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Here are some updates on the carbon-intensive Alberta tar sands projects.  First, the FT’s “Energy Source” blog reports on recent analysis from Citigroup that says, among other things, “It is not a fuel source that sits naturally within a low carbon economy and is unlikely to be a strategic winner as climate regulation tightens, albeit […]

Two significant topics are causing buzz in maternal and infant health circles: (1) on Monday, the Lancet published an article that shows significant decline in the number of maternal deaths, from 526,300 deaths in 1980 to 342,900 deaths in 2008, representing a 35% decline; and (2) today, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has announced a joint action plan […]

A campaign has launched to get the U.N. to adopt a new crime, ‘ecocide’, into the Rome Statute as the fifth crime under its jurisdiction in addition to genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. The campaign is being run by a British U.N. activist, Polly Higgins that had a minor recent success with […]

Oil and gas royalties have been all the news this week. First, the coveted Pulitzer Prize for public service went to a small Virginia paper, the Bristol Herald Courier. It’s the sort of story which reminds us why it is essential that small local newspapers not go the way of the dodo. Its eight-segment series dissected […]

Violent demonstrations led to the fall of President Bakiyev in Kyrgyzstan last week. The opposition has taken control of the country, including the president’s supposed stronghold in the south. This is, of course, the second time a popular uprising has led to a change of government in Kyrgyzstan in the last five years. Both times, […]

I’d like to return again to the subject of the U.S. manned space program. I’ve written on this subject before and there have been some important developments to note. First, I just want to state again that I realize that this subject may, at first glance, appear to be a domestic concern and not really […]

After taking a close look at the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), my conclusion is it’s neither the dramatic change in strategy hoped for from Obama supporters nor does it represent a significant weakening of U.S. national defense.  The only change I saw was for the first time, the U.S. has said it would not use […]

European politicians can sell something when they speak about poverty. The ideas are solid. The rhetoric lofty. But let’s face the stark reality; some are just not willing to commit capital and time to meet targets to reduce poverty. Resolving the issue of poverty and homelessness requires a more inclusive approach that takes into account […]

Allow me to make this clear: There is nothing to fear from nuclear proliferation. This might sound insane coming from the mouth (or hands) of a counter-terrorism analyst, but the facts speak for themselves.

President Obama has completed a remarkable foreign policy trifecta. First he redefined the U.S. nuclear strategy governing when the U.S. would use nuclear weapons, then he signed a new arms control treaty with Russia aimed at reducing nuclear weapons, and then this week he hosted a large gathering of countries in Washington who pledged to […]

As leaders of 47 countries gather in Washington to discuss how to better secure nuclear materials, not a few observers are noting that what’s not happening may be more interesting and significant than what’s happening–and that’s not to belittle the importance of what’s under formal discussion, by the way. Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled plans to […]

Polio battle is gaining ground Efforts to halt the spread of polio are making progress thanks to better engagement with religious figures in Nigeria and a focused effort on reaching remote areas and migrant populations in India. The two are among the last countries battling to eradicate the disease, and despite the progress polio campaigners […]