H. Patricia Hynes
United States

“The full cycle of misogyny entraps girls ruthlessly violated as child soldiers and then viciously punished when returning home.  In contrast to the outcast plight of girl soldiers, many boy soldiers earn a manly status in their communities.”

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For the second consecutive year, President Barack Obama has waived a Congressionally-mandated ban on military aid to four countries known to entrap and exploit child soldiers. Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Yemen, and the newly independent nation of South Sudan will receive more than 200 …

- By Mary Liepold, Editor in Chief
I’m not an against-er. I put my energy into being the change I want to see in the world. But I am a peace activist, and I’ve been arrested twice at public nonviolent peace actions. On September 1, I did my first civil disobedience for the environment. I joined 1,251 other citizens who gathered in front of the White House during the last two weeks, disobeyed orders to disperse, rode the paddy wagon, and paid a $100 forfeit so we could deliver a …

Randa Fahmy Hudome
An internationally recognized expert in global markets and the energy sector, Randa Fahmy Hudome has more than twenty-five years of legal and public policy experience, including service in the executive branch of the United States Government as the Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy. Presently, Randa is President of Fahmy Hudome International (FHI), a strategic consulting firm, which provides critical advice and counsel to Fortune 500 companies, foreign governments, media organizations, and private sector entities with an interest in energy policy and international business transactions.
Randa serves on …

Barbara Nussbaum and Kimberly Weichel
South Africa and USA

“To extend the spirit of ubuntu, we need to value peace as an organizing principle and require peacebuilding courses in our schools.”
The African Union designates July 31 as African Women’s Day. This week, then, it is especially fitting to reflect on ubuntu, an African word that embodies so much of what we seek in society today. In the Xhosa and Zulu languages ubuntu means “people are people through other people.” It is the spirit of oneness, unity, and compassion, and expresses itself in …