The Lioness of Afghanistan
May 26, 2009 2 min. read

One American woman’s personal battle to turn back the tide on the Taliban Sonia Nassery Cole commands a room no matter what the size, and it’s for a good cause. Cole, who has both Afghan and American citizenship, is founder and CEO of the Afghanistan World Foundation (AWF). The non-profit organization works to assist the […]

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Iran’s Reach
May 26, 2009 2 min. read

The presidents of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan met in Tehran on Sunday to discuss shared challenges and how the countries could work together to address regional issues. President Hamid Karzai, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and President Asif Ali Zardari agreed to jointly tackle extremism, terrorism and drug trafficking. Although largely devoid of specific measures, the summit […]

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North Korea, Again
May 26, 2009 1 min. read

I’ve been trying to catch up on news and events after being away for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, and it appears that North Korea’s provocative nuclear test and subsequent missile launches are high on the agenda. This video from the UK’s Telegraph shows President Obama responding to the recent nuclear test: President Obama reaffirmed […]

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War Photography Almost Too Close for Comfort
May 26, 2009 2 min. read

A noteworthy group of photojournalists gathered at photo agency VII’s Brooklyn studio last week. The small group represented some of the cream of photojournalists that had gathered in NYC for the recent New York Photo Festival. Among them were Gary Knight and Ashley Gilbertson. Also on hand was Tim Hetherington, whose notable photo installation “Sleeping […]

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You knew this already: China is the key to North Korea
May 26, 2009 5 min. read

North Korea performed a nuclear test this weekend which, according to various seismic tests, amounted to a blast of somewhere between 4 and 20 kilotons (possibly larger than the US’ bombing of Hiroshima in 1945).  The significance of the test cannot be discounted, as Pyongyang’s 2006 blast was a mere 1 kt.  With increased missile […]

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Yarl's Woods – Asylum Gone Mad
May 26, 2009 11 min. read

First the child is led into a small holding room.  She waits.  Her mother is visibly shocked, the stressed lines of her face and swollen eyes awash in tears. An hour or two pass; a television is stuck on one channel as the incessant rabble of another world enters the surreal shock of her horror.   […]

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Renewables in the Picture (at the "FT")
May 26, 2009 1 min. read

There’s a characteristically comprehensive special report on energy in today’s “Financial Times,” a series of interesting articles, mostly on the state of play of fossil fuels.  There’s also a great guest column from Jeremy Leggett the founder of Solarcentury, a provider of “intelligent generation.”  Nota bene:  According to Leggett, “In 2008, for the first time, […]

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The State of Cyberspace in America
May 26, 2009 1 min. read

Tuesday, May 26 New York Press Club Penthouse 330 West 42nd Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues) Cocktail reception: 6:30 PM Program begins: 7:00 PM From the New York Press Club: Press Club members, working press, security professionals and interested parties are invited to anevening reception and remarks on the State of Cyberspace in America by special guest, […]

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Number of the Week: 206
May 26, 2009 1 min. read

206. On Friday, Manmohan Singh was sworn in as India’s prime minister. Mr. Singh is the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to office after serving a full five-year term. The Congress Party unexpectedly romped to victory by a big margin in the world’s largest exercise in democracy. Instead of an unwieldy and […]

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Region poised for Lebanese elections
May 26, 2009 1 min. read

A Hezbollah-affiliated website recently cited the remarks of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad on upcoming parliamentary elections in Lebanon. According to the website, Ahmedinejad voiced his opinion that if the Lebanese opposition, in which Hezbollah is a key player, makes significant gains, a “new front” will emerge to the benefit of the ‘resistance.’ He is also […]

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Increased violence in Nigeria highlights supply concerns but has little immediate impact on oil prices
May 25, 2009 3 min. read

Nigerian militants from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed to attack several pipelines of oil companies including Chevron yesterday, shitting in 100,000 barrels of crude a day. The attacks come in response as Nigerian forces over the past two weeks began a major operation against the rebel group. MEND claims […]

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Israeli Arms Dealer Goes Bollywood
May 25, 2009 2 min. read

My mom just drew my attention to what might be the greatest defense arms music video ever made. Earlier this year, Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems decided to celebrate the strengthening of India-Israel military ties and the virtues of its products in song and dance. In this Israeli video, a man decked out in a […]

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