A new bimonthly newsletter, called The Latest, has made its debut from the Stanley Foundation, the nonprofit group based in Muscatine, Iowa, that works on peace and security issues through the promotion of good governance and justice worldwide. Keith Porter is also the new president of the organization, having been promoted from director of policy and outreach.
As an online publication, The Latest (the foundation lower-cases the name) aims to keep readers abreast of the activities of the foundation — with information about staff members and partners, events and multimedia resources — as well as offering a global news feature. Other foundation publications, like policy briefs and reports, will also be made available on The Latest.
The first issue, published in May, offers such a mix. The top story is focused on a two-part broadcast segment about the violent causes of Kenya’s 2007 presidential elections and its most recent elections in March. The program, which was broadcast on PBS News Hour and supported by the Stanley Foundation, also delved into the growing tensions between Christians and Muslims in Kenya, one of Africa’s most populous countries.
Another article, “Avoiding the Next World Food Crisis,” by Sophia Murphy, is a policy brief commissioned by the foundation that looks at how the Group of 20 nations could take a more concentrated approach to smoothing the ups and downs of food insecurity. Murphy is a senior adviser for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, based in Minneapolis. In her brief, she analyzes how the G-20 could help ease food insecurity by reforming certain domestic policies, like American and European biofuels mandates; accepting greater transparency in the level and use of grain stocks; and by improving the regulation of speculation on commodity futures markets, among other steps.
