President Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace has a membership list that is both unprecedented and highly unusual. While the roster places the CEO of an asset-management firm alongside the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the most peculiar inclusion is Gianni Infantino: the President of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the […]
Tag: human rights
“Good Food,” “Good Life,” Bad Ethics
Nestlé’s plethora of water scandals depicts the extent to which profit overpowers ethics, and the lack of effective regulation, which is already perpetuating detrimental circumstances worldwide. There is no benefit to accepting this as the norm – we should empower regulatory activism and shift the status quo to one that gives more value to a human life than a dollar.
Ethiopia’s “Renewal Through Planting” and the Politics of Green Authoritarianism
The intense Ethiopian sun burns down as thousands of volunteers in green shirts, school children alongside politicians, take up shovels and saplings in a publicly broadcasted spectacle to plant millions of trees in a single day. They are participating in the world’s largest state-led reforestation campaign, Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative, with official figures claiming that […]
Supreme Court Rulings Favoring Trump Provide Little Explanation
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has taken on a more influential and significant role in legislation and policy making, as seen in the number of pivotal rulings and overturned precedents in recent years. SCOTUS, with its 6-3 ratio of conservative to liberal justices, continues this role by halting cases and decisions brought […]
AB 260 Protects Reproductive Freedom Amid State Crackdowns
“California stands for a woman’s right to choose,” affirmed Gov. Newsom as he signed Assembly Bill 260, a sweeping California law designed to protect reproductive care in the state. His message to the rest of the nation is unmistakable: when Washington turns its back on women, California will stand in their defense. Just months ago, […]
The Refugee Camp That Time Forgot
Nestled in the arid terrain of northeastern Kenya, the Dadaab refugee complex stands as one of the clearest examples of a humanitarian system that has lost its way. Established in 1991 as an emergency response to the outbreak of civil war in Somalia, Dadaab was designed to be a temporary solution. But over three decades […]
The Aesthetic of Authoritarianism: AI and the Trump Government
Donald Trump’s government hasn’t been shy about embracing generative AI. No later than his second day in office, the President announced the $500 billion Stargate project: a joint private venture aimed at constructing 20 AI datacenters in the US. Standing beside Trump when he made the announcement were the leaders of OpenAI, Oracle, and Softbank […]
Playing Defense: Why Transgender Athletes Have a Place in Women’s Sports
For once, Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump agree on something: transgender athletes. In the inaugural episode of his podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom,” the California Governor called the debate over transgender athletes “an issue of fairness.” That should sound familiar: President Trump’s February 5th executive order refers to banning trans athletes from competing in women’s […]
Silencing the Messenger: The War on Truth and Free Press
Between 2006 and 2024, over 1,200 journalists were killed, with UNESCO reporting that 85% of these cases remain unresolved. Journalism, once hailed as a pillar of democracy, has now become a perilous profession. This culture of impunity reflects systemic failures at the national and international levels to protect journalists and hold perpetrators accountable. The result […]
Echoes of Silence: How Aynaghor Exposes South Asia’s Hidden Repression
For the first time in half a decade, Michael Chakma saw the sun. He had escaped, but he could barely remember where to go or who to call. Five years prior, Chakma was abducted by Bangladeshi intelligence, and from that day on, he was subjected to torture, stuck in the darkness, and only able to […]
Echoes of the Earth: A Battle for Sacred Lands
The coast of South Africa’s Eastern Cape, near the Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve, is a picture of calm. Clouds rest on the horizon, and gentle waves turn the sand into a reflection of the blue sky. But this serenity faces a threat—one driven by the demands of a warming climate and an economy rooted in fossil […]
Drone Warfare is Eroding the Right to Life
Technology has made war feel as remote as a video game: armed drones hover above like silent arbiters of life and death, striking targets with the press of a button. These “precision” machines, initially confined to distant battlefields, are now used in routine counter-terrorism operations and even domestic policing. But who really pays the price […]
