In The News

RAND Corporation: Truth Decay

Jennifer Kavanagh and Michael D. Rich February 7, 2018
Too many in US leadership and the general public rely on feelings rather than rational analysis, facts and lessons from history, and such trends explain increasing rejection of contributions to US prosperity by education, science or globlaization. Four trends mark what Jennifer Kavanagh and Michael D. Rich label as a decay in truth: disagreement over facts and data, blurred boundaries between...

Foreign Affairs: How Sharp Power Threatens Soft Power

Joseph S. Nye Jr. February 5, 2018
Authoritarian regimes strive to interfere with democratic governments via social media and other information warfare. Such interference can be regarded as “sharp power” as opposed to “soft power,” or government’s reliance on culture and values to enhance strength. “Over the past decade, Beijing and Moscow have spent tens of billions of dollars to shape public perceptions and behavior around the...

BBC News: Kenya's Raila Odinga “Inaugurates” Himself as President

Dickens Olewe January 31, 2018
Kenyan’s government is in turmoil with two men claiming to be president. Elections were held in August 2017, and courts found irregularities and ordered a repeat election in October. Raila Odinga, an opposition leader, boycotted that October election that led to President Uhuru Kenyatta being sworn in for a second term in November 2017. Official results suggest that Kenyatta won 98 percent of the...

New Statesman: How the Saudis Make It Almost Impossible to Report on War in Yemen

Ahmed Baider and Lizzie Porter August 23, 2017
Saudi Arabia is intent on limiting media coverage of its role in the war on neighboring Yemen. Since 2015, the civil war in the poor country of 25 million, between Saudi-backed forces of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and Houthi rebels has left 10,000 dead, more than 530,000 suspected cases of cholera and millions starving, and “Yet the lack of press attention on Yemen’s conflict has led it to...

The Economist: English-Language Newspapers in Latin America Are Struggling

August 15, 2017
Whether shutting down completely or going digital-only, many English-language newspapers in Latin American countries, including those in Argentina, Venezuela and Peru, are confronting the realities of technological change. The Internet has upended a previously successful business model for newspapers, as Anglophone immigrants and tourists can now use the Internet to “browse their hometown papers...

Caixin: Hunger for Homegrown Content Helps Chinese TV Shows Edge Past Foreign Rivals

Cai Tongxu July 11, 2017
The Chinese are eager for television shows about China, and development of new content – reality shows, game shows, gossip shows and more – attracts millions of yuan in investments. “After years of being accused of ripping off foreign television hits, Chinese variety show producers have started scripting their own templates to feed the hunger for homegrown content,” reports Cai Tongxu for Caixin...

The Guardian: Qatar Given 10 Days to Meet 13 Sweeping Demands by Saudi Arabia

Patrick Wintour June 24, 2017
Saudi Arabia is demonstrating insecurity and intolerance for other points of view by leading a trade and diplomatic embargo against tiny neighbor Qatar and then issuing a 13-part ultimatum. Saudi Arabia’s population is 15 times larger than Qatar’s 2.2 million. Qatar denies that it funds or harbors terrorists, and certainly not more than Saudi citizenss have been reported to do. The demands...