Topic: Nobel Peace Prize

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Obama and Myanmar (Burma): 4 points about conflict there

A long-simmering ethnic conflict in Myanmar (Burma) recently broke into American newspapers: At least 89 people have been killed and more than 35,000 displaced in what is being described (not entirely accurately) as Buddhist-Muslim violence. With President Obama as the first US head of state to visit this country, there are four points to bear in mind about this detour from Myanmar’s road to a more open society:
Six reasons this UN General Assembly is must-see TV

World leaders descend on New York for the annual United Nations gathering, starting Sept. 25. If the recent past is any guide, it can be a memorable, even explosive, occasion. Here are six moments to watch for, to brace for, this time.
Brazil: 11 books to read before you go

The 11 travel books that The Lonely Planet suggests you read before arriving in Brazil.
6 famous dissidents in China

The surprising escape of a blind legal activist from house arrest is buoying China's embattled dissident community, even as the government cracks down on those who helped him.
Myanmar's about-face: 5 recent reforms

Since 1962, Myanmar's dictatorship has jailed the opposition, beat up monks, denied aid to disaster victims, and run scorched-earth campaigns against ethnic minorities. That may be changing, however. Here are five key changes the regime has made in just a matter of months.

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Silvio Berlusconi promises evacuation of migrants from island

Silvio Berlusconi promised to evacuate North African migrants that overwhelmed a small Italian island near Tunisia and Libya. 18,000 African migrants began living in tent communities on the island after political turmoil in Tunisia and other northern African countries erupted earlier this year.
Cuba: What Jimmy Carter and Calvin Coolidge have in common

Jimmy Carter is the only US president, current or former, to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. His second visit to the island came this week after an official invitation from Raúl Castro.
Opinion: Cultural values, not dictators like Libya's Qaddafi, are chief obstacle to Arab progress

If Arabs want significantly greater freedom and economic development, they and their leaders must be fully committed to making it so.
Dalai Lama set to resign. What role will he play then?

The Dalai Lama announced Thursday that he is relinquishing his political leadership of the Tibetan exile movement. But how much will the move actually change his role? Here’s an explanation of his past roles and the structure of the Tibetan government in exile.
In Pictures: The Dalai Lama's career
China dismisses Dalai Lama's move to step down as a 'trick'

The Dalai Lama said on Thursday he would step down as political leader of the Tibetan exile movement. But China still appears unwilling to make concessions to exile leaders.
Mikhail Gorbachev says Putin should not run for Russian presidency again

Mikhail Gorbachev says 'time is limited' for Russia's leaders. Recent actions by the Kremlin have been criticized by Mikhail Gorbachev.
Hillary Clinton champions Internet freedom, but cautions on WikiLeaks

In a policy address, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls Internet freedom of expression a vital agent of change. But security is still important, she adds, calling WikiLeaks documents 'stolen.'
Mubarak stepping down in Egypt: Was it a coup?

With Hosni Mubarak stepping down, the transfer of power to the military seems like a coup. But new lines of authority in Egypt are not clear, and the Army is not the only actor on the political stage.
Hosni Mubarak steps down as Egyptian president, VP announces

Hosni Mubarak has resigned as president of Egypt, according to a statement read on national TV by vice president Omar Suleiman Friday. Mubarak has ceded power to Egypt's military.
Basque leftists' foray into politics meets deep skepticism in Spain

A political party with ties to the Basque separatist group ETA is seeking official recognition in order to field political candidates in upcoming elections.
Special Report: How the Egyptian revolt will recast the Middle East

Three scenarios for the way the uprising might end and what it all means for the US, Israel, and Iran.
Protests in Egypt -- and other apocalyptic changes -- could reset Obama’s agenda

President Obama wanted to focus on job creation. But dramatic unrest in Tunisia, Egypt, and across the Arab world, shaky governments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Lebanon, and potential major developments in China and North Korea mean Mr. Obama's priorities in 2011 may not be ones of his choosing.
Egypt's crackdown on protesters evokes Iran's heavy hand in 2009 unrest

