World Affairs Articles

Politics » World Affairs | By Leslie Hardy @ Tuesday, 16th October 2007 @ 11:17 AM

Israeli warplanes attacked a Syrian target on 6 September 2007. The secrecy and lack of comment has perplexed international commentators. The target was at Dayr az-Zawr, in north east Syria. Syria was first to report the incident, and said their air defences fired at an Israeli warplane that had penetrated Syrian airspace and dropped explosives. The plane/s then left Syrian airspace, travelling towards the Mediterranean via Turkey. Turkey subsequently announced that two Israeli fu... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Derek Both @ Wednesday, 10th October 2007 @ 9:22 PM

The quality of water in developing countries has long been a hot topic of debate with many people questioning the poor hygiene standards people in these countries are subjected to. However, India has taken a step forward as they have had a revolution in their sanitation sector. The developing country is getting closer to improving the quality of their water that is available to its population. Coverage of the problem has increased from one percent in 1981 to 48 percent in 2007 which mean... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Leslie Hardy @ Tuesday, 4th September 2007 @ 7:33 AM

The election of Abdullah Gul as President of Turkey on 28 August 2007 is controversial because of his Islamic background. Now that both the Prime Minister and President have religious backgrounds, his election is widely viewed as a threat to the secular ethos of the Turkish State. Although Mr Gul, in his accession speech, pledged allegiance to the secular constitution and the legacy of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, there are many who view such commitments as cosmetic. more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Leon Newton @ Thursday, 21st June 2007 @ 4:06 PM

Commentators often speak of hate of the U.S. as though it were a passing fad, a media creation engendered by the deliberate sensationalism of a few. The truth is that often our actions seem to connect the invisible dots of seemingly disparate points into a line drawn in the figurative sand which we then dare others to cross. The laws we pass and policies we follow have ramification beyond our own borders, and it is important to understand that adopting an us vs. them mentality may help... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Adrian Adams @ Tuesday, 19th June 2007 @ 2:18 PM

Ghana is located in West Africa and it is full of various natural resources. However they don't have the skills or the equipment to benefit from many of them so they are categorized as a very poor area. They rely on International assistance financially and for equipment. Still, they are considered to be more advanced than many of the other areas of Africa. The commercial oil wells in Ghana have long been abandoned. During a span of seven years more than 3.5 million barrels were extr... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Andey Randead @ Wednesday, 23rd May 2007 @ 2:58 AM

Over the years, as things have changed and evolved between men and women, we have lost sight of all the ramifications of these changes. America was the leader in the world in the eyes of many other nations. Although many other societies don't necessarily agree with many of the USA's ways and beliefs, most have had a relatively high level of respect for our great nation. Democracy and the free capitalistic system we represent are the envy of many. In the last several years, the ... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Judi Lynn Lake @ Tuesday, 8th May 2007 @ 11:41 AM

Of all the physical damage that has been done to Iraq, the greatest damage has been done to the culture itself. Iraq has lost much of her cultural capital. Cultural capital as evidenced in the arts, education, healthcare, science, social justice, education, and law enforcement are the many artifacts of any civil society. Iraq began to lose many objects of value earlier; during the U.S. embargo against Iraq when families began selling Persian carpets, jewelry, wardrobes, and family heirlo... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Leon Newton @ Thursday, 3rd May 2007 @ 1:14 PM

A history of terrorism requires a very specific definition to avoid a never-ending summary of every violent act ever recorded. The brief, objective definition proposed by Dr. Boaz Ganor, an Israeli political scientist and deputy dean of the Lauder School of Government and Diplomacy at the Interdiciplinary Center Herzliya, works well for this purpose:terrorism is the intentional use of, or threat to use violence against civilians or against civilian targets, in order to attain politician aims.more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Leon Newton @ Tuesday, 1st May 2007 @ 1:38 PM

The United Nations has accepted the fact the world is a more dangerous place during the past Cold War. The proliferation of nuclear materials,and biological, and chemical weapons in the hands of antagonistic groups seeking self-determination could be dangerous for the international community goal of world peace and security. There are other problems resulting from sectarian violence, such as a breakdown of the rule of law,thus weakening the nation-state. Sectarian leaders use exploit... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Leslie Hardy @ Tuesday, 3rd April 2007 @ 8:53 PM

Although Tony Blair came to power as leader of a Labour government, his premiership has not followed the customary Labour Party policy of pacifism and anti-war sentiment. Neither has there been hostility towards US foreign policy. Mr Blair reportedly stated that we might be a lucky generation that will never have to send people to war. In reality, he has engaged in more military campaigns than any British Prime Minister in living memory. He had a clear admiration for Margaret That... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Leon Newton @ Tuesday, 3rd April 2007 @ 8:33 PM

