Anyone who works in defense knows that the military loves its acronyms.  The most recent acronym has been a hot topic of discussion amongst officials, servicemembers, reporters, and scholars: the 2010 QDR.

Last year the International Criminal Court (ICC) charged Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with crimes against humanity and war crimes but did not charge him with genocide. Currently, ICC head prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is appealing this decision, and if successful, Bashir would become the first sitting head of state to be charged with genocide. This controversy comes at a time of heightened instability in Sudan with the April 2010 elections quickly approaching. 

The demand for more female peacekeepers continues to be a growing challenge for the United Nations Peacekeeping. After the UN realized that female peacekeepers are assets in reducing sexual crimes in post conflict areas, the Department of Peacekeeping has mandated in recruiting for more female peacekeepers. Since the implementation of UN Resolution 1325 in 2000, the number of female participants has slightly increased up to 7 percent in uniform police officers and 50 percent in civilian staff.

It is impossible to turn the channel and not see something with reference to Haiti, whether it be for donations or new developments.  After hearing about it for over a week, one becomes numb to the pain that those in Haiti are experiencing.  Reading Deborah Sontag and Ginger Thompson's article, "On Street Tracing Haiti's Pain, Survival Goes On," put everything in perspective.

In his State of the Union address this evening, President Obama will propose aid mechanisms that benefit middle-class Americans struggling to send their children to college while carrying the economic burden of aging parents and combating rising unemployment.