With more than 100 estimated dead so far as Egyptian protests resume for a fifth day, Egypt's 'zero tolerance' policy is reminiscent of Iran's force to quash unrest after Ahmadinejad's reelection.
Hu Jintao bristles: Back off on Tibet and Taiwan

Chinese President Hu Jintao, addressing business leaders in Washington, said any US-China relationship must be based on mutual respect, calling Tibet and Taiwan core Chinese interests.
When China's Hu Jintao speaks on human rights, check his definition of the term

Chinese President Hu Jintao, at a joint press conference on his state visit to Washington, said that “a lot still needs to be done in China in terms of human rights.” But Hu did not mean what you might think he means.
China's President Hu Jintao goes to Washington

As China and the US emerge from a year of diplomatic spats, Beijing appears more optimistic than Washington on what can come out of President Hu Jintao's visit to the White House this week.
Martin Luther King Day: 10 memorable MLK quotes

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States. The civil rights leader was also one of the most famed orators in American history. Here are a collection of 10 MLK quotes.
A Chinese menu for President Hu Jintao's visit to the US

Here's a list of things to watch for as President Hu Jintao visits the US Jan. 18-21, starting with the body language between Hu and Obama.
Hillary Clinton: Don't be suspicious of US-China relationship

Hillary Clinton spoke Friday about US-China relations ahead of a visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to Washington next week.
WikiLeaks cable reveals how a Brazilian 'terrorist' got a US visa last year

WikiLeaks on Tuesday released a secret cable that reveals how a Brazilian 'terrorist' got a US visa last year. But the question remains: Did the move amount to a policy change by the Obama administration?
Top 6 most triumphant stories of 2010

Most 2010 lists of major news will include the Gulf oil spill, the Haiti earthquake, the Republican midterm election sweep, and WikiLeaks. But we saw many events that also inspired or amazed or brought a smile. Here's our top 6 list.
The Monitor's View: Lack of conviction: Obama and the trial of Russia's leading political prisoner

The bogus second conviction of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former oil tycoon turned prominent dissident, calls for both President Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Putin's protégé, to stand up strongly for the rule of law in Russia.
Ideas for a better world in 2011

In many ways, 2010 is a year you may want to relegate to the filing cabinet quickly. It began with a massive earthquake in Haiti and wound down with North Korea once again being an enfant terrible – bizarrely trying to conduct diplomacy through brinkmanship. In between came Toyota recalls and egg scares, pat downs at airports and unyielding unemployment numbers, too little money in the Irish treasury and too many bedbugs in American sheets. Oil gushed from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico for three months, mocking the best intentions of man and technology to stop it, while ash from a volcano in Iceland darkened Europe temporarily as much as its balance sheets. Yet not all was gloomy. The winter Olympics in Canada and the World Cup in South Africa dazzled with their displays of athletic prowess and national pride, becoming hearths around which the world gathered. In Switzerland, the world's largest atom smasher hurled two protons into each other at unfathomable speeds. Then came the year's most poignant moment – the heroic and improbable rescue of 33 miners from the clutches of the Chilean earth. There were many transitions, too – the return of the Republicans in Washington and the Tories in Britain, the scaling back of one war (Iraq) and the escalation of another (Afghanistan), the fall of some powers (Greece) and rise of others (China, Germany, Lady Gaga). To get the new year off to the right start, we decided to ask various thinkers for one idea each to make the world a better place in 2011. We plumbed poets and political figures, physicists and financiers, theologians and novelists. Some of the ideas are provocative, others quixotic. Some you will agree with, others you won't. But in the modest quest to stir a discussion – from academic salons to living rooms to government corridors – we offer these 25 ideas.
The next 40 years will be the most important in human history

Don't underestimate the significance of China's rise. We are living through the biggest shift in wealth, power, and prestige since the Industrial Revolution catapulted Western Europe to global dominance 200 years ago.