John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — First, the good news. The United States has been re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council along with Germany and Ireland. So too have been South Korea and Japan. Now fasten your seat belts for the rest of the eighteen new selections to the 47 member Geneva-based Council which […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — As the seemingly interminable election campaign nears the finish line, there are a few glaringly missing topics which remain almost untouched. The first deals with an issue affecting nearly everyone and the other one which may determine America’s future scientific prowess and potential. Gasoline prices. Here we have record […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — President Barack Obama’s speech before the UN General Assembly was directed to two domestic audiences. One Main Street USA where outrage and anguish over the killing of American diplomats, the trashing of diplomatic property throughout the Middle East, and the seething resentment towards America is viewed as a both […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The killing of the American Ambassador to Libya John Christopher Stevens, along with three other American diplomats, the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt and the tearing down of the flag replacing the stars and stripes with a black banner, all allegedly in response to an American-produced […]
John J. Metzler BRANDON, Vermont — It’s been a year since Tropical Storm Irene unexpectedly crashed into Vermont, causing unprecedented flooding and damage throughout much of the Green Mountain state. Yet despite Irene’s wrath across much of the Northeast, Vermont’s near singular resilience and steadfastness in the face of the storm remains an enduring lesson. […]
John J. Metzler PARIS — The Normandy Beaches which witnessed the epic 6 June 1944 Allied landings leading to the liberation of France and Nazi-occupied Europe, have been etched in the annals modern history. Now in a move supported by the French government, the landing beaches would be inscribed into UNESCO’s World Heritage List, hopefully […]
John J. Metzler PARIS — One of the more common misperceptions in transatlantic relations is the near instinctive knee-jerk comment that “the French don’t like Americans.” That is unless you overlook much of the music on French radio which is American, a considerable segment of prime time TV are American programs, and a majority of […]
John J. Metzler PARIS — As the London Olympics set new records for athletic achievements, the Summer Games equally highlight global competitions, both in the field of sport and nationalism. And despite all the naysayers that the London Games would not be ready, the traditional British can-do attitude prevailed (as they did in London 1948), […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — As the carnage against civilians continues across Syria, there’ a compelling humanitarian case for international intervention to stop the violence which has killed more than 10,000 civilians. Yet, what started as a political uprising against the authoritarian rule of Bashar Assad sixteen months ago, has morphed into a complex […]
John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The Falkland Island Road Show has come to the United Nations, with all the political trappings of drama, hyper-nationalism, and self-righteous moralizing. The focus remains on the future of this windswept British territory in the South Atlantic claimed by, and also once invaded by, neighboring Argentina. Now thirty years […]