Children of Monsters

For those of you who keep track of my discussions on the Arab-Israeli conflict both in and out of the blogosphere, you’ll note that I tend to bring up famous Israeli author Amos Oz. A lot. A whole lot. And I’m about to do it again.
Prime Minister of Israel Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech to the UN [...]

Zionism and Racism Make For Fun Times in Durban

I’ve gotten some great feedback from my question to y’all about the US boycott of the UN sponsored conference on racism. I’m still welcoming more opinions, but I’m going to go ahead and get started in crafting my own. First, I think we all need a little background information.
The Failed 2001 Conference
This conference was designed [...]

Fight Racism, Boycott the UN?

When people decide to take regional conflicts and play them on the world stage, things can get pretty messy.
Case in point, the US’ recent decision to boycott a UN sponsored conference on racism because of its controversial statements that could be applied to Israel.
” Washington has confirmed it will boycott a UN forum [...]

Somalia and the Role of International Peacekeeping Forces

I’ve been avoiding posting about Somalia because I’m kind of lazy. It seems apparent to me that Somalia poses a greater threat to the war on terror than Iraq was ever thought/proven to have been. Why? Because it has no government and its population has been devastated by conflict after conflict. All this makes Somalia [...]

Reaction to Obama’s Cabinet Picks

Obama has recently unveiled more members of his cabinet, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to share my reactions to some of his picks thus far.
Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton
While I’m glad he picked someone with whom he does clash on some foreign policy issues, I don’t think Sen. Clinton is appropriate [...]

Gaza Crisis: Some Aid Allowed, Some Prisoners Freed

The negotiations and the negotiators are by no means “perfect”, but like I’ve said before, good acts must be recognized if there is any hope of them existing in the future.
The Israeli army has allowed supply trucks into Gaza after blocking all aid, journalists, and diplomats from entering the territory. PM Olmert has also announced [...]

Gaza Crisis: The Block Continues

The UN is running out of humanitarian supplies for the residents of Gaza. Not only has Israel blocked the supply of food and fuel, but has also blocked journalists and diplomats from entering Gaza. The government continues to claim the reason for blocking all access in or out is due to the rockets that Palestinian [...]

DR Congo Update: What May Be Working

The Economist article about the conflict in DR Congo begins with a fantastic metaphor for Africa: “When elephants fight, the grass suffers”. If I take anything away from this article, it’ll be that.
But no, I won’t focus this entire post on a clever saying. Rather, I want to focus on what the article says about [...]

Gaza Crisis: Israelis Kill Four Gunmen

This is a short update on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Israelis have killed four gunmen preparing to plant explosives on the border. The gunmen have been claimed by a militant Islamist group. A Hamas spokesman is quoted as saying, “This (Israeli) escalation is dangerous and we will not stand still. There will be a painful [...]

DR Congo Update: Africa’s First World War

Yesterday, I wrote that nothing happens in  a vacuum in Africa. Today I discovered another article which echoed that statement. The situation in DR Congo and Rwanda, which has had massive spill over effects is being called “Africa’s First World War”. UN Secretary General Ban-ki Moon has also warned that the current crisis could engulf [...]