The Ukraine is boiling over. The Maidan, the Tahrir Square of Kiev, is a war zone. The battle lines are constantly being redrawn, and the conflict has already spread beyond the capital, even into traditionally Russian strongholds. But you might miss the rapidly unfolding human drama if you follow only American news sources. Here’s your … Read more
On December 28, The United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announced that the December 31 deadline for complete destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons will not be met. Citing “a number of external factors,” the announcement by the UN and the OPCW signals a failure of the international community to meet a … Read more
Historically, hosting the Olympics has been a symbol of patriotism and national rebirth. Hosting the Games has been a way to show off the best of one’s country and has been a way to demonstrate a nation’s ascent (Beijing, 2008), international superiority (Atlanta, 1996), and, now, national rebirth (Tokyo, 2020). When Japan won its bid … Read more
Yesterday, October 11, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their “extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons.” This award must be seen as an endorsement of the perceived success of the OPCW in working to arrange for the destruction of chemical weapons and averting a once-imminent … Read more
The past few years have not been Russia’s best, at least from an international perspective. Since the reelection of Vladimir Putin for a third term as president in 2012 — but even during his role as prime-minister — the country has been known for major human rights violations that often escalated into full-blown violence. Such … Read more
Not surprisingly, Egypt has deteriorated into chaos and violence once again. Last week, hundreds were killed and thousands injured as the post-coup Egyptian government mauled thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Cairo. Usually when something like this happens anywhere in the world, the United States is either looked to for leadership, blamed for the bloodshed, … Read more
As soon as the nationality of Dzhokhar and Tamarlan Tsarnaev was announced in the aftermath of the Boston bombings, misinformed statements stereotyping the Chechen people spread through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. Not only did such updates and tweets draw a connection between the suspects and Islamic extremism that has not been confirmed, but … Read more