All Commentaries
Murdoch Blinks: News Corp. Drops Its Satellite Bid
What would British media and politics look like if it weren’t dominated by the heavy hand of Rupert Murdoch?
Italy: Barbarians — in Suits — at the Gates
While the headlines go to Greece, Portugal and Spain, Italy has the second highest rate of debt in Europe and one of the lowest growth rates.
Cutting Aid to Pakistan More Than Justified
A long-standing lenience towards Pakistan under both the Bush and Obama administrations has clearly done nothing to address its blatantly duplicitous nature.
Saudi Women Get Behind the Wheel
Women in Saudi Arabia have long withstood extraordinary oppression – including male guardianship laws, prohibition of driving, and the lack of educational, economic, and political access – which they are working to dismantle. Earlier this year, social networking platforms served as a launch pad for the Saudi Women Revolution, which laid out a number of requests for increased freedom and rights – the right to drive among them.
Foreign Policy Goes Gaga
Lady Gaga and Alice Walker don’t have much in common. One dresses in red meat; the other doesn’t even eat the stuff. One writes lyrics like “I want your ugly, I want your disease, I want your everything as long as it’s free.” The other writes The Color Purple. But they are both cultural celebrities, and the media gravitates to them for comments. And they both have used this celebrity status to weigh in on global issues.
Children and ‘The Beast’
Which Way Home has no narration, but the subjects (children, parents, various government officials) have strong voices. It’s a smart approach—documentary in its purest form. The constant conversations of those on camera provide valuable insight into the children’s motivations for making the journey. The film easily transports the viewer into the sad and dangerous world of transnational migration.
Japan’s Decline as a Robotics Superpower: Lessons From Fukushima
The first robot to go into one of the plant’s reactor buildings, where high radiation was measured after the accident, was a U.S. PackBot. Japanese-made robots, said to be the best in the world, were not at the vanguard of such a crucial event. This has begged the question: Where has the country’s pride as a scientific and technological giant gone?
Land ‘investment’ deals in Africa: Say ‘no way!’
The real question at the heart of the matter is for whom are Africa’s resources and who do they benefit? Africa’s resources – land, water, minerals… are for the people of Africa. Despite its rich resources, African nations are reeling from widespread hunger and poverty. In that context, to talk about who should have strategic investor status, or export guarantees, is the wrong question to ask.
No One Supports the Troops More Than Bradley Manning
There is no better way to support the troops than to remove them from situations unworthy of their lives.
Breaking the Israel-Palestine Impasse
President Obama sketched a peace plan in May. The entire international community supports it, as well as the Israeli opposition parties and the Palestinian governing party. But peace remains elusive because the international community clings to the myth that there is no alternative to a bilateral negotiated solution.