Jun 27
In the past few weeks, I’ve written about how difficult it is for for a nonprofit organization to successfully address more than a single issue in a sustainable way. Complex problems – like poverty, for example – can rarely be solved by fixing just one aspect, which makes it difficult to make sustainable change. One …
Jun 24
Ending the vicious cycle of prostitution and sex trafficking is no easy task. For years, the focus has been on criminalizing the “suppliers” of sex, most of whom are women and children that have been lured into ‘the life,’ or ‘the game,’ by exploiters who control and manipulate them. With radical feminist and religious activists …
Jun 24
President Obama’s announcement on Wednesday night of his intention to withdraw around 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of next summer is a much-needed precursor to the end of our military engagement there. The nation-building that needs to be done in Afghanistan is not something we are able to make happen with the sword: …
Jun 23
Pulling out from Afghanistan without leaving behind a native security force capable of handling the job would be a mistake Towards the end of my second deployment to Iraq, I was offered a rather unique opportunity. Through a hookup from a fellow Arabic linguist, my coworkers and I were allowed to join a police training …
Jun 23
When someone thinks of an “underdeveloped” or “developing” country, it’s all too easy to envision an area that is lagging behind (both technologically and economically) the Western world. It’s common to think of these places as needing our help to catch up to the standards we set and to follow the trends that we start. …
Jun 23
Shark Fin Soup When my sister recently got married, my parents and I traveled to Taiwan to throw a wedding banquet so our entire family could be together. My parents splurged on one of the fancy menus at the banquet hall so that my sister would have “nothing but the best”. As we ate course …
Jun 22
The University of Oregon and the Global Oregon Initiative recently announced an interesting—and controversial—partnership: a partnership with the government of Gabon. This one-of-a-kind cooperative agreement has a noble purpose: to establish joint research centers in Eugene and Libreville in order to study sustainability, economic development, and natural resource management. However, the union is problematic because of …
Jun 22
The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community has experienced discrimination, threat, and violence around the globe. Violations of human rights are heavily affecting LGBT individuals in many regions of the world, forcing them to flee persecution and seek refuge in other nations—one being the United States. The resettlement network in the U.S. has limited …
Jun 21
The opium industry in Afghanistan is booming! But will it remain this way? The poppy plant, from which opium is derived, has been a staple crop of Afghan farmers for many years now. And for good reason, for poppy is relatively easy to take care of and fetches a lot of money. However, only 10% …
Jun 21
Southern Sudan’s wildlife could provide it with an opportunity to develop a vibrant tourism industry July 9th is fast approaching. This is the day when south Sudan is scheduled to secede from the north and become an independent nation – something many of us have been eagerly waiting for. Violence has plagued the build up …
