In The News

The Economist: Syria Is Erasing the Palestinians’ Largest Refugee Camp

May 14, 2018
Recent bombing by Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and its Russian allies devastated Yarmouk camp, located on the southern edge of Damascus. The camp was once the Palestinians’ “largest and liveliest refugee camp, sheltering displaced Iraqis and Syrians too.” However, war, attacks by extremists and bombing have resulted in the violent displacement of 350,000 people who once called Yarmouk home....

Spiegel: EU Helped Fortify Turkey's Border

Maximilian Popp March 29, 2018
The European Union has funded Turkey to block Syrians fleeing the brutal war. “In March 2016, the EU and Ankara closed a deal under which the Europeans would pay 3 billion euros to Turkey if the country kept the refugees inside its borders,” writes Maximilian Popp for Spiegel Online. The funding contributes to harsh security measures from Turkey including a border wall, deportations, surveillance...

NPR: US Freezes More Than Half of Aid to UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees

Bill Chappell January 17, 2018
Aid is an essential tool for foreign policy, diplomacy and security. “The State Department is withholding $65 million it planned to send to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, calling for reforms and for other nations to step up their support — especially those that criticize the Trump administration's positions regarding Palestinians and Israel,” reports Bill Chappell for NPR. The US...

The Japan Times: Toward a New Global Compact on Migration

Antonio Guterres January 11, 2018
More than 65 million people have been forcibly displaced from their games due to conflict or disasters. Many more people migrate in search of opportunities, and the total number of migrants approaches 250 million. “Managing migration is one of the most profound challenges for international cooperation in our time,” explains Antonio Guterres in an essay in the Japan Times. Migration confers many...

The Irrawaddy: Army Admits Security Officials, Villagers Executed 10 ARSA-Linked Rohingya

January 10, 2018
A Myanmar Army investigation has found a mass grave of 10 Rohingya in Rakhine State, and determined they were killed by villagers and security forces in retaliation for attacks on security outposts. The determination was based on interviews with army witnesses, border police, security officials, villagers and government employees. The 10 Rohingya were arrested and accused of a series of attacks...

The Times of Israel: Trump’s Mideast Policy – Diplomatic Darwinism

Raphael Ahren January 3, 2018
Showing no reticence on commenting about volatile regions or upending longstanding US policies, President Donald Trump started the year relaying a string of opinions over Twitter. “In under 100 words, he questioned America’s longstanding financial support for the Palestinian Authority, contradicted his own position on Jerusalem, and indicated that Israel would have to ‘pay’ in future peace...

The Guardian: "They Treated Her Like a Dog"– Tragedy of a Six-Year-Old Killed at Croatian Border

Emma Graham-Harrison December 28, 2017
The death of six-year-old Madina Hussiny has shed light on an enduring sociopolitical problem along Europe’s borders – the precarious status of asylum seekers and refugees. Emma Graham-Harrison observes for the Guardian, “The tragedy of the Hussiny family, who tried to reach Croatia after spending nearly a year in Serbia hoping for legal passage into Hungary, was the latest in a string of deaths...