The Stories of the Two Somalis Freed From Guantanamo

Andy Worthington, 12.21.2009

Journalist and author of "The Guantanamo Files"

The release of two more men yet again demonstrates how hysterical and unsubstantiated are Republican claims that Guantánamo is full of hardcore terrorists.

Two Castros Decide Everything, Our "Representatives" Simply Applaud

Yoani Sanchez, 12.21.2009

Award-Winning Cuban Blogger

"The impasse is the dynamics of deterioration," my friend said, part philosophic part pessimistic after listening to Raul Castro's speech in the National Assembly yesterday.

Guinea: UN Verifies Atrocities -- Murder, Rape, Torture

Evelyn Leopold, 12.21.2009

Veteran reporter at the United Nations

A 59-page UN inquiry determined that the junta leader of the West African nation of Guinea "had direct responsibility" for killings, rapes and other atrocities against peaceful protesters.

No Hurricane Worries? Not So Fast

Joseph B. Treaster, 12.21.2009

Editor, 1H2O.org, Knight Center for International Media, University of Miami

Here's the bad news about the quiet, almost peaceful hurricane season in 2009: Right away, people start thinking this is the norm. They start to relax and maybe even make fun of hurricanes.

Selling Children in America

Conchita Sarnoff, 12.21.2009

The United States is now the #1 destination in the world for trafficked children. The reasons are clear: money and a high demand for underage children to be used for prostitution on "the streets" and online pornography.

Hyderabad, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, India: Crisis

Vamsee Juluri, 12.21.2009

Author and Professor of Media Studies, University of San Francisco

Hyderabad is the sort of city that makes poets out of ordinary men. It has a history of being home to different sorts of people, accepting them with an easy charm that only Hyderabad knows.

Afghanistan's Elections: How Dr. House Can help

Gerard Russell, 12.21.2009

Former British and United Nations Diplomat

Likewise, in foreign policy. Let's say there are two diagnoses for Afghanistan -- one means it has a chance if we do things right. The other means that there's no hope whatever we do.

He Stood up to the Ayatollah

Shirin Sadeghi, 12.21.2009

Middle East Consultant and former Producer for the BBC and Al Jazeera

Iranians mourn the passing of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who died this week. It was his voice of support for the people that gave a few other power players the courage to speak up too.

Montazeri's Limited Tolerance of Non-Muslims

Jamsheed K. Choksy, 12.21.2009

Professor of Iranian studies at Indiana University

Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri's opinion was characterized by one Iranian Christian clergyman as "rubbing salt into our wounds."

Greece and the Global Sixties

Tom Hayden, 12.20.2009

Former state senator and leader of Sixties peace, justice and environmental movements

It's important to write Greece into the history of the Sixties, and all the countries of the global South who have been neglected due to the media's preference to obsess over music, marijuana, long hair, lost bras, and the end of innocence.

Combatting HIV/AIDS in Africa: Soccer Instead of Unsafe Sex

Bernard Pollack and Danielle Nierenberg, 12.18.2009

Boredom -- and drinking -- often led to unsafe sex with prostitutes at the truck stops along the highway. As a result, truck drivers have one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Africa.

Decade of Disillusionment

Blythe McGarvie, 12.20.2009

Expert on going global, finance and leadership

We must understand the changes from the last 10 years in order to anticipate the direction of our global economy for the next few years. I believe the zeitgeist is the Decade of Disillusionment, or the condition of having lost naive faith and trust.