All Commentaries
Burma President’s Dangerous Refusal to Condemn Buddhists for Violence Against Rakhine Muslims
If Thein Sein continues to support a campaign that preaches hate, he will effectively obliterate the nation’s chances of restoring peace and creating unity among its diverse peoples.
Poison Gas and Arabian Tales
Would the Assad government really “cross the red line” in order to kill 150 people?
Egypt Speaks, Again
The taxi driver was excited. Driving through the busy streets of Cairo a little more than a year ago, he wanted us to see his most prized token from the revolution that brought Egyptians to the streets in 2011.He passed his cell phone to the back seat to share a YouTube video of his children were singing the Egyptian national anthem—backwards. Backwards, he explained, because that was how former President Hosni Mubarak was ruling the nation. “We want Egypt to be for all Egyptians—Christians, Jews, and Muslims,” he declared, smiling broadly.
Emphasis Added: the Week in Pieces (7/5)
From Edward Snowden to Taliban drug dealing to Stratfor’s ruined credibility.
Celebrations and dangers for Egypt’s revolutions
There are serious differences between Egypt’s latest upheaval and the 2011 revolution, and major dangers. This time, the deposed president was Egypt’s first democratically and popularly elected president in several generations.
The Roots of Social Rebellion? Social Movements.
The lesson from the streets of Brazil, Turkey, and the Arab world is to avoid underestimating half-baked social movements still in their infancy. With technological advancements and opportune conjunctures, the underdogs of yesterday can quickly turn into the makers of tomorrow. Not every nascent movement cascades into a full-blown revolution, but the pathfinders whose thoughts and actions carry forward to make history must get their due recognition.
Two Cheers for the Serbian Government
Danilo Vukovic has a more charitable view of the Serbian government than many of his colleagues from other NGOs.
When American Universities Expand to China, Does Academic Freedom Suffer?
The expansion of American universities into authoritarian countries raises troubling questions about their ability to guarantee academic freedom and student expression on their satellite campuses.
What Immigration Reform Means for Women
The U.S. immigration system—and efforts to reform it—can impact women differently from men. While much of the U.S. immigration debate has centered on controversies over citizenship and “border security,” less attention has been paid to the enormous impact of immigration policies on women, who make up 51 percent of undocumented immigrants and face unique challenges as they try to make a living in a new country.
The Meaning of Rouhani
Although Hassan Rouhani’s victory in Iran’s presidential election was a major gain for the moderate and reformist political groups in Iran—and consequently a major loss for the conservative groups—its implications are far greater than a simple adjustment in the balance of power in Iran’s domestic politics.