Last week the online magazine Slate published a series called “Fixing It“‚ ten articles offering detailed policy prescriptions for the next US president on how to undo what they identify as damage caused by the Bush administration. Slate asked their international affairs columnist, Fred Kaplan, a former Congressional foreign policy adviser, to give the next […]
As many readers know, when a President makes a foreign trip, a battalion of security, logistics, protocol and media personnel precede and accompany Air Force One. Having witnessed and participated in many such visits in my former career as a State Department diplomat, I can attest to the fact that preparations can be overwhelming, especially […]
I'm killing two birds with one stone here (even though I'm a vegetarian). I'm going to highlight some of the more important recent stories I've not gotten to while pointing out some of the blogs I consider to be in the top tier. Gore kick starts sweeping program to slash U.S. carbon emissions is a […]
The New York Times Friday ran an editorial on an 81-page memo by John Yoo that oultines the legal justification for harsh interrogation tactics for the Justice Department. Yoo's memo follows similar statements placing torture on equal footing with abuses resulting in near death. The Times piece argues it is abhorrent that it took 81 […]
Introduced in 2003 Kenya's free secondary education is now plagued by supply problems. The sudden and dramatic increase of students is causing a strain on resources, and the result is a lack of teachers, CONGO: Arrest over abduction of indigenous family's child books and adequate facilities, leaving many to question the quality of children's education. […]
A truly classic quote, as reported in the Year in Review, came from Fred Krupp, influential president of the Environmental Defense Fund, in referring to the White House talks on climate change in September: "It was a lost opportunity. America needs to lead, and we can lead, but now the spotlight shifts to the Congress […]
Education is a vaccine for violence, as it is a vaccine for hunger and disease. The right to education is a basic human right for all children, a right we all too often take for granted. In developed countries we see education as a key to prosperity, to better jobs and economic security. However education […]
AMSTERDAM, April 3 (Reuters) – The United Nations war crimes tribunal will deliver its verdict on Thursday in the trial of Kosovo's former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, charged with torturing and murdering Serbs to drive them out of the region. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of 25 years for Haradinaj, 39, a Kosovo Albanian […]
Alanna Shaikh (my wife) recently wrote a very useful post on how to research NGOs. To paraphrase her advice, there are ways that you can tell what an NGO really is – not just what its press releases say. To do this you have to put in some time on the NGOs website and Charity […]
Photo: ©Panos / Robert Knoth Victim of rape as a weapon of war and forced amputation in Sierra Leone Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) was set to raise awareness of sexual violence and increase prevention. Across the country special events will take place over the next month to highlight the use of sexual violence, […]
A new poll conducted for the BBC World Service by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) and the international polling firm GlobeScan shows that for the first time since 2005, global views of the United States have improved. But they’re still not what you would call “good.” From the study's report: “While views of US influence in […]
Photo: David Swanson/IRIN Early marriage hampering country's development, says report by Save the Children Sweden in cooperation with Gender-Development Research and Studies Center at Sanaa University, The report entitled Gender Based Sexual Violence Against Teenage Girls in the Middle East, illustrates how Yemeni girls are deprived of their child rights when they are prepared for […]
I wrote about congestion pricing in the Big Apple here and here back in August and July. London, Stockholm and Singapore each have made it a big hit in their towns, and now they're trying to bring it to Broadway. Well, it took another positive step yesterday when the NYC City Council approved a plan […]
In 1986, Defense Secretary Caspar Weingberger and the US Department of Defense, designated April as Month of the Military Child. The month is set to be a time for each branch of the military to recognizes the sacrifices which are made by the children of those serving our country. Children of those in the military […]
The donation feature was set up to assist the Children's writer/blogger, Cassandra Clifford, to raise funds to purse a research project on the use of rape as a weapon of war. In order to conduct her research, write, attend and present on her findings, Cassandra will have to raise funds independently. Thus the FPA has […]