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 […]
“Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world” -Maria Montessori (Italian physician and educator, 1870-1952) Giving children freedom of expression and the freedom to pursue their own interests is the greatest gift we can give our children and our future. Sadly this gift is all too often unseen around the globe, […]
I am not going to say a lot here about how Governor Palin and the Republicans are treating the climate change issue at this point. I looked at McCain and Obama back in June. It is very interesting to note, though, that Palin's entry in the race has generated a huge amount of ink, and […]
Today began like any other day for me and so many others, as in an early morning fog craving a cup of coffee I boarded the metro praying for a seat. My prayers were answered and I put on my headset and tucked into my magazine. Then I could faintly hear an announcement…something about the […]
A poll released yesterday by the German Marshall Fund basically echos one released the previous day, and, for that matter, echoes most other polls conducted on the subject of world views on the Presidential candidates. From the press release: “A survey released today shows that nearly half of Europeans (47%) believe that relations between the […]
Today is, of course, the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. President Bush's remarks on the dedication of the Pentagon's memorial to the victims are here. There's little Dan or I can add to the great deal that has been said about the attacks except to add our prayers for the victims and their families […]
The United States paused today to note the anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. This is an opportunity for reflection and resolve. We look back on those attacks (the archive of The New York Times report can be found here) from this safe distance seven years later and marvel at the national unity that arose […]
As I am currently based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and working on issues of religion and politics (with the Tajikistan Dialogue Project), I couldn't resist sharing with you the following Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty articles. The first and most recent piece is titled, "Tajik Women, Young People Appear to be Embracing Islam." Farangis Najibullah […]
I received information from a source inside Human Rights Georgia that some of the components of the cluster bombs dropped on civilians may have been manufactured by a German facility that produces decoy countermeasures. These include flares and chaff amongst others. It is claimed that the said company's labels were found on unexploded cluster bomblets. […]
Former Darfur Commission chair and ICTY President Antonio Cassesse has this op-ed in the Lebanese Daily Star on the international law implications of the Russia-Georgia conflict.
This week saw new developments in the U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation accord. In case you’re unfamiliar, this deal would allow the US to ship atomic fuel to India, for use in its civil nuclear energy program, in return for international inspections of India's civilian reactors, to make sure they don't use this technology to make nuclear weapons. As […]
Green Jobs , A report out yesterday from the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and commissioned by the Center for American Progress, says that a $100 billion, two-year national investment in renewable energy, mass transportation, and a "smart grid" for electricity, would yield two million new jobs, with a […]
President Bush has announced that he will send additional military forces to Afghanistan (The New York Times – 8,000 Troops to Leave Iraq Next Year): President Bush has accepted the recommendation of his senior civilian and military advisers to reduce the number of American troops in Iraq by 8,000 in the early months of next […]