This year marks the 200th anniversary of the end of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the 175th anniversary of the first meeting of the New England Anti-Slavery Society.
Slavery Persists
read more
Human Rights
Protesting Guantanamo
On January 11, 2007 more than 100 people in orange jumpsuits trudged slowly from the Supreme Court to the Federal District Court in Washington, DC. Black hoods covered their faces. Another 400 protesters followed “the prisoners” as they tried to enter the U.S. court building. This bit of political theater symbolically brought the plight of tortured and indefinitely detained prisoners out of the legal shadows of Guantanamo and into the court, thereby shining a light on the illegality of their treatment and detention.
Force Won’t Bring Peace to Somalia
The sudden defeat of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) by the Ethiopian army and their U.S. backers proved easier then expected. A reported 15,000 Ethiopian troops and U.S. aerial bombardment succeeded in installing the Transitional Federal Government, two years after its formation in neighboring Kenya.
Burma Strategic Dialogue: Responses
David I. Steinberg
Minimizing the Miasma in Myanmar
As part of its new strategic dialogue, Foreign Policy In Focus asked David Steinberg and Kyi May Kaung the following questions: "Which is the best way to effect change in Burma/Myanmar — through sanctions against the government, by engaging the leadership, or some combination of the two? Or, to put it another way, which case is more applicable to Burma: South Africa and regime change or China and gradual change?" Here is David Steinberg’s response:
Is Russia Really That Authoritarian?
Russia, according to the Western news media, is increasingly slipping toward totalitarianism. The man allegedly pulling all the strings is Russian President Vladimir Putin, ex-KGB operative and apparatchik extraordinaire. This misconception of Putin as a powerful dictator whose control over his citizens must be countered through punitive measures is deeply ingrained. The myth is embraced by journalists and politicians alike.
Bush Skimps on Communal Rights and Responsibilities
President George W. Bush will address the nation Wednesday night on his new strategy for his same-old goal of “victory” in Iraq. Most of the plan has been leaked — in this case probably the expression ”handed to” would be more accurate — to the press with the approval and encouragement of the White House. The most carefully guarded secret, as of this writing, seems to be the venue: The Oval Office; the White House Map Room; or Vice-President Cheney’s last undisclosed location.
A New Era for Turkmenistan?
The recent death of Turkmenistan’s president, Saparmurat Niyazov, leaves the country with an uncertain future. Acting President Berdymukhammedov has stepped into the president’s spot without apparent political disruption, and early indications suggest few changes from the repressive policies of the old regime.
No Memorials for Pinochet
General Augusto Pinochet’s ashes have barely been scattered and already the debate in Chile has begun over how he should be remembered. Right-wing politicians have proposed a bill in the Chilean congress to erect three monuments in his honor. Municipal leaders of Las Condes, a wealthy Santiago suburb, plan to name a street after him. Chile’s Defense Minister has suggested that Pinochet might merit a bust to accompany other past presidents in La Moneda presidential palace.
Shaking Up Bhutan
In December 2006, King Jigme Singye of Bhutan made headlines by suddenly abdicating and handing the throne to his Oxford-educated son, Jigme Geshar. He has also pledged to grant some measure of democracy to his subjects by holding democratic elections in 2008. The king has not, however, explained the motivation behind his precipitate action.