Filed under Global Politics

HUMAN RIGHTS |  Syria, Sudan, Congo, Pakistan lead 10 countries with worst human rights violations

HUMAN RIGHTS | Syria, Sudan, Congo, Pakistan lead 10 countries with worst human rights violations

The seventh annual report, which ranked 197 countries based on 31 different types of human rights violations, found that 34 nations pose an “extreme risk” of human rights violations to their populations — a 70 percent increase over the past six years. Maplecroft attributes the substantial increase to a rise in socio-economic protests, including a continued crackdown on political dissent by security forces. Continue reading »

DIALOGUE ON DIPLOMACY | How effective is media’s coverage of U.S. diplomacy abroad?

DIALOGUE ON DIPLOMACY | How effective is media’s coverage of U.S. diplomacy abroad?

Nicolas Kralev interviewed P.J. Crowley on a retired Air Force colonel and National Security Council spokesman in the Clinton White House. Crowley now teaches at George Washington University. On Kralev’s program, Crowley talks about how the media covers diplomacy. They also talked about the Arab Spring as a case study of the effectiveness of U.S. diplomacy. Watch the video conversation here. Continue reading »

PRO VS. CON #DUMPSTOLI | How does the boycott of a Latvian vodka change Putin’s anti-gay laws and save lives of Russian LGBT youth?

PRO VS. CON #DUMPSTOLI | How does the boycott of a Latvian vodka change Putin’s anti-gay laws and save lives of Russian LGBT youth?

The #dumpstoli campaign has been a global public-relations success. But have the protests for public awareness of repressive anti-gay laws in Russia been misdirected and unfairly targeted a long-time ally of the LGBT community? Will the Dump Vodka protests actually change the minds of the Russian parliament? Here is my on-the-ground investigation of yesterday’s protest in front of the Russian Consulate in New York. Continue reading »

Dutch composer JacobTV remixes images of democracy, world leaders, global media into musical “News” commentary

Dutch composer JacobTV remixes images of democracy, world leaders, global media into musical “News” commentary

PITTSBURGH: ”The rules of democracy are under pressure,” states the Dutch avant-pop composer JacobTV. “Our government makes decisions without asking the parliament for permission. The Dutch government bailed out corporations and paid too much money. Everything in the world is changing right now. In a way, that has always been the case, but I think we … Continue reading »

Postcards from the Inge interview, Part 2 |  Active Searching & The Value of the Prague Quadrennial

Postcards from the Inge interview, Part 2 | Active Searching & The Value of the Prague Quadrennial

The following interview originally appeared in Postcards from the Inge, a blog. It is re-posted here with the kind permission of the author. Interview by AMANDA WHITE THIETJE Here is the second installment of my interview with Randy Gener, curatorial adviser and co-creator of the USA national pavilion “From the Edge,” about the Prague Quadrennial.  I’ve included … Continue reading »

At Asia Society in New York, PNoy Aquino III follows footsteps of his late parents, Benigno and Corazon, offering updates on Philippine progress toward free-market democracy

At Asia Society in New York, PNoy Aquino III follows footsteps of his late parents, Benigno and Corazon, offering updates on Philippine progress toward free-market democracy

To diffuse the tensions with the rising China, PNoy Aquino III’s administration’s policy clearly aims to navigate those difficult negotiations deliberately through a multi-pronged diplomacy. In effect, the Philippines is engaging with China while tightening its alliances with Washington, D.C., Japan and other Southeast Asian countries. It is instructive that there will be no one-on-one or bilaterial meeting between Obama and Aquino III after the launching of the OGP in New York. Continue reading »

Essay on the state of U.S. theater in “World of Theatre” published in Bangladesh and Paris, with book launch in China

Essay on the state of U.S. theater in “World of Theatre” published in Bangladesh and Paris, with book launch in China

XIAMEN, CHINA and PARIS, FRANCE:  The International Theatre Institute (ITI) – the world’s largest organization for the performing arts – is holding its 33rd world congress at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Centre in Xiamen, China, from Sept. 19 to 24, 2011.  Held under the auspices of UNESCO, the congress will have a strong … Continue reading »