UN recognizes Palestinian state
On Nov. 29, the UN General Assembly voted on recognizing Palestine as a non-member observer state. Although met with hesitation from a few key countries, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas moved forward, stating it was the “last chance to save the two-state solution” with Israel. The U.S. and Israel agreed the resolution would place further obstacles between the Palestinian and Israeli peace process. 138 nations voted […]
A historic visit to Burma
On his first foreign visit since his re-election, U.S. President Barack Obama touched down in Burma on Nov. 19, making him the first sitting U.S. president to visit the once isolated country. President Obama validated the continuous efforts of Burmese President Thein Sein and the other leaders who took power in March 2011 and have […]
Witness: the stories behind the story
The art of storytelling (aka journalism/media), whether it’s told through print, photography, film, or any other medium, has the chance to capture history, propel ideas, highlight innovation, and bring facts into the limelight. Sometimes the story behind the story is the first to hit the cutting room floor, but then there are times when those […]
Protesting beyond the streets and into the sky
Hoping to reach out to the North Korean population, South Korean activists soldiered past a government ban and successfully sent thousands of leaflets and CDs denouncing Pyongyang into North Korea—via balloons. Similar protests in the past were met with hostility from the North but after they recently threatened to retaliate with military force, the South closed off areas […]
New negotiations between North and South Korea
After years of tension between North and South Korea, the governments will resume dialogue to discuss South Korea’s plan to provide humanitarian aid to the North. Brought on after flooding and typhoons severly damaged regions of North Korea, the South Korean Red Cross Society first offered aid last week. For the first time in two years, North Korea has decided to accept aid from the […]
Burma’s continuous struggle
Since its independence in 1948, Burma’s history has been written by a string of ethnic and political rebellions in what has left the country in a state of civil unrest. This past May, tensions between Arakan Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims escalated after reports of three Muslim men fatally attacking an Arakan Buddhist woman. On June 3, a group of Arakan villagers retaliated […]
A chance at peace
Ranking second in the world’s highest murder rate, El Salvador is considered to be one of the world’s most dangerous regions—the result of a country troubled by civil wars and decades of gang warfare. For the past 160 days, El Salvador’s residents have witnessed firsthand the result of what peace can bring as two of […]
Former Liberian president convicted of war crimes
Last Thursday an international tribunal found ex-President Charles Taylor guilty on 11 counts of war crimes in Sierra Leone. It is, undoubtedly, a milestone for international justice as he is the first head of state since the Nuremberg Trials to be indicted for war crimes, and the first ever to be convicted. This verdict comes […]