Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk Rodrigo Duterte was reputed as a killer long before his election as president of the Philippines five months ago. He countenanced the slaughter of hundreds of drug addicts and dealers while mayor of Davao, the major port city on the rebel-infested southern island of Mindanao, and has applauded the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — In early October, Hurricane Matthew slammed into Haiti. Torrential rains and high winds devastated parts of the already impoverished island, creating a humanitarian nightmare not seen since the 2010 earthquake. The storm which killed over 550 people has affected nearly two million people causing dislocation, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk We hear so much about China and Japan competing on and for the Korean peninsula, now and historically, that we overlook one other great Northeast Asian power. That would be Russia, which has a 17-kilometer border with North Korea as the Tumen River flows into the sea. In the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — In a quiet but contentious campaign, countries are competing for new openings on the UN’s Human Rights Council. Many of the contenders for membership on the Geneva-based body include the political Who’s Who of authoritarian regimes who are noteworthy abusers of the very human rights […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is on a fast track, and that’s not just in terms of her hot-shot career. She’s up against a tight deadline. She’s got until Jan. 20 to persuade the U.N. Security Council to strengthen what she says is already the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — White smoke has emerged from the Security Council, where the powerful fifteen member body, has selected a new UN Secretary General from among a dozen declared candidates. Intense diplomatic deliberations among the powers, hectic lobbying among the candidates, and rife speculation in the international community […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk The late Don Oberdorfer would surely have had qualms with the award named for him and presented by U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert to Noh Hyo-dong, the longtime diplomatic and Washington correspondent for Yonhap News Agency. Why would a top U.S. diplomat be handing out a prize in the name […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Justin Trudeau, Canada’s media star Prime Minister, in his first address to the General Assembly, presented a wide-ranging tableaux of liberal platitudes and glowing feel good commitments. Proclaiming an almost theological commitment to diversity, an acceptance of Syrian refugees, and climate change policies, Trudeau presented […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk The exchanges between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in their first debate left an uneasy feeling about U.S. foreign policy. While Trump worried about all the money the U.S. has been squandering overseas, Clinton came through with ritual affirmation of U.S. treaty commitments. Their words were empty, less than […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The reverberations of the Syrian conflict continue to rock the UN General Assembly and Security Council as the shock waves of a churning war, a deepening political crisis, and a widening humanitarian disaster plague both the region as well as the wider world community. Syria […]
