International

Ernesto Cardenal is a staunch Roman Catholic priest from Nicaragua who has been a thorn in the flesh of the Church. His political activism as a liberation theologist was of long standing, beginning many years before he was ordained in 1965. In fact, having been forced to flee his country at the end of the 1950s, he went to the U.S and considered becoming a monk. He spent two years as a novice in the Trappist monastery in Gethsemani, Kentucky, which he left because of ill health.

The first demonstration of Soviet human rights advocates in the history of the USSR took place in the center of Moscow in 1965. It was a very short one. As soon as demonstrators in the mass gathering on Pushkin Square started to unroll their banners, the militia appeared and arrested them. At the police station, a KGB officer finally unfolded the sign carried by the rally’s organizer, Alexander Yesenin-Volpin. It read as follows: “Respect the Soviet Constitution”.

Considering recent events such as Operation Cast Lead – Israel’s controversial 2008-2009 military adventure into Gaza – as well as the current storm regarding the assassination of a top Hamas leader in Dubai, there have been considerable strains on Europe’s relations with the State of Israel.

What does Israel’s Ambassador to Austria think about the status of Israeli-European relations?

“In one word: good.  In two words: not good.”

We, expatriates and cross-culture kids, have the fortune of knowing a lot about the world and its people – but sometimes we have a little trouble knowing ourselves.

Will Afghanistan, the proverbial “graveyard of empires” turn into Barack Obama’s Vietnam? Will elections across Europe be in any way influenced by Osama bin Laden’s threat tied to NATO’s presence in Afghanistan? Will the U.S.pledge to focus more on civilian protection rather than just combat, sell with the Afghan locals?

Those have been some of the questions recently voiced by media and analysts all across the globe as in August, 2009 became the deadliest year of the nearly eight-year war for American troops. And that’s with several months to spare.

Eleven-year-old Emmanuel Osei works as a scrap collector in Ghana, scavenging metal from the corpses of Western computers, televisions and other end-of-life electronic products that have been dumped in West Africa. His goal is to salvage the odd gram of useful metals such as copper, which he can resell for a few cents. To isolate those metals he and his fellow rubbish-pickers have to burn away the useless plastics in the insulation tubes and circuit boards.

Each year the University of Vienna grants one individual its highest academic honor: an honorary doctorate. This year it was awarded to the former South African Anglican Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, for his laudable work in theology. Tutu is a life-long champion of human rights and an activist against injustice, poverty, and suffering. These stances, coupled with his African spirituality, have enabled him to breathe new life into theology as well position him as a main contributor to a nascent global human rights culture.

On Sunday, Jun. 7, citizens and international observers across Lebanon were focused on the parliamentary elections many hoped would bring badly needed change to the country.

After four decades, France has returned to NATO’s unified military command. At a stroke, President Nicolas Sarkozy overturned one of the pillars of French policy – and of the legacy of Charles de Gaulle, the founder of Sarkozy’s own political party.