American Jewish World Service

Will House Republicans Save Food Aid Reform?

These next 48 hours are critical for advancing reform of US international food aid, which I have blogged about previously.  Short version: because current rules essentially demand that we provide aid in food grown in the US via government subsidy, our current aid regime wastes money, delays delivery of aid by weeks, lines the pockets …

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US Food Aid Rules: If You’re Not Outraged, You’re Not Paying Attention

The Obama Administration announced yesterday that it wants to change US food aid rules to allow for more “local procurement” of food aid in the countries that need it.  Predictably, the special interests are aghast.  But the administration is right: current food aid rules are among the most egregious special interest legislation in the world …

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Giving Thanks to Whom? And How?

Thanksgiving is often thought of as America’s unique secular holiday.  That’s somewhat ironic, because the very name of the day suggests an external power, force, or being to whom we give thanks.  But Thanksgiving also carries with it important environmental implications, because we are also celebrating the bounty of the earth. In a recent essay, …

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Hard and Easy Environmental Questions: A Talk With Ikal Angelei

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IOw9tsS-aI] Ikal Angelei is one of the world’s pre-eminent environmental justice activists: she is the founder of Friends of Lake Turkana, which (as the name suggests) seeks to preserve Lake Turkana from the massive Gibe III Dam planned by the Ethiopian government and World Bank.  As the name does not suggest, the issue is …

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Great New Blog: AJWS Global Voices

American Jewish World Service, one of the most effective international anti-poverty and pro-development organizations in the worlds, has a new blog up.  It’s called Global Voices, and features not only the work of AJWS grantees but also how issues of poverty and human rights interact with ecosystem protection.  Some of the recent posts focus on …

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