Immediately after the constitution became the supreme law its detractions warned that to much unstrained powers had been given to the central government. Thomas Jefferson was among those who embraced the constitution but feared that without certain clauses the document did not protect individuals. The result was a list of ten additional articles limiting the powers of the federal government. The bill of rights established how things will work. When members... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Leslie Hardy @ Wednesday, 28th February 2007 @ 1:47 PM

In 1999, when Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton, he asked the rhetorical question 'Where is the oil to come from?' and then gave the answer 'The Middle East, with two thirds of the world's oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies'. George Bush also has a background in the US oil industry, and the opportunity to take control of oil production in Iraq must be a dream beyond the wildest imagination of most Texan oilmen. Since the invasion of... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Leslie Hardy @ Tuesday, 20th February 2007 @ 6:05 PM

The execution of Saddam Hussein on 30 December 2006 set the scene for the New Year. The indignity of his fate, which was recorded on film and transmitted around the globe, filled even conservative observers with disgust. The scandal of his execution demonstrates that the US and UK policy of handing over civil matters in Iraq to a bourgeoning domestic administration is fatally flawed and the rhetoric which talks about the green shoots of democracy and civil administration in Iraq is a sha... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 13th February 2007 @ 7:03 PM

For over 60 years the USA and Israel have been close allies. However we have yet to fight a war in the Middle East together to destroy an enemy. The IDF and the US military have both proven time and time again they don't need anyone's help to fight their enemies. However will Israel and the US ever unite as one army to destroy an enemy who threatens them both? It almost happened in the Gulf War. But will it ever happen? Many Muslims will view this as proof of a joint Zionist/American p... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Leslie Hardy @ Friday, 2nd February 2007 @ 6:00 PM

The video clips of Saddam Hussein's execution on 30 December 2006 have further alienated Arab opinion towards the West, and both President Bush and Prime Minister Blair have reviewed their Iraq strategies. President Bush still argues that 'victory' in Iraq can be achieved, but the British do not share his optimism. Tony Blair and his British advisors have quietly distanced themselves from this latest US policy. They are already looking beyond the horizon and pin lit... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Michael Skye @ Thursday, 25th January 2007 @ 9:17 PM

In 1974, I found it difficult to teach elegant theories of economics in the university classroom, in the backdrop of a terrible famine in Bangladesh. Suddenly, I felt the emptiness of those theories in the face of crushing hunger and poverty. I wanted to do something immediate to help people around me, even if it was just one human being, to get through another day with a little more ease. Thus begins the story of Mohammad Yunus, the 2006 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. In his Nobel lect... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Dave Smith @ Tuesday, 9th January 2007 @ 5:40 PM

One of my favourite pieces of music is the Sex Pistols' classic 'Holidays in the Sun' - a song that begins with the line, 'a cheap holiday in other people's misery'. This would have made a fitting epitaph for my holiday in Israel, except that the $3000 air ticket meant that it wasn't exactly cheap. I went to Israel full of apprehension. Just knowing what we all know of the backdrop of paranoia and pain that hangs over that land is enough to make anybody ... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By eileen fleming @ Monday, 4th December 2006 @ 11:19 AM

Before I left the USA for my first trip to Israel Palestine I phoned Mother Agapia Stephanopolous, a Russian Orthodox nun and the administrator of the Orthodox School of Bethany in Jerusalem, to schedule an appointment for Spiritual Direction and to discuss our mutual feelings about The Wall. Mother Agapia is the sister of ABC News commentator, George Stephanopolous, and she had recently spoken passionately to Congress about the fact that, "Israel is destroying the local Christian co... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By eileen fleming @ Monday, 6th November 2006 @ 12:05 AM

On March 25, 2006, I connected just after dawn with a wide awake group of Israeli Jews and atheists to travel to the lower Galilee municipality of Sakhnin, an Arab village whose land continues to be stolen by the Israeli government. Ronnie, from Canada moved to Israel with the desire to help build a civil society. She is a co-founder of Women in Black and active with Machsom Watch/women at the checkpoints who watch for and report on human rights abuse. Ronnie and I both laughed whe... more...

Politics » World Affairs | By Judi Lynn Lake @ Monday, 23rd October 2006 @ 10:10 AM

In a recent article, Dr. Amaal V.E. Tokars writes, "American citizens receive many images about the war/occupation in Iraq on a daily basis. These images are presented to citizens through various mediums in print, radio, and in television. These mediums are kinds of text which bombard listeners, readers, and viewers with images about the application of U.S. policy abroad. Textual imagery refers to the images established through text which has yet to be critically examined for real accuracy a... more...