“At the State Department, we recognize that stand-alone government-to-government diplomacy is no longer enough. From Secretary Clinton down, we are embracing new media and new technologies as vital tools for what we call 21st Century Statecraft.” Judith A. McHale, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Throughout the Middle East, and around the world, […]
France houses over 65 million people – 5 million of whom are reported to be Muslim. Of these 5 million, only 2,000 wear a full face veil. In a country of 65 million, legislation that is targeted at 2,000; is this behavior not reminiscent of school-yard-bullying? Islam is the second largest religion in the country […]
After yesterday’s 7.1 magnitude aftershock in Japan I thought it might be good to check in and see how U.S. aid efforts were progressing. According to this report in the Washington Post, the U.S. continues to assist Japan with the search for victims of the earthquakes and tsunami: About 22,000 Japanese troops, along with 110 […]
So, I was wrong – sort of. In an earlier post on the subject of NATO, I suggested that it was possible (though not certain) that Afghanistan could be NATO’s last big joint operation if the alliance did not undertake some form of mission revision. My reasoning was simple: if NATO could not maintain to […]
President Obama delivered a prime-time address to the nation about U.S. military action in Libya on Monday, explaining his decision-making and offering his justification for the American intervention. This intervention would not be about seeking weapons of mass destruction, or about oil, or even about regime change, it would be about protecting civilians. I have […]
Earlier this month, thousands took to the streets in Istanbul and Ankara demanding the release of journalists arrested for suspected ties to the Ergenekon conspiracy. Charges have yet to be pressed, leading many to surmise it was not conspiracy but criticism—of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP)—that prompted the arrests.
The U.S. is rushing military and civilian assistance to Japan in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. According to this CNN report: The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan arrived off the coast of Japan Sunday to support Japanese forces in disaster relief operations, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement. […]
There is a fine line between freedom of expression and obnoxious behavior; which may very well be crossed in the coming weeks in Congress.That said, as a Muslim and as an American – I support the debate. As upset as we were to witness residents of Orange County yelling obnoxious slurs at Muslims gathering for […]
The civil war in Libya is creating a humanitarian crisis as refugees flee the area. The U.S. is joining with other countries to help refugees escape. The following video from MSNBC shows how the U.S. Air Force is coming to the aid of those trying to escape the violence: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world […]
“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State.” – Muhammad Ali […]
The “Arab Revolt of 2011” continues to roil, and events are moving so quickly that the Egyptian Revolution that so shocked the world has already mostly fallen to a secondary headline following reports of what is effectively a civil war and humanitarian crisis in neighboring Libya. And yet, Egypt still matters quite a lot as […]
Four Americans were hijacked at sea and killed by Somali pirates this week. The U.S. responded to the yacht hijacking by sending a fleet of ships, including the U.S.S. Enterprise, to shadow the pirates and negotiate for the hostages. The ships had been in the region monitoring the growing pirate threat along with other allied […]
What if the U.S. decided to create a think tank dedicated to peace and then invited scholars and practitioners to conduct research and start projects aimed at promoting peace and conflict resolution? That would be a good thing, right? Born out of the dark times of the Cold War, the U.S. Institute of Peace has […]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently announced that the U.S. State Department plans to spend $25 million this year on initiatives designed to protect bloggers and help them get around curbs like the Great Firewall of China. She also added, “Those who clamp down on internet freedom may be able to hold back the full […]
Years ago President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a State of the Union address in which he articulated four basic freedoms that people all over the world should have: freedom of speech and expression; freedom of worship; freedom from want; and, freedom from fear. Now, after witnessing the world’s first political revolution inspired and organized with […]