The Limits of Israel’s Wars
The Prussian General Carl von Clausewitz famously said “War is merely the continuation of policy with other means.” A state sets a definable list of objectives, and when diplomatic or conventional political means do not suffice, it turns to military means to achieve its goal. War may be accompanied by violence, destruction, and chaos. However, […]
The Danger in Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric
“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.” In the weeks following the 2024 Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the former president’s false claim—and now […]
Dishonorable Killings: The Role of Police Brutality in Pakistan
Honor killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and political violence are just some of the words used to describe the police in Pakistan. These murders were not executed by some enraged mob but by the police—those responsible with enforcing the law and protecting the citizens of their country. The case is part of a broader pattern […]
Human Rights Issues in California: The Case of Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a dark shadow looming over California, silently ensnaring thousands each year. It’s a grim reality where people are coerced into forced labor or sexual exploitation, preying on the most vulnerable among us. But this isn’t just a statistic. It is a heartbreaking tale of exploitation that plays out in various forms across […]
The Future of Alabama’s Reproductive Healthcare
Sitting in her daughter’s room, Alabama resident 35-year-old Kimberly expressed fears that time was running out for her to complete her family. In an ABC News interview, she lined up all of her medications and explained it was her fourth and final IVF treatment. Yet she was told to wait – a reality that many […]
In Myanmar, Military Drafts Scare Away the Educated
“There’s no future for the youth.” —Tun Myint, Professor of Political Science at Carleton College VOA In Myanmar, youth are forced to confront a deadly choice. The country’s precarious position is under constant threat from rebel groups. Since the 2021 coup that replaced democratically elected leadership with a military junta, Myanmar has teetered on the […]
On The Emerging Hunger Crisis in Sudan
In 2019, the number of people facing acute food insecurity in Sudan was 5.8 million. Today, that number has reached 20.3 million, nearly half of the population, and is continuing to rise. In April of 2023, conflict between rival sectors of Sudan’s military, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began […]
France Constitutionally Protects Abortion in Monumental Vote by Legislators
In an era where reproductive rights are a hot-button issue in many countries, France has managed to explicitly codify abortion within its constitution—the most extensive protection of abortion and assertion of reproductive rights a nation has enacted in history. In response to an amalgamation of tension elsewhere over abortion, as well as persistent activism within […]
The Dangers of Politicizing Western Humanitarian Aid
At the dawn of the 20th century, failing dictatorships and crumbling empires left millions of people vulnerable to poverty, hunger, war, and extermination. The “free” world, with all its graciousness, has aided tens of nations to alleviate their suffering. Statistically, numerous humanitarian assistance projects, which the Western bloc primarily manages and funds, have shaped the […]
A Litmus Test Of Modi’s Political Tradecraft
In a matter of weeks, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will find himself awaiting poll results for the nation’s General Election, wondering whether he will be reelected to office for a third time. This time, however, will be very different from Modi’s previous runs—in 2014, the man was a fresh face to Indian national politics, […]
How Government Inaction Threatens Migrants’ Lives in a French Refugee Camp
Every year in northern France, between the popular tourist venues of the Opal Coast and the cold Flemish beaches at the border with Belgium, thousands of people hide behind dunes and between bushes waiting for the sun to set. When the sky is dark and the air still, they drag on the shore precarious embarkations—commonly […]
The Case for a United Ireland and Why It’s Only a Matter of Time
More than 750 years after the arrival of the first English occupying forces in Ireland, the passage of the Government of Ireland Act by the British Parliament in 1920 partitioned the island into two separate pieces. In the south, the majority-Catholic population gained national independence as the Republic of Ireland, finally free from centuries of […]
Is China Dismantling Democracy in Latin America?
