In The News

CNN: Man Filmed Being Dragged Off United Flight Causes Outrage

James Griffiths and Serenitie Wang April 12, 2017
The video of a man bloodied by security guards for refusing to give up his seat on a plane bound for Louisville, Kentucky, is proving to be a global social media sensation. Twitter users are mocking the company by creating new mottos for United Airlines and memes, and Weibo users have made the video its “number one trending topic” with “tens of thousands of outraged posts,” report James...

Reuters: Twitter Refuses US Order to Reveal User Behind @ALT_uscis

David Ingram April 7, 2017
Some Trump appointees are notable for their plans to overhaul the missions and policies of the agencies they lead, particularly environmental protection, education and health care. Some federal employees are reacting to new dictates with alternative social-media accounts to mock and critique administration policies. Twitter announced it filed a lawsuit blocking a summons demanding the names...

Los Angeles Times: Movie Banned in India Because It Was “Lady-Oriented” Plays in US

Shashank Bengali April 3, 2017
Censorship of art in one country can put a global spotlight on the banned material. “’Lipstick Under My Burkha,’ which follows two Hindus and two Muslims searching for personal and sexual freedom, was blocked from Indian theaters this year by the national censor board even as it collected awards at international film festivals,” reports Shashank Bengali for the Los Angeles Times. The women have...

Foreign Affairs: The Vatican and China Reach a Promising Accord

Victor Gaetan March 30, 2017
In February, the Bishop of Hong Kong announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pope Francis have negotiated a compromise in the selection of Chinese bishops, a critical religious disagreement that has festered since the 1950s. Although Chinese state and religious authorities will “recommend episcopal candidates,” the pope has veto power and hence “final authority,” reports Victor Gaetan for...

Foreign Policy: Erdoğan’s International Network of Muslim Cleric Spies

Paul Hockenos March 29, 2017
A diplomatic incident involving Germany and the Netherlands on one side and Turkey on the other revealed deep fault lines between Turkish immigrants and the nations where they reside. Members of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, wanted to campaign in the two countries for a constitutional referendum transforming Turkey’s parliamentary system into a...

NYT: Charity Closes India Operations Amid Crackdown

Ellen Barry and Suhasini Raj March 27, 2017
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, elected as a Hindu nationalist, has worked to rigorously enforce a law that regulates use of foreign aid in the country. The government has canceled the registration of more than 11,000 NGOs since Modi took office in 2014. One prominent charity, Compassion International, is locked in a legal battle with the state. Compassion International is a Colorado-based...

Spiegel Online: Eight Myths of Migration

Hein de Haas March 23, 2017
Migration continues to top political agendas, but a failure to understand the phenomenon will cause new problems. Fear of an “uncontrollable influx…. has fueled the rise of extreme nationalist parties,” explains Hein de Haas for Spiegel Online. The professor of sociology refutes myths of migration. Migration is circulatory; closed borders do not automatically lead to less migration and actually...