U.S. and the World
Forget the Afghan Runoff Election; Call a Jirga Instead: Patricia DeGennaro
If the United States is sincerely interested in resolving the leadership issue in Afghanistan, it should drop the idea of a runoff election and do things the old fashioned way by calling a Loya Jirga, says Patricia DeGennaro, a professor at New Yo... read more
Afghan Opium Kills More Westerners than the Fight against the Taliban
One more factor to take into account as President Barack Obama frames his Afghanistan war strategy is a United Nations report that shows that sacrifices on the battlefield pale in comparison to the human cost of the opium drug market. According to... read more
Mexican Drug Cartels Threatened by Medical Marijuana Laws in U.S.
The expansion of legalized medical marijuana has caused significant increases in local U.S. marijuana farms, which has resulted in intensified competition with large Mexican drug organizations. About half of the marijuana consumed in the United St... read more
U.S. Spends $110 Million on New Military Bases in Bulgaria and Romania
The Obama administration’s scrapping of a missile defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic does not mean the United States has given up on its commitment to defend Eastern Europe. Rather, the Defense Department is moving ahead with p... read more
Finland First Country to Declare Broadband Access a Legal Right
One upping the French, Finland has become the first nation to declare high-speed Internet access a right of all its people. While France was the first country in the world to establish the right of accessing the Web, the Finns have made history by... read more
VA Approves Agent Orange-Parkinson’s Disability Claims
Approximately 200,000 Vietnam veterans may soon be able to receive disability benefits for illnesses stemming from their exposure 40 years ago to Agent Orange. The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to propose this week new rules that add Parkin... read more
Political Refugee Sues U.S. Branch of Chinese Bank over Torture
Having failed to get the justice he sought in China, expatriate Liu Bo Shan has sued the recently opened New York branch of his former Chinese employer to prove his claims of being tortured for exposing corruption. Shan, who now lives in Flushing,... read more
Weapons Failed U.S. Soldiers During Fatal Afghanistan Battle
The M4 rifle is the main weapon of American soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, with more than 500,000 in service. Although the vast majority of soldiers are said to have no problems with the weapon, the M4 proved unreliable in a deadly fir... read more
U.S. Soldiers Killed in Philippines for First Time in 7 Years
For the first time since 2002, U.S. soldiers have been killed in the Philippines. On September 29, a landmine blast on the Philippine island of Jolo killed two soldiers as well as a Filipino marine. Thirty-seven-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Christopher... read more
In U.K., Prison Governors Propose Ending Sentences Shorter than One Year
Prison sentences of less than one year are a waste of government resources and should be abolished, says the Prison Governors’ Association in the United Kingdom. The problem with such short jail terms is that they don’t reform criminals, but they ... read more
Norway Best Place to Live; United States 13th
There’s more to good living than just money, according to the United Nations Development Programme. The authors of Human Development Reports seek each year to show which countries are better, or worse, at providing a state of well-being for their ... read more
There’s More to Health Care Options than Public vs. Private: Aaron E. Carroll
Are there really only two options to choose from with health care systems—government run vs. free market? No, says Aaron Carroll, associate professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. An examination of health care systems... read more
New Zealand Ranked World’s Most Peaceful Nation; U.S. 83rd
Not starting wars with other countries and maintaining a solid human rights record has landed New Zealand at the top of the list of the world’s most peaceful nations. Based on the Global Peace Index created by the group Vision of Humanity, New Zea... read more
Judge Orders Kuwaiti Guantánamo Prisoner Released
In the end, the federal government had virtually nothing substantial on Guantánamo detainee Fouad al Rabiah, prompting U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to call the evidence against him “surprisingly bare” while ordering his release. “If ... read more
Officer Who Refused Deployment to Iraq Allowed to Resign
Next week, Army Lieutenant Ehren Watada will be a free man. As the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq, Watada has waged legal battles for three years with the Army, which tried to court-martial him for insubordination and cond... read more
Moving to the United States Can be Dangerous to Children’s Health
A recent study funded by the Foundation for Child Development found that children of immigrants to the United States suffer from high levels of obesity. The study, which used data from the Department of Education, tracked 21,000 children from kind... read more