In coverage of the ICC chief prosecutor's recommendation for Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir to be indicted, two precedents for such action are generally cited. As Mark has already highlighted, Richard Goldstone, the prosecutor of the court that tried Slobodan Milosevic, defends the ICC's action from critics who contend that it will disrupt Sudan's [non-existent] peace process. With the position taken by David Crane, the prosecutors responsible for both of the two oft-cited indictments have each affirmed their support for Luis Moreno-Ocampo's strategy of calling for Bashir's arrest.

Asked how these charges could be proved, Crane says, "It's a careful investigation. You have to consider...the facts, the law, even the politics as you move forward in your investigations. I did this when I was investigating President Charles Taylor of Liberia. And I know that my good friend Luis Moreno-Ocampo carefully sorted through the facts, considered the law and the politics and the diplomacy of the issue - peace versus justice - before he moved forward. A good prosecutor has a solid case against a head of state before he actually issues an indictment. You can't make a mistake."

Some say an indictment of the Sudanese president could destabilize the country. Crane responds, "This is a short term view... But if they use the Charles Taylor case as a good case study, you'll see that five years after I unsealed the indictment against Charles Taylor...despite the condemnations, despite the calls that this would hamper peace, Liberia now is on a road of potentially a sustainable peace under the leadership of the first female head of state ever in Africa to be elected in a free and open and fair election there in Liberia."

He calls the indictment of Taylor the "cornerstone by which true peace could have happened in Liberia." He adds, "In my opinion, the same thing will happen in Sudan."

The road from dictatorship to peace is, of course, never neatly linear. Nor are the cases of Yugoslavia and Liberia -- which were not even pursued by the ICC -- direct models for Sudan. No one can predict the fallout from Ocampo's difficult decision -- though it is safe to say that Bashir will not be on the first flight to The Hague -- but the expertise of two prosecutors who have been in a similarly tight spot can in many ways provide as stable a guide as we can hope for.

I was unable to tape a UN Plaza diavlog this week, but New York Sun national security reporter Eli Lake stepped up. In the segment below, Eli surprises by offering two reasons why American neoconservatives (like himself) should love the United Nations.

Good to see the neocons are on board! Next stop, libertarians.

Jackie Chan may be best known for employing his martial arts prowess in Hollywood, but, in his role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, he is also bringing it to places like Dili, East Timor.

Screen kung fu legend Jackie Chan was greeted by thousands of cheering East Timorese on Wednesday in a UN goodwill visit to promote peace in the young and impoverished nation.

Demonstrating new moves on stage in front of 5,000 martial arts fans at Dili's national stadium, Chan called on Timorese youth to avoid drugs and violence.

East Timor's violent history, young population, and overwhelmingly scarcity of jobs make for a volatile combination. Chan's message will likely resonate with the many East Timorese interested in martial arts and will hopefully convince many youths who may have been tempted to join gangs that the sport is meant to be used in a more positive, helpful way. And as this BBC report notes, the impact of a celebrity visit can only be realized when coupled with a more concerted effort to create valuable jobs in the country.

Foreign Policy's long-awaited ranking of "top public intellectuals" is now available, and earning second place is Muhammad Yunus, a pioneering microfinancer and a member of the board of the UN Foundation, which sponsors this site. FP's description:

More than 30 years ago, Yunus loaned several dozen poor entrepreneurs in his native Bangladesh a total of $27. It was the beginning of a lifetime devoted to fighting poverty through microfinance, efforts that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Over the years, his Grameen Bank, now operating in more than 100 countries, has loaned nearly $7 billion in small sums to more than 7 million borrowers--97 percent of them women. Ninety-eight percent of the loans have been repaid.

Check out the full list here; it includes some names you might not have expected.

Remember Hans Blix? It seems the Senate Intelligence Committee panel investigating pre-war intelligence does not--or perhaps they just don't want to. Fortunately, Daryl Kimball of the Arms Control Association does. Via News Unfiltered.

[T]he committee report makes an inexcusable and obvious error of omission that most of the mainstream media and commentariat continue to overlook: the Bush administration and Congress ignored the widely-available findings of the UN weapons inspectors weeks before the U.S. invasion.

