The State Department’s official rationale is to encouraging “further political reforms.”
U.S. Explores Military Engagement With Burma’s Brutal Military
read more
Human Rights
Burma as Capable of Scapegoating Muslims as Anybody
Army hard-liners in Burma are resisting President Thein Sein’s opening to the West.
Try Boston Marathon Bomber for His Crimes, Not His Religion or Nationality
The mainstream American news media has shifted its attention from the criminal act itself to the ethnicity and the religion of the suspects.
Review: God Loves Uganda
Set amidst the cityscape of Kampala and the rolling hills of Ugandan countryside, the film God Loves Uganda, produced by Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams, takes an extraordinary look at the influence of conservative American evangelicals on Ugandan society.
You Don’t Know Squat
The Germans used the word instandbesetzen — a combination of renovating and occupying — for squatting.
Guatemala’s Progress Toward Rule of Law Buckles as Judge Annuls Genocide Trial
On day 20 of testimony in the genocide trial against former Guatemalan dictator Efraín Ríos Montt last Thursday, Ríos Montt’s defense team walked out of the courtroom, proclaiming it will not be party to an illegal trial. Hours later, a judge declared the genocide trail annulled.
France Down With Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption
This once religiously conservative country has set an example for progressive social reform and the struggle for human equality.
In Guatemala, A Mass Grave for the Truth
In a week of remarkable events and reversals in Guatemala, the genocide trial of former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt came to an abrupt halt on April 18 as a judge ruled all proceedings to date invalid. The witnesses who testified for the prosecution—dozens of survivors of mass rape and massacres—would have to testify again if the trial were to proceed. Meanwhile, death squads are again operating in Guatemala, eliminating indigenous leaders, union leaders, women’s rights activists, and others challenging the status quo and asserting their rights.
Deposed Central African Republic President Bozize’s Loyalists Not Going Quietly
Because of the instability, scores of Central Africans have fled to surrounding countries for safety.
Tunisia and the IMF: Ennahda’s Mana From Washington (Part Two)
News reports suggest that Tunisia and the IMF are close to coming to terms over a $1.78 billion loan.