U.S. and the World
Is it Time for a Border Fence with Canada?
Officials in the Customs and Border Protection service believe the United States has another border problem, this time with Canada. According to a U.S. government report, U.S. officers control only 31 miles of the almost 4000-mile border.
Th... read more
Violence in Afghanistan: U.N. Says Up; U.S. Says Down
The war in Afghanistan is going well for the West. Or things are steadily deteriorating. It all depends on who’s talking.
The U.S.-led coalition produced numbers this week that indicated violence is down in Afghanistan, especially in the sou... read more
Justice Dept. Fights to Keep Bin Laden Death Photos and Video Secret
On behalf of the White House, as well as the military, diplomatic and intelligence wings of the Obama administration, the Department of Justice has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking the release of government photos and video from ... read more
U.S. Now Controls More than Half of World Arms Sales
American arms merchants enjoyed a dominant year in 2010 as the United States was responsible for selling more than half of all weapons worldwide.
Although U.S. arms exports actually declined last year, compared to 2009, the dramatic drop in ... read more
Saudi Women Can Vote in Meaningless Elections, But They Still Can’t Drive
On the same day it gave women the power to vote in certain elections, the government of Saudi Arabia reinforced its conservative policies by moving ahead with trying a woman for driving a car.
With respect to the suffrage change, women will be... read more
Dictator of the Month: Paul Biya of Cameroon
On October 9, the nation of Cameroon in west-central Africa will hold a presidential election. There will be 23 candidates, but there isn’t much doubt which one will win…78-year-old Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for 29 years. In fact, Biya i... read more
43 Years Later, Vietnam War Covert Operations Vets Receive Medals for Heroism
Almost five decades after their feats, a group of American commandoes finally have been honored by the U.S. government for their bravery during the Vietnam War.
Fifteen men from the U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observ... read more
Why is Obama Selling Weapons to the King of Bahrain While He’s Attacking Pro-Democracy Protestors?
Geopolitics and economics trump human rights and democracy in Bahrain, where the oil-based kingdom, led by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, has spent months cracking down on protesters and dissidents and now is being rewarded with American militar... read more
U.S. Pays 62% of Afghanistan’s Government Expenses
If the United States wants to extricate itself from Afghanistan, it needs to figure out a way for Afghans to pay for their own government.
Right now Kabul is not even remotely close to covering the cost of running the country.
The U.S. a... read more
China Controls 4 Critical Element Groups Most at Risk of Shortages
When it comes to essential materials needed for so much of modern living, China wields considerable leverage over the consumerist appetite of the Western world.
Many of the critical elements required for manufacturing that are now deemed at-... read more
Serbs Given Go-Ahead by U.S. Court to Sue Defense Contractors over Genocide
L-3 Communications, one of the top defense contractors in the United States, is being sued by a group of Serbs who accuse the company of helping Croatians commit genocide against their people during the Balkans war in 1995.
A lawsuit filed i... read more
Big Corporations Pressure Congress to Stop Taxing Overseas Profits
At a time when the U.S. government needs more revenue to help close a trillion-dollar a year deficit, large American corporations want to be exempted from paying taxes on overseas corporate profits, which could further worsen the red-ink problem... read more
17 Tons of U.S.-Supplied Weapons-Grade Nuclear Material Missing
The United States has lost sight of enough nuclear material, which was provided to friendly countries for civilian energy use, to manufacture hundreds of nuclear warheads.
An investigation by the Government Accountability Office found that t... read more
Sex Abuse Victims Call for Investigation of Pope in Cover-Up of Crimes by Priests
Upset over the lack of prosecutions of high-ranking Catholic leaders, sex-abuse victims are attempting to take their case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which was established for the prosecution of war crimes.
The Ce... read more
Lloyd’s Sues Members of Saudi Royal Family for Funding Al-Qaeda in 9/11 Attacks
Leaders of Saudi Arabia are being sued by Lloyd’s insurance for playing a key role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Lloyd’s has paid more than $215 million in claims filed by families of those killed in the attacks, and wants Saudi leaders to ... read more
New York Fashion Week Cancels Show by Dictator’s Daughter
Gulnara Karimova, daughter of Uzbekistan’s notorious dictator, won’t enjoy New York’s Fashion Week after all.
IMG, which puts on the celebrated fashion event, decided to cancel Karimova’s fashion show following media stories about her father... read more