The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel sent a letter to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and other ministers that accused the government of war crimes in its latest incursion into Gaza. The letter reminded the ministers that a key principle in “humanitarian international law is the principle of distinguishing between fighters and […]
It's been a year since the Foreign Policy Association and I started this blog. There have been 140 posts before today covering a range of topics from developments in legislation, to international relations, to renewable energy, to all sorts of business initiatives, and much more. It's been an education for me and, I hope, for […]
This week there is a lot of action going on at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The UN Security Council is meeting about imposing new sanctions on Iran. The Commission on the Status of Women is in its second week of meetings. To add to the action, now comes reports of controversy […]
It was a year ago today that I wrote my first blog post, and what a year it has been! My time with the FPA has been both one of incite and growth, for me personally and for the Children's blog itself. In the short year that we have been live we have had considerable […]
Echoes of Rwanda filled our minds as Kenya became engulfed in the flames of ethnic violence following the December 27, 2007 presidential election in which President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner. Supporters of Kibaki's opponent, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement, were inflamed by allegations of electoral manipulation, which was widely confirmed by […]
The Heartland Institute organized a gathering of the clans this week in New York City. Skeptics of various shades and stripes sat in on panel discussions and heard speakers make pronouncements along a spectrum of opinion. "Registration for the event exceeded 550" according to one of several press releases I received. I had hoped to […]
The proliferation of social networking websites is accompanied by a lot of excitement. The possibilities of the format seem limitless. Many people (OK, maybe it is just me, but I don't think I’m all alone) find that after taking the work to put together a Facebook profile they are left with a a big, sad […]
Who would have thought that making people happy would lower the crime rate? Well the major of Brazil's once sixth deadliest town, thought that happiness had to be the key to safe living, and wouldn't you know it he was right! Some 100 miles northeast of Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, lies Vila Boa, and […]
Secretary Condoleezza Rice travels to Israel this week to help restart peace talks. Rocket attacks followed by Israeli raids escalated towards the end of last week, erupting into a Gaza incursion on Saturday. Abu Mazen suspended negotiations with Israel, due to the escalation in violence. We have cited on this blog before the dual track […]
Continuing the theme of Obama supporters and musical cultural hybrids, I couldn't help posting this Bollywood music video. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/sA-451XMsuY” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Enjoy!
The Financial Times got real scoop yesterday, a report on the state of philanthropy in 2033. The author of the report is Sean Stannard Stockton from Tactical Philanthropy. Sean writes about the rise of “social capital markets”, in which non-profits compete for funds much as corporations do today. In the world of 2033, donors are […]
On October 7, 2001 allied forces invaded Afghanistan, and while the war is not at the forefront of most peoples minds, sadly the effects of the Taliban and the war are far from being distant memories. Thus it is children who ultimately pay the higher price for the conflict. While the north of the country […]
A new documentary film, “The Chicago Ten,” which recounts the stormy days of the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago, brings to mind the chant of the anti-(Vietnam) war protesters who clashed with police near the convention hall: “The Whole World is Watching.” Many of my generation watched the gavel-to-gavel coverage of that divisive gathering, certain […]
Apologies for the lack of posting at the end of this week. By chance, Melinda and I picked the same week to move, thus our attention has been slightly drawn away. In the absence of an in-depth post, here are some interesting articles for our readers. Angelina Jolie on humanitarian assistance in Iraq Fouad Ajami […]
The White House and Congress reached a compromise on the PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) renewal legislation. I wrote about the controversies in this program last week. House Democrats have been wrangling with the Administration for the next 5-year AIDS relief program. The Democrats (and most of the NGOs and HIV policy […]