2009 was an unusually dramatic year in the journalism world. But not because of ongoing corporate changes, which translated as the further downsizing of media companies. Lost jobs and denigrated institutional memory at major news outlets was an important part of what happened to reporters and their kin in the past year. However, the most […]
World Food Program (WFP) officials have stated that UN cutbacks in food aid funding to Nepal have been caused by the drastic financial market downturns and global financial crisis. The UN estimates that it would need roughly $20 million to feed approximately 600,000 people for the next three months – a quarter of the number […]
African governments are not well known for standing up against fellow leaders who violate the rule of law or commit human rights abuses. Ask most people what they expect from African governments in this area and you are likely not to hear anything positive. The reputation is not entirely undeserved, but is also the result […]
This film is solid. Not amazing, not incredible, but solid. It is about newly elected South African President Nelson Mandela and his relationship with the country’s rugby team captain. Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) understands that post-apartheid South Africa needs to rally – black and white – behind a common cause. And that cause is […]
It is the time of year when people promise to do things differently, when they commit to change. What might world leaders resolve for fighting corruption and promoting accountability in 2010? There are few political or business leaders on the planet who would not publicly vouch for anti-corruption and accountability. This is the lingo of […]
The BBC recently reported on the recent Eritrean government’s decision to reject international food aid in an effort to promote self-sustaining measures for domestic food growth and measures for prolonged self-sufficiency/sustainability. Eritrean ambassador to the EU, Girma Asmerom, stated quite matter-of-factly “Food aid demonizes the local population and makes them lazy.” The current government strategies […]
I am sorry for having been off the air for a week. The “holiday season” has been, as you likely have experienced, in full swing. Among other activities, we entertained on Christmas Eve and Christmas, so there were kids and adults, presents to be wrapped and opened, and lots of cooking and eating. (I specialize […]
The Foreign Policy Association has asked the blog team to write a special post in which we review the year in light of the specific focus of our blog. I’ve reviewed my past blog posts and the Twitter posts to try to get a sense of the year, to see what made an impression on […]
Last week, in a December 22th Wall Street Journal op-ed, Ibrahim Bahr Al-Uluom, a former Iraqi oil minister and current member of the Iraqi National Alliance (a political party), lamented the recent Iraqi oil lease auctions and suggested transferring as much of Iraq’s oil wealth directly to its citizens in the form of shares in […]
Yet another fund client sues investment firm Morgan Stanley over $1.2 billion losses due to high-risk CDO derivative products.
Last week, the United States Senate voted 60-40 to end debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the health care reform bill that Congress has been crafting through most of 2009. Just before the Christmas holiday the Act was passed, and while heavy debate continues many individuals and organizations, such as Every Child […]
At first glance, this is a classic science fiction film. However, it is much more. “District 9” is a study in xenophobia and intolerance. Stranded on Earth, aliens are confined to a ghetto in modern South Africa. The suspicion of and hostility toward the aliens is reminiscent of the attitudes held by many whites about […]
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