Elizabeth Blackney

Patriotic rhetoric emanates from both presidential campaigns, their allies, and the chirons of every broadcast and cable news division. Anchors and strategists drip with cynicism. Conventional wisdom reflects an intellectual laziness rather than common sense and good governance.

Meanwhile, Americans struggle to survive the threat of another economic collapse....

Just weeks ago, every major network was breathless for George Clooney and news from Sudan. The Clooney left the building and predictably, so have the dozens of cameras and breathless interns, who waited for a glimpse of or a glance from the actor and activist who took Washington, DC by...

After the Arab Spring, there has been no summer bounty. No enlightenment. No renaissance in the Arab Islamic world. Ethnic cleansing continues unabated in Sudan. The horrors in Homs, Syria show the terror a despotic regime will perpetrate to keep power.

The fairy tale ending we were promised from...

At a hearing convened by US Senator John Kerry, Obama Administration officials from USAID and the State Department acknowledged what many in the humanitarian aid and anti-genocide advocacy organizations have been sounding the alarms about. Finally. From USAID there were strong words about famine relief, noting the US should understand...

Generational politics and personalities fascinate us, ignite debate and shape our media coverage and perceptions. After a recent conversation with Academy of Country Music nominee Hunter Hayes, I sat down with a 26-year-old Army Veteran, Willie Charles.

Generation Y continues to impress. Instead of wanting...

The film Act of Valor opened this weekend with an unprecedented cast. Active Duty Navy SEALs star in the gripping tale of global terrorism and heroic acts undertaken to stop it. The tag line, "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday" rings true for children, teens and young adults...

The sheer enormity of the African continent defies understanding. The whole of China, India, Japan, the United States and all of Europe would comfortably fit on the land mass of Africa, with room to breathe around the edges. Despite the diversity of people, culture, and history, there is...

A young man from Sudan, Ker Aleu Deng, spoke eloquently. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) convened the hearing earlier this week of the House Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights to address Deng's situation as a "Lost Boy." Deng was recently rescued from slavery, his mother is...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, a nation plagued by war and civil strife for decades, possesses an estimated $24 Trillion in rare mineral and natural resource wealth. The highest rates of sexual violence in recorded history, child slavery and populations held captive to warlords and a government...

Hunger, suffering, religious oppression, living in fear of ethnic cleansing and deprivation of basic human rights are unfamiliar territory in America. Praying for a safe refugee camp to appear on the horizon after walking for days seems little more than a nightmare. Dusty, arid lands and thousands of faces melt...

This post is part of the "Modern Male Brains & the Young, Powerful Women Who Love Them" series compiled by Dr. Louann Brizendine, neuroscientist and author of the recent book, The Male Brain. The series explores how the next generation of women relates to love while balancing complex,...