In The News

Phone-Tracking Program Defended in US Government Letter

Larry Neumeister July 23, 2013
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit on a US intelligence program that collects, tracks and stores telephone-record megadata, The US defended the program in a letter to a federal court by pointing out the program – was “approved” and “rigorously overseen” by the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government – has been successful in preventing terrorist attacks. “The...

India’s NSA Announces Cybersecurity Cooperation With Private Sector

July 22, 2013
India is considering closer collaboration with the private sector and other nations on cybersecurity, reports The Hindu, which covers the report “Recommendations of Joint Working Group on Engagement With Private Sector on Cyber Security.” Indian officials suggest that the internet could be described as a global commons and that requires global cooperation. One official noted that India has “...

Pakistan’s Malala Problem: Teen Activist’s Global Celebrity Not Matched at Home

Omar Waraich July 19, 2013
A young Pakistani schoolgirl survived an assassination attempt and continues to speak out on free, compulsory education for all. In a speech at the United Nations, 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai argued that books and pens are the most powerful tools against illiteracy and terrorism, reports Omar Waraich for Time Magazine. A global audience cheered her message: “One child, one teacher, one book and...

Egyptian Coup Splits Middle East

Dilip Hiro July 11, 2013
Massive protests on Egyptian streets, followed by a swift military coup, have underscored confusion in the region. Syrian leaders, struggling with their own insurrection, relying on support from the Islamist government in Iran, have suggested that religion is no basis for governance; Iran, after crushing opposition protests in 2009, urged Egypt’s protesters to resist frustration. Some US...

Need to Tear Down Another Wall

Jean-Pierre Lehmann July 4, 2013
At the 2013 World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, more than 300 Israeli and Palestinian civic leaders, led by captains of industry Yossi Vardi and Munib R.Masri, called for a break in the impasse on peace talks, instructing Israeli and Palestinian political leaders to achieve in the shortest time possible a two-state solution. Yet serious discussion is blocked by obstructive...

How to End the Forever War

Harold Hongju Koh May 14, 2013
Ending a war can be more time-consuming and challenging than starting one, especially the so-called global war on terror that has defied conventional notions. Harold Hongju Koh, professor of law and former dean of Yale Law School, describes how the war on terror transformed into endless war in this YaleGlobal essay based on a speech delivered in May at the Oxford Union. Koh refutes common...

To Arm or Not to Arm? That Is Obama’s Question

Zvi Bar’el May 7, 2013
Weapons last longer than alliances, and the Obama administration is highly cautious about arming even a small segment of Syria’s rebels. It’s happened time and time again that weapons quickly change hands and are used against the original providers. The chief of staff of the Free Syrian Army is pleading for US assistance while trying to build coalitions among fragmented forces resisting the Assad...