In The News

Can Anyone Control Pakistan's ISI Spies?

Aamer Ahmed Khan June 9, 2011
Pakistanis' trust in the country’s intelligence service, the ISI, has been shaken by recent events, but last month reached an all-time low, after the corpse of journalist Saleem Shazad was found with signs of torture. Shazad, the Pakistan bureau chief with Asia Times Online, who had previously been warned by ISI, disappeared shortly after publishing an investigative piece connecting...

Young Adults Don’t Follow News, It Follows Them

Susan Moeller May 19, 2011
A few decades ago, the well-informed relied on doorstep delivery of a newspaper or two. As the computer age dawned, the young roamed the internet, often searching for news sites reinforcing their view of the world. Newsgathering is undergoing another phase of evolution with the advent of social media. Journalism professor Susan Moeller describes youths “sitting like spiders in the middle of a...

In Singapore, Political Campaigning Goes Viral

Seth Mydans May 13, 2011
Singapore, known for its restrictive rules and regulations, has allowed more political discourse on the rough-and-tumble internet. Observers, particularly in China, may not be encouraged by the drastically reduced margin of victory for the ruling party in the parliamentary elections that followed. Writing for the New York Times before the results were known, Seth Mydans reports on Singapore’s...

Not a Laughing Matter

Peter Hartcher May 12, 2011
Australia, member of the Commonwealth of Nations, has gradually shed symbolic homage and perfunctory reports to the British crown, notes Peter Hartcher of the Sydney Morning Herald. Likewise, the percentage of Australians yearning for a break from the monarchy has declined. Hartcher quotes an observation from Wayne Hudson of the University of Tasmania: “tension doesn't erupt much because the...

Ai Weiwei's Incarceration Stumps German Culture Vultures

Aya Bach May 2, 2011
As Ai Weiwei prepared to open a Berlin show of his work, Chinese authorities detained the celebrated artist in a bid to limit damage his criticism might cause abroad. The censorship immediately triggered international censures and debate about effective methods – gentle education or intense pressure – for achieving human rights in China, explains Aya Bach for Deutsche Welle. Ironically, Ai was...

US Products Help Block Mideast Web

Paul Sonne, Steve Stecklow March 31, 2011
As protests rage in the Middle East, some software companies help the young protesters in circumventing censorship and others assist the dictators in exerting control. Global media reports show forces in Bahrain, Libya, Syria and Yemen arresting and attacking unarmed protesters with teargas, while outspoken bloggers are jailed. This Wall Street Journal article identifes the Western firms that...

Internet Alone Cannot Free the Middle East

Evgeny Morozov March 30, 2011
Like pen and paper, the internet is another tool that’s used for good or evil. Scholar Evgeny Morozov argues that the internet may have been less influential over recent uprisings in the Middle East. Savvy, repressive governments use the internet too, lifting bans on social media sites while jailing the most outspoken critics or baiting protesters with fake events followed by prosecution. “The...