April 9, 2008 Christian Science Monitor
John K. Cooley makes a cogent argument for why boycotting the Beijing Olympics is a bad idea. Instead, he argues, we should be using the occasion to draw on and promote the Olympic spirit of tolerance, peace and goodwill by urging a ‘truce concept’. Cooley suggests that a truce concept could be for China’s government to invite a Tibetan delegation headed by the Dalai Lama to Beijing. Read further about this peaceful and original alternative to the idea of boycotting.
With 10 years of peace, N. Ireland strives for more
April 10, 2008 Christian Science Monitor
Ten years after Northern Ireland sealed the historic Good Friday peace deal, its power-sharing government is thriving under two former adversaries, Martin McGuinness and the Rev. Ian Paisley. The government recently promised to inject $71 million towards promoting initiatives that will help the process of reconciliation among the rival nationalists and unionists. Read about the most recent reconciliation initiatives here.
Jazz great Brubeck wins US public diplomacy award
April 8, 2008 Yahoo News
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday bestowed the Benjamin Franklin award on jazz great Dave Brubeck, as a recipient in the individual category, for offering an American “vision of hope, opportunity and freedom” through his music. Read further about this news.
April 4, 2008 The Washington Post
Last week, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah delivered a little-noticed but potentially momentous statement calling for an interfaith dialogue among Saudi Muslims, Christians and Jews. Read about it here.
Divided Cypriots unite to preserve ancient Famagusta
April 3, 2008 The Christian Science Monitor
While Greek and Turkish Cypriots may be coming together to tear down barricades in Nicosia, in Famagusta they are uniting to preserve the walls of the ancient port that was the fabled setting of Shakespeare’s Othello. The efforts to work together represent a rare bicommunal project for the city’s estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. Read further about this historic initiative.
Cyprus Tears Down Barricade Dividing Island
April 3, 2008 The New York Times
Greek and Turkish Cypriots pulled down barricades on Thursday separating them for half a century, reopening a street which became a symbol of Cyprus’s ethnic partition. The reopening of Ledra Street was seen as one step towards ending the island’s division. Read more.
