In The News

New Statesman: Revenge of the Nation State

John Bew November 15, 2018
The death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi reveals that the international community has little control over rogue states that resist criticism by any means necessary. Khashoggi had criticized Saudi Arabia’s horrific and wasteful war in Yemen, and his murder “conforms to a general pattern of degeneration in 21st century international relations, in which respect for human rights is eroding,...

Los Angeles Times: Is the US Facing a Border Crisis?

Cindy Carcamo October 23, 2018
A caravan of migrants originating in Honduras is headed to the United States. Now in Mexico, the migrants number more than 7,000, picking up more people along the way as group travel provides security and draws attention to fears about political instability and gang violence at home. The US president has threatened to use the military to forcibly stop the migrants from approaching the border to...

Spiegel: Killing Fields of Yemen

Fiona Ehlers October 3, 2018
Despite technological advances in warfare, bombings in Yemen are indiscriminate. Fiona Ehlers, writing for Spiegel Online, describes the anguish of interviewing a father who displayed love for his sons while serving tea in his family home and learning a few weeks later that three of his four boys were killed while riding a bus to school. The war in Yemen is overlooked by much of the world because...

New York Times: Migrant Children Tent Camp

Caitlin Dickerson September 30, 2018
Harsh new policies have increased the numbers of migrant children in US government care – a record number of more than 13,000 migrant children, some separated from their parents at the border but many unaccompanied minors who traveled to the country on their own. Immigration officials have started relocating the children from shelters and homes around the country with education and safety...

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...

NewStatesman: Why Sweden Is Turning Right

Andrew Brown September 17, 2018
The Scandinavian countries have long been a role model on human rights, equality and control over globalization. But Sweden is slowly showing a rightward shift, and its leading anti-immigrant party, the Sweden Democrats won 17 percent in the September election. Swedes worry about a loss of control with the shutdown of traditional industries like shipyards, increased crime and changes in culture...

Los Angeles Times: Criticism of Israel and Anti-Semitism

Jaweed Kaleem and Teresa Watanabe September 13, 2018
Protesters and their targets increasingly reflect upon strategies and whether methods change or harden public stances. Specific questions emerge with protests and calls for boycotts and divestment targeting Israel as related to Palestinian issues, explain Jaweed Kaleem and Teresa Watanabe for the Los Angeles Times: “How much is Jewish identity tied to the modern nation of Israel? Is there a point...