In The News

IRIN News: The Real Crisis in North Korea

Gianluca Spezza May 31, 2017
The international community focuses on North Korea’s expanding nuclear capability. The narrow focus, largely due to the dictatorship’s secrecy and closed economy, overlooks North Korean citizens, explains Gianluca Spezza for IRIN News Agency. Spezza points out that Kim Jong Un, while brutal, does not wield the influence of his father or grandfather, adding that “Security apparatuses are no longer...

The Washington Post: Trump Chastises Fellow NATO Members

Philip Rucker, Karen DeYoung and Michael Birnbaum May 26, 2017
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization formed in 1949 as collective defense against potential aggression by the Soviet Union. NATO now has 28 members. US President Donald Trump, attending meetings and ceremonies in Brussels, urged fellow members to pay a fair share of NATO expenses, at least 2 percent of GDP by 2024. Other NATO members may be wary of Trump, whose presidential campaign is under...

Foreign Policy: The Islamic State and the End of Lone-Wolf Terrorism

Jen Easterly and Joshua A. Geltzer May 25, 2017
A suicide bomber attacked after a pop concert in Manchester, England, killing 22 and injuring 60. The Ariana Grande concert was largely attended by young girls and women. The attacker, Salman Abedi, 22, was born to Libyan parents in England, and the Islamic State claimed credit for inspiring the attack. Analysts warn of more random attacks as the war in Syria shrinks ISIS territory, fighters...

The New York Times: A Cycle of Killing on a Border in Kashmir

Hari Kumar and Ellen Barry May 24, 2017
Indian soldiers based along the de facto border with Pakistan, in Kashmir, report grisly murders of their fellow soldiers, including beheadings and mutilations. Tensions run high along the border area known as the Line of control. Some accuse the government of an inadequate response, including resistance to returning victims’ remains – possibly an effort not to publicize the brutalities. Families...

NPR: Who Is Robert Mueller, Special Counsel Overseeing Russia Investigation?

Carrie Johnson May 19, 2017
The world closely followed the 2016 US presidential campaign, and will continue to do so with multiple investigations into reports of Russian interference during the election. Robert Mueller, former director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, has been nominated as special counselor with broad powers to investigate. Mueller started his job as FBI director a week before the 9/11 attacks,...

The Atlantic: The Terrible Cost of Trump's Disclosures

Eliot A. Cohen May 16, 2017
The Washington Post reports that the US president shared highly classified information about the Islamic State to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador. White House staff denied the story, possibly leaked by White House or intelligence staff. Donald Trump then confirmed that he shared “facts” for “humanitarian reasons.” Eliot Cohen describes the consequences for the Atlantic. Release of...

CNN: Putin Warns Against “Intimidating” North Korea After Latest Missile Launch

James Griffiths, Matthew Chance and Steve George May 15, 2017
North Korea tested another missile – its most successful yet, traveling more than 750 kilometers and landing near Russia, though the US and Russia disagree over just how that close. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin condemned the launch as dangerous but warned against “intimidating” North Korea. Some analysts suggest that the missile launched at another trajectory could have reached US bases in...