http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com The World Affairs Blog Network Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:56:03 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Since its founding in 1998 and its official kick-off in 2002, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has had to build its strength and influence without any help-and indeed with strong opposition-from the U.S. "[E]stablished to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the ... http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/19/the-us-to-engage-the-icc-signs-that-the-obama-administration-is-warming-up-to-the-international-criminal-court/ Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gave an emotional apology on Sunday to the victims of a largely forgotten chapter of Western history. Addressing a crowd of about 1000 former child migrants, Rudd issued a national apology for the mistreatment they received from the government when they had been promised a ... http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/17/never-too-late-to-say-youre-sorry/ Kai Eide, the Special Representative of the United Nations to Afghanistan, did not mix words.  Addressing the Committee of Development at the European Parliament in Brussels this evening, Mr. Eide began to vent some frustration against NGOs and INGOs. He was  vague and did not single out any organisation in particular. ... http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/16/ngos-blocking-development-in-afghanistan/ The Obama administration took a major step today in fulfilling its promise to close the discredited Guantanamo Bay detention center and follow the rule of law with the announcement that five detainees charged with planning the attacks on September 11, 2001 and the USS Cole will be prosecuted by a federal court ... http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/13/from-gitmo-to-federal-district-court/ At almost the same time that the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report lamenting the many barriers that women face to accessing health care, the United States Congress threw up another such barrier in the form of the Stupak amendment blocking access to abortion.  Fittingly, the WHO report noted ... http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/13/the-stupak-amendment-entrenching-barriers-to-womens-health-care-and-institutionalizing-inequality/ A state news agency in China confirmed today that nine people have been executed for their role in the rioting that overtook the northern city of Urumqi in July. As reported earlier on this blog, the rioting had a long simmering ethnic component to it that pitted the majority Muslim ... http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/09/violence-meets-violence-in-china/ Tomorrow marks the 20thanniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which is typically seen as the end of the Cold War. I expect that the blogospherewill be filled with far more in-depth commentary on the subject tomorrow, but for today I would just like to point out one of ... http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/08/looking-back-to-see-ahead/ Representatives from governments, civil society, and the diamond industry met this past week in Namibia for the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme's seventh plenary meeting. The Kimberley Process was established in 2003 as a way to regulate the trade of so-called conflict diamonds that came to prominence during the wars in ... http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/06/the-true-colors-of-diamond-regulation/ Yesterday Maine voters dealt a blow to LGBT rights, with 53% of those who voted in a referendum opting to repeal Maine's state law recognizing the right of same sex couples to get married.  While New England is considered the region of the U.S. most supportive of the right of ... http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/04/maine-voters-repeal-the-right-to-same-sex-marriage-dealing-a-blow-to-lgbt-rights/ Human Rights Watch has landed back in the news, though not in the way that it likes.  For the last few months the organization has endured controversy over its coverage and position on Israel.  First, news broke in July of a fundraising trip that Human Rights Watch undertook to Saudi Arabia ... http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/01/the-duty-to-criticize/