Normalization of U.S. relations with Cuba was widely seen as exactly the kind of high-value, low-hanging fruit that would be ideal for a president elected under the banner of "change." But a scathing new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, "New Castro, Same Cuba," will make lifting sanctions against the Castro regime-on travel, remittances, trade-more difficult for President Obama.
Labor Day? Let's be real. The last thing on our minds this weekend is labor rights. Whether we're fortunate enough to have a job or worrying about how to get one in today's economy, we'll focus more on this summer's last hurrah than on the Tuesday- morning-after travails.
The Aug. 13 editorial "Mexico's Drug War" asserted that it would be "counterproductive" for the United States to let human rights concerns hold up the release of funds to support Mexico's fight against drug cartels. In fact, the opposite is true.
By ending the double standard on human rights and democracy that marked US policy toward Colombia under President Bush, Obama could go a long way toward restoring US credibility in Latin America.
Canada has long been recognized as a global leader in human rights and commitment to international law, wielding moral authority much larger than its size. But our government's unreserved support for the conduct of Israel's recent military actions in Gaza has eroded Canada's hard-won credibility and moral standing.
In a crucial vote this week, the Organization of American States could decide whether to lift Cuba's almost 50-year suspension from the key regional body. Such a move would be bad for civil society in Cuba and bad for the OAS.
President Obama came under fire last month for sharing a smile with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez at the Summit of the Americas. But I think time may show that Obama did the right thing.
Standing in the packed courtroom annex as a Supreme Court panel this week sentenced the former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori to 25 years in prison for two massacres and two kidnappings, I had mixed emotions.
The inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama provides new opportunities for Canada to play a more assertive role on human rights. Important steps might be taken with respect to Guantanamo, Afghanistan, Colombia, and international institutions.
Brazil is famous for its Carnival, the celebration before the morning-after solemnity of Lent that conjures up images of parades and samba pageants, with wildly celebrating participants from all over the world. A thriving tourism industry feeds on those images of free sexual expression during Carnival. But the mornings after can sometimes yield unwanted consequences.
Normalization of U.S. relations with Cuba was widely seen as exactly the kind of high-value, low-hanging fruit that would be ideal for a president elected under the banner of "change." But a scathing new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, "New Castro, Same Cuba," will make lifting sanctions against the Castro regime-on travel, remittances, trade-more difficult for President Obama.
Labor Day? Let's be real. The last thing on our minds this weekend is labor rights. Whether we're fortunate enough to have a job or worrying about how to get one in today's economy, we'll focus more on this summer's last hurrah than on the Tuesday- morning-after travails.
The Aug. 13 editorial "Mexico's Drug War" asserted that it would be "counterproductive" for the United States to let human rights concerns hold up the release of funds to support Mexico's fight against drug cartels. In fact, the opposite is true.
By ending the double standard on human rights and democracy that marked US policy toward Colombia under President Bush, Obama could go a long way toward restoring US credibility in Latin America.
Canada has long been recognized as a global leader in human rights and commitment to international law, wielding moral authority much larger than its size. But our government's unreserved support for the conduct of Israel's recent military actions in Gaza has eroded Canada's hard-won credibility and moral standing.
In a crucial vote this week, the Organization of American States could decide whether to lift Cuba's almost 50-year suspension from the key regional body. Such a move would be bad for civil society in Cuba and bad for the OAS.
President Obama came under fire last month for sharing a smile with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez at the Summit of the Americas. But I think time may show that Obama did the right thing.
Standing in the packed courtroom annex as a Supreme Court panel this week sentenced the former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori to 25 years in prison for two massacres and two kidnappings, I had mixed emotions.
The inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama provides new opportunities for Canada to play a more assertive role on human rights. Important steps might be taken with respect to Guantanamo, Afghanistan, Colombia, and international institutions.
Brazil is famous for its Carnival, the celebration before the morning-after solemnity of Lent that conjures up images of parades and samba pageants, with wildly celebrating participants from all over the world. A thriving tourism industry feeds on those images of free sexual expression during Carnival. But the mornings after can sometimes yield unwanted consequences.