The Watsonblogs project, hosted by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, provides an online space for Watson faculty and affiliates to post thoughts and analysis of international affairs. By hosting a group of bloggers under the Watsonblogs umbrella, it is our hope that we can create a critical mass of vibrant, cutting edge and thoughtful insights on contemporary global problems. If you have any suggestions about this initiative, please contact us at Watsonblogs@brown.edu.

MoD confuses mung beans with opium poppy seeds There was recently a big Ministry of Defence press splash about a seizure of so-called poppy seeds in Afghanistan. However, it turns out that the soldiers had captured nothing more than a giant pile of mung beans, a staple pulse...
by jon_mendel at July 2, 2009 12:38 PM +00:00 GMT

Iraqi Sovereignty Day: a poisoned gift? Iraq has declared June 30 - when US troops withdrew from Iraqi cities - to be a national holiday called Sovereignty Day. Looking at the current situation in Iraq, I'm reminded of Hardt and Negri's remarks on sovereignty in Empire...
by jon_mendel at July 1, 2009 12:15 AM +00:00 GMT

Medellin Street Art Medellin has a reputation for great weather, hospitality, beautiful mountains, attractive women, violent crime, etc, but it also deserves a reputation for great public art.
by Pablo Rojas at June 30, 2009 08:36 PM -05:00 GMT

Obama and Uribe Get Together While it is never entirely clear what happened behind closed doors, this meeting was more about continuity than it was about change. A recent Washington Post article argued that the Obama-Uribe meeting would have a markedly different tone from that of the Bush-era Uribe visits. Indeed, Bush and Uribe really disagreed about very little. What is remarkable, however, is how friendly the tone was.
by Pablo Rojas at June 30, 2009 11:41 AM -05:00 GMT

Thoughts on the Political Crisis in Honduras On the other hand, this coup is entirely unlike the coups of the Cold War Era. Every government in Latin America, regardless of ideological inclinations, has condemned the coup. So has much of the West. Despite the fact that ousted Honduran president Zelaya was an ally of Hugo Chavez, even Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, the region's foremost anti-Chavista, did the right thing and expressed opposition to the coup.
by Pablo Rojas at June 29, 2009 12:42 PM -05:00 GMT

More information about RECOM Here is the website for RECOM, by the Humanitarian Law Center..... http://www.hlc-rdc.org/Outreach/Koalicija-za-REKOM/1285.en.html...
by Tessa Lee at June 29, 2009 06:56 AM -05:00 GMT

Half Way and still finding new work I can't believe that I have already been living in Belgrade for nearly 5 weeks! I've really made a lot of friends and settled into life at the office; my colleagues in FRACTAL are all so friendly and welcoming, it...
by Tessa Lee at June 29, 2009 06:26 AM -05:00 GMT

Subtle timing In the past month, a quick succession of events has occurred that could significantly change the U.S. relationship with countries in the Middle East. Notable speeches by U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and important elections...
by Daniel Widome at June 27, 2009 02:40 PM -08:00 GMT

Another Movie Suggestion A warning: La Vendedora de Rosas is a very intense movie, without a traditional happy ending. It is an honest depiction of an unimaginably horrible reality. Nevertheless, if you are capable of digesting human tragedy on film, you will find it to be a movie that says a lot about humanity's ability to survive and find happiness in an environment marked only by death and abandonment.
by Pablo Rojas at June 26, 2009 05:03 PM -05:00 GMT

End of the Week Stress is building in my office because plenty of similar problems are, to varying degrees, plaguing nearly every project. This is by no means unusual in Medellin or, for that matter, any other city with an honest and ambitious administration. Indeed, at the office it is almost normal to be stressed out and angry at another agency for some sort of delay or mistake. Fortunately, however, the weather is quickly improving and, this afternoon, everyone will leave for a third consecutive long weekend.
by Pablo Rojas at June 26, 2009 12:46 PM -05:00 GMT

A Few Interesting Projects In reality, however, the battle for the hearts and minds of Medellin's underprivileged children has not been won. Criminal groups are sitll more powerful than the state in many peripheral areas. There is still a sense, which is probably somewhat accurate, that there are more criminals living in luxury than there are criminals suffering in prison. Finally, marginalization remains a huge social and pyschological problem despite integration projects like MetroCable: the young kids who make a few cents as informal tour guides at the Santo Domingo MetroCable station often ask tourists 'Did you come from Medellin?' as if Santo Domingo was a separate city.
by Pablo Rojas at June 25, 2009 12:45 PM -05:00 GMT

The Past Few Days: Violence in Moravia and The Fragility of Colombian Democracy For now, Uribe has established himself as a macho father figure for the entire country. His aggressive approach to politics and security was, according to most people, necessary to bring Colombia back under the control of the state. Whether the state under Uribe is honest, law-abiding, democratic and respectful of human rights is almost irrelevant.
by Pablo Rojas at June 25, 2009 12:41 PM -05:00 GMT

Highlights of the Week!! Highlights of the Week!! • Orientation: Got the lowdown on KPD and the affiliates, the national political spectrum, and the three main campaigns on which all the organizations are collaborating. The campaigns are those against: 1) Charter Change (constitutional amendment);...
by Isaac Jabola-Carolus at June 23, 2009 10:23 AM -05:00 GMT

Relocation Updates and the UN's Take on 'False Positives' Christian Salazar, who has just started as director of the UNHCR in Colombia, said extra judicial execution committed by the army, illegal wire-tappings, forced displacements and paramilitary violence are of primary concern to his office.
by Pablo Rojas at June 22, 2009 01:04 PM -05:00 GMT

My First Blog Post Ever: Some Background, before More Interesting Posts I’m now a full week into my internship here in the Philippines. The words which first come to mind: mosquitoes, really really hot, really really sweaty, rice. I suppose, though, that I have to give a better summary to...
by Isaac Jabola-Carolus at June 22, 2009 10:10 AM -05:00 GMT