As this last day of the month unfolds I think we can be forgiven for being a bit distracted as a country. An earthquake hit the East Coast, and while not unprecedented, it was certainly jarring for many people. And then Hurricane Irene battered and drenched the coast with millions of people still feeling the […]
News broke recently from various outlets that Israel has been providing training and non-lethal supplies for Jewish settlers in Palestine to defend themselves from an expected onslaught of unrest during the days surrounding Palestine’s bid to seek official recognition from the UN in September. Palestine’s attempt at recognition, while doomed at the outset because of […]
Oil giant Exxon Mobil has secured a contract with Russia’s state oil company, Rosneft, to explore the floor of the Arctic Ocean for oil. At a surprise signing ceremony in Sochi, site of the coming Winter Olympics, Vladimir Putin stated, “The scale of the investment is very large. It’s scary to utter such huge figures.” […]
With revolts against the al-Assad government raging on, the U.S. and Israeli governments are focused on what might happen to Syria’s suspected cache of mustard gas, VX, Sarin, and long-range missiles. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that both countries are keeping a close eye on the status of the nasty stuff for fear […]
International organizations with interests in the Horn of Africa crisis are stepping up their contributions to both alleviating the current crisis and preventing similar crises in the future. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) pledged $350 million after an emergency donor conference held in Istanbul, Turkey two weeks ago. The African Union Commission organized […]
On the occasion of yesterday’s “International Day Against Nuclear Tests”, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon reiterated the need for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) to enter into force. The UN established an International Day against Nuclear Tests in 2009 on the 20th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan. […]
We’ve been on vacation – and happily quite busy – thus have I been away from blogging. A little bit relative to the trip itself and some thoughts regarding sustainability, renewables, etc. perhaps in a couple of days. For now, here’s this on some of the recent talks under the auspices of the Framework Convention. […]
When eminent scholar Walter Russell Mead tackles a subject he does not do it on the cheap. One of his latest long articles attempts to discern the current trajectory of Turkey’s foreign policy and he takes his readers through quite a ride. Mead, an American history, smoothly goes through modern Turkish history and then ties […]
Maziar Bahari, an Iranian Canadian journalist and writer who was held in Iranian prison while he was reporting for Newsweek noted via Facebook on Sunday night the release of a league of prisoners in Iran. Bahari said that there are going to be about 120 people released from Iranian prison. Bahari’s comments were backed up […]
The life of a child is often equated to that of mere dollars… overall people are comparatively cheaper than they were in the 1600-1800s, when slaves were purchased for life. Prices for these modern day slaves are at an all time low, while profits remain high, leading some to believe the problem is worse now […]
It is often said that peacekeeping is a growth industry. However, this should never preclude the United Nations from finding a better way to do business. Since 1948, the UN has established 64 peacekeeping operations with undoubtedly more planned for the future, as nation-states such as Sudan convulse in and out of civil war. Currently, […]
Finding an address to the conflict involving Israel and Palestine, to ensure lasting peace in the Near East, has been nearly impossible. A continual lack of support for Israel, though, has driven us to ask for some sort of punitive measures to ensure that Palestine does not further endanger peace in the region. The Arabs’ lack […]
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