For the last three days, I’ve been in Amman, Jordan, getting schooled in Arab democracy from an international team of researchers from the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI). Technically, I was supposed to be there helping them design research methodology, but it looks like they’re doing just fine on their own. Monday morning found me in…
Human Rights Watch denounces the pressure on Nigeria’s leading anti-corruption activist, Nuhu Ribadu. Since being fired from the government, Ribadu has been subject to harassment, threats and a drive-by shooting. Meanwhile his replacement at his former watchdog agency is busy sacking his best investigators. Human Rights Watch: Nigeria’s leading anti-corruption campaigner has in recent weeks…
As we’re in the business of rating and assessing things, we find the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s vote today to curb the influence of securities issuers on ratings agencies (Standard & Poors, Moody’s, Fitch), well, amazingly common sense. And it took exactly how long for the SEC to wake up to these problems? Bloomberg…
In a recent post on The Global Dashboard Blog, political analyst Leo Horn criticizes the Western media’s portrayal of Thailand’s current political crisis as steeped in cliches. Resisting the typical “virtuous rural masses versus power-possessive urban elites” lens, Horn takes a broader outlook. He sees the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest as social progress…
After a redeye from Chicago, your jetlagged correspondent spends an afternoon watching the news from a Heathrow lounge: Thais blitz an airport, and Mumbai grieves. In Thailand, a well-organized anti-government faction has stormed the Bangkok airport, taking the Thai tourism economy hostage. The BBC reports that 100,000 travelers are stranded. The BBC covers the impact…
Your “award-winning” blogger reflects on blogging, awards and the Internet, while packing for a trip to the Middle East. As you learned in the previous post, your humble blogger is being flown to Paris to receive an award for journalism in defense of human rights, as practiced on this very blog. I am deeply honored…