Archive for June, 2016

Libya – The New York Times

The State ofLibya, situated along theMediterraneanSea on Africas northern coast, shares borders with Egypt, Sudan,Chad, Niger, Algeria and Tunisia. Inhabited by its native Berber population since the Bronze Age, the region has variously been ruled by Persians, Egyptians and the Roman and Ottoman Empires. Its capital city of Tripoli is home to more than one million of the nations roughly six million residents.

Libyaemerged as an independent kingdom in 1951 after serving as a key battleground in World War II. Its relatively poor economy was given a major boost in 1958 with the discovery of petroleum. To this day, oil accounts for some 80 percent of the nations gross domestic product andLibyacontinues to boast the largest proven reserves in Africa.

In 1969 a group of officers led by 27-year-old Col Muammar el-Qaddafi ousted King Idris I in a coup. Qaddafi would remainLibyas de facto absolute ruler for more than 40 years, establishing a policy of Arab nationalism and a unique, if erratic, admixture of socialist policies and anti-Communist principles.

Qaddafi was pushed from power by a popular revolt in 2011 amid Arab Spring uprisings across the Middle East.He was killed the same year following a six-month struggle between loyalists and rebel militias that eventually gained significant military support from NATO.

The country has since struggled to attain stability, with a weak and divided central government failing to curtail the power of rival armed militias. This instability was punctuated in September 2012, when Islamist militants executed a deadly surprise attack on the American embassy in Benghazi, claiming the life of US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

Keep up to date on breaking news in Libya and explore our extensive archive below.

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Libya - The New York Times

Eric Holder endorses Hillary Clinton – POLITICO

Ahead of Sunday's debate in Charleston, Holder will campaign for Clinton in South Carolina.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination on Wednesday, praising his former administration colleague's plans to tackle a wide range of issues, from gun violence to college affordability.

"Our next president can't shy away from building on the progress of President Obama, which is why Hillary Clinton is the candidate that we need in the White House," Holder said, according to The Associated Press, which first reported the news from the Clinton campaign earlier this morning.

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Ahead of Sunday's debate in Charleston, Holder will campaign for Clinton in South Carolina.

Holder, who is a partner at the law firm Covington & Burling, said that Clinton has the "experience and right judgment to deliver results for families across the country."

"I've seen her deal with the issues that will confront the next president firsthand, and she has bold plans to address police brutality, fight for commonsense reforms to our gun laws, get incomes rising, and make college affordable," the former attorney general said, according to the full statement tweeted by a CNN reporter.

A Republican president, Holder said, would "tear down our progress on civil rights, health care and curbing gun violence."

"It can't and won't happen under Hillary who has spent her life taking on the toughest fights," he said, according to the statement.

Holder is one of several past and present Obama Cabinet officials to endorse the former secretary of state, including former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Current Cabinet officials who have endorsed Clinton include Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julin Castro, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Labor Secretary Tom Perez and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

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Eric Holder endorses Hillary Clinton - POLITICO

How Socialism Works | HowStuffWorks

Many people wonder what heaven is like -- so many, in fact, that philosophers and scholars over the years have hypothesized about how heaven on Earth can be achieved. The term "utopia" was coined in 1515 by British writer Thomas More. Utopia describes a perfect place or society, where everyone is equal socially and economically.

The political and economic theory of socialism was created with the vision of a utopian society in mind. Contrary to other economic systems, there is no real consensus on how the ideal socialist society should function. Dozens of forms of socialism exist, all with differing ideas about economic planning, community size and many other factors. Despite the variations in socialist thought, every version advocates the benefits of cooperation among the people, steering clear of the "evils" of competition associated with capitalism.

So how does socialism compare to capitalism and communism? And were there ever any successful socialist societies? Is the movement still alive today? In the next section, we'll take a look at the principles of the theory.

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How Socialism Works | HowStuffWorks

Ukraine: Pictures, Videos, Breaking News – Huffington Post

Nadiya Savchenko sits behind bars in a Russian prison, the prospect of a 23-year sentence looming before her. The strength of this Ukrainian woman is ...

Kelli Stuart

Novelist, history enthusiast, Russian speaker, mom, driver of a smokin' hot minivan...

With summer creeping up around the corner, it's time to start thinking about your upcoming travel plans! After visiting 75+ countries since 201...

Drew Goldberg

Travel blogger, fun seeker, social media guru, people-person

We must remember the struggle we faced to gain independence, the blood that was shed on our own land in the name of freedom, and we must willingly stand alongside those who are fighting for the same.

