The UN has released new estimates of the number of people killed in the Syrian civil war which are considerably higher than previous ones: 60,000. The number does not break down how many have been killed by the Syrian government or by the rebels, but there is little question that the Syrian military has been especially brutal in the last few months. Unfortunately, the UN did not, at the same time, announce any new initiatives to stop the violence.
Early in 2012, the US Congress passed a new law, entitled “The Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act.” The law is supposed to address the growing influence of Iran in South and Central America, although there are no real substantive or tangible measures identified in the bill. Needless to say, Iran does not think kindly of the law, nor does it seem to have much support elsewhere in the world.
One of the predicted consequences of globalization is a certain degree of homogenization in values leading to the growth of a truly global civil society. Whether this outcome will, in fact, come about is highly contested. Here is an essay that suggests that the convergence of global values is truly happening.
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