In The News

The Conversation: Is a Unified Korea Possible?

Ji-Young Lee January 26, 2018
North and South Korea, divided since 1945, are making a small, symbolic gesture by marching together under one flag for the opening ceremony of the Olympics. “Unfortunately, history suggests such efforts to reunite the peninsula as a single country often don’t go far,” notes Ji-Young Lee, professor of international affairs for the Conversation. She outlines the history of unification talks. “What...

The Diplomat: Central Asian States Step Up Afghan Diplomacy

Catherine Putz January 24, 2018
Challenges in any of the landlocked Central Asian nations impact overall regional security. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are taking steps for regional diplomacy and reduced isolation for Afghanistan. Regional discussions on water management, energy cooperation, transportation links and trade are underway; representatives express concern about terrorism and women’s rights. “Kazakhstan, the first...

Reuters: Turkey Expects Swift Campaign Against US-Backed Kurds in Syria

Mert Ozkan January 22, 2018
Turkey is attacking US-backed Kurdish fighters in the Afrin region of Syria. Reports suggest that Turkey notified the US and Russia. The Kurdish YPG fighters have been influential in containing the Islamic State extremists in Syria. “The three-day-old campaign has opened a new front in Syria’s multi-sided civil war, realigning a battlefield where outside powers are supporting local combatants,”...

McClatchy: FBI Checks If Russian Money Went to NRA

Peter Stone and Greg Gordon January 19, 2018
A counterintelligence investigation is underway by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation on whether a banker – Alexander Torshin, deputy governor for the Russian central bank – secretly transferred funds to the National Rifle Association to help the Donald Trump presidential election campaign. “It is illegal to use foreign money to influence federal elections,” reports Peter Stone and Gregg...

The New Yorker: When Deportation Is a Death Sentence

Sarah Stillman January 12, 2018
The Global Migration Project at Columbia University has documented the experiences of US deportees forced to return to their home nations over the past decade: A young man mistakenly deported died in a prison fire; gangs often assume returnees have money and murdered a father and fractured the skull of a 13-year-old; a cartel kidnapped a former police woman. Sarah Stillman, the project’s director...

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...

Reuters: North, South Korea Agree to Dialogue

Christine Kim and Hyonhee Shin January 9, 2018
The start of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang is February was the catalyst for a meeting of North and South Korean diplomats. The North is making plans to send a delegation including athletes, officials, performers and reporters to the international games, and athletes from the two nations may join for the opening ceremony. “South Korea asked its neighbor to halt hostile acts that stoke...