| Syria is not a black hole for international law Posted: 05 Apr 2017 02:15 PM PDT ![Syria is not a black hole for international law]( "Syria is not a black hole for international law") With the Syrian conflict entering its seventh year, United Nations officials are asking if the country has become a war zone empty of international norms. Chemical weapons are used in violation of international law. "How many times have we pleaded for the laws of war to be heeded or for a lasting political solution to end the conflict?" says Stephen O'Brien, UN emergency relief coordinator.
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| One unauthorized immigrant's story: more complicated than a sound bite Posted: 05 Apr 2017 02:12 PM PDT ![One unauthorized immigrant's story: more complicated than a sound bite]( "One unauthorized immigrant's story: more complicated than a sound bite") Sitting in a crowded office in lower Manhattan last week, Silvio Marcía was multitasking, mentally composing a sermon as he waited to get some legal advice. "I'm going to say, 'Watch how you talk, because words have power," Mr. Marcía says in Spanish, noting, too, that Jesus uses the withered fig tree as an example of the power of faith: If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. Marcía and his wife have been praying a lot these days.
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| Why some senators aren't worried about 'going nuclear' over Gorsuch Posted: 05 Apr 2017 12:13 PM PDT ![Why some senators aren't worried about 'going nuclear' over Gorsuch]( "Why some senators aren't worried about 'going nuclear' over Gorsuch") The rule change would allow all future Supreme Court nominees to be confirmed with just a majority vote. To some, this portends a nuclear winter for governing: further empowerment of the presidency, politicization of the High Court, a Senate that's losing its "cooling off" function, and by virtue of all of this, democracy in danger. This would be "a serious blow to our constitutional powers and our checks and balances," says Raymond Smock, director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for congressional history at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W. Va.
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| UN peacekeeping faces US scrutiny. Is it a bargain? Posted: 05 Apr 2017 10:24 AM PDT ![UN peacekeeping faces US scrutiny. Is it a bargain?]( "UN peacekeeping faces US scrutiny. Is it a bargain?") All three were embroiled in civil conflicts with deep political turmoil and horrendous violence that left no one safe. Then the United Nations sent in peacekeepers with orders to protect civilians from warring factions – a new mandate that until the 1999 UN mission to Sierra Leone had never been tried before. No one is likely to claim that the UN's peacekeeping missions are the only reason West Africa is living much better today.
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| Colombia learns hard lesson on land management from deadly flood Posted: 05 Apr 2017 08:59 AM PDT ![Colombia learns hard lesson on land management from deadly flood]( "Colombia learns hard lesson on land management from deadly flood") People were caught off guard when a devastating flash flood surged through a small city in southern Colombia, but not everyone was surprised. Government agencies, land use experts, and environmental organizations had said for years that Mocoa could face dangerous flooding. Many who lived in the most vulnerable areas were aware of the warnings, even if they didn't heed them.
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| Trump to meet with Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago this week Posted: 05 Apr 2017 07:04 AM PDT ![Trump to meet with Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago this week]( "Trump to meet with Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago this week") President Trump is scheduled to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago resort on April 6 and 7. Mr. Trump described China as a "currency manipulator" during the campaign, and further angered the country by accepting a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan's president after his election, in violation of the "One China" policy that the United States government has maintained since 1979. Recommended: How much do you know about China?
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| Even as South America tilts right, a leftist legacy stands strong Posted: 04 Apr 2017 01:57 PM PDT ![Even as South America tilts right, a leftist legacy stands strong]( "Even as South America tilts right, a leftist legacy stands strong") Ecuador's leftist candidate Lenín Moreno squeaked into office this weekend in what was a noteworthy win in a region tipping increasingly to the right. Latin America remains one of the most unequal places in the world, but the gains in education, health care, and the upward mobility of the poor are improvements voters are not willing to let disappear. Conservatives today have to convince the electorate that despite whatever changes they promise to usher in, they won't dismantle the social gains brought to shore by the Pink Tide.
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