This weekend, the populations of two nations will come together to mourn those lost in two of the most atrocious conflicts of the 20th century. On April 6, 20 years ago, the first shots were fired that marked the beginning of the Bosnian war and the Siege of Sarajevo. Meanwhile on April 6 1994, President Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot down over Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, in preparations for landing.

U.S. Department of State’s Special Representation to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith’s recent visit to campus triggered my thoughts on the United States’ engagement with Muslim communities worldwide. Particularly in the wake of 9/11, it has been increasingly more difficult for many to distinguish between Islam as a religion and Islamism as a political ideology.

Have recent, not to mention extremely controversial, events led us to question whether there are limits to freedom of speech? At the Parwan Detention Facility, near the Bagram military base in Afghanistan, five American service members and one Afghan-American linguist have been accused of burning copies of the Koran – Islam’s holy book

Two western journalists were some of the 74 civilians killed in Homs, Syria this past Wednesday amidst an ongoing struggle between the government forces of president Bashar al-Assad and the civilian opposition. Marie Colvin, an American working for The Times of London, as well as French freelance photo journalist Rémi Ochlik, were killed in a secret media center located in the neighborhood of Baba Amr.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend a meet-and-greet, starring Massachusetts’ very own – Congressman Jim McGovern. When asked how he votes on issues, Representative McGovern replied, “If I don’t know how to vote on an issue, I say ‘What would Newt Gingrich’ do?” A relevant question for the Congressman’s constituency to be sure, but it serves only to exacerbate the growing rift between political parties in the United States.

For decades, the military has long been regarded as the “boy’s club,” despite women’s involvement in many branches of the armed services in varying positions since World War I. Throughout the years, women have slowly broken out of the traditionally reserved roles offered during that tim: nursing, administration and then, in very limited roles and numbers, in the service.

Those who avidly follow presidential politics or maybe just saw the Kevin Costner film Swing Vote, know that there’s some truth behind the old saying that “every vote counts” (i.e. Election 2000). With the recent announcement that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are tied in both national and swing state polling, it appears that once again, the swing–or battleground–states will once again be an important factor in Decision 2012.

The 2012 election already seems to be more entertainment than news. We are still choosing the next leader of our country right? There seems to be some sort of drama surrounding everyone running. As we move even closer to the Iowa Caucus and the official start of the campaign season, it will be interesting to see how each candidate fares on the path to nomination.

Despite efforts from the international community, Syria’s crackdown on protestors continued this week. Between 15 and 36 civilians were killed today in yet another shocking display of violence during clashes throughout the country. Most deaths were located in Homs, nicknamed the “the capital of revolution” by activist organizations.

After news came about two weeks ago that Muammar el-Qaddafi was captured and killed by rebels in his hometown of Surt, some expressed concerns over the question “what next?” After 42 years with the “erratic, provocative” dictator, it’s time for the National Transitional Council to begin reconciling the past four decades of violence and oppression that has led to mass violations of human rights.