Ten Borders
The New Yorker – Staff writer and past ICWA Fellow Nicholas Schmidle traces the incredible journey of one Syrian refugee in his latest piece. Gahith, a Syrian law student, fled his home country and traveled across Europe, encountering other refugees, smugglers, police brutality, and mores, crossing ten borders before reaching eventually Sweden. With input from spokesman for the International Organization
The Mosque in the Cathedral
The Economist – Recent Fellow Malia Politzer has written a new piece for the Economist about the the mosque-cathedral of Córdoba. The article explores accusations claiming that the Catholic Church has taken over the mosque-cathedral, rebranding it as a cathedral only, and has obscured its Muslim history. For those who followed Malia’s work as an ICWA
Rescuing Girls, Investing in Girls: a Critique of Development Fantasies
Past Fellow Cynthia Caron’s recent academic article, written with Shelby A. Margolin, has been gaining media attention for its findings on girl-centered development initiatives. The research paper, “Rescuing Girls, Investing in Girls: a Critique of Development Fantasies,” delves into the effects of campaigns designed to foster economic growth by empowering girls and critiques the “failed development narrative that economic
Best Bad Idea for America in Syria
CNN – In his latest article, Andrew Tabler writes about the deteriorating situation in Syria. Four years after the crisis began Syria is the world’s largest generator of Sunni-Shia extremism, both Russia and Iran are moving into the country militarily and the possible courses of action for the United States in Syria continue to worsen. According to Tabler,
To Make Love Last, What If We Should Stop Working so Hard?
The Washington Post – In a recent post at PostEverything, past Fellow Eve Fairbanks muses on making love last. She describes the rising trend of articles that serve as how-to manuals for falling and staying in love, but wonders, after a trip to Kenya, if such concerted efforts really are the key to a successful romantic life. This latest
Can Russia Make a Difference in Syria’s War?
PBS Newshour – Over the past month Russia has been increasing its military involvement in the war in Syria by providing supplies and equipment, including attack aircraft, to the Assad regime. Judy Woodruff of PBS Newshour interviewed Past Fellow Andrew Tabler, now of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Nikolas Gvosdev of the U.S. Naval War
The Flight of Brazil’s Expats
OZY – In a new piece, Shannon Sims explains how the recent economic downturn in Brazil is causing many expats to pack up and leave the country. Brazil has entered a recession and foreign investments and job opportunities for foreigners, which were once plentiful, have decreased dramatically. Read the full article here for more of
Assad’s Draft Drives Refugees to Europe
The Daily Beast – Past ICWA Fellow Andrew Tabler is quoted in Kristina Jovanovski’s recent piece on the Syiran refugee crisis in Europe. Javanovski describes how the mounting efforts to draft young Syrian men into Bashar al-Assad’s military are driving increasing numbers Syrians to leave the country. According to Tabler, “The pressure [al-Assad] has put on everyday Syrians is one of
Why Brazil Is Mixing Mother Nature and the King Dollar
OZY – Some of Brazil’s national parks are coming under new management – that of private companies. In her latest piece, Shannon Sims investigates this trend, which has been brought on in part by the lack of resources of local governments. In the privately managed parks, infrastructure and maintenance have improved, but these changes have
Haiti Do-Gooder, TV Beet Farmer
OZY – In her latest piece, Pooja Bhatia interivews actor Rainn Wilson about Lide, his nonprofit organization based in Haiti. Wilson is best known for playing the wacky but hilarious Dwight Schrute on The Office, but has taken on the role of philanthropist in support of arts education for girls in the Haitian countryside. Bhatia engages Wilson