In The News

The Atlantic: “CNN Effect” Dies in Syria

Uri Friedman March 1, 2018
Broadcasts of atrocities can prompt government action. While research has not confirmed a positive link, analysts suggest that 1990s reporting from Iraq, Somalia and Bosnia contributed to public expectations for US intervention. Despite an abundance of real-time reporting, the CNN effect may be a mirage for Syria: “the Syrian government’s relentless bombardment of the besieged rebel enclave of...

The Guardian: Gazans Rush as Egypt Opens Crossing

Hazem Balousha and Oliver Holmes February 26, 2018
Egypt opened its Rafah border, a rare occurrence since 2013. Gazans in need of medical treatment or refuge from Israeli military incursions hope to leave. Hazem Balousha and Oliver Holmes report for the Guardian: “Some 30,000 Gazans including medical patients, students and businesspeople are on a waiting list to travel through Rafah. But not all are guaranteed.” Under the joint control of the...

BBC: UN Tussles Over Syria Ceasefire

February 23, 2018
Russian-backed Syrian forces are pounding the rebel-held city of Ghouta with airstrikes that have left hundreds of people dead. About 400,000 people are reported to be trapped. The UN Security Council is considering a 30-day truce to allow aid and evacuations, but Russia called for changes in the draft proposal that will be voted on today. The Syrian government claims to be targeting terrorists....

Lawfare: Mueller’s Indictment of Russian Hackers Highlights Stakes of Microsoft Case

Andrew Keane Woods February 20, 2018
Since the 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, DC, in 2001, the United States developed sophisticated surveillance techniques. Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russians and three Russian organizations for interfering in the 2016 presidential elections, describing elaborate efforts to avoid detection including virtual private networks and US travel to set up servers and accounts...

The New York Times: Banks Could Control Gun Sales if Washington Won’t

Andrew Ross Sorkin February 20, 2018
Jurisdictions that restrict gun sales, like Australia or Connecticut, soon experience fewer mass shootings, suicides and other shooting deaths. The United States has the highest rate of gun violence among developed nations, yet the National Rifle Association and Congress resist background checks and other controls. In the wake of a Florida school shooting that left 17 dead, Andrew Ross Sorkin of...

The News: The Voice of the Voiceless

Kamila Hyat February 19, 2018
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semiautonomous region in Northwest Pakistan, long labeled as a source of security concerns for the entire region. Pashtun tribal people are engaging in peaceful protests, demanding more control, rights and services including schools and educators, hospitals and health providers. The compounding needs and complaints is a “dangerous trend in the current...

Al Jazeera: Regional Powers Brace for a Showdown in Syria

Farah Najjar February 13, 2018
Multiple nations intevene in the Syrian civil war and this could expand the fighting. “A surge in Israeli-Syrian cross-border incidents has turned into the ‘biggest’ confrontation between the two countries in decades and confronted Russia with a new dilemma: how to preserve its ties with both sides,” reports Farah Najjar for Al Jazeera. “Israel and Syria have been at the brink of war ever since...