August 23, 2011
In Memoriam: Jack Layton – “hope is better than fear”
Victoria, British Columbia, Aug 23, 2011 – The Leader of Canada’s Official Opposition, Jack Layton, has died at 61. I had met Layton when he was…
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May 4, 2011
Good riddance Bloc Québécois
Prague, May 4, 2011 – French Canada’s separatist ambitions are dead – at least for now. Tuesday’s Canadian federal elections were a potent reminder that politics can…
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March 5, 2011
Honoring Jan Zajic in Vitkov
Vitkov/Ostrava, Czech Republic, March 5, 2011 – An early Friday morning in Prague, February 25, 2011. I was on my way to Vitkov, the birthplace of Jan…
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February 21, 2011
Boris Pankin’s 100 days
Prague, Feb 21, 2011 – “Marc,” Boris Pankin bellowed at me as I turned around on one of Prague's side streets. “Yes, Mr. Ambassador,” I…
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January 13, 2011
In Memoriam: Farewell Dear Dienstbier
Cairo, January 13, 2011 – Dear Dienstbier: I am saddened that I cannot tell you this in person. We had talked prior to my leaving on…
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December 31, 2010
Some thoughts to end 2010
In Transit, December 31, 2010 – Some have shown courage and resolve. Some have just piddled about. Others are moving very distinctly backwards. In Germany the…
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December 7, 2010
A bit of this and that
Cairo, Egypt, December 7, 2010 – It has been 2 ½ months since my last column. I took many notes – in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Morocco,…
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September 12, 2010
Obama Just Doesn’t Get It
Krynica/Warsaw, Poland Sept 12, 2010 – A day after the 9th Anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, I sit with a former ranking member of…
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August 15, 2010
Where all is not as it seems
The Front Lines, Baku and Budapest, August 15, 2010 – A quiet area of Nagorno-Karabakh belies the tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In Baku, an impressive…
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July 26, 2010
Rising and Falling From Grace
Madrid, July 26, 2010 – I met each of them under different circumstances. Each of them replaced a gentleman who had risen quickly, and sometimes controversially,…
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