On Feb. 13, 2003, the chief UN inspector, Hans Blix, reported to the UN Security Council that there was no evidence of either active chemical or biological weapons programs or stockpiles. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei reported that there was no evidence of a reconstituted nuclear weapons program. On the basis of leads provided by U.S. and other intelligence agencies and information gained from earlier inspections, the UN inspectors conducted more than 760 inspections covering about 500 sites from November 2002 through February 2003.

The UN inspectors' findings directly contradicted key assessments of the October 2002 NIE and provided ample reason to reassess that document, which was based entirely on information gathered before the return of the UN inspectors in November of 2002.

Over on The Atlantic's newly remodeled homepage, James Gibney offers an authoritative takedown of those scurrilous allegations that the United Nations Development Program funneled money to Kim Jong Ill. Read the whole thing. All I would add to Gibney's account is that back in January the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations also looked into these allegations and found them to be baseless. Finally, don't miss our own John Boonstra's real coverage of the fake scandal.

After drugs and arms trafficking, the trafficking of human beings is the third most profitable enterprise for transnational organized criminal groups. It is a $32 billion industry--and like drugs and arms smuggling, combating the trafficking of human beings is something that no country can do on its own. International cooperation is critical.

Fortunately there are exists a number of international organizations that provide the platform for which countries can work together to take on this global scourge. At yesterday's General Assembly meeting on the issue, United States Ambassador for Human Trafficking Mark Lagon spelled out how international institutions like the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International Organization on Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) can harness their particular expertise to fight human trafficking.

Multilateral organizations are integral to assisting committed governments and civil society actors seeking to meet international standards for combating human trafficking. These organizations have a bird's eye view of global anti-trafficking efforts and can identify promising practices that can be replicated and customized. I encourage entities such as UNODC , UNICEF, the ILO and IOM, for example, to focus on their core competencies while ensuring that their respective efforts on the ground are not at cross purposes with each other or with local efforts.

UNODC in its supporting role of the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol, is uniquely positioned to help requesting governments craft strong anti-trafficking laws and, equally important, to implement those laws. UNICEF is best suited to work with governments and civil society to assist and protect child victims.

ILO's expertise, as focal point for various international conventions on forced labor, lies in their ability to assist governments and businesses to address supply chain management.

IOM's expertise is centered on migration. In addition to working with governments and civil society to provide safe and voluntary repatriation and reintegration of trafficked victims, IOM has a tremendous role to play in promoting orderly and humane migration, and facilitating dialogue between the "sender" and "recipient" countries to help prevent migrant laborers from becoming trafficked victims.

There are also a number of excellent advocacy organizations around that help citizens around the world fight human trafficking and modern day slavery. The portal HumanTrafficking.org is a great way to learn how to get involved. Finally, the just-released 2008 State Department Trafficking in Persons Report (pdf) is the most reliable keeper of statistics on human trafficking, and global efforts (and global shortcomings) to fight this problem.

In this week's UN Plaza, I interview Richard Dicker, Director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch. Richard is an expert on the International Criminal Court and in the diavlog we discuss and debate the relative merits of the court. In the segment below, Richard explains the significance of the recent arrest of Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former Congolese Vice President and Militia Leader. Bemba was arrested outside his wife's home in Brussels last week and is now awaiting extradition to the Hague. As Richard explains, this is a very important development for the court.

Today is International Peacekeeper's Day. In a new video for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, United Nations Messenger for Peace George Clooney explains what peace is not...

To send a note of thanks to the over 100,000 peacekeepers serving in 17 conflict zones around the world, click here.

This is a couple of days old, but I thought I'd flag it anyway. The World Food Program's Josette Sheeran and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes discuss relief efforts in Burma with Charlie Rose.

Ivo Daalder and Paul Stares argue for Security Council action on Burma.

The United States and Britain should join with the French government and introduce a resolution in the UN Security Council demanding that the Burmese government immediately allow the entry of international relief supplies and personnel into the country and allow the UN to take charge of the relief mission. To make the case, Washington should show detailed imagery of the suffering and the extent of devastation in Burma (as it did so effectively in the cases of Bosnia and Darfur to shock a disbelieving United Nations).

