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Pictures from a Revolution (1991)
November 8, 2012 2 min. read

Who won the war in Nicaragua? Apparently, no one. Pictures from a Revolution examines photographer Susan Meiselas’s journey to find the people she photographed in Nicaragua during the 1970s and 1980s. She uses the photos to reach out to people, many of whom are blunt about their shattered hopes. Both supporters of the Sandinista government […]

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KAFKANISTAN: Ventureing into Unknown Places
November 6, 2012 2 min. read

In the spring of 2006, Austrian Lukas Birk, under the alias “Smiley Wallah” ventured into Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran as a tourist—a dangerous endeavor the average person would never dream of doing. In his travels, Birk encounters people from all over the world—Vietnam, Germany, and France, for example, and in interviews with them which he presents […]

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Do Women Leaders Matter?
November 4, 2012 3 min. read

Do women leaders matter for women? Not at the national level suggests Nicholas Kristof in a recent New York Times article focused on a specific woman leader he doesn’t care for very much. According to him, she’s bad for everyone in her country, but especially for the women. Kristof points out that, “metrics like girls’ education […]

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The U.S. Maintains a Mediocre Record of Promoting Democracy in Africa
November 2, 2012 5 min. read

Last week the Foreign Policy Association released its annual National Opinion Ballot Report regarding several topics within the realm of U.S. foreign policy. One subject that received much attention surrounded the United States’ role and responsibility when it came to promoting democracy globally. When the participants were asked if “The United States should actively promote democracy around […]

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Will Fast and Furious survive the election? DOJ seeks to limit authority of future congressional investigations
November 1, 2012 23 min. read

When you’re right, you’re right. I’m talking about Fast and Furious, the gun-walking operation the US Department of Justice used (illegally if the Export Control Act still carries any weight) to funnel more than 2000 fully operational combat-ready guns and other serious weaponry across the US-Mexico border and into the hands of cartel gang members.

The ‘covert op’ nobody in Washington knew anything about but which, nevertheless, allowed cartel assassins to use these weapons to gun down hundreds of innocent people, including US law enforcement agents like Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

Almost ten months ago, in this very blog (Brian Terry, Jesus Diaz, Dakota Meyer: Justice in 2012?), this writer suggested that, the nearer we came to the election, the less would be said, and done, in regard to the plight of the Terry Family and their hope that, in the case of Fast and Furious, ‘justice would be done.’

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Five Favorite Foreign Policy Debate Gaffes
October 24, 2012 9 min. read

Monday’s debate on foreign policy marked the end of the presidential debate season for 2012.  Much has been said about past gaffes — both in foreign policy debates and in general — but we’re going to take some time now anyway to reflect on what could have, and what did, go horribly wrong in this […]

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Horses, Bayonets … and COWS?
October 24, 2012 4 min. read

With our third and final electoral pageantry behind us, Americans can now gorge on a spate of lucid and provocative articulations of global security in the 21st century.  That is, for those bothering to read below the fold.  For most of us, our interest peaked with the morning headlines whose typographic excess was reserved for […]

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Mali Explainer: A Q&A with Gregory Mann
October 24, 2012 5 min. read

In this week’s foreign policy debate between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, terrorism in the northern part of the West African nation of Mali was brought up unexpectedly.  FPA’s Robert Nolan speaks with Mali Columbia University’s Gregory Mann about the situation there. Unabashed destruction of historic UNESCO sites. The banning of all music aside from the singing […]

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The Impact of Sanctions on Iranians and Government Policies
October 22, 2012 1 min. read

Iran has been a major foreign policy issue for all U.S. administrations over the past three decades. In tonight’s last Presidential debate before the elections, Iran is bound to come up as one of the key foreign policy challenges that needs to be tackled. Will there be a change in the Iranian government’s policies as […]

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Will They “Sell” U.S engagement with Africa Tonight?
October 22, 2012 3 min. read

In advance of tonight’s presidential foreign policy debate, U.S. policy towards Africa should be an important question the candidates are considering. It’s an issue the candidates and their teams have undoubtedly thought about and already answered for themselves. But I’ll be (pleasantly) surprised if either of the candidates gives U.S. engagement in Africa much attention. […]

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Food Prices, Locusts Spell Trouble for West Africa
October 21, 2012 2 min. read

Much of West Africa has been struggling under severe drought conditions – their third round since 2005. Some experts hope better than expected seasonal rains will bring an end to the regional food security crisis but others fear that rising global food prices, an influx of desert locusts and continuing political unrest will turn out […]

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The Car Bomb in Lebanon: Spillover from Syria Increases
October 19, 2012 7 min. read

  Beirut, the Paris of the Middle East and the region’s capital for assassinations and attempted political slayings. The latest of which in this bloody saga targeted Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan, the head of the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces. Hassan, who was tapped to become the Head of the ISF at the […]

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