Tsunami Anniversary: A Christmas Without War

Adele Barker, 12.25.2009

I returned to Sri Lanka for eight months after the tsunami to work on my book about the island Not Quite Paradise. I thought I had finished the book in 2004, but then the wave hit. And everything changed.

We Look Back with Sadness, But We Look Forward with Hope

Mahinda Rajapaksa, 12.24.2009

President of Sri Lanka

Five years on from the terrible tsunami of 2004 that ravished our island, now is truly an exciting time for Sri Lanka. We are creating a land of opportunity for all Sri Lankans and no one will be left behind.

Baby 'Tsunami' turns 5 years old in Sri Lanka

World Vision, 12.23.2009

World Vision

Little Tsunami sits on a rock by the sea, watching the boats sail by in the distance. Every now and then, she pushes back the hair the evening sea breeze playfully pulls across her eyes.

Plagiarism: Mona Sarika's Short, Disgraced Career

Virginia M. Moncrieff, 12.05.2009

International Correspondent

The scandal surrounding the writer Mona Sarika continues to unfold after the Wall Street Journal removed an article titled "New Global Indian" that sh...

Eating Club: Staten Island Ferry To Little Sri Lanka

The MTA Dining Car, 11.24.2009

Food bloggers Kiera Feldman and Lauren Rothman

This month, the MTA Dining Car -- a club devoted to outer borough trekking -- headed to Staten. The destination: Sanrasa's in Tompkinsville (aka Little Sri Lanka), minutes from the ferry.

7 Gifts that Give Back to the World

Richard Walden, 11.24.2009

President, Operation USA

This holiday season there are a number of ways you can donate to powerful causes in honor of family and friends that they would wholeheartedly endorse in lieu of a gift.

Why A Maximalist Af-Pak Policy Will Not Work

Lionel Beehner, 11.10.2009

Former senior writer for the Council on Foreign Relations

Let's turn to Afghanistan. There is a weak and corrupt government, little to no standing armed forces, and parts of the country entirely controlled by the Taliban.

"Sri Lanka: Notes From A War On Terror"

Current TV’s “Vanguard”, 11.05.2009

As the Obama administration weighs its options in Afghanistan, the big question they are most certainly grappling with is: what does it take to defeat...

The Story of CAN-DO: Enough Is Enough

Eric Klein, 10.22.2009

Founder and CEO of CAN-DO

CAN-DO was born out of my own frustration with the system and the critical need I saw to hold charitable organizations accountable for hard-earned donations and to the communities they serve.

U.N. Ambassador Kohona: Sri Lanka Refugee Situation Improving

Jim Luce, 10.20.2009

Thought Leaders and Global Citizens

Fourteen years after the civil war in Rwanda, refugees are still living in mud huts.  In Bosnia, following Balkanization, people lacked heat and ...

EPRLF-P Gen. Sec. Sritharan to Diaspora: This is No Joke, Battlefront Not on Toronto Streets

Anuradha K. Herath, 11.26.2009

"They think the children are poor peoples' sons and daughters," Sritharan said. "The ordinary soldier from the Sinhala south is also from a poor peasant family."

Balancing Your Life and Human Rights

Ellen Susman, 11.23.2009

Gabriele said that over time some prisoners would find ways to illustrate their stay. They would draw stars, birds, and trees to remind them of freedom. She said they could often smell the roses outside.

The Goldstone Report: Three Strikes and You're Out!

David Harris, 11.18.2009

Executive Director, AJC, and Senior Associate, St. Antony's College, Oxford University

By the time the Goldstone mission "considered" Israel's entry into Gaza, the result was a foregone conclusion. Context? No way. Balance? Forget about it. The verdict? Already in

Sri Lanka's New UN Ambassador Says Sri Lanka Has a New Circle of Friends in the East

Anuradha K. Herath, 11.15.2009

Palitha Kohona says that as western countries began to pull away from Sri Lanka during the height of violence in the country, the government turned to new friendships in the east.

The Magic of Immigrant Charm

Venkat Srinivasan, 11.12.2009

Writer and photographer

Serving a long line of hungry customers from his vegan dosa cart at a busy square in Manhattan, Thirukumar Kandasamy, it would seem, knows his constituency. Nobody knows him by that name though.

The Scandal of International Religious Persecution

Doug Bandow, 10.22.2009

Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute

There is a good argument for treating religious liberty as the first freedom. If a government is unwilling to protect basic freedom when it comes to religious faith, then it is unlikely to tolerate political free-thinking either.

Moment of Truth In Afghanistan, Iran, Israel-Palestine, Southeast Asia, Africa, FSU

Stephen C. Rose, 10.16.2009

Founder of prize-winning magazine 'Renewal'

In all these situations, violence is active or incipient. In all of them, there is no solution being proposed that promises an end to the prospect of more of the same.

"We Don't Want Development, We Want Our Rights!"

Nimmi Gowrinathan, 09.27.2009

The message shouted from an elder woman was clear as she harassed a worker attempting to install latrines that would signal a longer, more permanent, residence in unlivable Sri Lankan internment camps.

The Graveyards of Sri Lanka's War Zone

Amnesty International, 09.12.2009

Defending Human Rights Worldwide

New satellite images reveal two new alarming features of an inaccessible Sri Lankan conflict zone: Large gravesites and evidence of mortars used in and around the so-called civilian save zone.

Why Refugees Need to Make a Living

Dale Buscher, 09.11.2009

Director of Protection, Women's Refugee Commission

It is time to implement interventions that are tailored to the local context, that build on the refugees' existing skills, and that match local market demand.

A.T. Ariyaratne: Leading Sri Lanka's Largest Civil Society Movement for 50 Years

Anuradha K. Herath, 09.10.2009

The meek 77-year-old Ariyaratne, often called the "Gandhi of Sri Lanka," has become popular for his massive meditation sessions in which hundreds of thousands of people converge to pray for peace.