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Japan’s new National Defense Program Guidelines “will shape Japan’s defence policy for the next 10 years.” A BBC article today outlines the crux of Japan’s most compelling strategic document: Defences will be scaled down in the north, where they have been deployed since the Cold War to counter potential threats from the former Soviet Union. […]

Still shopping for holiday gifts?  Several food aid organizations are offering unique ways to give gifts that will help in the fight against hunger this holiday season. Check out these gift opportunities, and look through the organizations’ websites to learn more about their work and other ways you can help fight hunger throughout the year. […]

Ron Kirk, former Mayor of the City of Dallas and presently the Obama administration’s US Trade Representative filed suit against China with the World Trade Organization (WTO) this week, siding with the powerful United Steelworkers union, accusing Beijing of illegally subsidizing the production of wind power equipment which is an anti-competitive practice under WTO rules and harmful to American workers.

Using a elementary school as a backdrop, President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act into law on Monday, capping a campaign led by the President and his wife, Michelle, to fight childhood obesity in the United States. The new law, which pledges 4.5 billion dollars over 10 years to child nutrition programs, will give […]

I wrote about how a number of participants in Cancún felt that some sense of faith had been restored in the UN process.  The reviews are still coming in, but it appears that progress was indeed made, that some highly useful, indeed critical mechanisms have been advanced, and that ongoing negotiations are going to take […]

A few months ago, over at the FPA Arms Control and Proliferation blog, William Sweet, Roger Scher, and I discussed the role Israel’s nuclear program plays in creating regional instability.  In particular, Roger wrote, “the acquisition of nuclear weapons in the ME is not driven by Israel, but rather, by other factors…”  Today, courtesy of […]

For decades, being tough on crime has been a go-to mantra for American politicians regardless of party affiliation. Frequently that means increasing prison terms and choosing retributive justice over rehabilitation in the treatment of prisoners. Over the weekend prisoners in Georgia staged a peaceful strike in protest of these conditions. It appears that the strike […]

Journey to the rooftop of the world and be bored out of your skull. This documentary is about as interesting as watching paint dry but feels like it takes even longer. It should be a fascinating look into an ancient culture virtually untouched by the modern world. Instead it tortures the viewer with scenes like […]

by Cordelia Rizzo It has become very difficult to articulate what is going on in the crime-laden cities of Mexico. President Felipe Calderon makes sure we are constantly aware of the efforts to prevail in the quintessentially unwinnable “war on drugs.” In the meantime, cities have become ghost towns, and society has gone from indignation […]

Here is a quick list to get your Slave Free and Fair Trade Holiday Shopping Started: Fair Trade the White House Holiday Gift Guide a full color catalog with gift ideas for everyone on your list! See the Give Fair Trade blog to see the daily featured Fair Trade gift and special offers, as well […]

Sunday’s Wall Street Journal reports on Japan’s predicated intention to revise its maritime defense posture to address threats in the oceans South and West of the nation: The shift will be the central theme of Tokyo’s new National Defense Program Guidelines, which will set the defense-policy framework for the next decade and replace ones adopted […]

This just in from my colleague at PRI’s The World – a series called “Rationing Health: Who Lives?  Who Decides?”, airing on public radio and online starting tomorrow.  The series takes a look at four countries where different approaches to the distribution of healthcare have led to ethical dilemmas, including: South Africa – Rationing by Committee […]