Donald Trump won the US presidency with less than a majority vote and governs with a level of support that struggles to reach 40 percent. The administration’s ineffective policies reflect a larger society that thrives on “an unrelenting barrage of crude and voyeuristic entertainments, most of which...
Reality TV presidency: Donald Trump shows his own rubber mask; Willie Robertson, actor with reality TV show Duck Dynasty, addresses the Republican National Convention
LAFAYETTE, INDIANA: Even now, polls suggest that about 40 percent of Americans...
Although once renowned for its prosperity and rich culture, Argentina has seen its fortunes decline as it suffered authoritarian rulers throughout the 20th century. Democratic strides in the 1980s and 1990s did not bring success, either - the "liberal" leaders of those two decades...
In a protest outside the presidential palace, unemployed Argentine piqueteros demand jobs and welfare support. (Photo: Jean-Pierre Lehmann)
BUENOS AIRES: One cannot help but be impressed by Buenos Aires when...
While many are aware of the "triangular" slave trade among Europe, Africa and the Americas in the 18th century, few people realize that Asian-European trade was also instrumental in sustaining the exchange of human slaves. For example, French ships carrying European goods to Asia returned...
19th-century lithograph of a French ship transporting slaves to the colonies in the Caribbean (Source: Digital Media Lab, University of Virginia Library)
NEW HAVEN: The role that international trade has played in developing a globally integrated...
Homelessness is a mark of failure for communities in providing basic security. Based on national reports, about 2 percent of the world’s population may be homeless. Another 20 percent lacks adequate housing, reports demographer Joseph Chamie. Such statistics come with a caveat. Obtaining accurate...
Under the open sky: Increasing numbers of people are homeless, in both wealthy and poor cities, from Russia to India
NOTE: This article was updated on 21 January 2020 to include the specific cautionary note from the OECD on using the data for...
UNICEF estimates the world has about 650 million females who married under the age of 18. Child marriages not only limit individual human rights, but also perpetuate poverty and inequality for entire communities and countries. Nonyelum A. Ujam, who works with the Central Bank of Nigeria and is a...
Not made in heaven: Nigeria’s child bride with newly married husband; Nigeria’s young girls face a bleak future
ABUJA, NIGERIA: The United Nations International Children’s Education Fund, UNICEF, defines a child as any person below the age of 18...
Prices are climbing for oil, the most traded commodity on global markets and the world’s leading energy source. Much production is in volatile regions, and it comes as little surprise that production and trade in crude oil and refined petroleum products have produced a flourishing illicit market...
Hot commodity: High energy prices can encourage black markets, and oil from a makeshift refinery in Idlib, Syria, can eventually make its way to tankers destined for Europe or the Asia Pacific (Reuters)
BERKELEY: Oil is still the world’s leading...
In the US, Indians and Indian-Americans make up the largest non-Caucasian segment of the American medical community, where they account for one in every 20 practicing doctors. In recent years, they have become a more vocal and visible presence, undertaking charitable activities and political...
Rahul Sharma, a resident physician of Indian origin, examines a patient at New York's Bellevue Hospital: The opportunities for his fellow countrymen to join his profession in the US may be shrinking. (Photo (c) Steve Raymer 2004...
Russia develops influence throughout the Middle East by juggling relations among countries that have an interest in Syria and its dubious policies. "Putin has managed to maintain cordial relations with arch-enemies Iran and Israel simultaneously by depending on different sets of pillars,”...
Diplomatic gymnast: Russian President Vladimir supports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while cultivating relations with rival Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
LONDON: During the recent Israeli...
