U.S. and the World
Iraqi Leader Threatens to Prosecute U.S. Soldiers
Relations between Washington and Baghdad have become strained following the public demands of Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the United States to turn over the American soldiers involved in a weekend raid that left two Iraqis dead and six... read more
USAID Contracts with Sons of Abbas Called Into Question
Reuters’ recent review of U.S. aid programs in the Palestinian territories uncovered two USAID contracts made with the sons of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that are involved with the agency’s attempts to promote a better public image of the... read more
Mexican Cartels, Italian Mafia Move Drugs Through U.S. and Into Europe
Mexican drug cartels have joined forces with the Italian mafia to transport narcotics through the United States and into European markets. Heightened efforts by U.S. and Mexican officials to crackdown on the drug trade and rising European cocaine ... read more
Alaska Hosts World Indigenous Peoples Climate Summit
Last week, 400 representatives from 80 indigenous nations met in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss the problems of climate change and possible solutions to global warming. These nations are the most affected by but least culpable for environmental irr... read more
What if One Million Americans Died in a War?
To fathom just how destructive the U.S. invasion of Iraq has been for Iraqis, imagine if 1.2 million Americans had died violent deaths from 2003 until now. That would be the proportional equivalent to the number of Iraqis who have perished as a re... read more
Obama to Use Military to Fill Civilian Posts in Afghanistan
When President Barack Obama named Lt. General Karl Eikenberry to be U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, few, if any, realized at the time that the decision represented just the first of hundreds of civilian positions in Afghanistan that soon will be m... read more
U.S. Investment with Cuba Ready to Take Off
For the past 50 years, Cuba has successfully avoided the spread of technologies such as cell phones and new cars. But that may soon change as American companies eye the Cuban market and the momentum toward abolishing the trade embargo grows.
I... read more
Overlooked U.S. Military Blunder in Africa
General William Ward, commander of AFRICOM (United States Africa Command), testified on March 17 before the Senate Armed Services Committee that a US-backed plan to root out the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northeastern Congo was a suc... read more
Suicide and “Dog Poop Girl” Lead to Clash Between Google and South Korean Government
Cyber-bullying that led to the suicide of an actress and the fleeing of “dog poop girl” from her hometown provided impetus for a new Cyber Defamation Law in South Korea requiring that the real name of a user be published with any of the user’s upl... read more
Robot Wars Good for Soldiers, Bad for Civilians
The growing use of robots by the U.S. military to reduce battlefield casualties is coming at the expense of civilians, and it could have ramifications as well for the ability of the government to sell future wars to the American people. In 2008, t... read more
Roxana Saberi Update: 8 Years in Prison
Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American accused of spying on behalf of the United States, was sentenced to eight years in prison over the weekend by a secret tribunal in Iran. Saberi’s sentence was the most severe of those handed down by Iran’s judicia... read more
African First Ladies Do Hollywood
On Monday, the first ladies of fifteen African nations will gather in Beverly Hills for The African First Ladies Summit and Gala— a two-day meeting (April 20-21) that will focus on combating HIV/AIDs and will also address women’s issues. They will... read more
First Foreigner to be Prosecuted in the U.S. for Crimes in Iraq
Wesam al-Delaema, a 36-year-old Iraqi-born citizen of the Netherlands, became the first Iraq war insurgent to be prosecuted in an American court on Thursday, receiving a 25-year sentence for plotting to kill US soldiers. But al-Delaema will not se... read more
Cuba Prepares for American Tourists…Again
As President Barack Obama arrives in Trinidad for the Fifth Summit of the Americas, one of the key issues to be discussed will be the 47-year-old U.S. embargo of Cuba. Despite the fact that Americans are legally banned from visiting Cuba, there is... read more
U.S. Journalist Is Being Tried Behind Closed Doors in Iran
The secret trial of freelance journalist Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American arrested in Tehran in January, began on Monday. Charged with spying for the United States, Saberi went to Iran six years ago, filing reports for the BBC and National Publi... read more
Italian Nuclear Waste to be Dumped in Utah
A uranium isotope is a uranium isotope, regardless of its country of origin. But for two Democratic congressmen, there’s a problem with low-level nuclear waste from Italy being dumped in Utah, even though plenty of radioactive refuse has already b... read more