In The News

Turkish Forces Try to Crush Remnants of Coup

Orhan Coskun and Gulsen Solaker July 17, 2016
Turkey crushed a military coup attempt that has left more than 250 civilians and military personnel dead and more than 6,000 detained. Criticism has dogged the Turkish president in recent years for limiting democratic rights. “A successful overthrow of Erdogan, who has ruled the country of about 80 million people since 2003, would have marked one of the biggest shifts in the Middle East in years...

Nato and Russia – In Search of Dialogue

Jonathan Marcus July 14, 2016
In 1997, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Russia, determining that they were no longer adversaries after the Cold War, signed a pact on building a “lasting and inclusive peace in the Euro-Atlantic area.” Good relations did not last long, explains Jonathan Marcus for BBC News. Russia expressed concern after NATO accepted members once were within the sphere of control of the Soviet Union...

Chinese Language Newspapers in Australia

Kelsey Munro and Philip Wen July 13, 2016
China controls the Chinese-language media in Australia – and also in other nations – in subtle and explicit ways. Editors that don’t comply with guidelines from the Chinese government and Communist Party can expect pulled advertising or reporters blocked from public events. Chinese firms purchase the media outlets, and hotels and other businesses admit to being pressured to discontinue...

Black Lives Matter Is a Global Cause

Ishaan Tharoor July 13, 2016
The United States is in turmoil over gun rights, police shootings, and racial and political divides during a heated presidential campaign. Protesters associated with the Black Lives Matter movement gathered around the nation after police shootings of two black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. During a protest in Dallas, a sniper targeted police, killing five officers and injuring 11 others, and...

European Purgatory: Migrant Smugglers Helping Refugees Return to Turkey

Riham Alkousaa and Maximilian Popp July 7, 2016
A sizable number of Europeans have protested immigration in general and specifically the arrival of thousands of refugees from Syria, Iraq and other conflict zones. Concerns run high about security, competition for jobs and a changing culture, and some countries have erected barriers in response. Smugglers that once delivered refugees to Europe are guiding weary and frustrated refugees back to...

Migration Trend: Young Move to Lands of Aging Rich

Joseph Chamie June 30, 2016
The world’s most troublesome borders for illegal migration have one thing in common – more older people on one side than the other. Large gaps in the median age on either side show a difference of 19 years for Northern Africa and Southern Europe, and 11 years for the United States and Central America. “Age differences between sending and receiving nations are a powerful force exerting migratory...

An Attack on Turkey's Airport and Its Ambitions

June 29, 2016
Coordinated suicide bombings at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport killed 41 and injured more than 200. Airports, with large crowds and lots of hefty luggage, make easy targets and are symbolic, too, representing globalization and world connections through commerce and tourism. Analysis from Stratfor points out that Turkey confronts multiple threats, including Kurdish militants, though the Islamic...