In The News

El País: Image Manipulation Technologies

Moisés Naím November 13, 2018
New digital technologies known as “deepfake” can manipulate images and faces in realistic ways that trickl viewers. Governments and companies have long adjusted photographs and videos for propaganda or advertising purposes. However, Moisés Naím explains that deepfake is more dangerous, with improved technology that is readily accessible: “Everything about these videos is hyper realistic, and the...

New York Times: Hate Poisons America

October 30, 2018
A ready supply of high-powered guns combined with hateful online rhetoric and brutal attacks on specific communities – the most recent a shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue and bombs mailed to leading Democrats – demonstrate how hatred can consume entire societies. Americans no longer feel safe in their schools, workplaces, places of worship or entertainment. In Pittsburgh, the gunman shouted, “...

Times of India: Khashoggi Mystery

Nayan Chanda October 22, 2018
The death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul puts a spotlight on Saudi-US relations and investigations that seem more about spinning stories to ease public concerns than getting at the truth. “The Khashoggi mystery is proving hard to solve not because it is such a tough case to crack, but because the known facts are too simple to reach anything other than a damning...

AP: World’s Largest Legal Marijuana Marketplace

Rob Gillies and Gene Johnson October 17, 2018
Sales of legal recreational marijuana became legal in Canada as of October 17, the second country after Uruguay, and long lines and a celebratory spirt greeted the new product. An announcement is planned on pardoning those with previous convictions for possessing small amounts. Legal retail and online sales will contribute to tax revenues. “Canada has had legal medical marijuana since 2001 and...

NBC News: Rift Between US Allies Turkey and Saudi Arabia

Alastair Jamieson and Kristina Jovanovski October 14, 2018
Saudi Arabia has failed to produce video showing that Jamal Khashoggi left the Saudi embassy in Istanbul alive, and Turkey claims to hold evidence of a Saudi hit team murdering the journalist. Khashoggi’s s disappearance from what should be a safe place highlights blatant disregard for press freedoms and human rights. The incident is souring relations between the two nations that are both US...

Asian Age: #MeToo in India?

October 12, 2018
No country is immune from boorish behavior by some powerful elites. The #MeToo movement began in the United States, with accusations and investigations against film directors, journalists, corporate and political leaders, a Supreme Court nominee and more – and may be spreading to India with an accusation of a Bollywood actress. An Asian Age opinion essay poses questions that apply to the movement...

The Week: US-Saudi Alliance Must End

Ryan Cooper October 11, 2018
An old proverb suggests people are known by the company they keep, and that applies to countries, too. “There is no better demonstration of the moral and political rot at the heart of the American government than its increasingly poisonous alliance with Saudi Arabia,” writes Ryan Cooper for the Week. “Saudi Arabia is no friend of democracy, liberty, or even common decency.” Oil wealth combined...