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Senate to consider UNCLOS ratification for the first time since 2007

Senate to consider UNCLOS ratification for the first time since 2007

The Cable reports that President Barack Obama and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) are behind a renewed effort to have the Senate ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Kerry, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, has been trying to set up hearings since last year, but …

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Girl Up tour kicks off at Atlanta girls’ school
Hundreds of children gathered April 30 at the Atlanta Girls’ School to help launch the Unite for Girls Tour of the Girl Up campaign, the program of the United Nations Foundation that aims to empower …

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    Shining Path – not where Humala wants to spend time

    Shining Path – not where Humala wants to spend time

     
     
    In my first post as part of the Foreign Policy Blog Network, I summarized Peruvian President Ollanta Humala’s efforts to appease the markets through pro-business Cabinet appointments. In two well-respected placements, Luis Miguel Castilla became Finance Minister, and Julio Velarde stayed on as Central Bank Head.

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      Graceland (And Its Controversies) At 25

      Graceland (And Its Controversies) At 25

      Twenty-five years ago Paul Simon released his album Graceland, an album that not only became a worldwide hit, but massively expanded the audience of his collaborators, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and simultaneously provided exposure to South African music to millions around the globe. A new documentary (which I have …

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        Senate to consider UNCLOS ratification for the first time since 2007

        Senate to consider UNCLOS ratification for the first time since 2007

        The Cable reports that President Barack Obama and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) are behind a renewed effort to have the Senate ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Kerry, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, has been trying to set up hearings since last year, but …

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          Carlos Fuentes, 1928-2012

          Carlos Fuentes, 1928-2012


          An aspiring writer in the 1940s, Carlos Fuentes was cautioned by his diplomat father to get a real job. Instead, Carlos threaded the needle: he satisficed padre by acquiring a law degree. Then he spent two decades as a Mexican diplomat, managing to resign twice for more or …

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            Testing democracy’s resolve: a look at Greece and Mexico

            Testing democracy’s resolve: a look at Greece and Mexico

            No one ever said democracy is easy (well, if anyone did, they shouldn’t have). It offers the promise of freedom and the ability of people to choose who governs them. But constant vigilance is required to ensure democracy holds on, and prevents government from transforming into something more sinister.
            Democracy exists …

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              The Curious Case of Khaled El-Masri

              The Curious Case of Khaled El-Masri

               
              The following is a guest post from James A. Goldston, Executive Director of the Open Society Justice Initiative
               
              Strasbourg – The United States government has been trying for close to a decade to hush up what it did to Khaled El-Masri, a German citizen whose story of mistaken identity, abduction and abuse marks …

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                International Day of Families

                International Day of Families

                Today, May 15 is International Day of Families.  The day highlights the importance families play in our global world.  The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 with resolution A/RES/47/237 and reflects the importance the international community attaches to families.  The International Day provides …

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                  Don’t Be Distracted By The Flowers.

                  Don’t Be Distracted By The Flowers.

                   
                                                         
                  Last night, 4, 200 boxes of beautiful flowers took flight on a plane from Bogotá, Colombia to Miami, Florida. They arrived early this morning to US shores and represent the first product to enter the US under the Colombia-United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The agreement …

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                    The Falklands Discussion: Some Interesting Comments on Argentina and its Foreign Policy

                    The Falklands Discussion: Some Interesting Comments on Argentina and its Foreign Policy

                    In a recent discussion on Argentina’s expropriation of YPF there was much commentary on how the Falklands issue was still one of great importance. Seeing Argentina as independent and able to move ahead, despite having poor relations with the Europeans, created a healthy debate on …

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                      Haitians & Friends Raised Haiti’s Flag High at UNC Charlotte

                      Haitians & Friends Raised Haiti’s Flag High at UNC Charlotte

                      “What really moved me,” admitted Jean-Paul Benoit, president of Haitians and Friends (HF) during our interview, “We realized there was no Haitian presence at the university, so we suggested the club.” After obtaining Student Government’s approval on March 1, 2012, Benoit and six other students officially launched the first Haitian …

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                        Gay Couples Courted for Middle East Stance with Mural

                        Gay Couples Courted for Middle East Stance with Mural

                        Obama’s Endorsement is Already Creating New Political Realities

                         
                        NEW YORK – Engaged gay couples are the newest group to be courted in the Mid-East Conflict. A massive outdoor mural in Manhattan’s West Village depicts two men holding hands while looking at scales that weigh the gay rights enjoyed …

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                          F.D.A. Panel Recommends HIV Prevention Drug

                          F.D.A. Panel Recommends HIV Prevention Drug


                          An advisory panel for the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (F.D.A.) voted 19-3 to recommend the use of Truvada, a combination antiretroviral drug, for the prevention of HIV among people at high risk of infection. Although this is not a full F.D.A. approval, …

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                            A New York City Bomb Shelter

                            A New York City Bomb Shelter

                            What can you do in fifteen seconds?                                   
                            It takes a Keurig machine 30 seconds to brew a cup of coffee. This is the combined time two people have to make it to a bomb shelter in Sderot, a southern city in Israel.
                            Imagine fifteen seconds being the difference between …

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                              The Joy and Burden of Motherhood

                              The Joy and Burden of Motherhood

                              The joy of motherhood has long since been praised over and over again.  The greatest joy of motherhood is seen as the sheer gift of bringing a life into this world and helping to shape them from the moment of birth and then to watch them grow into a happy, …

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