U.S. and the World
U.S. Pulls Back from Push for Women’s Rights in Afghanistan
Saying it’s time to be realistic about foreign policy goals, U.S. officials are downgrading the importance of achieving certain benchmarks for women’s rights in Afghanistan, as President Hamid Karzai’s government courts peace with insurgents.
... read more
World Food Prices See Dramatic Rise
The price of food is continuing to rise worldwide, which could mean unrest for some countries if the trend continues.
According to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Food Price Index has gone up eight straight m... read more
U.S. Government Debt to China Again Tops $1 Trillion
China now holds more than $1.6 trillion in U.S. securities assets, according to the latest figures released by the Department of the Treasury, giving it its largest-ever share of America’s national debt.
Nearly two years ago (June 2009), Chi... read more
UN Human Rights Report Praises Libya
Perhaps the United Nations Human Rights Council has been living under a rock. How else to explain its preparing to adopt a report praising Libya for its human rights record while the rest of the UN considers whether to suspend the country from t... read more
U.S. Supports International Criminal Court for First Time
In supporting a United Nations resolution imposing sanctions against Libya for Muammar al-Gadaffi’s crackdown on his own citizens, the U.S. has endorsed the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the first time.
Until now, the U.S.... read more
Iraqi Authorities Attack Journalists
More than seven years after the United States invaded Iraq, the concept of freedom of speech does not seem to have taken hold there. In separate incidents last week, Iraqi government security forces attacked journalists.
During Friday’s “Day... read more
Stuxnet Attack on Iran…the Worm that Keeps on Giving
Iran has been forced to delay the startup of its first nuclear power plant over problems that may stem from the cyber attack that was first launched nearly two years ago against the country to thwart its attempt to develop nuclear weapons.
I... read more
Army Captain Returns to Combat after 60 Surgeries
America’s most wounded soldier is going back to war.
U.S. Army Captain D.J. Skelton was blown up the night of November 6, 2004, in Fallujah, Iraq, when the unit he was leading as a lieutenant was caught in a hail of bullets and exploding gre... read more
Frightened Chinese Communists Block More Search Terms…Including Name of U.S. Ambassador
Concerned that anti-government protests like those in North Africa and the Middle East might erupt in their country, Chinese authorities clamped further down on Internet access and singled out the U.S. ambassador for being in the wrong place at ... read more
Is U.S. Legitimizing Warlords and Criminals in Afghanistan?
The U.S. military’s plan to create Afghan Local Police (ALP) units throughout Afghanistan is supposed to turn the population against the Taliban. But some of the ALPs are filled with undesirables ranging from former warlord loyalists to criminal... read more
U.S. Companies Sold $247 Billion in Weapons Last Year
Business was absolutely booming for the American arms industry during the Great Recession; in 2009 alone, U.S. defense companies sold nearly $247 billion in weapons worldwide. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has determined t... read more
Chinese Workers Poisoned Making iPhones
Making one of the most sought after cell phones in the U.S. has proven to be dangerous for the health of workers in China.
Apple has admitted that 137 workers at a Chinese factory producing iPhones in Suzhou have become seriously ill from ex... read more
46 Zimbabweans Arrested for Watching Videos of Uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt
In an attempt to head off a potential uprising like those in the north of the African continent, the Zimbabwe regime arrested dozens of students, trade unionists and political activists who gathered to watch television coverage of events in Tuni... read more
Who is Muammar al-Gaddafi?
“All of the great prophets of modern times have come from the desert: Mohammed, Jesus and myself.”
-Muammar al-Gaddafi, October 1988
When I wrote my book, Tyrants: The World's 20 Worst Living Dictators, it goes without saying that I includ... read more
U.S. Government Admits American Arrested for Murder in Pakistan Worked for CIA
Classified a “diplomat” by the Obama administration until Monday, the man arrested in Pakistan for killing two men in Lahore has turned out to be employed by the CIA.
After conducting interviews in the U.S. and Pakistan, the British newspaper ... read more
U.S. Military vs. Human Rights in Bahrain
For the U.S. government, strategic priorities have taken preeminence over human rights in Bahrain, where a substantial opposition movement by the Shiite majority is threatening to topple the long-ruling Sunni royal family.
Bahrain in one of ... read more