“After all, who can blame a country for being able to take advantage of another country to the benefit of its citizens?” After visiting Beijing in 2017, former President Trump made a statement that may accurately reflect China’s contemporary foreign policy. Deemed the “Chinese miracle,” China has lifted 850 million people out of poverty since […]
The Climate Crisis is Worsening Gender Inequality in Education
One in every five children currently not enrolled in school resides in Nigeria. Despite primary education being entirely free and compulsory, over 10.5 million children are currently out of school. Gender plays a significant role in this pattern of educational deprivation. The net attendance rate for young girls in Nigeria is around 47% percent, compared […]
Pakistan Moves Forward with Mass Deportation of Afghan Migrants
Over 450,000 migrants have fled Pakistan for Afghanistan amid a worsening rift between the two governments. This wave of migration comes after the passing of the Pakistani government’s November 1st deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country or face deportation. Pakistan’s policy has sparked significant humanitarian concerns, as well as an increase in tensions […]
More Than a Techno Club: Bassiani as a Political Frontier of Georgia
Buy a one-way flight ticket to Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia. Once there, stroll across the Bridge of Peace to the eastern bank of the Kura River. Seek out a discreet black archway concealed beneath the largest sports arena in the city, and you will step into a dimly lit dance floor with DJs […]
Ditch Charity, Pick Mutual Aid
The ultra-wealthy present themselves as the solution for inequality, pledging millions and sometimes billions of dollars to philanthropic projects. Take Jeff Bezos, who gave $100 million to food banks during the pandemic, but did not provide adequate leave for Amazon workers who were sick during initial COVID outbreaks. Most billionaires’ charitable acts are more self-serving […]
The Devil Wears Fast Fashion: Myanmar’s Clothing Dilemma
While the usual contenders of Paris, London, and Milan persist in the battle for the fashion capital of the world, their chances in the global arena have recently been trumped by the emergence of a new competitor: Myanmar. Much to the world’s surprise, clothing exports have recently dominated Myanmar’s exports this year, reaching a record […]
Red-Tagging and Reclamation: Manila Bay Activists Freed!
On September 2, 2023, Jhed Tamano, a programme coordinator of the Community and Church Program for Manila Bay of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum, and Jonila Castro, a member of the Alliance for the Defense of Livelihood, Housing and Environment in Manila Bay, went missing while volunteering in a fishing community near Manila Bay. Local eyewitnesses reported […]
France’s Ban on Religious Symbols Violates Free Expression
France, a nation with a history entangled with the church and fraught with religious conflict, has become staunchly secularist in modern politics, prompting a decades-long political controversy over the existence of Islamic symbols in public schools. On September 4, 67 girls were sent home from French public schools after refusing to remove their abayas, a […]
Criticism Rises as California’s CARE Court Unfolds – And Rightfully So
In September 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom passed CARE Court: a first-in-the-nation scheme to address individuals with severe mental health and substance use disorders, emphasizing how “we’re going to do it without taking away people’s rights.” Now, as of October 1, 2023, it is time for the plan to start coming to fruition. Undoubtedly, the […]
Humanitarian Crisis and Concerns of War in the Aftermath of Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
An uncertain future lies ahead for Nagorno-Karabakh following a swift Azerbaijani military takeover of the breakaway region, which gained de-facto independence in 1994. This region, historically inhabited by Armenians but internationally recognized as part of and currently controlled by Azerbaijan, has been at the center of multiple conflicts since the dissolution of the Soviet Union […]
Promising Progress, Never Peace: The Weapons Crisis in Kashmir
On Monday, January 2, 2023, six people, among them two children, lost their lives in a blast attack on the Kashmiri village of Dangri, which is in India-controlled Kashmir. The attack occurred mere hours after two gunmen shot at three houses in the same village, where five were injured and four died. Later known as […]
Turkey’s 2023 General Election: A Turn in Turkey’s Democratic Future
Turkey today has undergone democratic backsliding in recent decades, as Turkish President Erdogan has transformed Turkey into an increasingly authoritarian state. With its general election ongoing, Turkey has been thrust into the spotlight as current President Erdogan faces opposition Kemal Kilicdaroglu. President Erdogan has become increasingly unpopular due to policies that dismantled key aspects of […]
Simultaneously, the U.S. and U.K. Move to Shut Out Asylum Seekers
As various global crises continue to stimulate substantial waves of migration on both sides of the Atlantic, the United States and the United Kingdom are taking parallel steps to close their doors to migrants in need. In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security recently published a new rule, set to go into effect […]
Democracy Under Attack in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the right to protest is under direct assault by the Conservative government. However, some of their efforts were recently dealt a significant—but limited—blow by a body of unelected nobles and aristocrats. On February 7, the House of Lords handed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government a substantial legislative defeat by rejecting several […]
An Open Letter to the Fashion Industry: Forget Your Instagram Posts, Change Your Supply Chain
Fast fashion disproportionately affects women on both the consumer and producer end. According to Vogue Business, “more than half [of women] reported buying most of their clothes from fast-fashion brands” and young women between the ages of 18 and 24 make 80% of fast fashion clothing. This parasitic relationship only became possible in the past […]
What Can We Learn From the Norwegian Prison System
In class roughly two months ago, an ex-felon came to talk about how he managed to turn his life around while in prison and how that allowed him to reduce his sentence and create a meaningful civilian life. To this, I wondered, why do prison systems not inherently focus on rehabilitation and focus so much […]
Big Tech Is Quaking, And We Are Here For It!
