Religious Peace Building
November 19, 2008 2 min. read

David Little , a Professor of Religion at Harvard Divinity School , published an article titled "Religion, Conflict, and Peace." This blog has included so far a lot of news analysis about conflicts and wars that apparently have their foundations in religious extremism. For this reason, I have found Professor Little's analysis of religion and […]

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Chinese Forced Abortion Halted
November 19, 2008 2 min. read

Many of the world have been suddenly been drawn together regardless of what side of the abortion issue they stand on.  What has united activists from all sides?  The sudden brake of the story of Arzigul Tursun, a Uyghur woman living near Ghulja in East Turkestan (also known as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the […]

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I Could Be…
November 19, 2008 1 min. read

What turns the "I will be's" of childhood into, the "I could be's"? Poverty, gender inequality, war, and disease all take the "will be" out of many children's future, but the true dark shadow that continues to plague millions of children every year is lack of access to adequate education. Education is the key to […]

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Obama on Climate Change
November 19, 2008 1 min. read

This video from President-Elect Barack Obama talking to the attendees at the Governors' Global Climate Summit is unequivocal.  (See my post from November 13 below on the summit.)  Obama reaffirms his support for a vigorous cap-and-trade regime and for truly robust federal support for renewables. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/hvG2XptIEJk” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Read more about this […]

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Pirates
November 19, 2008 1 min. read

The problem of international naval piracy has received renewed attention in recent days, prompted by attacks on several ships, including a Saudi tanker off the coast of Somalia. Voice of America reports almost 100 ships have been attacked off of Somalia this year. Piracy, of course, is the original crime under international law, and so […]

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A British Lesson on Auto Bailouts
November 18, 2008 1 min. read

Nelson D. Schwartz of the New York Times uses an example from the sorry history of the British motor industry to warn that auto bailouts, currently a hot topic in the United States, may not necessarily bring about the desired results. As a parallel with General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, Schwartz describes the once-mighty British […]

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Summit Analysis
November 18, 2008 2 min. read

Staying with the subject of the G20 Summit, I was looking over the White House website for the summit, they provide a fact sheet on the agreement reached by the world leaders last weekend in Washington, it makes for interesting reading. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace also takes a look back at the summit, […]

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Euro-Onions Now Free to Differ
November 18, 2008 1 min. read

The New York Times' Stephen Castle reports from Brussels that on Wednesday November 12, the European Union has mostly done away with rules that banned "extra knobbly or oddly shaped produce' from grocery stores.  The previous report that we cited on the matter concluded that Mariann Fischer Boel, the Danish European Commissioner for Agriculture faced […]

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Hillary Clinton As Secretary Of State? Why She Should Say "Thanks, But No Thanks!"
November 18, 2008 2 min. read

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama invited Hillary Clinton to Chicago last week for a talk. Inevitably, it was leaked that she was being considered for the post of Secretary of State. Most pundits have emphasized the positives of this possible appointment for the Obama administration. It would finally seal the deal with the small but persistent […]

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Summit Wrap
November 17, 2008 1 min. read

  Center for American Progress Action Fund vice president Nina Hachigian comments to Politico on the implications of the financial crisis for the U.S. role in the world: The financial crisis is horrible, but it's reinforcing two central truths. First, that we really have to focus on home and getting our domestic house in order […]

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FT Bits
November 17, 2008 3 min. read

I'm a big fan of the "Financial Times."  I think they have consistently excellent coverage on global issues, very much including energy and the environment.  Their top reporter on the  environment beat, Fiona Harvey, really seems to get to the heart of things and to find the compelling angles.  They have an ongoing "In Depth" […]

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Rwanda May Indict French Leaders
November 17, 2008 1 min. read

Agence-France Press reports the Rwandan government may issue indictments against former French President Francois Mitterand and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin for their alleged role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. A recent Rwandan government investigation held approximately 20 French officials, including Mitterand and Villepin, responsible. At the same time, a Rwandan official has been arrested […]

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