Conflict

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Summer is nearly officially over (and the weather here in New York shows it). This means the Perspectives on Global Issues blog is back from its sun-drenched hibernation. Our editors have already been churning out their thoughts and analyses on the latest breaking news in the world of international affairs — but just...
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We all hear stories that capture us — news stories so shocking that we’re sometimes moved to take action — but eventually the story fades or some other shocking release takes its place. The problem is that this isn’t always the case for the news subjects. Often we’ve moved on to new stories...
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Like most people who have some vague idea as to the current Middle East situation, a cease-fire comes as a sigh of relief. However, I’m confused about this whole situation and don’t really understand the Israeli goals or how anything positive will actually come from the most recent fighting. There has been...
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