Big Tech is in a crazed frenzy like we have never seen before —and there is not much they can do about it. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Open App Markets Act, marking the first piece of legislation and the latest attempt to limit the power of big tech companies. Not only is it a […]
The Silenced LGBTQ+ Students in China
“We’ve had three social media accounts being censored consecutively, but we do not want to give up yet,” an anonymous Chinese LGBTQ+ organization student leader disclosed during an interview, “even when my university counselor has notified me to halt all activities in my organization, or I may receive penalties from the school.” In June of […]
Guatemalan Maya Take the Country to Court
On February 9, Indigenous elder Rodrigo Tot testified before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) on behalf of Agua Caliente, a Q’eqchi’ Maya community. For the first time in history, in Maya Q´eqchi´ Indigenous Community of Agua Caliente v. Guatemala, Guatemala is facing judgment in international court for violating Indigenous collective land rights. The […]
Targeted (government) harassment: The kind a Hijab can’t protect you from
The Hijab is a headscarf or veil worn by Muslim women in the presence of males, as per their religion. Open to several interpretations, some women also find wearing the Hijab liberating and a means of avoiding harassment. Because of the complexities in how the hijab is viewed, there are often violent reactions to the […]
Open Source Investigations: Legal Accountability and Ethical Labyrinths in the Dawn of a New Era of International Justice
On January 19, 2022, the New York Times released an article analyzing declassified surveillance footage of a tragically miscalculated US drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan from August 29, 2021. The grainy video footage captured by a heat-detection camera was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the US Central Command and exhibited graphic […]
Ethiopia’s Tigray Crisis: Famine, Humanitarian Tragedy and Tribal Politics
The year-long conflict in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray has ushered in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Through it all—killings, looting, sexual violence, and displacement—civilians continue to pay the high price for the descent of the second-most populous country in Africa into ethnopolitical confrontations and mass starvation. In November 2020, tensions […]
Supervised Injection Sites Save Lives. Let’s Talk About It.
Our discourse on drug policy and addiction is often relegated to hyperbolized images of wayward teens, often racialized and targeted pictures of poor communities of color, dark alleys of anomy, shame, and fear, and the ever-present “Just Say No” platitude. At the heart of the discourse is the increasingly controversial subject of the creation of […]
Amid Crisis in Venezuela, Traffickers Target Fleeing Migrants
Oil dependence. Falling production. Spiraling economy. Soaring debt. Hyperinflation. These are just some of the aptly-named “grim indicators” that led the Council on Foreign Relations to the conclusion that “Venezuela is the archetype of a failed petrostate.” Despite severe economic woes, the Venezuelan autocrat Nicolás Maduro has maintained his grip on power after claiming victory […]
Where Will Universal Jurisdiction Go from Here?
