In The News

National Front's Marine Le Pen of France Leads Anti-EU Drive

Gabriele Parussini May 26, 2014
Far-right parties gained power in European parliamentary elections with wins in Denmark, Austria and France and calls for dismantling the EU. Europeans are distraught over high unemployment, the struggling eurozone, high debt, immigration and competition from foreign trade. In France, Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front and a member of the European Parliament for 10 years, appealed with a...

US, India’s Goals Diverge in New Delhi’s Near Abroad

Nilanthi Samaranayake May 20, 2014
The United States and India do not always agree on strategic policies. “While there is certainly much convergence between U.S. and Indian aspirations for stability in Afghanistan and East Asia, structural cleavages characterize both nations’ political and strategic approaches to the smaller countries in India’s backyard,” explains Nilanthi Samaranayake for World Politics Review. “The pervasive...

Americans Want to Turn Away From World’s Problems

Bruce Stokes January 16, 2014
The United States may no longer view itself as the world’s leading advocate for military engagements or multilateral efforts to promote freedom, democracy and human rights, suggests a study by the Pew Research Center. Americans are war weary, and about half of 2000 adults surveyed in the fall 2013 suggest that the country is overextended, writes Bruce Stokes, the center’s director of global...

UN Makes Record Funding Appeal for Syrian Refugees

Barbara Surk December 18, 2013
The UN hopes to raise $6.5 billion to assist as many as 9 million refugees who have fled the civil war in Syria, many of whom live in massive camps and tents hastily set up in bordering states. “The conflict in Syria, now in its third year, has defied all attempts at peace,” explains Barbara Surk for the Associated Press. “A biting cold spell marking the beginning of winter has added another...

Mandela's Miraculous Capacity for Forgiveness a Carefully Calibrated Strategy

Stephanie Nolen December 6, 2013
Nelson Mandela became a global leader while serving a life sentence in prison for opposing South Africa’s cruel system of apartheid. Sacrificing much, initially labeled terrorist, Mandela never gave up fighting for justice, and went on to become South Africa’s first president in a new era, publicly forgiving his political opponents – and urging lasting reconciliation in large ways by working with...

The Dilemma of Desperation Migration

Joseph Chamie November 14, 2013
Poverty, conflict and overpopulation have historically forced migrants to pursue opportunity in wealthier nations. Modern migrants have more options for low-cost travel, yet nations have more organized registration, border surveillance and enforcement tools, explains Joseph Chamie, former director of the UN Population Division. Thus, transit countries face new pressures. The desperate in North...

Human Rights Groups: Drone Strikes Kill More Civilians Than US Admits

Craig Whitlock October 22, 2013
Human Rights Watch investigated six US drone strikes in Yemen and reports that 69 percent of 82 killed were civilians – undercutting claims that drone technology targets specific threats. “[T]he human rights groups said they were able to shed further light on the incidents by interviewing survivors, other witnesses and government officials in both countries,” reports Craig Whitlock for the...