by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS–Amid a near unquenchable thirst for natural resources, a desire to develop new trading partners, and an opportunity to press for political influence in a vast…

by John J. Metzler, Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS – The spate of brutal and systematic attacks on Christian communities in Syria, Iraq and Egypt by the Islamic State has surged. Yet despite this targeted…

by John J. Metzler, Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS–The vast swath of nine countries bordering the southern reaches of the Sahara desert are marked by poverty, drought and chronic instability. Yet these oft-forgotten lands…

by John J. Metzler Weirs Times Contributing Writer UNITED NATIONS – In recent years there’s been a dearth of media coverage of Darfur’s humanitarian crisis. What had once been a focus for both diplomatic and…

by John J. Metzler, syndicated columnist UNITED NATIONS – There’s been a disturbing decline in global freedoms over the past year with a clear erosion of political rights for the ninth consecutive year. These are…

by John Metzler Weirs Times Columnist UNITED NATIONS – While America seems transfixed on a spate of six separate Mid- East crises, there’s been far less attention paid on the brewing storm in Europe. Thus…