In mid-January, Germany drew headlines when a Koblenz court found Syrian colonel Anwar Raslan guilty of torture, murder, and sexual violence. A few months before the conviction of Raslan, a French court determined that legal action against a member of Syrian state security, Abdulhamid C., could not proceed. A common theme unites the two cases: […]
Yes, The War in Yemen is Still Happening.
“We’re literally looking at 16 million people marching towards the brink of starvation.” We’ve all seen the horrifying images of malnourished children, cities ravaged by war and a nation on the brink of collapse. But, this staggering statistic exposed the true depth of the crisis in Yemen. Fueled by a civil war that has […]
The Future for Racial Justice in U.S. Courts
Nearly one year ago, President Biden’s ascension to office alongside a Democratically controlled Senate and House brought with it a cautiously optimistic hope for legislation that could address racial injustice in the United States. However, much racial justice legislation throughout the year has been unable to withstand the pressures of partisan and intra-party divisions in […]
What About the Women: China’s Human Rights Abuses to Uyghur Muslims Includes Reproductive Rights Violations
Trigger warning: rape/sexual assault/women’s rights violations Beijing has confined 1-2 million Uyghur Muslims in “re-education camps” under the presumption of having “free vocational training” that would make the Uyghur’s lives more “colorful.” In these centers, the Uyghurs undergo immense human rights violations, including but not limited to the stripping of their religious expression, forceful […]
Rikers Island Illustrates the Issues Endemic To America’s Horrific Prison System
A dozen deaths at Rikers Island Jail this year alone. 5 suicides, some within days of one another. The debate on closing Rikers Island is quickly becoming less of a partisan issue and more of a human rights one. But this New York City jail complex is not unique in its inhumanity — rather, Rikers […]
The Litany of Consequences if Kremlin Critic Alexey Navalny Dies
Alexey Navalny is a man of many names: Russian dissident, opposition leader, activist, investigator, lawyer, nationalist. Navalny, the most famous Russian opposition leader against Putin’s regime, is currently serving a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for embezzlement. Beginning in the early 2010s, Navalny came to embody the possibility of change under an increasing dictatorial regime. Prior to […]
Science and Philosophy: Friend and Foe to Abortion Debate
March 2021 was an eventful month for abortion in the news. On March 3, The New York Times published an opinion article outlining the political landscape around Roe vs. Wade versus heartbeat bans, one recently passed in South Carolina. No commentary from medical experts was included. Four days later, USA Today published an article titled, […]
Resistance Beyond Borders: HK19 Meets Myanmar’s Anti-Coup Movement
The recent Myanmar Coup is hardly unprecedented. Myanmar was governed by a military dictatorship from 1962 to 2011, leaving the country under the iron fist of the Tatmadaw, the Burmese Military. The strength of the Tatmadaw was enshrined by the 2008 Constitution, which guarantees one third of parliamentary seats to the military, reserves leadership of […]
The Alarming Violence Facing Bisexual Women
Throughout the past six months, I have watched five loved ones come out as bisexual and open up to the world in a confident, breathtaking way. In fact, more and more people of Generation Z than ever before are coming out, with 11.5 percent of them identifying as bisexual, according to Gallup. With heightened visibility […]
Asian Values: A Political Narrative To Erode LGBTQ Rights Today?
