Syrian Military Linked to More than 300 Chemical Attacks

via Louisa Loveluck: The Syrian government and affiliated forces have launched more than 300 attacks using chemical weapons during the country’s nearly eight-year conflict, a report said Sunday. The findings by the Berlin-based Global Public Policy Institute offer the most comprehensive record to date of presumed chemicals weapons use in Syria, where the long war… Read More Syrian Military Linked to More than 300 Chemical Attacks

Pope Warns against Rising Nationalism, Defends Universal Human Rights and Migrants

via Vatican News: It is clear, though, that relationships within the international community, and the multilateral system as a whole, are experiencing a period of difficulty, with the resurgence of nationalistic tendencies at odds with the vocation of the international Organizations to be a setting for dialogue and encounter for all countries.  This is partly… Read More Pope Warns against Rising Nationalism, Defends Universal Human Rights and Migrants

Assad Regime Using Mass Murder to Empty Prisons of Political Opponents

via the Washington Post: As Syria’s government consolidates control after years of civil war, President Bashar al-Assad’s army is doubling down on executions of political prisoners, with military judges accelerating the pace they issue death sentences, according to survivors of the country’s most notorious prison. In interviews, more than two dozen Syrians recently released from… Read More Assad Regime Using Mass Murder to Empty Prisons of Political Opponents

Propping Up Autocracy Will Bring Neither Justice Nor Stability to the Middle East

In their campaigns for the presidency, both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have held up stability as their preeminent goal for the Middle East and argued against efforts that would undermine autocracy in the region, even to the point of opposing the replacement of the Assad regime, which has committed mass slaughter and countless other… Read More Propping Up Autocracy Will Bring Neither Justice Nor Stability to the Middle East

Human Dignity 2016

The Institute for Church Life of the University of Notre Dame recently hosted a lecture and conference on human dignity: “The End of Human Dignity? Recovering the Intellectual Appeal of Human Dignity for the Theological and Philosophical Imagination.” The event featured Cardinal Onaiyekan, Cyril O’Regan, Leon Kass, Gustavo Gutiérrez, and David Walsh, and numerous other… Read More Human Dignity 2016

Twenty Years Later: Honoring the Victims and Survivors of Srebrenica

US Ambassador to United Nations Samantha Power spoke at the UN commemoration of the genocide in Srebrenica. You can watch the full video below. Her concluding remarks highlight the lessons that should be drawn from Srebrenica: In closing, let me simply appeal to all gathered here that the resolve induced by the horror of Srebrenica… Read More Twenty Years Later: Honoring the Victims and Survivors of Srebrenica