In The News

Reuters: World Court and US Sanctions on Iran

Stephanie van den Berg October 4, 2018
The International Court of Justice ordered the United States to ensure that its sanctions on Iran do not affect humanitarian aid or civil aviation safety, reports Stephanie van den Berg for Reuters. The United Sates rejects the court decision, plans to terminate the 1955 Treaty of Amity with Iran and suggests that Iran’s real complaint is US withdrawal from the international agreement on ending...

USA Today: Tsunami in Indonesia

Susan Miller October 2, 2018
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia followed by a tsunami that struck Palu, a city of more than 300,000. The disaster killed more than 1300 and displaced tens of thousands more with survivors desperate for food, water and supplies. The numbers are expected to rise. “Relief workers are mobilizing to help devastated areas and rescue teams are desperately hunting for survivors in the aftermath...

DW: 5 Million Children in Yemen Face Famine

September 18, 2018
Yemen’s civil war is also a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The country of 27 million people is surrounded by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, the Gulf of Aden to the south and Oman to the east. Hodeida is a key port city on the Red Sea. “Renewed attacks on the Red Sea city by the Saudi-led coalition could temporarily shut down the key port, putting 5.2 million...

Spiegel: Syria's Uncertain Future

Christoph Reuter, Fritz Schaap and Christian Werner August 16, 2018
Syria’s civil war is winding down with Bashar al-Assad still in power. The country is devastated with more than 400,000 people dead and more than 11 million displaced. One estimate of the war’s damages is $250 billion, and the economic losses could be much higher. Assad, a dictator, and his supporters, a minority, regard the rebels who initially tried peaceful protests as terrorists, and the fate...

Washington Post: Thousands of Syrians Fleeing Toward Israel’s Border

Ruth Eglash July 14, 2018
Israel’s hardline policy on entrance for refugees has drawn ire from the international community. As fighting in Syria draws closer to the Israeli border, Syrian refugees – an estimated 11,000 – plead for safe haven. A recent article for the Washington Post observes, “forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russian airstrikes, are in the midst of a final push to recapture territory...

The Economist: UN Refugee Agency for Palestinians Running Out of Cash

July 13, 2018
The Trump administration’s decision to withhold $305 million of $365 million annually directed to the UN’s Relief and Works Agency is poised to cause further damage to the 2 million people of Gaza. Moreover, the crisis looms large against the backdrop of increased tension between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs Gaza. Since the end of March, a series of protests near the border...

Brookings: Africa’s 3 Deadly Deficits

Indermit Singh Gill and Kenan Karakulah June 21, 2018
Despite sub-Saharan Africa’s rapid population growth, the region’s income growth matches the global pace and was even negative in 2016. The Sustainable Development Goals pioneered by the United Nations in 2015 seem out of reach for the region as income inequality widens. Three factors for the region’s slow economic growth are low quality education, limited access to electricity and weak domestic...