In The News

The Atlantic: Fears of a Pakistani Strongman

Omar Waraich July 28, 2018
Imran Khan has declared victory as prime minister in an election in Pakistan marred by charges of corruption and military interference. Khan’s supporters hope he can soothe country’s many internal divisions. “Khan views himself as classic populist, a politician who opposes a corrupt, morally inferior class of elites,” writes Omar Waraich for the Atlantic. “But many doubt whether he can unite such...

Foreign Affairs: The Failures of Capitalism

Robin Varghese July 26, 2018
Wages for the poorer half of the population in Europe and the United States have had sluggish growth over the last 50 years, while corporate profits have soared. Karl Marx, philosopher and economist, had predicted that the nature of capitalism would lead to inequality, unemployment, stagnant wages and oligopolistic firms. While communist revolutions did occur in countries like Russia and China,...

The Guardian: UN Calls for Access to Stranded Syrians

Kareem Shaheen July 25, 2018
The United Nations has requested access to nearly 250,000 stranded Syrians who fled rebel-controlled sectors of Deraa in the midst of an incursion by Syrian military forces. As Kareem Shaheen reports for the Guardian, “government forces are expected to turn to Idlib in the north, where Islamist militias and al-Qaida-linked militants control territory hosting more than two million internally...

DW: Theresa May to Lead Brexit Talks With EU

July 24, 2018
British voters voted in favor of leaving the European Union, 51 to 48 percent, in June 2016. The close vote, combined with inaccurate claims by supporters and accusations of Russian interference, would encourage a caution on Britain’s part. Analysts now anticipate a soft Brexit, with Britain retaining close ties with the EU, amid reports that Prime Minister Theresa May is controlling Brexit...

The Washington Post: Jewish or Democratic?

Ruth Eglash July 23, 2018
The Israeli parliament's approval of a legislation on the nation's identiy is sparking controversy “over the foundations of democracy in the country and what it means to be Israeli, with critics saying it will deny equal rights to non-Jewish citizens.” Proposed by members of the ruling right-wing Likud party, the bill identifies Israel as the “national home for the Jewish people.” The...

Washington Post: Thousands of Syrians Fleeing Toward Israel’s Border

Ruth Eglash July 14, 2018
Israel’s hardline policy on entrance for refugees has drawn ire from the international community. As fighting in Syria draws closer to the Israeli border, Syrian refugees – an estimated 11,000 – plead for safe haven. A recent article for the Washington Post observes, “forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russian airstrikes, are in the midst of a final push to recapture territory...

The Guardian: Israel Deploys Border Reinforcements as Syrians Flee Strikes

Patrick Wintour July 13, 2018
Efforts to facilitate a broad ceasefire in southwest Syria broke down at the end of June, prompting the Syrian military to initiate a fresh round of air raids in the Daraa province – an area inside the de-escalation zone agreed on by the US president, the Russian president and the Jordanian government. The Syrian government claims to control of more than half of the province. The increase in...