Today's bulldozer attack in Jerusalem is the second of its kind in the West Bank this month. After the previous July 2nd attack, I wrote a post suggesting that this could be part of an emerging trend in the area, whereby groups/individuals may be employing low-tech and non-traditional forms of terrorism to counter the security […]
Imagine the following scenario: Food riots destabilize the capital of a sub-Saharan African country, military officers stage a coup, a civil war breaks out, the government falls, a new government takes power but their hold on power is tenuous, social unrest continues, people are starving. What can the U.S. do? Traditionally, the U.S. would send aid […]
On July 18, two French ACF (Action Contre Faim – in French) aid workers were abducted by armed militias in central Afghanistan. ACF has since temporarily suspended operations leaving behind 130,000 people who faced acute malnutrition. The lack of security in Afghanistan is preventing NGOs and aid agencies from delivering services in a time when […]
As Daniel noted, Radovan Karadzic was arrested yesterday by Serbian authorities. Karadzic, who PBS once described as the world's most wanted man, was President of the Republika Srpska, and ICTY alleges that he is guilty of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Perhaps most importantly, Karadzic is accused of ordering the genocide at Srebrenica, […]
FGM tends to leave on thinking that it is a problem which plagues ‘other’ nations, however the eradication of FGM is not limited to African or Muslim nations, it is human rights violation that follows women and girls across the globe. Recent news has begun to shed a little light on a global fight, which […]
The article, Figures on Faith, discusses new efforts to gather information about the actual number of Muslims living in the United States. For many years, there has been a debate about the size of the Muslim communities in America. Past surveys put the numbers quite low, worrying Muslims that they may not have a substantial […]
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Bosnian Serb wartime president Radovan Karadzic, one of the world's most wanted men for his part in civilian massacres, was arrested on Monday, Serbian President Boris Tadic's office said on Monday.
The Geneva meeting with Iran over the weekend did not go well. The presence of a U.S. representative apparently made little difference, nor did Iran appear to appreciate the gesture (The Washington Post – Iran Nuclear Talks End Without Agreement): High-level international talks on Iran's nuclear program ended inconclusively today in Geneva, with European […]
Ban disappointed over Darfur, child soldiers United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep disappointment at the use of child soldiers and the lack of progress toward a political settlement to the conflict in Darfur in a report released Tuesday. Children were among the rebel soldiers captured after a recent attack on the Sudanese capital. High […]
The big news from Down Under from last week was Pope Benedict XVI's visit. The Vatican has elevated climate change as a concern recently. See this from the "Voice of America." (For something a bit more substantive from The Holy See, see this speech from February at the UN.) The Pope would be preaching to the […]
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/3PXHeKuBzPY” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] The animated film "Persepolis" was nominated for an Academy Award for best animated feature for 2007. And with good reason. The film centers on a young girl coming of age in a turbulent time in Iran. The overthrow of the shah, the subsequent takeover by the mullahs and the […]
The program “What's Next?” on Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV recently featured the first interview (accessible here) with the recently released Samir Quntar. In the interview, Quntar symbolically wears a Hezbollah-styled uniform with a Lebanese flag arm patch. He speaks about the kidnapping operation he took part in, as well as the military achievements of Hezbollah's resistance. […]
Earlier this year, the RAND Corporation issued a study of the threat of “Islamist” insurgencies: “War by other Means – Building Complete and Balanced Capabilities for Counterinsurgency.” The press release for the new study is also a summary of the main idea: “U.S. Lacks the Capability to Counter Insurgency in the Muslim World.” The language […]
Child abuse or sexual abuse is an euphemism for what is really happening and has been happening for a very long time. Let's just call it what it is – child rape. The Catholic Church, already having paid out billions of dollars in compensations ($2 billion in the US alone), is having to make some […]
I wrote about all the huffing and puffing by the "Alliance to Save Nantucket Sound" in my recent look at the great book, Cape Wind. One of their arguments is that the windfarm will destroy the view. Here's the thing: I am among a number of folks who think the view of offshore (or onshore) […]