In The News

Vatican Updates List of Mortal Sins for Globalization Era

Dmitry Sudakov March 13, 2008
Many religions share the same goals, preventing harm to others or society, and their doctrines label the deliberate transgressions of moral law or religious teaching as sins. After 14 centuries, the Roman Catholic Church has updated its list of serious sins – adding pollution, genetic engineering, obscene riches, drug addiction, abortion, pedophilia and social injustice to the 6th century list of...

A Life or Death Decision

Robert Verkaik March 7, 2008
The punishment for practicing homosexuality in Iran is a slow and excruciating public hanging. An Iranian student in London, named by a former partner before an execution in Iran, failed to receive asylum in the UK, and has since fled to the Netherlands. A Dutch appeals court will rule on granting the young man Dutch asylum or returning him to the UK. Gay-rights activists throughout Europe...

Struggling to Squelch an Internet Rumor

Samuel G. Freedman March 5, 2008
The internet has revolutionized the way information is passed, making mass communication possible with the click of a mouse. And yet, such power left unchecked can ease the spread of misinformation. Samuel Freedman, Columbia University journalism professor, cites an example at the University of Kentucky, in which confusion over an e-mail suffix from the UK, led to thousands of e-mails forwarding...

Online Terrorists Prey on the Vulnerable

Gabriel Weimann March 5, 2008
Terrorists rely on state-of-the-art techniques from the advertising industry to attract suicide bombers. Rather than broadcast, or use one big message to attract a huge audience, the extremists “narrowcast,” targeting small groups with specific messages that exploit their vulnerabilities. The internet – anonymous and decentralized, reaching the alienated who desperately seek some inspiration or...

Globalization of Soccer Kicks Local Fans

Kanishk Tharoor February 25, 2008
Thousands of years ago, the Chinese, Greeks and Vikings all played games kicking balls about. But the modern game of soccer was born in England and the popularity of that particular sport has taken over the world. Thanks to satellite television, British soccer teams have hundreds of millions of fans all over the world and sport executives look to expand their audiences to more lucrative markets....

Integrating Islam into the West

Phillip Blond February 21, 2008
The rule of law evolves gradually over time, casting judgment on behavior as right or wrong. Media reports that the archbishop of Canterbury suggested Great Britain should adopt some aspects of Shariah or Islamic law ignited immediate protests. “Unfortunately, the media storm masked the real message of the speech, which concerned the authority of the secular state and its impact on religious...

Beijing Olympics: Shadow Over a Coming-Out Party

Paul Mooney February 20, 2008
China pursued its bid for the 2008 Olympics to burnish its image as a rising world power, also framing the games as an opportunity to improve human rights and integrate with the rest of the world. The approach of the Summer Games, however, has instead served to showcase China’s poor record on human rights. China has launched a new crackdown on domestic activists in an effort to prevent...