Probably the talk that generated the most media headlines at last week’s Security Forum held at the Aspen Institute were the comments of former Director of National Intelligence, retired navy Admiral Dennis Blair. His session was moderated by Lesley Stahl of CBS news and 60 Minutes fame. Some of the media headlines gave the impression […]
The following is an interview that I conducted with an inspiring young female Yemeni activist. Despite being in Canada, Yusra A. has become a valuable asset of the Yemeni Revolution, inspiring her generation to follow in her foot steps and build a better Yemen. From her hometown of Halifax she has been relentlessly fighting for […]
As promised here are some more gems that came out of the Aspen Security Forum. I’ve already talked about the comments of Pakistan’s Ambassador and a little bit about Admiral Blair’s comments, more to follow on that but I’d like to start out talking about the very first session. It was called The Role of […]
Over the past few weeks, the Yemeni government has been pounding the village of Arhab, which is situated on the northern outskirts of the capital, Sana’a. As a result, thousands of villagers have had to flee the war zone and seek refuge in the neighboring mountains; hoping that they will be able to return […]
In my last blog, I mentioned I would be heading out to attend a forum on national security issues sponsored by the Homeland Security Program of the Aspen Institute in partnership with the New York Times. The topic of the 3 day forum is counterterrorism. On their website the institute stated: “The Forum will bring […]
I was interviewed by a writer from the Associated Press on the issue of stadium security ten years after 9/11 largely on the basis of this piece for The Public Sphere that I wrote about three years ago. And when you get quoted in a story by AP it ends up appearing everywhere. (My personal […]
Last week the UN declared a famine in two regions of Southern Somalia and warned that it could spread to other parts of the Horn of Africa. That is a big deal. As Mark Leon Goldberg of UN Dispatch pointed out, a famine is a technical finding based or mortality, malnutrition and water consumption; they […]
Recent news reports from the semi-autonomous Kurdish region have depicted a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty that cost Iran at least six soldiers from the elite Revolutionary Guards, and the death of senior officer in the Qom brigade. It is the latest chapter in a complex, ongoing conflict between the Islamic Republic and the shadowy […]
Been a little slower than usual in finishing up this topic. If you’ve read my blog before you know I live in one of Colorado’s bicycling Mecca’s. Let’s just say I rode “a bridge too far” on my bike, damaged my body, and have spent most of the last few days in the only comfortable […]
The discussions on US debt and European defaults have characterized much of the last month in an effort by Western governments to prevent another large recession in the American and European economies. Serious discussions on raising the US debt ceiling has been met with a great deal of resistance by Obama’s opponents in the US, […]
This week in foreign policy, the world’s top news stories are reviewed in a new FPA video feature. FPA blogger Crystal Huskey discusses implications of the famine in Somalia, and Walter Raubeson warns of sectarian violence in Syria. Many thanks to both bloggers for their insightful input!
The congratulations have rolled in from around the world. As has United Nations recognition. And a new currency. And of course a new president in Salva Kiir. People have celebrated in the streets and generally speaking a mood of hope and optimism and happiness prevails. Exiles from years of civil war and devastation have returned. […]
Is the provision of inexpensive, sturdy bicycles part of the solution to poverty in sub-Saharan Africa? I have no idea. But I can certainly see bicycles as a potential social good for a host of reasons, poverty alleviation being only one. In my research on my current book project on bus boycotts in the United […]
Ok, so imagine for a moment that you are a member of the Zimbabwean opposition party the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Within days of hammering out a deal with your alleged coalition partner in government, Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF, that decided that elections would not be held until next year, you wake up one morning […]
We now have a deal from France, Germany and the ECB: bending European Financial Stability Facility rules to allow recapitalization of banks and create easier credit terms for Euro countries; and debt rollover into longer-term (some might argue “indefinitely long” given Greek debt of 140 percent of GDP) maturities. Most chillingly, the plan bakes in […]