Obama In Flux

William Bradley, 11.14.2009

California-based Political Analyst NewWestNotes.com

As he embarks on his first big trip to Asia, President Barack Obama's strategies are in flux in many areas.

"Qum" Buy Ya

Amb. Marc Ginsberg, 11.13.2009

Former US Amb. to Morocco

While the technical revelations regarding the Qum nuclear enrichment facility filter out as the IAEA prepares its final report to the U.N., the U.S. is at a crossroads regarding Iran's nuclear program.

Ashley Judd: Please, Population Control is Not the Answer for Congo

Georgianne Nienaber, 11.11.2009

Investigative journalist, searcher, and author

Congo's economy is not undermined by "unregulated fertility" rates. Civil society has been destroyed by decades of war and over a hundred years of exploitation of Congo's wealth by international interests.

My Letter Published in the Wall Street Journal: Bob Dole's Corrupted Opinion on Bosnia

Julia Gorin, 11.11.2009

Below is the original version of my letter that the Wall Street Journal published today. Because of space considerations, there was no room for the wh...

Cold War's End -- The Wall Comes Down

Chris Weigant, 11.10.2009

Author, Political Commentator, and Blogger (ChrisWeigant.com)

The fall of The Wall signified the fall of the Soviet Union, and an end to the Cold War. And while this was of enormous historical import, I fear that future generations won't really pay much attention to it.

Internal Documents Reveal UK Officials Misled Parliament on Armenian Genocide

Harut Sassounian, 11.04.2009

Publisher of The California Courier, a weekly newspaper based in Glendale

A prominent legal expert, Mr. Geoffrey Robertson, exposed this week the false and inaccurate statements on the Armenian Genocide made by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

When Will the U.S. and Russia Stop Acting Like It's Still the Cold War?

Russ Wellen, 11.04.2009

Of Scholars

Unless nuclear states can shed the Cold War mentality once and for all, it's hard to be optimistic about the long-terms prospects for disarmament.

Human Rights Protesters Arrested in Moscow for Demanding Freedom of Assembly

Oleg Kozlovsky, 11.03.2009

Leading Russian Democracy and Human Rights Activist

As democracy and civil rights in Russia diminish every year, the country is becoming more of a police state. The voice of dissent is silenced by cynical and cruel country leadership.

UN Starts World's First Arms Trade Treaty: Will It Work?

Evelyn Leopold, 10.31.2009

Veteran reporter at the United Nations

The aim is to set standards for the global $55 billion export business in guns, tanks, attack helicopters, jet fighters, missiles and other conventional weapons.

No Toilets or Air For "Forgotten Prisoners"

Betwa Sharma, 10.29.2009

Betwa is the NY/UN correspondent for the Press Trust of India.

Prison conditions worldwide are worse than the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture could have imagined. Jails without air, toilets and food are not rare.

From The Pentagon To Monty Python: The Internet Turns 40

Chris Weigant, 10.29.2009

Author, Political Commentator, and Blogger (ChrisWeigant.com)

Technology has grown by such leaps and bounds since 1969 that it's hard to conceive how things were before we all had access to computers.

One Last Option for Securing Iranian Enriched Uranium

Bruno Pellaud, 10.28.2009

Former Deputy Director General, IAEA

Iran's refusal and counter-proposal to shipping low-enriched uranium to Russia is unacceptable. But before slamming the door on talks, two alternative arrangements still deserve consideration.

Eyes on the Real Prize

Gloria Duffy, 10.28.2009

President of the Commonwealth Club of California

The US is entering a season of key international negotiations, during which two arms control treaties that have been languishing for years will hopefully be completed.

Joe Scarborough Needs to Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

Robert Amsterdam, 10.26.2009

International lawyer on emerging markets, politics of business, and rule of law

The ungrateful chauvinism of U.S. foreign policy reaches far beyond a rant provided by Joe Scarborough, who at least has the excuse of being in the business of manufacturing polemics.

Foreign Affairs Roundup

Christopher Herbert and Victoria Kataoka Rebuffet, 10.23.2009

Editors of Simple Intelligence

The Past Two Week's Top Stories in International Affairs: The Real Deal with Iran The 5+1 (UN Permanent Security Council Members plus Germany) were a...

Six Years of Russian Injustice

Robert Amsterdam, 10.24.2009

International lawyer on emerging markets, politics of business, and rule of law

Sunday Oct. 25, 2009 will mark the sixth anniversary of the arrest at gunpoint of the Russian political prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Over these lon...

Obama in the Thicket of "Afghaniranistan"

William Bradley, 10.21.2009

California-based Political Analyst NewWestNotes.com

Obama is in a multi-faceted complex of geopolitical crises. He is actively using military force in two of the countries, and has threatened, at the least, tough sanctions in the third.

Hillary Clinton and Propaganda

John Brown, 10.20.2009

Adjunct Professor of Liberal Studies, Georgetown University

Hillary Clinton has broken with tradition. She, a high-ranking government official, has admitted that her government engaged in propaganda.

The Big Dollar Bustout ... Is Too Big To Fail Still an Option?

Eric Ehrmann, 10.19.2009

Writes on sports and global issues from Brazil; a member of PEN

With efforts to rebrand America's national identity in the electronic media falling flat like a bad online date, taking away the dollar's too big to fail status might be the better wake up call.

Russia "Nyet!" and China "Bu Shi!" to Tougher Iran Sanctions

Amb. Marc Ginsberg, 10.17.2009

Former US Amb. to Morocco

At a time when both Russia and China are trying to readjust their diplomatic bearings with Washington, why not join the West for a while in toughening sanctions against Tehran?

Why Terrorists Never Have Gotten Hold of a Nuke and Why the Taliban Won't Be First

Keith Thomson, 10.17.2009

Reporter and author

Say the Pakistani government somehow falls to the Taliban. With a maniac at the button, cities in the Pakistani arsenal's 2,500-kilometer range could get turned into vacant lots.