In The News

Iraq War Logs: UN Calls on Obama to Investigate Human Rights Abuses

David Batty, Jamie Doward October 25, 2010
After the online release of nearly 400,000 documents from the Iraq War, the UN's chief investigator on torture has called for an investigation. Notably the documents reveal a higher number of civilian deaths than admitted publicly by the US military; chaos with military reliance on security contractors; and increasing Iranian influence in Iraq. Individual soldiers reported incidents of abuse...

Online Technology Challenges Censors – Part I

Johan Lagerkvist October 22, 2010
When the internet arrived, China eagerly grasped the tool for joining global business, connecting its citizens and influencing attitudes. But China now finds that it’s impossible for any nation to both use the internet to influence the globe and restrict messages to a single ideology. This two-part YaleGlobal series examines the challenges awaiting those who strive for censorship. In the first...

Iranians Turn Off State TV After Soap Is Dropped

Najmeh Bozorgmehr October 20, 2010
Iran’s state television network refused to air a television program with a political theme – about an incompetent regime that refuses to admit its errors and bans them from history books. The show starred one of the country’s beloved actors, and the leading director effectively created a “private channel,” by aggressively promoting a DVD version with banners and word of mouth. State television,...

Chilean Rescue Offers Lesson in Globalization

Susan Froetschel October 18, 2010
Global media united in covering the successful rescue of 33 miners, trapped since early August. Chile’s president and major mining companies quickly took charge over a small, near-bankrupt mining company, transforming the rescue into an international competition of sorts. The media reports highlighted unusual international collaboration and exposed the public to grueling work conditions for...

China's Row With Japan Threatens to Escalate

John Garnaut September 20, 2010
The collision of a small fishing vessel with a coastal patrol vessel of another nation should be a minor incident with a quick resolution. But common sense doesn’t prevail when politicians and media of either nation have long stoked nationalistic fervor among their citizens. A September collision, in waters with ownership disputed by China and Japan, immediately ignited anger, calls for military...

Facebook Deletes Accounts Purporting to Be From North Korea

Jun Yang August 25, 2010
It’s unclear if Facebook, Twitter and Google accounts claiming to represent North Korea are truly from the isolated nation. Facebook, insisting that the social networking site is for real people aiming for real connections with real identities, deleted two suspect accounts. “The move comes as South Korea, which bans its citizens from communicating with the North, clamps down on Twitter Inc....

BlackBerry Challenges May Spread as Governments, RIM Collide

Anthony DiPaola, Hugo Miller August 12, 2010
Business people on the go, in need of instant contact and information, appreciate mobile devices and can’t imagine doing without smartphones like the BlackBerry. A major feature of the BlackBerry includes high-level security around communications, with encrypted messages and delivery through protected equipment in Canada and maker Research in Motion. “However, the system also makes it harder for...