Monthly Archives: May 2012

Chicago NATO Summit Success: Inside and Out

The Chicago NATO Summit is over. The leaders of over fifty countries have left for home. However, this event has left an indelible mark on NATO and the city itself. Inside the halls of McCormick Place, a clearer security picture of Afghanistan came into view. We already knew a few things. Washington has long saidContinue reading “Chicago NATO Summit Success: Inside and Out”

NATO Highlights Day One

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen spoke with the media following the Summit’s first meeting of the heads of state. Syria: “NATO has no intention to intervene in Syria.” We must assume then that NATO believes that Kofi Annan’s less than 300 monitors can manage a ceasefire in a country almost as large as Texas! Turkey mustContinue reading “NATO Highlights Day One”

NATO’s Here and Yes This is Great News!

Chicago: America’s Barcelona I want to address an issue I am hearing a lot about. I believe this NATO conference can make a huge impact on Chicago’s tourism and development. This is something I have studied for a long time. As an undergraduate at Northwestern, I wrote my political science honors thesis on mega-events. Admittedly,Continue reading “NATO’s Here and Yes This is Great News!”

The Facebook of NATO

Thanks to an anonymous underpaid staffer at the Sun-Times, we now have a great facebook of the leaders coming to the NATO Summit this Saturday. Did you know Zeljko Komsic, President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has an average monthly net salary of just $550? How about that Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, has his photograph shown at the end of theContinue reading “The Facebook of NATO”

Hundreds of Somalis complete military training: Heading home to boost the forces fighting Al Shabaab.

Great article on what will hopefully be just the first trained Somali troops going back to fight Al Shabab. Hundreds of Somalis complete military training: Heading home to boost the forces fighting Al Shabaab..

Chicago a Global Powerhouse

Chicago is second only to New York among American cities according to measures of ‘Global Clout‘. This according to a recent index based on cities’ results to five surveys related to global city power. This places it ahead of more populous Los Angeles! It is also ahead of Washington, DC, perhaps the world’s greatest hubContinue reading “Chicago a Global Powerhouse”

International Challenges, Local Solutions: Cook County Combats Human Trafficking

Hundreds of girls are kidnapped. Often they endure intense pain and humiliation as they are branded like animals. The abuse only gets worse. They are soon sent out into the street to become child prostitutes. On the rare occasion that local authorities do find out about this modern-day slavery, it is almost always the childContinue reading “International Challenges, Local Solutions: Cook County Combats Human Trafficking”

Albright: “Summits Very Important” and The Search of the “Right International Institution”

A great excerpt from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (and one of my favorite professors at Georgetown) speaking in Chicago about the NATO Conference! Generally, her comments align with my recent NATO Primer. Dr. Albright reiterates the importance of the Summit as a “glue” to keep countries looking towards a “common purpose” in whatContinue reading “Albright: “Summits Very Important” and The Search of the “Right International Institution””

What’s The Whole NATO Summit About?: A Primer

After the recent decision to move the upcoming G8 conference from Chicago to Camp David in Maryland, there has been a great emphasis on the NATO Summit. But if your watching the news, the discussion is more likely directed outside of the Summit – protests. Even a lecture organized at Harper College to discuss theContinue reading “What’s The Whole NATO Summit About?: A Primer”