9/11 and Attitudes Towards Muslims in the United States
September 8, 2011 2 min. read

The Voice of Russia published this piece today on U.S. perceptions of Muslims.  The article cites a recent study conducted by the Brooking Institution and The Public Religion Research Institute, which states that 30% of Americans believe that Muslims in the United States would like to establish Sharia law. The article clumsily  states that: According […]

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Keeping the Spirit of Labor Day Alive
September 7, 2011 5 min. read

As many of you, like myself, are just returning to work this week after a long weekend in honor of Labor Day, you find the time of rest quickly passing you by once again as you work to get your children back to school. Yet while you run in search of last minute school supplies […]

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MSF President Sparks Debate Over the Limits of Humanitarian Aid
September 7, 2011 4 min. read

Over the weekend, Médecins Sans Frontières president Dr. Unni Karunakara created a stir by chastising charities for creating an unrealistic expectation of what humanitarian aid was capable of achieving in Somalia. According to Karunakara: There is a con, there is an unrealistic expectation being peddled that you give your £50 and suddenly those people are […]

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Keeping up with International Affairs – Tweeting or Fleeting
September 6, 2011 2 min. read

Keeping up with policy and international developments can be exhausting. Do certain tools make it easier or better for you? Do you believe that Twitter, for example, exposes you to different opinions and news that you wouldn’t normally read? Without a doubt, Twitter and other social media outlets have provided intangible assistance to the wave […]

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Turkey, Palestine, the Kurds, and Many Questions
September 6, 2011 4 min. read

Is Turkey’s grandstanding vis-a-vis the Palestine issue hypocritical in light of its own continually deleterious approach to another stateless group – the Kurds? What conditions support the notion that there should or should not be a dichotomy between Turkey’s approach to the two groups – Kurds and Palestinians? With this, how does the apparent contrast […]

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Renewable Spain
September 6, 2011 2 min. read

We had a fabulous trip in, in the immortal phrase of Donald Rumsfeld, “Old Europe.”  The only problem, Rummy, with your formulation is that … well, it’s wrong.  France, in the Southwest, where we were for part of the trip, is smart, prosperous, progressive and with friendly folks. France, though, is far too reliant on […]

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Wikileaks Cables: China’s Grip on the Media
September 5, 2011 2 min. read

Recently released U.S. State Department cables from Wikileaks show that the Chinese government exerts strict control over journalists. Domestic Chinese journalists are particularly under tight restrictions. In terms of foreign news organizations, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Liu Jianchao said during a late-night press conference in November 2008 that Chinese nationals can only work […]

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Melson Out, Holder Digs In: 1700+ Violations of the Arms Export Control Act?
September 5, 2011 16 min. read

Ok. Now we’re into it. Administration top dogs have thrown ATF Director Ken Melson and US Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke under the truck.In firefighting, they call it a ‘controlled burn,’ torching a perimeter of just enough man-made flame to meet and beat the advance of a wildfire impervious to less-drastic solutions.

Good luck, gentlemen.

The House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the DOJ/ATF gun-running operation known as Fast and Furious is roaring through the halls of Congress, and despite DOJ’s efforts to spin the story every which way but up, Representative Darrell Issa (R-Calif) and Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) are on a trail insiders whisper may lead investigators all the way to the top.

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She’s Beautiful…
September 5, 2011 1 min. read

Here’s a great little short video, sent along by a student of mine from this summer. Thanks, Matt.

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Leading Opposition Candidate in Cameroon Makes Her Run for President Official
September 4, 2011 1 min. read

Kah Walla, the only woman in the race against long term incumbent Paul Biya filed the papers making her candidacy official last week. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/3rxf5xy

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Parks, Parklets, and Green Spaces: Improving Health and Other Social Factors
September 2, 2011 6 min. read

I’ve made a recent move to San Francisco, California, and a few days ago, I found myself wandering around The Mission, a neighborhood that is undergoing rapid gentrification.  Apart from the somewhat small but popular Dolores Park (pictured left), there isn’t a lot of green space in the area, in contrast with many other (generally […]

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Constitutional Reforms in Morocco and Jordan!
September 1, 2011 9 min. read

Reports coming out of Morocco and Jordan are both encouraging and frustrating.  Both Morocco and Jordan have been beset for months by growing popular demands for political, economic and social reform, after Arab uprisings overthrew leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and shook other regional states. However, unlike other Arab states witnessing popular uprisings, demonstrations […]

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