The resolution should hold open the possibility of additional measures - including air drops of relief supplies - if the government did not comply at once. And the Security Council could commit to return to the matter in 24 hours, assess Burma's response, and consider additional actions.

Their broader point, though, makes sense. Taking this to the Security Council could help pressure to the junta so that they do cooperate with relief efforts. They key here is China. Should Beijing lend its support to a Security Council measure demanding the junta cooperate with UN relief agencies, we may just see the junta budge.

Apparently, in the new Iron Man blockbuster, Robert Downey, Jr. is fighting off villains to defend the United Nations. (To which I joke: checking the IMDB page, though, I don't see Cliff Kincaid or Phyllis Schlafly on the cast roster.) From the Guardian, via All America Blog.

It's nothing new that Iron Man, the latest in Marvel's pop-icon pantheon to hit the big screen, is coming to the rescue of the United Nations. In a specially customised comic book, Ol Shellhead and his costumed cohorts will battle that most terrible of supervillains, a tarnished public image, by demonstrating the UN's positive, proactive roles. Will it work? It's debatable: over the years these earnest, message-laden stories have not always been too effective as weapons of mass persuasion.

[snip]

As for the UN, superheroes have come to its rescue before. In November 1967, The Justice League Of America featured the UN symbol on the cover of issue 57, in a very right-on plea for racial harmony called "Man, The Name is - Brother!" The UN even had their very own team of superheroes devised by Wally Wood for Tower Comics in the 60s. Called the THUNDER Agents (The Higher United Nations Defence Enforcement Reserves), they were led by Dynamo, dressed in the UN's blue and white colours. Rather than relying on Marvel's characters, the UN could have resurrected this team, but THUNDER Agents vanished after only 20 issues and only aging comic collectors remember them now.

One of the original co-authors of the doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect weighs in on the debate over whether or not the situation in Myanmar warrants the invocation of R2P. Gareth Evans:

My own initial concern, and it remains a serious one, with Kouchner's invocation of the "responsibility to protect" was that, while wholly understandable as a political rallying cry - and God knows the world needs them in these situations - it had the potential to dramatically undercut international support for another great cause, to which he among others is also passionately committed, that of ending mass atrocity crimes once and for all.

The point about "the responsibility to protect" as it was originally conceived, and eventually embraced at the world summit - as I well know, as one of the original architects of the doctrine, having co-chaired the international commission that gave birth to it - is that it is not about human security generally, or protecting people from the impact of natural disasters, or the ravages of HIV-Aids or anything of that kind.

Rather, "R2P" is about protecting vulnerable populations from "genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity" in ways that we have all too miserably often failed to do in the past...But here's the rub. If what the generals are now doing, in effectively denying relief to hundreds of thousands of people at real and immediate risk of death, can itself be characterised as a crime against humanity, then the responsibility to protect principle does indeed kick in. The Canadian-sponsored commission report that initiated the R2P concept in fact anticipated just this situation, in identifying one possible case for the application of military force as "overwhelming natural or environmental catastrophes, where the state concerned is either unwilling or unable to cope, or call for assistance, and significant loss of life is occurring or threatened".

Visiting Washington a little over a month into his new job as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan, Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide -- whose candidacy only emerged after renowned British negotiator Paddy Ashdown's was shot down by the Afghan government -- is being received with wide open arms here in the U.S. After speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace today -- where he cited the confidence that the "highest authorities of the U.S. administration" have in him -- Eide will be meeting with the top levels of the U.S. foreign policy brass: Secretary of State Rice, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and even President Bush.

The red carpet being rolled out for Eide is indicative of the importance that the administration has recognized in an increased role for the United Nations in Afghanistan. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad testified to this importance himself, in a New York Times op-ed last month, in which he praised the nomination of Eide and outlined the roles that the UN should be fulfilling in Afghanistan.

