U.N. Pledges Revitalized Darfur Effort

Staff / Truthdig Jan 6, 2007 The United Nations has begun a renewed effort to address the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has promised to give the crisis his full attention, though many world leaders have made similar commitments to no avail. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Annan Rebukes U.S. for Abusing Power

Staff / Truthdig Dec 12, 2006 Speaking from the Truman Library in his last speech as UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan excoriated the United States for abusing its power in the world community: "No nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over others" Read the speech. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.N. Envoys Sound Off on Bolton’s Departure

Staff / Truthdig Dec 5, 2006 John Bolton, having announced his retirement as U.N. ambassador, didn't get much love Monday, particularly from his colleagues at the United Nations. One Security Council member, speaking anonymously, had this to say about the notoriously cranky diplomat: "People here are not against the United States, but I think the United States lost a lot of things because of Bolton's tactics." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

United Nations Secretary-General Saddened by Iraq War

Staff / Truthdig Dec 4, 2006 As he prepares to leave office after 10 years, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke to the BBC about his sorrow at not being able to prevent the war in Iraq, and described the violence there as "much worse" than civil war. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Women in Afghanistan

Christian Parenti / Truthdig Nov 29, 2006 With the resurgence of the Taliban, women in Afghanistan are once again rated by the United Nations as being "among the worst-off in the world." Learn more about their plight in the companion piece to Christian Parenti's larger article, "Afghan Autopsy." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Nicaragua Abortion Law Leaves Women and Doctors With No Options

Staff / Truthdig Nov 20, 2006 Abortions were already illegal in Nicaragua, but today a law passed removing an exception in the previous law, which allowed a woman to obtain an abortion legally with the approval of three doctors who confirmed that the woman's life was in danger. Many conservatives in government advocated 30-year prison terms for women who terminate their pregnancies and the doctors who perform the abortions, but the stricter prison terms did not pass. Currently the punishment is a six-year prison term. An estimated 32,000 illegal abortions are performed in Nicaragua each year. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Spy Chief Reportedly Blocking Iraq Report

Staff / Truthdig Jul 21, 2006 Harper's reports that John Negroponte, the administration's director of national intelligence, has been "stonewalling" a new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq because, the magazine claims, he "knows that any honest take on the situation would produce an NIE even more pessimistic than the 2004 version." Dig deeper

Molly Ivins: Maybe If We Tried a Slingshot

Molly Ivins / Truthdig Jun 29, 2006 Confrontational hard-liners Don Rumsfeld and John Bolton continue to ramp up tensions between the U.S. and North Korea; Molly Ivins wonders if maybe it's still not too late for a little diplomacy. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Iran Threatens to Retaliate on Nuclear Issue

Staff / Truthdig Feb 2, 2006 In his first-ever interview with a Western publication, Iran's foreign minister vows immediate retaliation over a move to refer his nation's nuclear weapons activities to the United Nations Security Council | storyWell, at least we can count on the support of the newly pro-West Iraqi government to back us up if things get messy next-door Oh, wait . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Iran Vows To Restart Nuclear Research

Staff / Truthdig Jan 5, 2006 Declares stance "nonnegotiable" more Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Serious Miscalculations About Syria

Tyler Golson / Truthdig Dec 1, 2005 A young scholar who has lived in Damascus finds it not a "rogue state" but a complex, jittery mosaic surprisingly receptive to America. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )