In The News

Image of Drowned Syrian Boy Echoes Around World

Joe Parkinson and David George-Cosh September 4, 2015
Families in the Middle East are risking all to flee the violence. The photograph of a policeman, carrying a 3-year-old Kurdish boy from Kobani, found dead on a beach in Turkey, portrays the desperation. An aunt in Canada was trying to help two brothers and their families from a distance. “The images of the toddler’s lifeless body on a Turkish beach have reverberated across the globe, stirring...

IMF to the Aid of Ukraine: Well-Intended, But Misguided

David R. Cameron September 3, 2015
Ukraine, battling separatists and demands for autonomy in its eastern regions, confronts a debt crisis. The International Monetary Fund approved $17.5 billion over four years and also called for another debt operation. After five months of negotiations, Ukraine received another $15.3 billion, including a 20 percent “haircut” in the $18 billion of bonds held by the private creditors. More than...

Hacker Killed by Drone Was Islamic State’s “Secret Weapon”

Margaret Coker, Danny Yadron and Damian Paletta August 28, 2015
US and British military officials targeted a British citizen working as a hacker for the Islamic State, killing him with a drone: “That he was targeted directly shows the extent to which digital warfare has upset the balance of power on the modern battlefield,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “Islamic State didn’t build a large cyber force like the U.S.’s National Security Agency or China’s...

Tension Highlights North Korea’s Limitations

Shim Jae Hoon August 25, 2015
North Korea is among the world’s most isolated nations. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, the regime lashes out at South Korea, thriving just across the border. The most recent provocation: a landmine attack that wounded two South Korean border guards. Seoul responded by switching on loudspeakers along the 255-kilometer demarcation line, after their silence for more than a decade. Despite...

Denmark: First EU Country Planning to Run Anti-Refugee Adverts in Foreign Papers

Emmanuel Akinwotu August 20, 2015
Europe struggles to manage a refugee crisis. Tens of thousands of people are fleeing conflict in the Middle East and poverty in Africa; 2,000 have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year to reach Italy or Greece, which have their challenges with tight budgets. The wait for asylum applications is long, and conditions of camps holding asylum seekers are grim. Smugglers pass out brochures...

War Actually Is an Alternative to Iran Deal

Philip Gordon August 14, 2015
The Obama administration, along with other nations, negotiated an agreement with Iran on halting its nuclear research program for a limited time and allowing inspections. Opponents urge rejection, suggesting a better agreement can be reached, with Iran capitulating to broader US demands. The opponents scoff at US President Barack Obama’s conclusion that the alternative is more war in the Middle...

Erdogan's Cynical Game: Is Turkey Creeping Toward Civil War?

Maximilian Popp and Christoph Reuter August 4, 2015
Fellow NATO members have long urged Turkey to take action against the Islamic State terrorists in Syria and Iraq. Turkey now allows the United States to use some of its military bases to launch air strikes against the extremists. Reports suggest that Turkish air strikes are also targeting Kurd holdings, which in turn prompts protests in Turkey. Likewise, Turkey may be using a protective zone...