This weekend, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was in Germany speaking at an event supporting women in international security.  Secretary Clinton remarked "that when we think about peacemaking, which is, after all, one of the critical tasks of any of us in international security, that something is missing.  And that is women.  There are not enough women at the table, not enough women's voices being heard".   Women are underrepresented in peacekeeping forces and in international peace negotiations.  This is an unfortunate revelation, considering studies and experiences have show that the presence of women in peacekeeping operations can be extremely beneficial to the success of the effort.

Citizens for Global Solutions Field Organizer in Indiana, Mike Oles, just had a letter to the editor published in the Indianapolis Star! It's a great piece that points out that Haiti's Cholera outbreak is not a reason to defund the U.N., but rather why U.N. Peacekeepers need to be better equipped.

Mike writes, "If there is a lesson to be learned from this avoidable disaster, it is the need for well-trained and well-funded U.N. peacekeepers." Well said Mike.  U.N. Peacekeepers are vital to many countries around the world, and they can't do their job if they aren't supported by wealthy nations like the U.S.

Click here to read Mike's whole article, or click here to learn more about CGS's Peacekeeping Report.  

In my job, it's not that often that I look at the results of the congressional appropriations process with satisfaction, especially in the current economic and foreign policy climate.  However, Congress has surprised me this year in two welcome ways. 

First, the House and Senate passed a large "omnibus" appropriations package, including funding for the State Department, before their Christmas recess without threat of a government shutdown (okay, it's two and a half months past their original deadline, but why quibble?).  Second, the Fiscal Year 2012 budget mostly delivers pretty good results for the international affairs budget.  It's a Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa miracle!

Syria lives in a very flammable neighborhood, surrounded by Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Israel.  The neighbors are getting very worried that the escalation of violence in Syria could quickly spread to surrounding nations, and are taking steps to prevent  the flames from spreading.  It's time for the U.N. Security Council to support this effort and help form a neighborhood fire brigade that can prevent a civil war and protect the Syrian people.

Today, Syria announced it was "in talks" with the Arab League to send civilian and military observers into the country in the hopes of ending the violence that has wracked the country for eight months.

But if experience tells us anything, President Bashir al-Assad's talk is cheap and is just permitting him more time for tactical stalling.