Comparative Politics

An uncomfortable article about the UN in Congo. It talks about how the UN has spent billions of dollars and more than a decade on trying to keep peace, but they've accomplished very little.

These rapings are atrocious, and I'm surprised that its coverage on the media has been so meagre, considering the long history of the crisis in the Congo. While the U.N. has not been able to improve the Congo significantly, I'm wondering if the problems lie in the desolateness of the area (no lines of communication, etc) or in the management of the U.N. bases there. I believe that the U.N. could be doing more, but I don't think they should be the only solution; the local economy and infrastructure must improve as well so that better communication and control can be established.

What was most shocking to me about this article was the scale on which this is happening in Congo and how open the attackers are about it- raping an 80 year old woman, raping women with UN peacekeepers right up the street. The rapists have absolutely no limits. Scary and very sad. It was equally shocking that the Congo government (police, law enforcement etc) has been unwilling or unable to do anything about this (the article cited them as often "too drunk" to do much about it). It's sad and heart wrenching that the UN has so far been unable to come up with a plan to help these people, and perhaps even more sad that their own government hasn't done anything. It's notable that Congo is being called the "UN's crowning failure" and their greatest failure so far.

Mandatory voting proposal. Compares to Australia, which has had mandatory voting since 1924.

"Crisis in Pakistan," December 2008, CQ Global Researcher

article about the aid/profit conundrum around a breakthrough child malutrition treatment

Times Topic overview with links

Germany's leading news magazine

"Britain has had the same foreign policy for more than 500 years--to create a disunited Europe."

Britain's version of "The West WIng."

Massively inappropriate, even for the comedy Channel in the US. . . why does American culture go for "South Park" or "Drawn Together" over this kind of humor?

What's real?

Check this out! How would security forces in other countries deal with the threat?

Times Topics home page. Background info and links to articles from a variety of sources.

check this out! Pretty provocative documentary.

Is organic and sustainable necessarily expensive and complicated? Mark Bittman says NO!

short vid about embezzlement and shoddy construction