Looking Ahead at 2016; Light vs Darkness?
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer NEW YORK—It’s time to consult the crystal snow globe for a look at both the likely and unexpected events which will shape the New Year. Serious strife…
Category: Op/Ed by Metzler
“Year of Breakthrough And Horror” UN’s Ban Ki Moon Tells Press
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS— Calling 2015 a year which has brought “both breakthrough and horror,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon presented a global report card of sorts on a…
Comrade Xi ’s African Safari
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS—China’s President Xi Jinxing visited southern Africa both to build upon booming business relations and improve cozy political ties between the People’s Republic and key regional…
Famine Stalks Ethiopia
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS—More than thirty years ago, back in the Summer of 1985, the world came together to help famine stricken Ethiopia. The Live Aid Concerts in London…
UN Committee Slams North Korean Rights Abuses
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS—In a stern and sweeping rebuke to North Korea’s human rights abuses, a UN Committee has slammed the repressive communist regime in an annual report on…
Paris Strong in Face Of Terror Attacks
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS—Again the forces of terror and hate have attacked Paris. Again, and for the second time in a year, we stand in solidarity and weep for…
Obama’s Keystone Pipedream
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS—President Barack Obama has cancelled the Keystone XL, ending a seven year saga in which the pipeline from Alberta, Canada would have provided 800,000 barrels of…
Iran Human Rights Grim Despite Diplomatic Thaw
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS – The human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran remains grim and dire despite a number of diplomatic breakthroughs and an overall thaw…
UN Human Rights Council Elections Betray Victims
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS—Elections and selections among candidates to the UN Human Rights Council has again highlighted a glaring flaw in a system where politically authoritarian regimes such as…
Canada’s “Trudeau-Mania”: What It Means For The USA
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS—The sweeping electoral victory of Canada’s Liberal Party under Justin Trudeau after ten years of Conservative party government, sets a new agenda and political template for…
UN Security Council’s Musical Chairs
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS—In its annual selection process, the full General Assembly has picked five countries to serve as non-permanent members on the UN Security Council. Importantly, Egypt, Japan…
Syrian Refugee Crisis A Challenge And Threat To Europe
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS—The almost Biblical scenes of mass humanity surging through Europe from the Balkans to the Baltic have created jarring images as we see a mass movement…
Jordanian King Calls Clash with Radical Islam a “Third World War”
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS — Among the 193 Presidential and Ministerial speeches being made during the UN General Assembly debate, most will present politically pedantic and often droning restatements…
President Xi’s Swag vs the Pope’s Black Fiat
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS – Both Pope Francis and China’s President are visiting the United States at the same time. Two men whose paths will nearly intersect, both not…
UN Assembly Session Begins Under Clouds of War and Crisis
by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS—Dark war clouds swirl from the Middle East, humanitarian crises worsen in Sub-Saharan Africa, and as refugees pour fourth into the developed world, the UN General…