Lately the news has been adamantly following what’s been going on in Egypt, and rightfully so. The focus has especially been on social media and how mediums such as Facebook and Twitter enabled the organization of the movement and the out pour of grievances. However, as we recognize the importance of this occasion we...
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Conflict
Consumer Social Responsibility
Never Turn Your Head
I recently found out that my nine-year-old niece has to do current event presentations once a week in front of her classroom. This past week she dressed up as a Polish boy, wore the Star of David on her coat, and recited the famous poem by Peter Fischl, “To the Little Polish Boy Standing...
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The Flower that Fuels the War
By Guest Blogger Johanna Teeri
The New York Times reported on Sunday that the NATO forces in the town of Marja no longer seek to eradicate the poppy fields, as they are trying to build support among the villagers rather than destroy more livelihoods. While the new burst of conflict-sensitivity is welcome, the real conundrum...
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Don’t Let History Repeat Itself
A fourth part in the Afghanistan series
Thirty years ago this Christmas Eve will be the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. It’s interesting to think that the United States will succeed where the Soviets failed. Newsweek has an interesting article on avoiding making the same Soviet mistakes. Questions abound: How much...
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Predator Drones in the Battlefield, and at Home
Not two days ago, I read this passage in Wired for War, P.W. Singer’s absorbing and excellently researched book on the robotics revolution in warfare:
Through most of 2005 and 2006, the Department of Homeland Security flew a Predator drone over the U.S.-Mexico border. The robot border-cop helped arrest 2,309 people and seize seven tons...
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And the (Afghanistan) Plot Thickens…
As most people know by now, President Obama has decided to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. The decision was made in part for political reasons and it is doubtful anyone is truly happy with it; on the right, there are those who do not believe he provided the military with the...
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Dispute Continues Between Bangladesh and Myanmar
The dispute over a fence going up on the Myanmar border continues. As the fence is erected, Bangladesh border troops are being deployed to the common border. This has an effect on the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority from Myanmar, because they cross this border fleeing rape, forced labor, and property confiscation seeking refuge...
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Tensions Rise on Burma-Bangladesh Border
There are long-existing points of tension between Bangladesh and Burma such as disputes over maritime boundaries and the movement of illegal goods. One of the most sensitive issued has been the cross-border trafficking of drugs and the migration of refugees from Burma to Bangladesh. In the last couple of weeks tensions have been mounting...
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Daniel Ellsberg: “The Most Dangerous Man in America”
WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show had an interview today with Daniel and Patricia Ellsberg to talk about the new documentary “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.” The film, obviously, centers on Daniel Ellsberg’s role in leaking the Pentagon Papers to the American press to expose the lies of the...
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On Stephen Farrell and Protecting War Journalists
There is a great article by John Burns in today’s New York Times about the duties of journalists to cover wars comprehensively, in light of the recent case of NYT reporter Stephen Farrell. Farrell was captured by the Taliban outside Kabul, Afghanistan last week. A British raid was sent to free them earlier this...
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