In The News

Dutch State “Responsible for Three Srebrenica Deaths”

July 5, 2011
Since 1948, the UN has assigned peacekeeping forces, contributed by member states, to maintain peace in countries torn by conflict. The mandate to protect civilians is “often the yardstick by which we are judged,” notes the UN. A Netherlands court has ruled the Dutch state is responsible for the 1995 deaths of three Bosnian Muslims who had worked for the Dutch peacekeepers, reports BBC News. The...

Dutch MPs Vote to Ban Religious Slaughter

June 29, 2011
The Dutch parliament approved a bill, 116 to 30, banning halal and kosher slaughter. The bill moves on to the Dutch Senate. Jewish and Muslim leaders contend the ban on slaughtering conscious animals limits religious freedom. The European Convention on Human Rights describes when limits can be applied: “Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs shall be subject only to such limitations...

Saudis Behead an Indonesian Maid

June 26, 2011
Crimes and punishments that cut across borders provoke global judgments on differences in culture and legal systems. Individual players in the sensational dramas represent their nations. Poor nations send millions of workers, 75 percent of them women, overseas as unskilled labor. Given the power imbalance, contracts, if any, are unenforceable. The migrant workers have few protections and are...

Driving Campaign for Saudi Women Challenges Custom

Mohammed Jamjoom June 21, 2011
An Arab Spring may be coming to Saudi Arabia on wheels. Saudi women take to the streets, not for political protests but the right to drive. “Though there are no traffic laws that make it illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia, religious edicts are often interpreted as a ban against female drivers,” reports Mohammed Jamjoom for CNN. In May, one female driver was detained for a week and had to...

People on the Move – Part I

Joseph Chamie June 14, 2011
Waves of desperate migrants cross the Mediterranean, fleeing the repression, poverty and war gripping North Africa. Immense inequalities in living standards between the two zones draw migrants to Europe: Global media display stark contrasts between wealthy and poor, and internet sites lay out itineraries for affordable transport, shelter and job contacts. In the first article of a two-part series...

Activism Gets Rolling in Taiwan

Ralph Jennings June 8, 2011
The deepest respect for a society often comes from those who criticize and take corrective action. Writing for the New York Times, Ralph Jennings tells the story about a US-born lawyer who moved to Taiwan in 1977, becoming a citizen 26 years later to fight for environmental causes. In 2003, Robin Winkler started a foundation to handle pro bono cases on environmental issues. Investment in...

Defenders of the Schengen Zone Face a Battle

Stanley Pignal June 7, 2011
Economic and social unrest in North Africa contribute to increasing illegal immigration to Europe, and extremist parties take advantage of the turmoil to blast European cooperation over open borders. “At the very least, there will be new ways for countries to re-impose temporary border controls within the Schengen zone, which has expanded since its inception in 1995 to include most EU countries...