Image

G8: The Anti-Climate Summit

While drafting the so-called Bali Roadmap during the UN Conference on climate change last December, delegates faced a painful choice. They could specifically mention the necessity of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25-40% by 2020 and face the possibility of a U.S. walkout from the negotiations. Or they could drop all mention of targets to keep Washington in the negotiations - and risk of the United States fatally obstructing the process of coming up with a tough regime of mandatory emissions cuts that would have to be in place by the UN's climate meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Image

The Bipartisan Road to War in Iran and The Activist Response

More than 100 House Democrats have joined 117 House Republicans in co-sponsoring a bill which peace activists fear may further pave the road to war with Iran. The Bill, House Concurrent Resolution 362, describes Iran as a threat to international peace, stability in the Middle East, and US National Security. Introduced on May 22 by New York Democrat Gary Ackerman, the bill calls for an affective blockade against Iran, which, according to international law, is an act of aggression.

Photo from the Pulitzer Center

Inside Africa’s PlayStation War

Children Mining Coltan in Congo
In the rugged volcanic mountains of the Congo the conflict known as Africa's World War continues to smolder after ten grueling years. The conflict earned its name because at the height of the war eight African nations and over 25 militias were in the combatant mix. But more recently the conflict was given another name: The PlayStation War. The name came about because of a black metallic ore called coltan, which is used to make cell phones, laptops and other electronics made by SONY. Extensive evidence shows that during the war hundreds of millions of dollars worth of coltan was stolen from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Image

The Fight For Ethnic Reconciliation and Peace in Kosovo

Bosniak, Serb, Albanian & Roma Women Meet
Mitrovica, Northern Kosovo-Kosovo is beautiful in the summer with its rolling hills, lush fields and emerald green lakes. In the towns hit hardest by the civil war in the late 1990s, reconstruction has largely been successful. In Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, cafés are packed with young Kosovars drinking espresso; summer nights are vibrant, bars and restaurants are full. Signs of positive change in Kosovo are obvious, yet the dilemma of inter-ethnic reconciliation remains.

Image

Nonviolent Action & the Road to Independence

Each year, as fireworks celebrate the Declaration of Independence and people discuss how the United States began, the spotlight normally turns to "revolutionary" leaders and the "armed struggle" waged more than two centuries ago. But as usual, the real story is a bit different. The movement toward independence in the "new world" actually began a decade before the "shot heard round the world" and involved thousands of people. By the time things turned violent, substitute governments and firm alliances were operating in nine colonies.

Image

Bush Administration Accused of Withholding “Lifesaving” Aid to Haiti

Collecting Water in Haiti
Human rights groups released a report on June 23rd accusing the Bush Administration of blocking "potentially lifesaving" aid to Haiti in order to meddle in the impoverished nation's political affairs. The report, "Wòch nan Soley: The Denial of the Right to Water in Haiti," also takes aim at the international community for its role in politicizing aid while standing idly by as people suffer and die.