Lesson From History For The Mayhem In Mali

While much of Africa is going through something of an economic renaissance of late, the North African country of Mali serves as a reminder that in some places the continent’s endemic security problems rage on unabated. Indeed, Mali’s troubles, which as this goes to press now includes French military intervention complete with airstrikes and ground troops, is […]

Jeffrey Cavanaugh
By Jeffrey Cavanaugh
In this Aug. 31, 2012 file photo, fighters from Islamist group Ansar Dine stand guard in Timbuktu, Mali, as they prepare to publicly lash a member of the Islamic Police found guilty of adultery. (AP Photo/File)

While much of Africa is going through something of an economic renaissance of late, the North African country of Mali serves as a reminder that in some places the continent’s endemic security problems rage on unabated. Indeed, Mali’s troubles, which as this goes to press now includes French military intervention complete with airstrikes and ground

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Colin Powell Meets The Party Of Strom Thurmond

The former secretary of state and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Colin Powell, turned heads this past Sunday when he made several blunt criticisms of his own party’s lurch to the far right since the end of the George W. Bush administration. In front of millions of TV viewers, the usually mild-mannered […]

Jeffrey Cavanaugh
By Jeffrey Cavanaugh
In this Dec. 1, 2010 file photo, former Secretary of State Colin Powell meets with President Barack Obama, in the Oval Office at the White in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The former secretary of state and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Colin Powell, turned heads this past Sunday when he made several blunt criticisms of his own party’s lurch to the far right since the end of the George W. Bush administration. In front of millions of TV viewers, the usually mild-mannered Powell became a bomb-throwing

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Chuck Hagel’s Israel Problem: The Shift Away From Right-Wing Demands

The Onion, America’s finest news source, reported recently that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would exercise Israel’s “longstanding, constitutionally granted veto power over American policy if U.S. lawmakers confirmed retired Senator Chuck Hagel as the United States’ next Secretary of Defense.” Tongue only partly in cheek, the satirical magazine noted that Hagel lacked the “nine-tenths” majority […]

Jeffrey Cavanaugh
By Jeffrey Cavanaugh
Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., speaks at Bellevue University, in Bellevue, Neb. in this Feb. 21, 2007 file photo. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

The Onion, America’s finest news source, reported recently that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would exercise Israel’s “longstanding, constitutionally granted veto power over American policy if U.S. lawmakers confirmed retired Senator Chuck Hagel as the United States’ next Secretary of Defense.” Tongue only partly in cheek, the satirical

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Why Gulf Monarchies Have Endured The Arab Spring

As revolutionary tumult continues to fire imaginations and projectiles across the greater Middle East, one set of states continue to chug along seemingly unmolested by the chaos and conflict around them. I am referring, of course, to the region’s monarchies. With a few exceptions, the revolutions convulsing the region have largely spared them – taking […]

Jeffrey Cavanaugh
By Jeffrey Cavanaugh
Jordanian police stand guard during a protest against the government's decision to raise prices for subsidized fuel in Amman, Jordan, Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

As revolutionary tumult continues to fire imaginations and projectiles across the greater Middle East, one set of states continue to chug along seemingly unmolested by the chaos and conflict around them. I am referring, of course, to the region’s monarchies. With a few exceptions, the revolutions convulsing the region have largely spared them –

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An Energy Policy For The Next Four Years

Over the past week, as Congress dithered over the so-called fiscal cliff and Americans tried to recover from holiday celebrations, three important events occurred in the field of energy and climate that need to be explored in further detail for what they imply about U.S. energy policy over the course of President Obama’s second term. […]

Jeffrey Cavanaugh
By Jeffrey Cavanaugh
In this Nov. 2, 2012 photo, Renee Orriz sorts cables used in wind turbines, inside the production area at the Walker Components factory, in Denver. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Over the past week, as Congress dithered over the so-called fiscal cliff and Americans tried to recover from holiday celebrations, three important events occurred in the field of energy and climate that need to be explored in further detail for what they imply about U.S. energy policy over the course of President Obama’s second term. Call them

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Brazil’s New Samba: What America Can Learn From Brazil’s Poverty Reduction

When the world meets in the city of Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the 31st Summer Olympiad in August of 2016, they will be visiting a Brazil very different from the one that existed for most of the 20th century. The old Brazil, long synonymous with financial crisis, political instability, military dictatorship and gross economic inequality, […]

Jeffrey Cavanaugh
By Jeffrey Cavanaugh
Christ the Redeemer statue is backdropped by Sugar Loaf mountain as the sun sets in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, May 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

When the world meets in the city of Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the 31st Summer Olympiad in August of 2016, they will be visiting a Brazil very different from the one that existed for most of the 20th century. The old Brazil, long synonymous with financial crisis, political instability, military dictatorship and gross economic inequality, has given

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