What’s going wrong in Cuba?

Al Jazeera English – 9 thg 8, 2021

Food, medicine and fuel shortages have driven Cubans to protest for “patria y vida” or “homeland and life”. And then there’s the pandemic. #AJStartHere with Sandra Gathmann looks at why life in Cuba is so tough.

By Max Boot, CFR Expert

August 16, 2022 3:56 pm (EST), Council on Foreign Relations

A year after the U.S. withdrawal, half of Afghanistan’s population faces a food emergency, and the Taliban regime acts with cruelty and indifference.

One year after the United States ended its longest war, there remains considerable disagreement over whether the war in Afghanistan was winnable or worth fighting. Congress has chartered a bipartisan commission to investigate the war and draw lessons for the future. But however one views the conflict, few would dispute that the exit from Afghanistan at the end of August 2021 was a chaotic mess—or that the United States has limited options for dealing with the Taliban regime.

Amnesty International’s recent attack on Ukraine raises yet again the issue of how the size, governance, and influence of the largest human rights organizations may damage the cause of human rights.

Blog Post by Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign Relations

August 16, 2022 10:55 am (EST)

The cause of human rights is now at risk from the largest organizations dedicated to its protection.

Earlier this summer I wrote, here at the CFR web site, an article entitled “Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?” and a blog entry of the same title. There I argued that “the issues of oversight, governance, and bias at the two largest NGOs, which dominate the field globally, cannot be overlooked.” Those two organizations are Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. As I wrote,

In 2021, Human Rights Watch had $256 million in assets and revenue of $130 million. It employs more than 500 staff members in 105 locations globally and has an annual budget of $97 million. Amnesty International is even larger, raising $436 million in 2020 and spending $376 million.

Continue reading Amnesty International’s Attack on Ukraine →