In The News

When the price of oil spiked in the 1970s, the profits were lost to corruption and thus only deepened oil-producing nations’ social problems. We can do much better this time, argues Mohamed Sid-Ahmed: the current boom in oil prices is an opportunity for oil producers to further develop their economies and lift their societies from poverty. There are signs of encouragement on this front: today...

In a development that recalls the Iranian theocracy's 1989 fatwa forcing author Salman Rushdie into exile, Turkish officials have criminally charged novelist Orhan Pamuk for his comments condemning the country's slaughter of Armenian residents at the beginning of the 20th century. Pamuk, a native Turk whose work has received numerous accolades, has made no bones about his stance on the...

As bombings and attacks kill dozens of Iraqis daily, the rhetoric surrounding Iraq's invasion has remained polarized and extreme. In the international community, groups like Human Rights Watch (HRW) often focus on the human cost of the war – regardless of politics. The group's Middle East director insists, "US forces have used excessive and indiscriminate force, tortured detainees...