This week the battle against child trafficking has made huge hurdles with the introduction of a new bill, the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010 (DMSTDVS). The bill was introduced this week by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who are the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus […]
I mentioned my visit to the local British Consulate-General yesterday and some discussions there. I also mentioned the enviable climate and energy politics across the pond in “Oh, to be in England” a while back. The three major parties in the UK have had their differences, but as can be evidenced by the new coalition’s […]
In May I was invited to be an observer at the Scenarios Initiative of the Center for Global Affairs (CGA) at NYU. The focus of the session I attended was Turkey’s possible futures over the next decade. It is a fascinating and useful process, described on its website in the following way: The NYU Center […]
Editor&Publisher reports that some journalists covering anti G-20 protests over the weekend got caught up in the crowd and suffered the consequences. According to E&P, at least 3 journalists were beaten and arrested. The National Post reported its staff photographer, Brett Gundlock, was tackled and arrested by several police officers as they dispersed protesters near […]
The City of Toronto, Canada – a truly international destination – was undoubtly proud to be the host of the G-20 Summit this past weekend, 26-27 June. As one of the very few developed nations hit hard by the global financial crisis, Canada grasped the opportunity to spruce up its image by investing more than $1Bn […]
Senate Homeland Security pushed through a comprehensive cybersecurity reform bill last week. (Writeup; bill text). It appears that cyber, for now, remains one of the areas in which the parties can work productively together, as it is co-sponsored by a Republican (Collins), Democrat (Carper), and Weasel Independent (Lieberman). It’s an interesting and important idea that the […]
With apologies to Longfellow, not to mention Paul Revere, I want to recount my recent, close encounters with the British here in New York. As I mentioned in passing here, I was invited to a discussion at the Consulate-General to talk about my thoughts regarding the state of play on climate change; what you, gentle […]
“The unbearable past.” That is how survivor Vann Nath describes the time he was imprisoned, tortured, beaten, and almost starved to death in Khmer Rouge-controlled Cambodia in the late 1970s. Director Rithy Panh, who himself was held in a labor camp for four years, strips the story to its essence. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/8abZjVj0mu0″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” […]
Every year Transparency International ranks nearly all countries in the world in its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). In 2009 the United States ranked a respectable 19 out of 180. But within the United States there is considerable variation. Anyone who follows national news might make their own U.S. Corruption Perceptions Index, with the sheer size […]
The 2010 Ibrahim Prize for excellence in African leadership goes to…no one. The prize committee of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation announced last week they are not granting the award this year, as they found no suitable candidates. The Ibrahim prize is granted to an African leader who has achieved positive developments in their country, and, […]
I admit, I’m completely caught up in World Cup fever. It’s obvious from my decline in postings since the games opened two weeks ago. Most evenings I’m glued to the television screen and most mornings I awake to the sound of vuvuzelas on the streets at 6am. So, in the mayhem, I somehow missed the encouraging […]
G-8 Leaders — composed of the world’s eight major industrialized countries, as well as representatives of the European Union and heads of state from the ten leading Emerging Nations such as Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa, among others, discussed a wide range of challenges related to financial markets, international trade, development and global peace and stability.
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