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American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is headed to Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and China this week for a series of talks aimed at strengthening ties across the Pacific Ocean.  Clinton has outlined that her priorities for her trip include: A more “rigorous and persistent commitment and engagement” with allies in Asia Working with Asian […]

When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon, the world was listening and loved it.  I feel as if we have come to a not-dissimilar moment in history.  We have turned the corner, in the United States, and in much of the rest of the world, on reaching for a new frontier.  We […]

Dennis Blair, the new national intelligence director, appeared before the United States Senate Committee on Intelligence on Thursday. Blair delivered the US intelligence community’s annual threat assessment to Congress. In Blair’s written testimony he highlighted the rise of Asia. “All together—Japan, the ‘tiger’ economies like South Korea and Taiwan as well as the rising giants […]

With both Canada and the U.S. passing new federal stimulus packages, it has been interesting to hear from the respective non-profit sectors on how pleased they are with the outcomes.  The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that a congressional compromise will include funding for arts, social service, and volunteerism – including $50 million for capacity building […]

…. here’s a terrific television show from the Foreign Policy Association.  It’s part of the FPA’s signature Great Decisions program.  The show is titled “Off the Grid: Energy and the U.S. Economy.”

I went to a panel discussion earlier this week at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs.  This is where I’m teaching now and they have, in addition to their great MS and extensive Continuing Ed programs, quite a bit of excellent public programming.  The Canadian Consulate in New York City cosponsored this event. Here’s what we […]

Successful solutions to the world’s most pressing issues – international trade, global financial institutions and regulations, nuclear proliferation, human rights, failed and fragile states, terrorism, poverty, health and diseases, energy and climate change – will increasingly rely on the cooperation and leadership of rising powers. Answers developed by the G7 group of rich countries without […]

The recent salmonella outbreak caused by contamination in peanut plants in the United States has raised new fears about domestic food security.  To date, eight people have died in connection with the contamination and 600 hundred have become ill.  A recent video from the New York Times recaps the development of the outbreak and challenges […]

One-third of the annual crop yield in the United States is placed into the production of alternative fuels such as corn-based ethanol.  The development of this kind of energy, known as “biofuel,” is in large part the result of a desire in the U.S. to shift away from dependence on foreign oil and the harmful […]

Women who are raped have to marry their rapist says Syrian activist Mouna Ghanem. “She is a victim twice. She is a victim the first time she gets raped and she is a victim the second time because she has to marry the man who raped her,” says Ghanem in an openDemocracy 50/50 podcast. The […]

Today marked the first anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah militant figure Imad Mughniyeh (pictured left). Hezbollah has promised retaliation for what it deemed an act by Israel, and there are indications the group has indeed attempted to launch retaliatory operations against Israeli interests outside the Middle East, leaving many eager to see if and […]

This week’s (7 Feb 2009) issue of the ‘Economist’ magazine has a brilliant cover story — not about the emergence, but rather, the return of economic nationalism led, unfortuantely, by the former Bush administration’s penchant for protectionist ‘bi-lateralism’. It’s an interesting peice set in context of an emerging consensus on Capitol Hill that weak money-center […]