The concept of Asian Values is by no means a new concept today, however, what does it really mean in today’s political contexts, particularly for the future of LGBTQ rights? ‘’What Asians value may not be the same as what Europeans value. Westerners value the freedoms and the values of the individual. As an Asian […]
A Modern Genocide
It started in 2017. Qelbinur Sedik was 47 and a teacher at Uighur Muslim internment camps in Xinjiang. Sedik was told she was required to get an IUD inserted to prevent her from getting pregnant. The IUD caused bleeding so she had it illegally removed. A year after that, she was routinely checked for an […]
America’s Forgotten History of Forced Sterilization
In early September, a nurse working at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Georgia came forward with shocking allegations of medical neglect and abuse, claiming that numerous involuntary hysterectomies (uterus removal surgeries) were performed on detained immigrant women. This allegation understandably evoked fury and outrage among the general public, with numerous people […]
What Makes a Terrorist, What Makes an Ally
As members of the United States, we are given a designated list of what groups and which people we ought to believe engage in terrorism. Yet what the government considers and what is ignored when adding or omitting a name to that list is obscured. The United States’ relationship with terrorism was choreographed following the […]
Weighing Education Against Women’s Rights In Tanzania
When Mwajuma was fifteen and living in Shinyanga, Tanzania, her parents informed her she would have to drop out of school. She was getting married. Such instances of child marriage are not uncommon in Tanzania. It’s ingrained in the culture and in the law; the 1971 Law of Marriage Act allows girls to legally get […]
Legalized Discrimination: India’s NRC and CAA
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status […]
The Modern American Colony: Puerto Rico
“TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.” The three-word political slogan at the forefront of the American Revolution and the foundation of our “democratic-republic.” Although the history of “taxation without representation” seems ancient and distant, for Puerto Ricans, it’s a political reality. Many Americans are unaware or confused about what Puerto Rico is in relation to the United States. […]
Family Planning is a Human Right: Why the U.S. Should Restore Funding to the United Nations Population Fund
The United States’ reputation as a pillar of international humanitarian efforts is in danger. Despite its fluctuating political predilections, America has maintained a strong track record of aiding family planning programs in the developing world. While the fraction of USAID dollars allocated to these programs has remained meager, U.S. contributions play an enormous role in […]
“His Excellency Donald Trump,” Vietnam’s Newest Ally
President Trump’s travels to Europe are unfailingly met with the angry protests of our democratic counterparts across the pond. From the thousands of protesters in the streets of Germany voicing their displeasure with Trump’s attendance at the G20 summit to the tantrum-throwing-baby balloon floating over Parliament during his trip to London, it seems as if […]
Femicide in Mexico: What Happens when the State Looks the Other Way
Laura Velazquez had to identify her sister Diana’s body by her braids because her face and torso were left unrecognizable. Diana left her house in Chimalhuacan, Mexico, on July 2, 2017, where she was raped and choked to death by multiple men. Now, almost two years later, the authorities still have not found her murderers, […]
Love No Border: The Significance of Faith-Based Resistance to Trump Immigration Policy
In an era of xenophobia, nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiment, faith-based sanctuary movements are fighting back. The Trump administration’s efforts to stop what it calls illegal immigration and chain migration, alongside the ending of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and President Trump’s controversial language around undocumented persons, have galvanized nationwide movements to protect immigrants […]
The World’s Largest Security State Has Created its Own Security Problem
Violence In Western China The capital of the Chinese province of Xinjiang, Urumqi, looks like many Chinese cities. The horizon is full of construction machinery creating new factories, high-rises, and office buildings. More striking is that the streets of the developed sector are largely populated with ethnic Han Chinese. The Chinese government has incentivized Han Chinese to move […]
Development: A Dam Problem
It seems odd to juxtapose “environment” with “refugee”. The environment is a set of conditions that cultivate the life of beings. By definition, it is suited to the livelihoods of certain humans, just as humans are suited to their environments. Both participate in a symbiotic relationship, so the term “environmental refugee” indicates a very […]
Venezuela’s Humanitarian Crisis: Not The Exception, But The Rule.
