11 Years of War in Syria
What started as an anti-authoritarian uprising became a brutal international proxy war. However many years pass, the solution remains the same.
Ukraine: The Refugee Double Standard
Love thy neighbor, but only if they look like you?
The Impact of Green New Deals on Latin America
A new wave of extractivism from the Global South is the hidden side of the energy transitions in the North.
The War in Ukraine through the Eyes of Nestor Makhno
Anarchists in Ukraine and Russia are not fans of any states. But they’re against the Russian war on the Ukrainian state.
Crowd-sourcing a Nation Into Existence
British artist Alex Hartley christened the newly independent nation of Nowhereisland.
Review: Bahrain, Shouting in the Dark
During the democratic uprisings that began in the Arab world in 2011, the entire world has focused on Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and now Syria. On February 16, Bahrainis participated in what the Qatar-based television station Al Jazeera has called a “secret revolution,” one that was “abandoned by Arabs, forsaken by West and forgotten by the world.” With no international reporters in Bahrain to capture the uprising, Al Jazeera documented, in trembling closeness, the courage demonstrated by the Bahraini protesters, and then the horrors and bloodshed that ensued once the ruler’s forces commenced their attack.
Review: China and the Persian Gulf
China’s rise, according to many analysts, has been the world’s most significant geopolitical and economic development of the 21st century. Central to China’s rise has been the energy it needs to fuel economic growth. Importing over 42 percent of its crude oil from the Persian Gulf, Beijing views the region as vital for this economic development. China growing influence in the world’s most oil-rich region is the subject of Bryce Wakefield and Susan L. Levenstein’s China and the Persian Gulf: Implications for the United States.
AQ in Iraq Has a Funny (Ha, Ha) Way of Observing Ramadan
Al Qaeda in Iraq mounted its deadliest attacks of the year.
Iran Navy Reassures West It Won’t Block Strait of Hormuz
Iran has no immediate plans to block the Strait of Hormuz on response to sanctions.
Syria: The End of the Beginning
The bombing that killed Syrian Defense Minister Daoud Rahja may have been the handiwork of defectors from President Assad’s inner circle.
North Korean Gulag Story Gains Traction — and Opposition — in Social Media
To be accused of a political crime in North Korea is a life sentence for not just the accused, but family members as well.
Only Connect
Kaganga John and I were huddled around my computer in the food court of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20. We were checking our emails to see if anyone had agreed to meet with us. I felt the brush of suit jackets as people rushed by us.
“We aren’t leaving this conference without a concrete step toward sustainable development for your village,” I told Kaganga, “even if that means we don’t sleep.”
Environmentalists Miss Chance to Protest Base
On July 5, South Korea’s Supreme Court overturned lower court rulings against the Ministry of National Defense for proceeding with construction of a naval base on Jeju Island without an environmental impact assessment (EIA). It also ruled that the governor of Jeju had the authority to change the designation of absolute preservation areas. This ruling wasn’t just a major blow to residents of Gangjeong village where the navy base is being built but also to the many voiceless marine organisms. As you read this, massive caissons the size of four-story buildings are about to drop on soft coral reefs, forever destroying local marine ecosystems home to several endangered species.
Netanyahu Has Little to Fear From Kadima’s Desertion
Kadima’s fate as a political force in Israel is sealed.