Britain who come to Kabul after the fall of the Taliban to teach women how to be beauticians. One interesting aspect is the way in which […]
The BBC, among other news providers, reported yesterday that the most senior judge in Saudi Arabia has said that it is permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV channels that broadcast immoral programs. Sheikh Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan commented on a radio program that “It is legitimate to kill those who call for corruption if […]
The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, concluded last week her trip to Turkmenistan. Although some progress has been made, there is still concern about the contents of a law from 2003 that prohibits “any activities by unregistered religious organizations.” The UN expert says that international human rights law allows […]
September 14th will mark the 26th anniversary of Bashir Gemayel's assassination. Gemayel was a leader who first emerged to the forefront of Lebanese political life as the commander of the predominantly Maronite Christian Lebanese Forces (LF) militia, and, through a combination of political and military ingenuity, eventually became president of the war-torn country in […]
Clint Williamson, the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, visited the Georgian capital of Tbilisi Friday to examine accusations of war crimes, local reports said. “My visit to Georgia underlines how seriously the U.S. regards the information on crimes committed during the conflict and how Washington is concerned about proceeding events that result in ethnic cleaning,” […]
It's Friday and I’ve developed a tradition of closing the week with a recommendation to a blog or other internet resource that will help my readers gain insight into world affairs. Today I’d like to recommend the blog of the Asia Policy Debate 2008. According to their about statement: The purpose of this site is […]
This week's government take over/bail out/acquisition of Fannie and Freddie Mac has prompted some very interesting conversations on all sides of government, business, and the non-profit sector – including how to balance the drive for profit with the desire to promote the social good. In addition to the questions of how Fannie and Freddie's charitable giving […]