Topics

There is an op-ed in today’s NYT from a Japanese astrophysicist, Satoru Ikeuchi.  He recalls the words of a predecessor in Japanese science:  “The more civilization progresses, the greater the violence of nature’s wrath.”  I am not a Luddite, by any stretch of imagination.  I firmly believe, however, in using the power of reason, and […]

Yesterday an international coalition began Operation Odyssey Dawn against Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces.  The organizational structure set up to conduct operations is Joint Task Force (JTF) Odyssey Dawn.  The JTF commander is U.S. Navy Admiral Samuel J. Locklear who is directing operations from the command ship USS Mount Whitney.  Twenty four additional ships from Italy, […]

The Japanese government and international food aid organizations are working hard to provide relief to the people in Japan’s northeast who were affected by last week’s earthquake and tsunami. The twin natural disasters and crisis at the Fukishima nuclear plants have set off “panic buying” of food, both in areas most directly affected and those […]

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.

In addition to the previous post about ways that you can contribute to Japan’s relief, here are some other initiatives of note: The World Food Programme (WFP) is collecting funds to “provide specialized logistics support in the delivery of water, tents, and blankets to families who need them the most.” The National Hockey League (NHL) […]

Continuing coverage on the Rise of State-sponsored Capitalism” href=”http://globaleconomy.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/05/09/the-rise-of-state-sponsored-capitalism/” target=”_blank”>I’ve written about frequently here in my Global Markets blog — namely the Chinese state’s spin on capitalism. Though there were many critics early on — and still are in many quarters — who argued that China’s state-managed version of capitalism was unsustainable, it seems the long-term sustainability of so-called ‘State Capitalism‘ has been proven, and is even gathering steam in unlikely places — India, Cuba, Vietnam and the Middle-East to name a few — with great success. It’s a trend that Western financial centers should be attuned to, nor should it be dismissed as the global financial architecture continues to evolve following the global financial crisis.

Last week Libya became the subject of official investigation by the International Criminal Court, the sixth since the court’s inception in 2002. There are three ways in which an investigation can be initiated by the Office of The Prosecutor; referral of a situation by a state party of the Rome Statute, referral from the U.N. […]

May St. Patrick guard you wherever you go, and guide you in whatever you do– and may his loving protection be a blessing to you always. Saint Patrick, or Naomh Padraig in Irish, was born in Scotland, and as a mere teenager when he was kidnapped from Wales by Irish brigands, raiders, and was then […]

The situation at the Fukushima nuclear site just keeps getting worse. If it isn’t a hydrogen explosion in one of the six reactors, it’s a fire in the spent fuel pool of another. The nuclear power industry likes to point to its safety record – years of operation without an incident. The industry’s opponents will […]

Amid reports that Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces continue to make gains against the rebel forces to include air strikes on the rebel stronghold at Benghazi, it looks like the international community is reaching agreement to intervene militarily.  A New York Times report quotes Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying the turning point was the Arab […]

“Violence produces violence,” said Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, in his initial statement following last weekend’s Itamar attack, in which five Israeli settlers were murdered.  No one has claimed responsibility for the attack except for Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, who no one seems to believe actually did it because they have claimed responsibility for things they […]