In The News

In Latin America, New Urgency to Educate Stirs Up Outdated System

Whitney Eulich and Ruxandra Guidi March 4, 2015
Teach for America is spreading beyond the US border. Enseña por México, Teach for Mexico, is one of various programs in seven Latin American countries that replicate the model by sending recent college graduates into low-income schools. Mexico’s program operates in 65 schools across four states; similar, older programs in Chile and Peru garner praise for improved educational outcomes. Eight Latin...

Boris Nemtsov: Liberal Martyr

March 3, 2015
The political atmosphere and debate in Russia is increasingly one-sided, and those who challenge Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian ways can expect a spew of aggressive, hateful, unchecked comments Boris Nemtsov was one of the few Russian politicians courageous enough to criticize Putin, and he was assassinated while walking near the well-guarded Kremlin. “Given the level of security in the vicinity...

What Germany Owes Ukraine

James Kirchick February 16, 2015
Foreign Policy Initiative Fellow James Kirchick blasts the depiction of Angela Merkel as Europe’s “Iron Lady” as she orchestrates diplomacy with Russia over aggression in Ukraine while emphasizing military confrontation is not an option. Kirchick assesses Putin’s strategy: “He intends to punish Ukraine for ousting its pro-Russian leader” through “a semi-permanent condition of low-intensity armed...

Germany’s Nationalist Movement Rides on a Wave of Islamophobia

Frank Griffel January 29, 2015
Nationalists in Germany are making Islamophobia a scapegoat for troubles, with protests in Dresden and support spreading throughout the country. Political, business and cultural leaders are determined to block parties with xenophobic rhetoric, explains Frank Griffel, professor of religious studies at Yale University. Adolf Hitler published Mein Kampf in 1925, exposing his ideology and anti-...

Weak Think Tanks Shackle Nation’s Governance Upgrade

Wang Wenwen January 29, 2015
The mission of most think tanks is to analyze and propose policies for all segments of society, and this requires the ability to investigate, criticize and envision policies freely, often with government or foundation funding. China has more than 400 think tanks, second after the United States with more than 1,800 think tanks, reports Wang Wenwen for Global Times. The Central Committee of the...

Pull of Global Economy Increases Latin America-Africa Engagement

Manuel Orozco and Julia Yansura January 26, 2015
Africa and Latin America are opening new trade and diplomatic relations, particularly in four key countries of Brazil, Mexico, Cuba and South Africa. Compared with their exports to the northern hemisphere, the exchange of goods between Latin American and African countries remains small, around 3 percent. However, trade between the two continents grew 75 percent between 2005 and 2012, and new...

Encyclopedias: The Truths du Jour

Immanuel Wallerstein January 20, 2015
Encyclopedias are plentiful, designed to assist contemporary scholars with research. Yet they're also historical documents, reflecting choices made for a period of time and a society’s understanding of the globe. In making room for new events, encyclopedia editors tend to shrink the past. “We can learn much about the evolution of the world’s institutions and modes of thinking by using...