Dignity, grace as our nation shifts leaders.
Byline: Dianne Williamson COLUMN: DIANNE WILLIAMSON About a half-hour before Barack Obama was sworn in as our 44th president, anyone tuned in to Channel 5 witnessed a spontaneous, weirdly wonderful moment that was probably not meant to be caught on camera. Taking his...

Stupid wars; a citizen's guide to botched putsches, failed coups, inane invasions, and ridiculous revolutions.
9780061258473 Stupid wars; a citizen's guide to botched putsches, failed coups, inane invasions, and ridiculous revolutions. Strosser, Edward and Michael Prince. Harper Collins Publishers 2008 320 pages $14.95 Paperback D25 Written...

Comoros.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In March, the federal government of the Comoros, assisted by African Union forces--principally from Senegal, Sudan and Tanzania--staged a dramatic amphibious assault of the island of Anjouan. Libya and France also provided some logistical support. Codenamed Operation Democracy in Comoros, the action was intended to...

Mauritania's coup is a setback for democracy.
The overthrow in August of what arguably constituted the most democratic government in the Arab world marks a serious setback in Africa as well as the Middle East. There had been great expectations for Mauritania when the country had its first free elections in 2006. As one...

IRAQ - Dec 18 - 35 Iraq Officials Held In Raids On Key Ministry.
Up to 35 officials in the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior ranking as high as general have been arrested over the past three days with some of them accused of quietly working to reconstitute Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, according to senior security officials in Baghdad. The arrests, confirmed by...

Second Thoughts.
BAGUIO, Philippines -- "...amending the constitution is a sensitive task that cannot be left in the hands of the few. In fact, it would be better if the amendment were done in a gradual fashion, with ideas gathered from the bottom up and debates held in different corners of...

Highlights from Toronto's international hot docs festival.
Letter to Anna: the Story of Journalist Politkovskaya's Death. by Eric Berkraut (84 minutes) The veteran Swiss director knew Politkovskaya personally and shows her in full humanity--complete with lively humour and obsessive personality-in a film that combines footage of the journalist and interviews with family...

Power struggle in Thailand.
PEOPLE are wondering what is happening in Thailand. To have a reasonable assessment of the situation in that country, let's have a brief flashback of past events. First: Sometime ago, the popular Prime Minister Sinawatra was ousted in a coup led by the Thai armed forces. The...

Counter-rally hits Bangkok.
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Government supporters converged on the capital on Sunday, in a counter-rally to rival protesters who seized control of Bangkok's two airports and forced the prime minister to run the country from afar. Neither the army nor Thailand's revered king have stepped in to...

The last mercenary?
What does the adventure of Simon Mann and his band of latter-day mercenaries who plotted to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea, teach Africa and the world? Simple. In the words of the British journalist, Alice Thomson: "Interfering Europeans, whether they come clutching guns or a mocrophone, should stay...