In The News

NewStatesman: Why Sweden Is Turning Right

Andrew Brown September 17, 2018
The Scandinavian countries have long been a role model on human rights, equality and control over globalization. But Sweden is slowly showing a rightward shift, and its leading anti-immigrant party, the Sweden Democrats won 17 percent in the September election. Swedes worry about a loss of control with the shutdown of traditional industries like shipyards, increased crime and changes in culture...

Los Angeles Times: Criticism of Israel and Anti-Semitism

Jaweed Kaleem and Teresa Watanabe September 13, 2018
Protesters and their targets increasingly reflect upon strategies and whether methods change or harden public stances. Specific questions emerge with protests and calls for boycotts and divestment targeting Israel as related to Palestinian issues, explain Jaweed Kaleem and Teresa Watanabe for the Los Angeles Times: “How much is Jewish identity tied to the modern nation of Israel? Is there a point...

BBC News: Europe and Nationalism

September 10, 2018
Nationalist and far-right parties are making electoral gains throughout Europe. The most recent example: Sweden Democrats winning about 18 percent of the vote on September 9. BBC News points to common themes including opposition to immigration and refugees, Islam and the European Union project: “In part, this can be seen as a backlash against the political establishment in the wake of the...

New York Times: Resistance Inside the Trump Administration

September 6, 2018
The United States is in democratic crisis with chaos in the White House and ongoing questions about the president’s capabilities. The New York Times took the extraordinary step of publishing an anonymous opinion essay said to be written by a senior official in the Trump administration, among the many “working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations…. But...

Washington Post: US Denies Passports to Border Citizens

Kevin Sieff September 4, 2018
The United States is increasingly denying passports to citizens who live along the Mexican border – even those with official birth certificates. The target: babies born at home, often by midwives. The policy was in effect since 2000, but enforcement has increased. “The Trump administration is accusing hundreds, and possibly thousands, of Hispanics along the border of using fraudulent birth...

HuffPost: Manafort Is Tiny Part of DC Lobbying Corruption

Paul Blumenthal August 22, 2018
Foreign governments make their preferences known about leaders of other nations, with some attempting to influence policies and even elections. Paul Manafort, the former chairman of the Trump campaign, has been found guilty of five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of failure to disclose a foreign bank account. The jury could not reach a decision on 10 other counts....

Vanguard: Earth Loses a Statesman – Kofi Annan

Charles Kumolo August 21, 2018
The world is mourning the death of Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations from January 1997 to December 2006. “Annan was not the first person nor the only African to have headed the global body, but his ability to lead and inspire endeared him to the world,” writes Charles Kumolo for Vanguard in Nigeria. “His 10-year leadership of the UN in the post-cold war era, saw him championing...