The expanded responsibilities that Khalilzad envisioned for the UN in Afghanistan line up closely with those identified by Eide: coordinating civilian and military efforts, ensuring that resources for aid are spent effectively and with appropriate oversight, combating corruption in the Afghan government, and strengthening the country's police and justice systems. Eide has consistently emphasized that international involvement in Afghanistan must be seen not solely through a military lens, but as a broader political project; while he expressed confidence that the U.S. has increasingly adopted this perspective, it remains crucial for the U.S. to see beyond the military situation of the country.

The U.S. will also need to back up its warm reception for Mr. Eide with concrete support for the UN mission that he leads. For the administration to saddle Eide with increasing responsibilities, yet fail to provide the necessary resources, would be both hypocritical and counterproductive. To demonstrate its commitment to the UN's role in Afghanistan, the U.S. Congress should begin by approving the $53 million in the FY 2008 supplemental funding bill designated to fund the UN's political missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and could follow by paying up on its long-standing back dues to the UN regular budget, out of which missions like the one in Afghanistan are funded.

In an interview with Campus Progress, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Samantha Power asks a very pertinent question -- and provides an impressively on-the-mark answer that bears repetition:

What is the United Nations? The United Nations is going to reflect the priorities of those 192 [member] countries. We've got to get some number of those countries to take 21st century challenges seriously. Then you'll see the United Nations as an organization follow suit.

It won't work to start by saying, "Oh, the United Nations needs to take failing states, repression, and genocide seriously." That's like saying a building needs to take certain things seriously. The United Nations will start taking those thing seriously when the member states within it reallocate resources appropriately.

One of those member states, of course -- and the one best positioned to provide resources for the UN's ambitious endeavors -- is the United States. Yet the U.S., instead of providing the support that would help the UN achieve its goals, deeply underfunds the world body and even chastises it for not taking stronger action on crises like Darfur.

If you haven't read Power's new book yet -- which, as she describes it, is about not just the United Nations, but about how citizens and governments address complicated global challenges -- then I strongly urge you to check it out.

Over at the Huffington Post, the University if Chicago health care economist Harold Pollack gets into the spirit of World Malaria Day.

One of the few brights spots these days is that millions of Americans finally realize the importance of global health. Today is world Malaria Day. If you're reading this, you probably already know that this is a huge killer, particularly of kids in sub-Saharan Africa. I was hoping to party with Brad and Angelina to celebrate the occasion. That probably won't happen since my daughter has soccer.

Instead, to honor the occasion I am buying bednets for some African kids. You should too. These cost maybe $7 each, and are among the most gloriously cost-effective things you can ever do to save lives and improve health. The charity link is [here.]

This is a great organization.

Oh, buy buy a mosquito net in honor of your actual or hoped-for significant other. The UN Foundation will send him/her a cool email. Your love object wil receive this missive, and believe you are way cooler than you actually are.

As my wife will attest, it works for me. You can see my picture. So this must be working.

A very newsworthy press release from the Better World Campaign:

The Better World Campaign delivered today to the U.S. Congress a letter signed by 80 organizations calling for payment of U.S. debt to the United Nations, which at the beginning of this year amounted to more than $2.8 billion to the UN's regular budget and peacekeeping accounts. The debt makes up 25 percent of the UN's annual budget, and is ten times the amount owed by any other nation.

"This letter clearly shows that the American public wants the U.S. to keep its word at the UN and stop going it alone," said Better World Campaign Executive Director Deborah Derrick. "This Congress can begin the process of repairing U.S. financial standing at the UN when it takes up the President's FY 2008 Supplemental Funding Request in the coming days," she added.

The President's FY 2008 supplemental request, expected to be taken up by the Congress the week of April 21st, includes $334 million for the UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, Sudan, and $53 million for the UN's political missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. has called on the UN to take a greater role in these missions, but has not fully funded them.

For 80 organizations to sign on to a letter to Congress, the "ask" must have pretty universal appeal. Paying U.S. dues to the UN enjoys this kind of traction for very legitimate reasons: paying these dues makes sense, improves U.S. standing in the world, and is firmly in the U.S.'s interest. To emphasize these points, Better World Campaign -- the sister organization of the UN Foundation, Dispatch's sponsor -- has launched its "Don't Go It Alone" campaign, highlighting the effectiveness of working through the UN and the pressing need for the U.S. to follow up on its funding commitments.

