In The News

World Post: Entry Ban Punishes Citizens, Not Government

Jamsheed K. Choksy and Carol E. B. Choksy February 2, 2017
A blanket ban on traveling from seven countries is targeting many accomplished individuals who have already demonstrated deep appreciation for the United States by working with the US military or providing public service as research professors or physicians. In an essay for the World Post, Jamsheed K. Choksy and Carol E. B. Choksy agree that the government of Iran, for example, has supported...

The Hopes for Peace and Palestinian Statehood Fade Away

January 6, 2017
Conflicts that linger for decades are costly in many ways and threaten security and reduce trust for all concerned. The Economist reports on the speech by US Secretary of State John Kerry on the ongoing failure to end the “stubborn struggle” between Israel and Palestine. Kerry described the Netanyahu administration as “the most right-wing in Israeli history” and questioned how a hardline agenda...

Crackdown in Turkey Threatens a Haven of Gender Equality Built by the Kurds

Rod Nordland December 26, 2016
Gender equality, an elusive goal for most nations, is commonly enjoyed in Kurdish towns in Turkey. Women serve alongside men in Kurdish guerrilla units, and governmental decisions concerning women are made by a panel composed solely of women. The gender equality espoused by the Kurds and the pro-Kurdish HDP party have had an impact across the country, even in religious Muslim areas of western...

UN Resolution on Israeli Settlements

Barak Ravid December 26, 2016
The United States abstained at the UN Security Council, allowing a resolution to move forward on opposing Israeli settlements illegal under international law. “The Fourth Geneva Convention bans nations from the moving of populations into and the establishing of settlements in the territory of another nation won in war,” explains Barak Ravid for Haaretz. For now, the “resolution is a form of...

Erdogan: “No Doubt” Russian Envoy's Killer Linked to Gulen

December 21, 2016
Russia’s ambassador to Turkey was assassinated in Ankara by a Turkish police officer who referred to retaliation for Russia airstrikes in Aleppo, according to witnesses. Turkey and Russia have taken opposite sides on the civil war in Syria, but relations between the two countries warmed in recent months. Turkey’s president quickly insisted there is “no doubt” the killing was inspired by Muslim...

In Turkey, a Capstone to a Violent Year; in Germany, a Realization of Fears

Tim Arango December 20, 2016
The assassination of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey at a photography exhibit and a truck roaring through Berlin streets, targeting a Christmas market and killing at least a dozen people, demonstrate that security is tenuous. A few can destroy good relations and disrupt communities. “The two terrorist attacks … came within hours of each other Monday night, bookends to a terrible year that saw the...

Turkey’s Effort to Join the EU Is on Life Support

December 19, 2016
In the aftermath of a bloody failed coup in Turkey – including arrests of political opponents and journalists – European leaders are assessing Turkey’s bid to join the EU. They admit that the crackdown in Turkey goes against European principles, particularly as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan adopts increasingly hostile language toward Europe. Talks have been flailing for years, especially since...