Most Popular War and Peace Posts
Good Sources for Palestinian News and Opinion
Published October 10, 2008 @ 04:40AM PT
It's not hard to find out what's going on in Palestine, but here the US news from Israel definitely predominates. Here's a roundup of some great sites - visit them and vastly improve your right-of-return street cred.
Talking to the Taliban (Hopefully)
Published October 09, 2008 @ 03:41PM PT
It's been a brutal year for aid workers in Afghanistan. Thirty Afghan and international aid workers have been killed since January, with another 92 abducted. This includes the killing of three UN staff in Kandahar on September 14th, as well as four IRC staff in Logar Province on August 13th. This spiraling insecurity means that fewer and fewer people receive assistance - 40-50% of the country is now too dangerous for the UN to operate.
In response, the UN and a number of NGOs recently called on the Taliban to support a new humanitarian agenda in Afghanistan. According to Kai Eide, the UN Special Representative to Afghanistan: "I would like to underline that this is not a political effort - this is not a hearts-and-minds effort - it is a purely neutral humanitarian effort. There are disagreements on so many things, but let us demonstrate that we can share this humanitarian agenda."
Iran Wrap-Up: FOR, JCER, McCain's Falsehood
Published October 09, 2008 @ 09:08AM PT
Here's a few current items on Iran:
The venerable Fellowship of Reconciliation finds itself in the odd position of agreeing with Dr. Kissinger. Joseph Gerson writes:
I find myself in the unusual position of agreeing with Henry Kissinger. It is, indeed, time and past time to begin a serious dialog with Iran.
From Bad to Very, Very Bad - NGO Statement on Somalia
Published October 09, 2008 @ 01:29AM PT
On October 6th fifty-two NGOs active in Somalia released a statement about the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation. Assuming nine circles of hell, then the ninth circle probably looks like South and Central Somalia, which suffers from a "destructive combination of extreme insecurity, drought and record-high food prices". According to the statement:
- Half of Somalia's population (3.25 million) is now in need of humanitarian aid, a 77% increase since the start of 2008
- 1.1 million Somalis are currently displaced. In the last few weeks alone, 37,000 civilians have fled Mogadishu due to spiralling insecurity, including battles between insurgents and the Ethiopian forces supporting the Transitional Federal Government.
- 180,000 childen under the age of five in South and Central Somalia are acutely malnourished
- 24 aid workers have been killed so far in 2008, of whom 20 are Somali nationals
Welcome to the Humanitarian Relief Blog
Published October 08, 2008 @ 10:00AM PT
This blog is about humanitarian crises and complex emergencies - everything form Afghanistan to Darfur, Somalia to Haiti. There's a tremendous amount of useful (and sometimes rather amusing) information out there, information which often doesn't reach those in the field or at home who need it most.
At the same time, the blog is meant to spark discussions about how humanitarian relief is changing - sometimes for the better, and sometimes not. Discussions about increasing insecurity, about humanitarian reform, about concerns over the politicization and occasional militarization of aid. Discussions about protection, about accountability, and about staff wellness (and burnout).
Finally, the blog is also - hopefully - a call to action. At least insofar as suggesting how we can all become involved.
As for me, I spent most of the past four years overseas, working for NGOs in Afghanistan, across east and central Africa, and in Iraq. I recently moved to the land of milk and honey - southern California, the glories of Los Angeles - consulting on humanitarian issues and complex emergencies.
Let me know if there are any issues you'd like to see covered, or any other suggestions, and all best,
Michael
Supporting Diverse Voices for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Published October 07, 2008 @ 08:45PM PT
When I was in 10th grade (in Tel-Aviv) a college student handed me a flyer on my way to school. It announced the formation of "Youth Against Racism," an effort in response to the election of the racist Meir Kahane to the Knesset. That first meeting was held in a circle on the ground next to Habima Theater. She explained the deal to 25 of us, 8th to 12th graders from high schools all over Tel-Aviv. "Youth Against Racism," she said, "is you."
Ban Ki-moon Raps for Jay-Z
Published October 07, 2008 @ 04:09PM PT
And sometimes, words fail. Jay-Z was honored at the recent UN Association of the United States Global Leadership Awards gala, for his support of the UN Water for Life campaign. In his honor, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon apparently went temporarily insane.
According to the UNSG: “Since one of the honorees is my man Jay-Z, I think I’ll try his language tonight. It is a foreign language to me, but one which I love, so please bear with me." He then rapped:
