A young reporter in Haiti
I was incredibly moved by Huascar Robles’ account of reporting in Haiti. Huascar is a young Puerto Rican reporter who had been researching an…
Read MorePlaces
In Africa, Inheriting a Field or a Feud?
Saniquellie, Liberia — A trip to a rice farm near here is like visiting a West African version of the Secret Garden. There’s a…
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The African Divide: Land Disputes
Zuluyee, Liberia; and Kailahun, Sierra Leone — The specialists know the warning signs. Analysts and scientists and field officers and academics spend years writing…
Read MoreHow to count your war dead
I stumbled into a controversy last week when I wrote an article about the new Human Security Report. I wasn’t the only one; lots…
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Truth Commissions: A Comprehensive Report
In Cheap We Trust
Here we are again: Even as the recession groans onward, box stores and boutiques alike are attempting to pry dollars from our clenched, fearful…
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The Safety Geeks Who Rescue Us Before Disaster Happens
The best indication that John Drengenberg has been doing his job well, for 40 years, is that you’ve never heard of him. Most of…
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Nation-Building At Home, In the Classroom
Portland, Ore. — Six sophomores at Grant High School sit, shoulders slumping slightly, before two lawyers. The room fills with nervous expectation. Here, the…
Read MoreSketches from the Liberia notebooks…
A farmer on the outskirts of Saniquellie, Liberia, itself on the outskirts of the town Ganta, itself near little but Guinea… I ask, “Do…
Read MoreAnd, belatedly, Madame President (in English or Dutch)
Sorry for the silence; writing about Liberia has taken over my life since…Liberia. A few weeks ago, Newsweek ran a Q&A I did with…
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