Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — When Fidel Castro died at age 90, perhaps the greatest achievement of Cuba’s communist Commandante was to have defied ten American presidents and five decades of American opposition. During his 57 years in undisputed power, Castro excelled in playing the role of a socialist David […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — It’ s not often a senior UN official leaves a prepared and rigid script to emotionally describe a situation to delegates in the Security Council. But when Humanitarian Chief Stephen O’Brien told diplomats, “I am more or less at my wit’s end as a human […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The tumultuous events which have swept the Mideast like a malevolent sandstorm have hardly abated; crises and conflict are now nearly entrenched. Thus looking back at the results of President Barack Obama’s two-term legacy, its clear we are facing a Mideast meltdown with dangerous and […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — A powerful UN committee has scathingly criticized the systematic human rights abuses in communist North Korea. In a damning ten-page resolution, the Third Committee has offered a detailed and precise indictment of a deteriorating human rights situation in the quaintly titled Democratic People’s Republic of […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler New York — A jarring electoral earthquake has rocked America with a stunning upset win by Donald J. Trump, the Republican insurgent candidate. The epicenter of the quake was centered in the South as expected, but reverberations and shockwaves went deep into the once industrial heartland of the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The tumultuous events which have swept the Mideast like a malevolent sandstorm have hardly abated; crises and conflict are now nearly entrenched. Thus looking back at the results of President Barack Obama’s two-term legacy, its clear we are facing a Mideast meltdown with dangerous and […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS—Autumn brings falling temperatures, chill winds, and mournful memories which swirl like fallen leaves on the historical landscape. Darting shadows hide in the golden sunlight to reappear as the specter of the past in the late afternoons. History needs retelling as the calendar tells us it is […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — In early October, Hurricane Matthew slammed into Haiti. Torrential rains and high winds devastated parts of the already impoverished island, creating a humanitarian nightmare not seen since the 2010 earthquake. The storm which killed over 550 people has affected nearly two million people causing dislocation, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — In a quiet but contentious campaign, countries are competing for new openings on the UN’s Human Rights Council. Many of the contenders for membership on the Geneva-based body include the political Who’s Who of authoritarian regimes who are noteworthy abusers of the very human rights […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — White smoke has emerged from the Security Council, where the powerful fifteen member body, has selected a new UN Secretary General from among a dozen declared candidates. Intense diplomatic deliberations among the powers, hectic lobbying among the candidates, and rife speculation in the international community […]