Waiting For the Other Shoe To Drop in Burma
By Camilla Olson Tue, 09/25/2007 - 23:55
I’ve been trying to keep up with all of the press coverage of the monks protesting in Burma over the past week. The images alone have been striking - hundreds of monks flooding the streets of the capital Rangoon like a saffron colored river. At first, there was no public reaction from Burma’s ruling junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).
President’s Corner: More Administration Delay on Iraqi Refugees
By Kenneth Bacon Mon, 09/24/2007 - 04:47
Last week I reported that Stephen Hadley, the president’s National Security Adviser, conceded that the Bush administration was not doing a good enough job in protecting Iraqi refugees. “We have got to do better,” he told a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations on Sept. 17, 2007.
September 21st: International Day of Peace
By Thu, 09/20/2007 - 19:30
Today has been declared the International Day of Peace. In 2001, the UN General Assembly unanimously supported a resolution declaring September 21st to be a “day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the day.” This was done in the hope that this small political opening might allow for aid to be delivered, for communities to re-unite and for a spirit of reconciliation to take hold.
RI's Peace Primary Update
By Sara Fusco Thu, 09/20/2007 - 02:58
The Peace Primary, now three weeks old, is an exciting online campaign centered around key peace issues for the 2008 campaign season. Just twelve organizations were chosen nation-wide and Refugees International was one of them. Only one can win a $100,000 grant from the Ploughshares Fund to promote their peace agenda to candidates. This could be huge for us.
So how do we get there?
President’s Corner: A Turn Around on Iraqi Refugees?
By Kenneth Bacon Tue, 09/18/2007 - 01:08After months of delay and disappointments the Bush administration appears to be on the brink of taking the Iraqi refugee crisis seriously. Stephen Hadley, the President’s National Security Adviser, told a meeting at the Council on Foreign Relations last night that “we have got to do better” in helping Iraqi refugees and the countries that are hosting them. There are currently 2.5 million Iraqis, mostly in Jordan and Syria, creating a refugee surge that risks destabilizing the region.
RI in the News
By Vanessa Parra Sat, 09/08/2007 - 07:20
Lately we’ve been able to draw a lot of attention to Iraqi refugees seeking resettlement in the United States. Kristele Younes, one of our Iraqi refugee experts, was interviewed by National Public Radio’s All Things Considered earlier this week. Matt Lee from the Associated Press continued to report on the numbers of Iraqi refugees that the U.S. has allowed to resettle here.
Looking for the law in Liberia
By Melanie Teff Thu, 09/06/2007 - 04:38
A few weeks ago in Liberia, I met with several women’s groups who told me about the new “rape law” which had come into force last year. The passing of this law is a great achievement for the people who had campaigned hard to seek justice for victims of sexual violence in Liberia. The victims are many. A 2005 survey in 4 counties indicated that 91.7% of 1,216 women and girls interviewed had been subjected to multiple violent acts during Liberia’s conflict.
President’s Corner: Slow Progress on Iraqi Resettlement
By Kenneth Bacon Tue, 09/04/2007 - 04:40
America’s allies in Iraq must think that the U.S. is inefficient, ungrateful or both. According to the State Department’s latest figures, in August, the U.S. admitted 529 Iraqis for resettlement. That was a sharp increase from the 57 we admitted for resettlement in July, but still way off the resettlement pace the U.S. would have to achieve to meet its own goals.
