In The News

A New Tool to Fight Genocide

John Prendergast and Brad Brooks-Rubin December 29, 2016
Traditional methods for combatting crimes against community include United Nations peacekeeping efforts, the International Criminal Court and humanitarian aid. Ongoing prevalence of civil war and genocide in central and eastern Africa, however, indicates that the world must seek new and more effective solutions. Restrictions on money laundering may be the best way to “address the root causes of...

Ignoring Climate Change Just Got More Expensive

Eric Roston December 28, 2016
The costs of climate change – maintaining and insuring infrastructure, industry preparation, property damages and losses – are climbing. William Nordhaus of Yale University has updated his model for studying the effects of climate change on the global economy in an “era of minimal climate policies.” In short, the world is not doing enough to stem or prepare for climate change. “Even after...

Chaos Theory of Donald Trump: Sowing Confusion Through Tweets

John Wagner and Abby Phillip December 27, 2016
US President-elect Donald Trump follows a pattern, confounding global media and world leaders with provocative statements on Twitter, at rallies or during television programs. His staff then attempts to reassure the public with interpretations and insistence that social media messages do not reflect official policy. “But nothing has created more consternation for many foreign policy experts than...

The US: A Country That Can Be Ignored

Leonid Bershidsky December 27, 2016
When the United States or other powers withdraw from world affairs, other nations hurry to fill voids and build influence. “President Vladimir Putin's Russia has been at the forefront of the effort,” explains Leonid Bershidsky. “In the latest development, on Tuesday, the foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey met in Moscow to discuss a plan for Syria.” Russia and the United...

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...

How to Cure the Globalization Backlash

Harold Sirkin December 23, 2016
Those who fear globalization are often dismissed as bigots, but anxiety over security and jobs is another factor, explains author and professor Harold Sirkin for Forbes. Many in the developed world have lost confidence. “Unfortunately, too many people in the industrialized West have too much idle time on their hands – and not by choice,” he explains and that compounds the anger and fear. “People...