NEW YORK — Like a monster movie, climate change casts an ominous, larger-than-life shadow. The American Museum of Natural History’s special exhibition (http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/climatechange/) depicts it well. After witnessing such dramatic images of searing heat, melting ice, unusually powerful storms, rising seas and other devastating occurrences, it would be impossible for anyone to ignore or minimize [...]

NEW YORK — The “Greatest Generation” just lost another son, and the world is poorer for it. Ralph Dyer, a lifelong resident of this city and former Navy man, courageously and ably served his country in World War II, ferrying the fallen from the battlefields of France to their final resting places. Now, they are [...]

WASHINGTON — As I made my way from one national-security discussion to another, the conversation never strayed far from an imposing topic: the 21st century’s emerging or renascent powers. Whether Americans like it or not, they must share influence with several countries that have risen in prominence, notably China, India and Russia.

When President-elect Barack Obama uttered the word “slavery” in a historical reference during his post-election acceptance speech, I could not avoid making a connection to modern victims of forced servitude around the world.
Slavery is not a relic of the past. Indeed, the problem – also known as human trafficking – has reached epidemic proportions, subjugating [...]

Political violence of the kind that recently rocked India will necessarily dominate the agenda of President-elect Barack Obama and his newly announced national security team.
In addition to killing or injuring hundreds of people from various countries, the miscreants in Mumbai assaulted the world’s sense of decency in ways similar to the Sept. 11 perpetrators. Such [...]