In The News

Can Iran, Victim of Chemical Weapons, Help Fix the Syria Crisis?

Karl Vick September 13, 2013
Iran is one of Syria’s few allies, yet its people were also victims of horrific chemical weapons attacks during the 1980-88 war with Iraq. Some analysts suggest that Iran – because of its own history as a victim of chemical attacks – may be key to instigating diplomacy among the warring factions. “Saddam Hussein’s unchecked use of mustard gas, cyanide and other chemical weapons against Iranian...

Ecuador Approves Yasuni Park Oil Drilling in Amazon Rainforest

September 13, 2013
Ecuador is moving to open an Amazon national park, one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, for oil drilling. Developed nations balked at a UN-backed conservation plan that included international payments for not drilling in Yasuni National Park, reports BBC News. “Oil is Ecuador's main export,” reports the article, adding that drilling could start in weeks. President Rafael Correa...

Dignity Deficit Fuels Uprisings in the Middle East

Nayef Al-Rodhan September 10, 2013
The Arab Spring has pummeled a region with waves of hope for recovering lost dignity, short-lived success and then despair and more despair. Unending conflict has killed many and left millions more refugees. The international community has long empowered brutal dictators, in pursuit of oil or short-term stability, and then pointedly ignored dire conditions, overlooking blatant violations of human...

The Case Against War in Syria

Oona Hathaway, Scott Shapiro August 29, 2013
Scenes of lifeless bodies and Syrian children suffering from a chemical attack trigger an urge for immediate action. The most likely suspect behind the attacks is Syrian forces protecting dictator Bashar al-Assad. At the very least, the regime failed to protect its stockpiles of chemical weapons. But an outraged world should be patient: “unleashing even limited military force without U.N....

Codename “Apalachee”: How the US Spies on Europe and the UN

Laura Poitras, Marcel Rosenbach, Holger Stark August 27, 2013
NSA documents released by former contract worker Edward Snowden suggest that the US has targeted EU, UN and International Atomic Energy Agency offices with surveillance and that US embassies serve as bases for spying activities. The documents were released shortly after the US president had vowed the country's only surveillance interest was to “prevent a terrorist attack.” Such spying has...

US Urged to Adopt Policy Justifying Intervention

Mark Landler July 25, 2013
The doctrine known as “responsibility to protect,” or R2P, compels nations to act when other nations commit atrocities against their own people. But decisions on intervention represent a struggle between conscience and pragmatism. The US applied R2P to justify support for Libyan rebels in 2011, but has hesitated to do the same for Syrian rebels, explains Mark Landler of the New York Times, adding...

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...