In The News

Gaza Conflict Plays Out Online Through Social Media

Corey Flintoff January 15, 2009
Israel has stopped journalists from entering the war zone, but photos and reports continue to flow. As war rages in the Gaza Strip, cross-border social networking continues on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube. “Online media are conglomerating their information, and governments are getting into the act,” reports Corey Flintoff for National Public Radio. The public has changed the way it...

Refusing to Save Darfur

Eric Reeves January 14, 2009
The seventh year of cruelties are underway in Darfur, the most protested and well documented case of genocide in history, reports author Eric Reeves for Dissent. The International Criminal Court filed formal charges of genocide in July 2008, yet Western countries hesitate to take action, and China, Russia and other nations continue to provide military equipment and economic investment that aids...

Save Pakistan to Save Us All

Gautam Adhikari January 12, 2009
Pakistan has been an epicenter for hatching terrorist plans, from the 9/11 attacks to the series of bombings in Mumbai, as well as the proliferation of nuclear know-how. After a long list of schemes originating in Pakistan, Gautam Adhikari argues that the international community can’t afford to regard the problem as regional or blame the people: “An unstable and economically desperate Pakistan...

Gauging Sri Lanka's Inroads in Battle Against Tigers

Anuj Chopra January 9, 2009
The island nation of Sri Lanka, off the coast of India, has been wracked by civil war for more than 25 years. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam seek an independent political state for ethnic Tamils, who make up about 18 percent of the country’s population. The government broke off a ceasefire in early 2008, and has since waged a yearlong military offensive, starting the year 2009 by reporting...

Foreign Envoys Gather in Middle East

Ulrike Putz January 6, 2009
Diplomacy requires trust – that opponents will be forthright about their motivations and keep their word about future actions. An utter lack of trust, based on years of experience, is on display with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Complicating the matter is the political transition for the US, as the Bush administration ends and the Obama administration prepares to begin. The international...

How the Mobile Phone in Your Pocket is Helping to Pay for the Civil War in Congo

Mike Pflanz November 14, 2008
An abundance of rare minerals bless and curse the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Raw columbium-tantalite ore, commonly known as coltan, is ground to make a heat- resistant powder used in capacitors for mobile telephones and other electrical devices, reports Mike Phlanz. The bulk of the world’s supply is inside war-torn Congo. “The links between Congo's vast riches and its blood-stained...

Is This Our War?

Ijaz Hussain November 5, 2008
Pakistanis are ambivalent about their role in the US-led war on terror. The country is a major ally for the US and NATO as it tries to rout the Taliban from the region. The war has diminished respect for Pakistan’s boundaries and sovereignty: Extremists from Afghanistan escaped into the remote tribal regions of Pakistan, crossing borders to attack US and moderate Pakistani institutions; likewise...