Imagine New York City full of Gridlock, endless horns blaring, countless road blockades, the constant sounds of police sirens…no the chaos is not the beginning of Armageddon, but the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders. Hot topics on the agenda included global warming, Iran, Iraq, the reduction of armed conflict, malaria, and many […]
There were about 1,300 articles listed by Google on the UN climate talks in New York. (See previous post under "UN Climate Summit.") Here's the take from the "FT" today – UN chief upbeat after climate forum. Ban Ki-moon said: "Action is possible now and it makes economic sense. The cost of inaction will far […]
A U.S. military appeals court reinstated terrorism charges against Omar Khadr for murder, conspiracy, spying and supporting terrorism. Khadr, 21, has been held at the U.S. detention facility at a naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for the past five years. He was detained in Afghanistan for allegedly killing Sgt. Christopher Speer, an Army special […]
Appologies for the lack of post over the last couple of days, as I have been in New York attending the Foreign Policy Associations New York Democracy Forum and the 2007 World Leadership Forum. I had hoped to ask the H.E. Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile, a question regarding her views on children's rights, but […]
Witnesses in the trial of Saddam Hussein's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, testified that he had ordered the execution of 200 people during a Shi’ite uprising in southern Iraq in 1991. One unnamed Shia witness testified from behind a curtain that al-Majid, also known as “Chemical Ali”, personally oversaw the execution of the first 25 people. […]
Yesterday was the first day of fall. It's been gorgeous weather where we live, in NYC. I haven't been out as much as I'd like because I've been hugely busy with a new teaching gig. This is hard work it turns out. For all you teachers out there: Salute! So, let me try to get […]
A recent book by Florence Hartmann, a former spokeswoman for the U.N. war crimes division, alleged that the United States and Russia intervened in Serbian affairs regarding the fugitive Radovan Karadzic. Hartmann claims that the two countries made a secret deal with Karadzic to not detain him in exchange for his disappearance. Rasim Llajic, a […]
Nuon Chea, the right-hand man to Cambodian President Pol Pot, was formally charged with war crimes and for crimes against humanity by the U.N. backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Nuon Chea, known as “Brother Number Two”, was detained and arrested Wednesday in connection with the deaths of nearly 1.7 million people during […]
Children are not toys or pawns, they are where not made to be instruments of war, or fulfill the sordid desires of the flesh. The blows of rage should never find their way to the body of a child. Nor should children ever serve to fulfill the selfish needs of man. Protect the children, they […]
“When they came to my village, they asked my older brother whether he was ready to join the militia. He was just 17 and he said no; they shot him in the head. Then they asked me if I was ready to sign, so what could I do – I didn't want to die (BBC, […]
France circulated a new Chapter 7 draft resolution at the United Nations calling for a European Union force and U.N. police deployment to Chad and the Central Africa Republic. A Chapter 7 resolution allows the use of military force in order to protect civilians, provide general security, and establish a humanitarian aid corridor. Idriss Deby, […]
The build up to and the airing of one of America's newest reality TV shows, has brought with it a great deal of controversy. ‘Kid Nation’, which airs on CBS, premiered tonight, Wednesday, September 19 at 8PM ET/PT. The show has sparked debate in numerous circles, and so I ask you, “Is the show a […]
Nuon Chea, “Brother Number Two” of the Khmer Rouge regime, was arrested yesterday in his home in northeastern Cambodia. Cambodian special forces officers surrounded the 82-year old's home and served him with arrest warrants before he was taken to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia – the headquarters of the special tribunal there […]
People are always saying, “But, what can I do?”, well for all of you out there that think it's too hard, or too much effort to start making a difference, I’ve got a few things for you. Can you cook, or do you know someone who can? I think you are all nodding your heads […]
The Iraqi government said it would revoke the business license of the security firm, Blackwater USA, after a shotting incident following an attack on a U.S. State Department convoy. The Interior Ministry of Iraq alleges 11 people were killed “when Blackwater contractors opened fire at random after mortar rounds landed near the convoy”, a spokesman […]