An editorial in today's Houston Chronicle argues that for their own security, wealthy nations must act swiftly to confront the global food crisis.

Sparked by the high price and low availability of food, rioting on several continents has provided a sour taste of the unrest that could result from what experts report is a growing food crisis. It will take a coordinated, multinational effort to avert an international disaster of widespread starvation and violence.

According to the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Jacques Diouf, the world's poorest countries can expect the cost of imported food to rise 56 percent, even though the world's cereal production is forecast to increase slightly. That will spell extreme hardship for developing countries that already spend a large portion of their gross domestic product to buy food from abroad.
[snip]
When people are starving, governments destabilize, people fight for dwindling resources and refugee populations explode. So, providing aid that puts food on poor people's plates is more than a mere humanitarian gesture. Food aid can be the salve that defuses the threat widespread starvation poses to world peace and security.

On the heels of his trip to the middle east, John McCain is billed to give a major foreign policy address today. The Washington Post got its hands on some highlights.

"The United States cannot lead by virtue of its power alone," McCain said. Instead, the country must lead by attracting others to its cause, demonstrating the virtues of freedom and democracy, defending the rules of an international civilized society, and creating new international institutions to advance peace and freedom, he said.

"If we lead by shouldering our international responsibilities and pointing the way to a better and safer future for humanity ... it will strengthen us to confront the transcendent challenge of our time: the threat of radical Islamic terrorism," said McCain.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty, created in 1968, maintains that nuclear weapons proliferation can only be curtailed if nuclear countries make moves toward disarmament and the rest of the world be allowed to access civilian nuclear technology. However, this "three pillar" strategy has taken a beating in recent years, in part because some nuclear powers have largely ignored its disarmament protocols in pursuit of so-called tactical nuclear weapons. Re-affirming American support for nuclear disarmament is not only a good thing on its own, but it helps to strengthen our entire international non-proliferation regime. Supporting the NPT-- which means abiding by its precepts and working with allies to raise the costs of non-compliance -- is critical to curtailing the global spread of nuclear weapons.

Angelina Jolie looks after refugees, Drew Barrymore helps feed the world, Nicole Kidman takes on violence against women and Bono promotes the MDG's. But this week belongs to Jay-Z, who explains why water is for life.

In the latest UN Plaza installment, I interview Nick Birnback from the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations. We discuss the recent surge of current operations and why Americans should care about peacekeeping.

Over on Democracy Arsenal, Max Bergmann takes on a subject near and dear to our hearts. He hits all the highlights: Justin Rood's excellent piece on how the president's new budget request shortchanges African peacekeeping; the 2005 RAND Corporation Study finding that UN peacekeeping is more effective and cheaper than comparable US efforts; and most critically, the burden sharing theme.

Sayeth Bergmann:

"Because our military is bogged down in Iraq and stretched to its limits in Afghanistan we face so many challenges around the world, our reliance on the United Nations to address trouble spots and to prevent them from worsening has only increased. Shorting the UN on peacekeeping funding is therefore akin to shooting ourselves in the foot."

About halfway through the clip, the U2 frontman sings "All You Need is Love" by the "old Hungarian folk singer, Jan Van Lennon."

In the statuary room of the Capitol this morning, ambassadors, members of congress, dignitaries--and a rock star--joined to celebrate the life of Congressman Tom Lantos, the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman who succumbed to cancer earlier this week.

Secretary Rice spoke early in the service. She was visibly moved as she recalled her long friendship with Congressman Lantos, which stretched back to when she was chancellor of Stanford University. Rice, with Lantos' opera-signing granddaughter, even performed together in charity benefit at the Kennedy Center a few years ago. Joe Biden, who hired Lantos as a staffer when Biden was a Senator in his early 30s, offered a very personal touch. Biden hired Lantos, but then quickly realized that Lantos should be the person calling the shots. The two developed a close relationship. In fact, at his mentor's insistence Biden was married at the United Nations Chapel. Biden even brought Lantos on his honeymoon -- to Hungary.

Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, Lantos' longtime friend Congressman Chris Shays all paid homage to the man, recalling his how his struggle to survive as a Jew in Hungary during the Holocaust shaped his profound commitment to defending human rights across the globe.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livini and Ban Ki Moon also spoke. It is no secret that Congress can sometimes be hard on the United Nations. And in his eulogy, Ban stressed that the United Nations lost a great friend. Ban very eloquently recalled his first meeting with Lantos. The two were having lunch in Lantos' office, when Lantos turned to Ban and said, "In my office, the United Nations will always have a sanctuary in this building."

Bono later took the stage. He paid brief tribute to Lantos' dedication to combating global HIV/AIDS, but then spoke about the relationship between Lantos and his wife, Annette. The two have been married 58 years, and were childhood sweethearts who escaped the Holocaust together. This being Valentine's Day, Bono offered Annette a serenade and lead the crowd in "All You Need is Love." Secretary Rice, Ban Ki Moon, and Speaker Pelosi sang along. There was hardly a dry eye to be seen--mine included.

Elie Wiesel gave the final eulogy. The two were friends, said Weisel, but they never socialized. Rather they shared the bond that only two genocide survivors could. When the two met, there was no small talk. It was all business between them--and that business was advancing the cause of human dignity across the globe. Sadly, Lantos passed away before the job was complete. His legacy, though, lives on in the lives he touched and the dignity-affirming legislation he passed.

Hot off the presses from the Better World Campaign:

In advance of U.S. President George W. Bush's upcoming trip to Africa and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's testimony on the Administration's fiscal 2009 international affairs budget request, the Better World Campaign today urged Congress to scrutinize the Administration's anemic funding request and growing mountain of unpaid bills for UN peacekeeping missions in Africa and around the world. What follows is a statement by Deborah Derrick, Executive Director of the Better World Campaign.

"The United States is already more than $1 billion behind in honoring its commitments to UN peacekeeping, and the Administration's budget request would add at least another $600 million to our growing and worrisome unpaid peacekeeping assessments. UN peacekeeping is a tremendous value for the United States, ensuring that we don't have to pay all the bills or take all the risks for securing peace and stability in the world. By working with other nations, we can promote peace at a fraction of the cost. Simply put, in today's complex and dangerous world the United States can't afford to go it alone and therefore we can't afford not to pay our fair share of international peacekeeping.

"Shortchanging UN peacekeeping missions severely undermines the budget's stated goal of helping to 'end conflicts, restore peace, and strengthen regional stability.' It also complicates President Bush's planned trip to Africa next week. There are a variety of difficult conflicts underway in Africa--stretching across the continent--from Sudan and Chad in North Africa to Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa's heartland to Cote D'Ivoire and Liberia in the West. UN peacekeeping is essential to maintaining basic stability in these areas, but the Administration's budget has significant shortfalls in funding for each of these missions.

"Full payment of dues to the UN is a necessary step in advancing our national interests and moral obligations in Africa and also can help improve the U.S. image in the international community. America's reputation and standing are not helped when we call and vote for--but don't pay our fair share of--new and bigger U.N. peacekeeping operations in places like Darfur and Chad. Congress and the Administration need to work together in the coming months to ensure that the United States honors fully its commitments to UN peacekeeping. Great nations pay their bills."

Congressman Tom Lantos succumbed cancer today. He was 80 years old.

Congressman Lantos was a lion of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, serving as its ranking member and then chair. As a Holocaust survivor, concerns for global human rights drove his work. This translated into a deep appreciation and respect for the United Nations. The UN had no greater supporter on Capitol Hill than Congressman Lantos, who would go to the mat for the organization during painful fights over UN funding. In another testament to his dedication to the least among us, one of the last pieces of legislation Lantos worked on--just last week-- would cut abstinence-only requirements to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and use those funds to boost spending on family planning services.

On a personal note, I have had the pleasure of serving as a director of the Lantos/Humanity in Action Fellowship Program. Our sympathies go out to his wife, Annette and his entire family.

The next president will assume office in less than one year from today. Our new sister site wants to know what you think he or she should do On Day One.

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