In The News

Modi and India’s Muslims? Al Jazeera

Sudipto Mondal June 9, 2019
In the aftermath of his party’s convincing election victory, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tried to push the issue of decreasing inclusion and representation by the substantial Muslim minority to the spotlight. History shows that the rise of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, has led to increasing violence against Muslims in recent years. Muslim leaders do not trust Modi’s...

Protests’ Comeback in the Arab World: Economist

April 9, 2019
Recent protests in Algeria and Sudan have brought popular images of the so-called 2011 Arab Spring back to the fore – yet with a stark difference. As an article for the Economist observes, “The wars and chaos that followed the Arab spring have cooled the ardour of activists and their regional patrons …. [and] autocrats have sharpened their tools of repression in order to quash protests at home...

China’s Social Credit System: Channel NewsAsia

Tom McGregor March 6, 2019
As populations grow, governments want to control social behavior, encouraging citizens to follow rules. China has instituted a social credit system that gives citizens points and benefits for good behavior. “‘Discredited’ Chinese citizens face greater scrutiny from the public, meet tougher challenges when applying for new credit cards, getting bank loans and in more severe cases, may be blocked...

Could Civilization Collapse? BBC

Luke Kemp February 21, 2019
Internal challenges and divisions are more treacherous for civilizations than external attacks, suggests historian Arnold Toynbee who studied 28 civilizations. Overexpansion, environmental degradation and poor leadership helped ruin the Roman Empire. “Collapse is often quick and greatness provides no immunity,” explains researcher Luke Kemp. Greater size is not a protection, and Kemp describes...

Al Jazeera: Indian Bill That Excludes Muslims

January 10, 2019
India’s lower house of parliament approved a bill granting citizenship rights to non-Muslim immigrants. The legislation would require approval of the upper house – unlikely because it’s not under the control of the Bharatiya Janata Party that devised the plan. India is host to numerous refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Critics have called the proposal, contained in the...

The Atlantic: Education Divides the US

Adam Harris November 7, 2018
Political divisions that linger over decades are difficult to resolve quickly. Adam Harris, writing for the Atlantic, points to an emerging divide among US white voters: 61 percent of those without college educations select Republicans and 53 percent with college educations select Democrats. About 50 years ago, college degrees were less common, more often held by Republicans. The civil rights...

New York Times: Hate Poisons America

October 30, 2018
A ready supply of high-powered guns combined with hateful online rhetoric and brutal attacks on specific communities – the most recent a shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue and bombs mailed to leading Democrats – demonstrate how hatred can consume entire societies. Americans no longer feel safe in their schools, workplaces, places of worship or entertainment. In Pittsburgh, the gunman shouted, “...