In The News

Sony Fights Against Hackers, Who Threaten Violence at Theaters Playing “The Interview”

Cecilia Kang, Andrea Peterson and Ellen Nakashima December 22, 2014
Hackers, yet unknown, exposed embarrassing, confidential and protected documents from Sony Pictures Entertainment along with threats for theaters featuring “The Interview,” a film originally scheduled for nationwide release December 25. Globalization in entertainment, technology, security, civil and privacy rights converge as suggested by the team of writers for this Washington Post essay. The...

Why #I'llRideWithYou Worked

Husna Haq December 19, 2014
Muslims represent about 2 percent of Australia’s population. After a lone extremist, out on bail for serious charges, terrorized a group in a Sydney chocolate store, Twitter users realized that Muslims might expect a backlash and started a campaign on #I’llRideWithYou: “the hashtag began with a Facebook post … [by a woman] who said a Muslim woman sitting next to her on a train in Sydney had...

Clouds Over Charities for Refugees in Islamic Countries

Susan Froetschel December 18, 2014
The world has 50 million displaced people, and refugees have little choice but to depend on other countries and their citizens for generosity. Faith-based charities are often among the first to respond to humanitarian crises, notes the UN Refugee Agency, and Islamic faith-based charities are active in Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey – lead host nations for refugees. Fundraising by...

The Ransom Dilemma

Peter Singer December 12, 2014
The advanced world is divided about whether to pay ransoms to rescue citizens kidnapped by terrorists. Author and ethicist Peter Singer suggests that the Islamic State so far has beheaded hostages from the United States and United Kingdom, as well as many Syrian, Lebanese, and Kurdish soldiers, too. Hostages from European countries, whose governments are said to have secretly negotiated ransoms...

Russian Demographics: The Perfect Storm

Joseph Chamie and Barry Mirkin December 11, 2014
One measure of an economically secure homeland is women’s willingness to raise children with the expectation of opportunities for good health, education and livelihoods. On that front, Russia confronts a perfect storm – as fertility rates plummeted to 1.2 births per women in the late 1990s and now stand at 1.7 births per women. “Russia’s population will most likely decline in the coming decades,...

CIA “Torture” Report: The 54 Countries That Will Be Worried By Controversial Revelations

Adam Withnall December 10, 2014
The US Senate Intelligence Committee released a 500-page summary to a report that outlines a six-year investigation of enhanced interrogation techniques described as violation of international law. The Bush administration deemed measures proposed by contract psychologists as lawful after the September 11 attacks on four airlines, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon: “Nevertheless, such...

Afro-Optimism: Has the Pendulum Swung Too Far?

Raila Odinga December 2, 2014
Development and economic growth in Africa offer great potential, yet poverty, conflict, preventable infectious disease and other challenges remain. Leaders cannot rest easy, warns Raila Odinga, former prime minister of Kenya in an article based on his remarks during the Annual Coca-Cola World Fund Lecture at Yale University, October 9, 2014. Odinga reviews Africa’s many accomplishments over the...