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What do you want to see from the upcoming G8 Summit?

May 25, 2011 by Rachel Merker Leave a Comment

This week, the leaders of the world’s eight most powerful economies—known as the Group of 8 or G8—will meet in Deauville, France, for the 37th annual G8 Summit. The G8, which includes France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada, was initially formed in 1975 to respond to the worldwide recession created by the first oil crisis. Since then, the G8 Summit has been a forum for these nations to come together to address global economic issues. Over time, that discussion has evolved to include matters such as … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Climate Change, Featured Less, Hunger Tagged With: aid, China, Climate Change, economy, energy security, Europe, foreign aid, G20, G8, global peace and security, globalization, Hunger, Japan, new media, nuclear, Russia, United States

What does the 10th anniversary of 9/11 mean to you?

May 19, 2011 by Patrick McDermott

Recent headlines on the death of Osama Bin Laden have led some to believe that the tragedy of 9/11 is behind us. We don’t believe this for an instant, and are counting that you don’t believe it either. So today, we are asking you to join the new Be2021 campaign to address the many challenges that we continue to face as a generation, a nation and a planet. In the wake of 9/11, Americans for Informed Democracy launched a national conversation among young people about the US role in the world. We’ve engaged over 100,000 students on hundreds of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Take Action Tagged With: 9/11, Be2021, United States, youth

US Intervention in Libya: An Exercise in Hypocrisy?

April 4, 2011 by Patrick McDermott

I don't believe anyone can deny, nor has denied, that Col. Gaddafi would have without doubt committed mass atrocities against the Libyan opposition if it were not for military intervention in the form of an imposition of a no-fly zone over the country. It would have been a horrific humanitarian disaster and although I advocate for the use of non-violence even amidst violent conflict, I can't necessarily argue that preventing such an event from taking place is entirely unjustified. As the President stated in his speech last Monday night, the United … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Africa, conflict, democracy, Iran, Libya, military, North Africa, Obama, Peace, Rwanda, United States

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but a few well chosen words can call in an air-strike

March 25, 2011 by Gillian Rollason

Obama is the new Hitler. Libya is overrun by Al Quaeda on drugs. Christian terrorists are killing Gaddafi’s loyal and loving nationals…. Whilst Gaddafi seems to entertain a somewhat sporadic relationship with reality, the power of his language reveals that he is strikingly on-key with his message of terrorist persecution in response to international intervention this week. Whether this message is a clearly defined strategy, a deluded aping of his legitimate sovereign counterparts, or sheer desperation, is less important. There are security … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: 9/11, Afghanistan, Al Quaeda, Barack Obama, conflict, dialogue, George W. Bush, global peace and security, human rights, Iraq, Libya, military, United States, US foreign policy, US Government, US-Muslim World Relations, war, war on terror

Impacts of US Disengagement: Why Jumping on the Bandwagon Preserves US Interests

March 21, 2011 by Krystle Corpuz

The Obama administration has increased pressure on Republicans to reconsider their push for budget cuts to international programs. US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is warning Congress that the budget cuts to foreign aid could prevent US businesses from expanding their trade relations to emerging markets. How are business interests a determining factor in US Foreign Aid? First, economic interests are drastically shifting towards increased interest in emerging markets and the potential these countries could play in positively influencing global … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Hunger Tagged With: Japan, United States

Bigger Carrots and Bigger Sticks? A Problematic Approach to Iran’s Nuclear Program

February 3, 2011 by Patrick McDermott

Today, I had the opportunity to attend a half-day session on Iran's nuclear program and US policy options for addressing the problems posed by their program. The session was organized by the National Security Network and the Center for American Progress. Throughout the day, there were three panels of experts that were tasked with sharing their views on a particular aspect of Iran and its relations with the United States. The first focused on the political situation within Iran itself. The second focused on Iran's nuclear program and the country's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Egypt, Iran, Middle East, national security, nuclear weapons, policy, sanctions, Tunisia, United States

President Medvedev on Iran Nuclear Program

February 1, 2011 by Michael Miner

It should come as no surprise that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev publicly stated there is no evidence Iran is working toward a nuclear weapons program. How we define evidence within the international community is largely up to the IAEA and thus far has been unable to prove that Iran is pursuing the weaponization of nuclear material. A lack of official evidence does not necessarily mean Iran is not pursuing a nuclear weapons program, but simply that it has not been proven within this international framework of legal definitions and rulings. Combined … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Hunger, Security Tagged With: economy, Iran, nuclear weapons, Russia, sanctions, United States

Will America Be the Soviet Union of the 21st Century?

February 1, 2011 by Jesse Puka-Beals

Recently another milestone was reached in the Afghanistan war, our occupation has surpassed that of the Soviet Union (1979-1989) in length. This fact understandably causes people to wish for the US to get out of Afghanistan before our empire ends up like the Soviet Union. Everywhere you look it seems there is another sign of a US decline and there is a clear shift in the American public’s view of our role in the world, from peacekeeper to isolationist seen in the appeal of the tea party. This should be an even greater cause for concern. If America just … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Afghanistan, aid, foreign policy, Middle East, security, United States, war

Lost in Translation

January 28, 2011 by Sara Hooker

There was a stats conversion problem I had to do today, changing miles per gallon into gallons per mile. Gallons per mile, the end result of the problem, which might seem unusual to US drivers is actually how the rest of the world views gas consumption. My textbook said it best: Americans think of it as: I’ve got 10 gallons in the tank. How far can I drive? Where as most of the world says: ‘I’ve got to go 100km, how much gas do you think I need’ This little math (or maths, if we are continuing with our global conversions) problem actually … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Hunger Tagged With: activism, capitalism, economic growth, economy, Europe, financial crisis, Issue Analyst, policy, poverty, public opinion, United States, youth

Reflections on USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah’s January 19 Speech

January 22, 2011 by Mukul

This past wednesday myself and AIDemocracy Health Intern Sarah Davey went to see administrator of the United States Department of International Development (USAID) Dr. Rajiv Shah give a speech hosted by the Center for Global Development. The United States, and USAID in particular, have long been criticized for not providing enough foreign aide and of that given being highly inefficient. Dr. Shah's speech was therefore designed to alleviate these concerns and highlight some major new changes happening within the agency. These proposed changes begin … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Hunger Tagged With: foreign aid, global development, United States, USAID