Kelli Stuart

Novelist, history enthusiast, Russian speaker, mom, driver of a smokin' hot minivan...

It's become commonplace to speak of the global war on terror as a "forever war." But perhaps the problem runs a great deal deeper. Perhaps we are no longer able to end any wars.

John Feffer

Director, Foreign Policy In Focus and Editor, LobeLog

Republican voters face a bad choice. The Donald's shortcomings are manifest. Marco Rubio may be young, well-spoken, and attractive. But his foreign policy judgment is awful. If you want more foolish, costly, and unnecessary wars, vote for Rubio.

On February 3, 2016, Kazakhstan's president Nursultan Nazarbayev made a symbolically powerful decree on how Kazakh soldiers should march during milita...

Here's to home, but still, here's to a world bigger than right on Hereford, left on Boyltson. Here's to Mount Saint James, and the tower bell. Here's to happy endings. We all deserve them.

Despite all the focus in Europe on refugees, terrorism and Brexit, there is one region which still requires the attention of both European elite as well as its society -- Eastern Europe. We are at risk of losing our focus in the region, and this could hurt countries that are attempting to finally shed their Soviet heritage.

A plain Soviet-era office block squats on a residential street in the beautiful historic city of Lviv, Ukraine. The lobby is dimly lit and there is...

Diane M. Francis

Senior Fellow Atlantic Council Eurasia Section in Washington DC, Adjunct Faculty Singularity University in Mountain Vie the National Post in Canada, a Distinguished Professor at Ryerson Universitys Ted Rogers School of Management, author of 10 books

What would Russia gain from attacking the Baltics? A recalcitrant, majority non-ethnic Russian population. A possible temporary nationalist surge at home. A likely short-lived victory over the West. The costs would be far greater.

Image: Stock Photo. FreeImages.com/Evgenia Pronina Most residents of the former Soviet Union hate the corruption that prevents everyone but a tiny ...

Armine Sahakyan

Human rights activist based in Armenia, Columnist with the Kyiv Post

Hate the cold but love winter clothes ? Designers Anna October and Lalo's dreamy and fluffy knitwear are must-haves. From Kuzyomin's timeless sophi...

Sissi Johnson

FashionTech, Sustainability & Lifestyle. Catch me in Paris, NYC or @AskSissi

Co-authored with Richard Burt Since 1962, the year after the Berlin Wall was constructed, the annual Munich Security Conference (MSC) has helped prop...

All the miscalculations and all the reckless rhetoric by the Russian and American superpowers over all those years have achieved just one thing. They repeatedly brought civilization far too close to its termination.

So far at Berlinale, there have been groundbreaking films, films about love, films about current affairs, movies about the past and some looking to the future. Some push the boundaries of reality, while others really stick our noses into the nitty gritty of surviving.

The recent backroom bi-laterals talks between the United States and Russia about Ukraine have caused anxiety in the region, raised hopes that sanctions could be lifted, and elevated Russian President Vladimir Putin's status to super power level.

Diane M. Francis

Senior Fellow Atlantic Council Eurasia Section in Washington DC, Adjunct Faculty Singularity University in Mountain Vie the National Post in Canada, a Distinguished Professor at Ryerson Universitys Ted Rogers School of Management, author of 10 books

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Ukraine: Pictures, Videos, Breaking News - Huffington Post

Global Marshall Plan – Network of Spiritual Progressives

In the 21st century, our security and well being depends on the well being of everyone else on this planet as well as on the health of the planet itself. An important way to manifest this caring is through a Global Marshall Plan that would dedicate 1-2% of the U.S. annual Gross Domestic Product each year for the next twenty years to eliminate domestic and global poverty, homelessness, hunger, inadequate education, and inadequate health care and repair damage done to the environment by 150 years of ecologically irresponsible forms of industrialization and modernization throughout much of the world.

We support a Global Marshall Plan that includes

We approach this initiative with a spirit of humility, not only because of the legacy of colonialism and self-interested Western trade policies which contributed to the underdevelopment in poor countries, but because we can learn much from the cultures and spiritual heritage of other societiesrecognizing that their economic poverty does not signify a poverty of wisdom. Generosity of spirit as well as financial generosity are an integral part of our Global Marshall Plan , which we affirm not only because it is a central component in any rational plan to achieve homeland security, but also because it reflects our commitment to recognize every human being on this planet as equally valuable and deserving of care.

The NSPs Global Marshall Plan is a strategy for real homeland security.

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Global Marshall Plan - Network of Spiritual Progressives