A Papal Primer on Global Diplomacy

Staff / Truthdig Apr 19, 2008 Pope Benedict XVI's latest major stop on his U.S. tour took him to the United Nations, where he held forth about the need to prioritize human rights for all and pointed out how the majority of power to impact global events still remains in the hands of very few key players. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Controversies Live On After Suharto’s Death in Indonesia

Staff / Truthdig Jan 28, 2008 On Monday, a day after his death, former Indonesian President Suharto was given a state funeral and buried in Java, sparking mixed reaction as Indonesians recalled both the strong points and the controversial (even despotic) sides of the man who was their nation's leader for more than 30 years. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Says Musharraf ‘Hasn’t Crossed the Line’

Staff / Truthdig Nov 21, 2007 Just weeks after publicly fretting about Pervez Musharraf's dictatorial power grab, George W. Bush has decided that the Pakistani president "hasn't crossed the line" and "truly is somebody who believes in democracy." It's an assessment that would be comical if it didn't have to do with the freedom of millions of people and the security of dozens of nuclear weapons. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Rambo to the Rescue in Burma

Staff / Truthdig Nov 16, 2007 If the combined power of thousands of Buddhist monks staging a nonviolent protest isn't enough to oust Burma's oppressive junta, one American hero (cue movie trailer voice-over) is coming to fight for democracy in a faraway land -- or at least stick his nose in another nation's business. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Britain to Investigate ‘CIA Black Site’

Staff / Truthdig Oct 20, 2007 The British government's Foreign Affairs Committee will look into charges by a number of sources, including human rights groups and a retired U.S. general, that sovereign British land has been used as a CIA "black site" prison. The island of Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, has been leased to the United States and is the site of an American military base but remains British territory. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Europe Rallies Against Capital Punishment

Staff / Truthdig Oct 10, 2007 Aside from fatty foods that are somehow good for you, a laissez-faire attitude toward religion and a decidedly more relaxed approach to reproduction, the biggest cultural difference between Europe and the United States could be Europeans' general disdain for the death penalty. Lest we forget that all 27 European Union states have abolished the practice, the entire continent has taken a day to reflect upon the barbarity of execution. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gordon Brown: Burma Death Toll ‘Far Greater’

Staff / Truthdig Sep 29, 2007 The British prime minister has warned that the number of dead in Burma is probably "far greater than is being reported so far." The world community has widely condemned the Burmese government's violent response to the thousands of protesters who've been flooding the streets of Yangon. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Burma Protest Goes Massive

Staff / Truthdig Sep 24, 2007 An estimated 100,000 people marched through the streets of Yangon on Monday in an ongoing protest that has rapidly swelled from just dozens of people. Burma's notoriously inhumane military government has traditionally been quick to stanch dissent but has yet to seriously confront the demonstrators, who were led by roughly 20,000 Buddhist monks. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Monks Lead Protest in Myanmar

Staff / Truthdig Sep 23, 2007 Thousands of Buddhist monks and supporters have taken to the streets of Yangon (Rangoon) and elsewhere, as the biggest demonstration against Burma's brutal military government in nearly 20 years continues to gain momentum. (Updated) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. and UK Want U.N. Back in Iraq

Staff / Truthdig Aug 2, 2007 The United Nations hasn't had much of a presence in Iraq since a car bomb blew up its headquarters back in 2003, but that could soon change. The U.S. and Britain have begun pushing a Security Council resolution that would expand the U.N.'s mandate in Iraq, with a focus on diplomacy and human rights. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Young Scholars Tell the President ‘No’ on Torture

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Jul 11, 2007 Sometimes it takes a brave, idealistic young person (or nearly 50 of them) to break all the rules of pomp and circumstance, pass the president a note, and school him about human rights. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Report: Rights Abuse Is Easing Under Raul

Staff / Truthdig Jul 6, 2007 An independent Cuban human rights organization says Cuba has taken fewer and freed more political prisoners under the rule of Raul Castro, compared with his brother, Fidel. But the group says human rights abuses by the government are still a problem, as is the U.S. embargo, which it says imposes unnecessary hardship on the Cuban people. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )