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…
Issues in Brief 