I was born in Argentina during one of the country’s darkest period. I might have been too small to remember the turbulent times, but I grew up hearing the stories of disappearing youth, tortured protesters and despairing families. It is estimated that during the 1970s and 80s, approximately 20,000 people were killed by the country’s …
Tag: Government
Oct 27
Escaping Environmental Change
Every winter, Floridians see an increase of “snowbirds” in their communities. Snowbirds are Northerners who migrate South during the winter. Their migration is due to the harsh winters in the North and their seeking the warmth found in the Sunshine state. While their experience is due to difficult weather conditions, it is very different to …
Oct 26
Disarming the Developing World
The debate on the use of weapons is heated, personal and wide-ranging. As a conflict resolution student, I’d like to think that conflict can be resolved in other ways besides using deadly force. This particular blog doesn’t try to address the debate on whether weapons should be used or not. It accepts that in today’s …
Oct 25
The US Focus on Uganda: Why Now? (part 2)
In my blog post last week I addressed the history of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in an effort to show who they are and what this organization is doing in Uganda and other countries in Africa. I hope that I was able to convey that the LRA are not, as Limbaugh seemed to think …
Oct 19
#OccupyWashington
Chances are, if you haven’t been living under a rock for the past month, you’ve heard about Occupy Wall Street – a burgeoning movement that protests against economic inequality and corporate greed and has spread not only around the country but around the world. Although the concrete goals of the protestors are not completely clear, …
Oct 18
China’s Clean City: More Than A One Hit Wonder?
Last year I spent some time backpacking through China, and I came away with some great memories from the trip. Apart from just memories, I also came home with a bag full of incredibly dirty clothes. Being in an urban city, I could not figure out why my shirts were always so dark by the …
Oct 13
How Many Slaves Do You Employ?
Do you know where your clothes were made? Whose hands picked the tomatoes you eat? How the items you use on a daily basis are manufactured? Your answer is probably no and the truth is that most of us don’t really take the time to find out. We might read the label stitched to our …
Oct 13
Do We Need A New Measure of Development?
When it comes to development, is GDP the only thing that matters? The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) says no. The OECD released a new report that looks at a variety of statistics with the hope of finding new measures for assessing well-being that go beyond Gross Domestic Product. The authors of the …
Oct 12
The Hidden Side of Paradise
What do the countries of India, Mexico, Thailand, Cambodia, and Brazil have in common? You could say rich histories, luscious and picturesque landscapes, succulent foods and colorful settings. Hidden beneath these vacationers’ paradise; however, is a cloak of secrecy that is a concealing a dark reality. These locations are not only a tourists dream, but …
Oct 06
No-Fly Zone for Syria?
As you may recall, I wrote a post over the summer about Responsibility to Protect and the Arab Spring. In this post I discussed the intervention in Libya and how the creation of a “no-fly zone” was a manifestation of this RtoP. I also discussed the reasons why RtoP was not going to be invoked …