As sectarian violence begins to spiral out of control once again in Iraq, people unfamiliar with Islam are often unsure of the difference between the two major sects, the Sunni and the Shia. The split began when Mohammed, whom Muslims believe to be the one true prophet of God (the word “Allah” is just “God”…
With a cease-fire declared in Homs, Syria, displaced residents have started to return. Many of them were forced out as fighting intensified between the Syrian government and rebels two years ago, a common occurrence. Although all those were returning are displaced, are they refugees? What makes a refugee, besides leaving one’s home? The only difference…
Reports came out last week that officials in South Sudan were using radio stations to broadcast hate speeches and encourage ethnic violence. This is eerily familiar to the beginnings of the genocide in Rwanda twenty years ago, and as such have drawn increased attention in the region and internationally. But for many casual observers, the reports…
I don’t write as often as I’d like, but that is not for lack of topics. Ideally, I’d be able to constantly monitor the news and produce timely, relevant pieces as soon as a new situation arose — there are dozens of backgrounds I could write right now. But I have to balance the blog with…
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Rwandan genocide. There has been a good amount of coverage of where Rwanda stands today, and how the country and population are reconciling, but as a follow-up to my recent post on genocide, I wanted to write about the background of the events that…
Twenty years ago this month, a massive genocide began in a small East African country. While the world stood by hundreds of thousands of people were murdered, mostly with machetes and other crude weapons. I plan to write more about Rwanda, but first let’s dive into what “genocide” means.
There is no such thing as an unbiased source. This is true across all fields, but especially in international affairs. Knowing that, it is important to recognize and account for bias in the sources you use.
The situation heading into Sunday’s referendum on Crimea remains tense. The vote is to determine whether Crimea will remain an autonomous region within Ukraine, or join Russia. Russia, which has large numbers of troops in the region, has pledged to abide by the outcome of the vote, although the U.S. has said the West won’t recognize…
Mexican law enforcement officials announced Saturday that Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the leader of the Sinoloa Cartel and most-wanted drug kingpin, had been arrested. Who was El Chapo, and what is the Sinoloa Cartel?
A settlement was announced today that would bring an end to violent clashes in Ukraine. While this is a welcome end to a week of bloodshed and months of protests, what was behind them? In short, the protests and government crackdown represent an ongoing identity crisis within the Ukraine, which lies at the crossroads between…
Issues in Brief 