In The News

Al Jazeera: Rohingya Refugees Made Permanent, a Cycle Repeated

Linah Alsaafin September 2, 2018
As the United Nations invests in improved infrastructure and living conditions for refugees, risk emerges that temporary homes become permanent and discourage a return home. Camps housing 1 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, are overwhelming, writes Linah Alsaafin, and she compares the experiences with those of Palestinian refugees. The Rohingya camps confront challenges...

Times of India: Wooing by Weapons

Nayan Chanda July 30, 2018
The United States has approved the sale of unmanned combat drones known as Sea Guardians to India. Sales of these drones were once limited to NATO allies. “India has increasingly looked at drones to protect its borders and vast coast line,” explains Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal, in his column for the Times of India. “The threat from the sea has grown since with the increased...

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...

The Guardian: Accountability Only Way to End Violence in Myanmar

Yanghee Lee and Georgia Drake July 11, 2018
Local and international organizations have reported serious violations and abuses in Myanmar for decades, and sexual violence cases overwhelmingly feature members of Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw. Yanghee Lee and Georgia Drake report for the Guardian: “Myanmar has faced civil war since shortly after independence in 1948, and there are countless instances of its peoples facing serious...

Daily Naya Digantha: Bangladesh as Pakistan or Kashmir?

Minar Rashid July 11, 2018
Political opponents can be counted on to issue dire warnings to sway support their way. Supporters of the Awami League warn that the party’s loss could make Bangladesh similar to Pakistan, and some observers suggest India may be working to boost the Awami League in the elections to be held later this year. With more than 160 million people, Bangladesh ranks as the world’s eighth most populous...

CNN: All 12 Boys, Coach Freed in Thai Cave Rescue

Euan McKirdy, Kocha Olarn and Steve George July 10, 2018
Divers escorted the last members of the Wild Boars soccer team from a cave today – in a complex three-day mission that required racing the clock against rains flooding the cave and oxygen depletion. Each phase of the mission took at least nine hours from divers’ entry to exit. The 12 boys and their young coach had been underground for more than two weeks, trapped by floodwaters. An international...

Atlantic Council: Win for Democracy in Malaysia

Huihui Ooi May 11, 2018
Opposition leader Tun Mahathir Mohamad, 92, is Malaysia’s new prime minister after defeating the incumbent’s Barisan Nasional coalition. “This is the first time since Malaysia’s independence in 1957 that an election has brought about a transfer of power and an end to BN rule in the Muslim-majority nation,” notes Huihui Ooi of the Atlantic Council, adding that the surprise outcome defies an...