Foreign Aid

The wood-frame Carousel grammar school survived the earthquake that destroyed much of this city in January. Beatrice Moise had taught there for five years and hoped she would continue when schools reopened in spring. But in February she found out that the director had rented the building out to the international relief group Oxfam. Buildings in the upscale suburb of Petionville, where foreigners like to live and work, were in high demand, and Oxfam paid $10,000 a month. The students, mostly from wealthy families, would probably have little problem finding other schools.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Two foreign women working for a Swiss-based aid group have been kidnapped in the remote northeastern province of Badakhshan, Afghan officials said Wednesday. Three male Afghan colleagues were abducted as well, but one apparently escaped and then alerted the authorities, according to officials in Faizabad, the provincial capital. The medical team was captured by a group of gunmen Tuesday while traveling by donkey or horseback in an isolated district where floods have washed out roads, and an intensive search was underway, said Abdul Mahrouf Rasikh, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

Poverty, famine and disease overseas lead to lawlessness, instability, revolution and terrorism that threaten American interests, and Americans, at home and abroad. That's why our second most important means of self-defense after the military is foreign aid. Moreover, our investments in development pay off when poor countries become prosperous enough to become trading partners. To their credit, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton realize this, and repeatedly have said as much -- they just don't appear to be in a great hurry to put that philosophy into practice.

Mitt Romney didn't exactly fire Richard Grenell, who is gay, as his foreign policy spokesman. But when the religious right got wind of Grenell's hiring, his job started to shrink. Grenell was told to sit in on conference calls with reporters and not say anything, which is tantamount to firing him. He was told to be silent not merely on gay issues. He was told not to talk about anything, even foreign policy. A spokesman who is not allowed to speak - even internally - doesn't have much of a job. So Grenell quit, three weeks after he was hired.

The Republican presidential rivals took on national security policy Saturday night in a South Carolina debate that saw the field splinter over how candidates would deal with Pakistan, foreign aid and waterboarding, but largely united in their view that President Obama has weakened the nation's standing in the world. The topic has received scant attention in a campaign in which the dominant focus has been on the nation's sputtering economy, and it is an area of weakness for several on stage for the latest debate.

Rick Perry said Wednesday that U.S. assistance for Israel would increase under his administration, as he sought to ease Jewish concerns that he'd cut off foreign aid. Perry had proposed an overhaul of how America spends money overseas, and had said that if he took office all nations would start from zero. Speaking at a candidates forum hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition, Perry acknowledged that he had some repair work to do, and used something of a rhetorical escape hatch.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Two foreign women working for a Swiss-based aid group have been kidnapped in the remote northeastern province of Badakhshan, Afghan officials said Wednesday. Three male Afghan colleagues were abducted as well, but one apparently escaped and then alerted the authorities, according to officials in Faizabad, the provincial capital. The medical team was captured by a group of gunmen Tuesday while traveling by donkey or horseback in an isolated district where floods have washed out roads, and an intensive search was underway, said Abdul Mahrouf Rasikh, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

Both the U.S. State Department and the government of Turkey have registered their dismay with Rick Perry, who claimed at Monday night's GOP presidential debate in South Carolina that the Middle Eastern nation and longtime NATO ally was run by "Islamic terrorists. " In responding to a question from Fox News' Bret Baier, the Texas governor, who has struggled with foreign policy while on the campaign trail, suggested that all U.S. foreign aid to Turkey should be cut off, that the nation should be kicked out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and, for good measure, seemed to lump it with Iran and Syria as an existential threat to the United States.

Rick Perry said Wednesday that U.S. assistance for Israel would increase under his administration, as he sought to ease Jewish concerns that he'd cut off foreign aid. Perry had proposed an overhaul of how America spends money overseas, and had said that if he took office all nations would start from zero. Speaking at a candidates forum hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition, Perry acknowledged that he had some repair work to do, and used something of a rhetorical escape hatch.

Irish rocker and AIDS advocate Bono came to Capitol Hill on Thursday, leaving star struck fans (reporters) and rare praise for Congress in his wake. Visiting for World AIDS day, Bono and R&B singer Alicia Keys met privately with lawmakers to push for continued support for foreign aid and express appreciation. With a keen eye for the current partisan climate on the Hill, Bono struck just the notes to charm beleaguered lawmakers. He noted support from both Republicans and Democrats.

Saturday night's Republican debate was designed as a serious-minded discussion of foreign policy and national security, issues largely overlooked in the 2012 presidential campaign. Throughout a forum held in one of the most conservative areas of the country, the GOP contenders struck a hawkish tone. They condemned President Obama's leadership across a wide range of areas, including the Middle East, Afghanistan and relations with China. The candidates also differed sharply at times, over foreign aid, how to handle Pakistan and whether the interrogation technique known as waterboarding is torture.

The Republican presidential rivals took on national security policy Saturday night in a South Carolina debate that saw the field splinter over how candidates would deal with Pakistan, foreign aid and waterboarding, but largely united in their view that President Obama has weakened the nation's standing in the world. The topic has received scant attention in a campaign in which the dominant focus has been on the nation's sputtering economy, and it is an area of weakness for several on stage for the latest debate.

As a foreign policy-themed debate got underway in Spartanburg, S.C., on Saturday, it quickly became clear that the eight Republican presidential candidates on the stage were more like-minded on how to handle the threat posed by a nuclear Iran than what do with Pakistan. Almost to a candidate, they charged that President Obama wasn't doing enough to deter Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney went the furthest, refusing to rule out a war with the Middle East nation if economic sanctions failed to work.

Early this year, as street protests began spreading across the Arab world, a young Internet expert from Germany, Katrin Verclas, asked Egyptian democracy activists what kind of technology they needed most. More laptop computers? Better access to the Web? Tools to evade censorship? Software to post videos? The activists' biggest desire, Verclas said, was simple: They wanted safer cellphones. "They store an enormous amount of information on their phones," she said. "Contact lists.

Parks and Coke Re " Coke contest could save beach ," Aug. 29, and "Park won't close for two months," Aug. 31 First of all, one clap to Coca-Cola for spreading its pocket change in a somewhat positive direction with this program. My question is: Why set up a contest that begs to be exploited with "vote as many times as you can"? Oak Park, in Minot, N.D., is leading the contest to win $100,000. Minot's population is about 40,000; the park has almost 3 million votes.