In The News

How the World Sees the US Protests: Guardian

Uki Goñi, Lily Kuo , Jason Burke, Tom Phillips, Sam Jones and Julian Borger June 8, 2020
The US presidential election is less than five months away, and the decision about who leads the world’s largest economy and military impacts the rest of the world. More than 10 straight days of US protests demonstrate a deep divide. Protests began after police killed a handcuffed black man, despite pleas from horrified witnesses videotaping the death – just one among many such videos in recent...

Shaky Coalition Government in Israel: NPR

Mark Katov May 18, 2020
Israel had three elections since April 2019 that produced no clear winner. To contain the Covid-19 pandemic, leading rivals Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz agreed to share power in a unit government, despite Gantz’s pledge not to join a government led by his rival. “Netanyahu begins his fifth consecutive term as prime minister one week before he goes on trial for corruption charges,” reports...

Israel’s Gantz Vows “Broad Government”: Haaretz

Jonathan Lis and Chaim Levinson March 16, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic may have ushered the end to Benjamin Netanyahu’s lock on Israel’s government along with efforts to avoid a trial for corruption. A close majority of Knesset lawmakers gave a go-ahead to Kahol Lavan Chairman Benny Gantz in forming a government. Two elections during the past year failed to produce a clear winner and a governing coalition. Gantz promised to “form a national...

Malaysia’s Mahathir Resigns: Asia Sentinel

John Berthelsen and Murray Hunter February 24, 2020
Malaysians are express dissatisfaction with political machinations. Mahathir Mohamad resigned as the 94-year-old prime minister. A coalition adjustment plan fell apart, as “moderate Malays and members from Sabah and Sarawak refusing to go along with a grouping that included the fundamentalist Parti Islam se-Malaysia, and others finding it a bridge too far to join the deeply corrupt United Malays...

To Hell With the Truth: Folha

Flavia Lima February 19, 2020
WhatsApp and other social media platforms increasingly influence public perceptions during election campaigns. A parliamentary committee in Brazil is examining the spread of misinformation on social media and finds disturbing trends, including a tendency for confirmation bias. A data analysis firm demonstrated how some Brazilian officials support misinformation on official social media accounts,...

Sinn Féin Gains in Irish Election: AP

Jill Lawless And Nicolae Dumitrache February 11, 2020
UPDATED: Sinn Féin won nearly 25 percent of the vote in Ireland’s February 8 election. “In a surge that upended Ireland’s traditional two-party system, the left-wing nationalist party beat both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, the centrist parties that have governed Ireland since it won independence from Britain a century ago,” reports the Associated Press. “Sinn Fein’s left-wing proposals for tackling...

President Tsai Reelected: Taiwan News

Keoni Everington January 14, 2020
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen was reelected in a landslide victory with 57 percent of the vote. The economy and excessive Chinese control were top issues. China had cut off contact with the Tsai government; protests disrupting Kong since June also troubled Taiwanese voters. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) told the media Sunday (Jan. 12) that officials from more than 60 countries had...