As Syrian refugees continue to arrive in battered dinghies to the shores of Europe, a migration of similar urgency is taking place in Latin America. The Venezuelan crisis has its roots in the poor transfer of dictatorial power and an over-reliance on oil exports. However, this issue of politics and economics has transformed into a […]
Manus Island and Australia’s Complex Relationship with Humanitarianism
On July 23, 2013, Kurdish journalist and now refugee Behrouz Boochani arrived in Australia via broken-down boat after two months of travel, accompanied by 65 other refugees fleeing Iran. Boochani was leaving his home country to avoid impending arrest and imprisonment for his politically inflammatory writing, and hoped to find in Australia a new home […]
When Universalism Met Culture
As I read the story of Aasia Bibi, the 17-year-old Pakistani girl who unintentionally poisoned and killed 17 members of her family in her attempt to escape the prospect of an arranged marriage, I wonder how many South Asian women have contemplated the same. As a South Indian woman myself, talk of my marriage is […]
Front Lines: The Weak Defence for ‘Human Shields’
Picture this: a young man, branded with a nondescript sign on his chest, being paraded through villages and neighbourhoods as he only just manages to stay on the jeep that he has been so carelessly tied to. The use of civilians as ‘human shields’ in times of conflict and war is not novel or particular […]
Aung San Suu Kyi and The Politics of Power in Burma
Power, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Aung San Suu Kyi was once the world’s most famous political prisoner. From her first period of house arrest which was due to her establishing the pro-democracy National League for Democracy to her last day of house arrest in November 2010, Aung San Suu Kyi was under […]
Blood for Trees: The Plight of Uncontacted Tribes in Brazil
Last month, around the Jandiatuba river in the Amazonas region of Western Brazil, a small cohort of illegal gold miners happened upon a group of indigenous people, members of one of many uncontacted tribes throughout Brazil. Reports state that these miners murdered between ten to twenty people, including women and children. This massacre would have […]
The Challenges of Myanmar’s Fledgling Democracy
For the future of Myanmar’s democracy, the military should be separated from politics in the interest of human rights and stability. Moreover, the United States, a self-styled guardian of democratic sentiments, must not be a bystander while a domestic crisis bordering on genocide unfolds in Myanmar. Since 2011, Myanmar has been in the throes of […]
A Friendship Gone Astray
The Growing Divide in Chinese-African Relations In December 2015, President Xi Jinping was declaring Zimbabwe to be China’s “all-weather friend.” Less than a year later, President Mugabe of Zimbabwe was accusing the Chinese of undermining his nation’s economy and “taking advantage” of Zimbabwe’s women. This seemingly rapid transition in relations might appear to be unexpected, […]
The Cost of Conservation
How Conservation Endangers Indigenous Rights The term “climate refugee” is increasingly entering the mainstream as more people are displaced due to climate change. But what about those being pushed out of their homes by people who want to save the planet? Will there be a rise in what former U.C. Berkeley lecturer Mark Dowie […]
France’s Burkini War: Conflating Islam and Terrorism
On July 28, the French Riviera town of Cannes implemented a new law that would quickly become a trend: they banned the wearing of the “burkini”, a full-body covering swimsuit that allows conservative Muslim women to cover up while at the beach. A number of coastal French towns soon followed suit, leading to incidents such […]
The Missing Part of Haitian Progress: The Forgotten Children
Haiti is home to 10 million people and the first modern revolution predicated on freedom, equality and justice of all. But among all the nations in the Western Hemisphere, none have faced greater challenges to improve the lives of its children. Yet, the forgotten children of Haiti may offer the very things that Haiti needs […]
Nobels and Whistles in Beijing
Tu Youyou was labeled with “three noes”: no medical degree, no doctorate, and no work overseas. And yet, she became not only the first Chinese woman to win a Nobel Prize, but also the first Chinese citizen to earn a Nobel Prize in science. Tu was honored as one of 2015’s three Nobel laureates in […]
The Waning Hermit Kingdom (Part II): The Challenges of Korean Reunification
In January 2014, the North Korean government supposedly announced that it had successfully landed a man on the sun. However, contrary to such macho announcements from government mouthpieces, the sun is beginning to set for the backwater Hermit Kingdom. Continued famine, declining international aid, and increased dissemination of non-governmental information (discussed in Part I) have […]
Picket Signs Over Gavels
In the beginning of 2015, the Swedish foreign minister, Margot Wallström, described the Saudi Arabian judicial system as “medieval.” Since then, she has been portrayed both as a culturally insensitive Islamophobe and as champion of human rights. The Guardian, for example, called her “magnificently undiplomatic.” But Margot Wallström is neither an Islamophobe nor is she […]
Ratifying Without Resolve
The 21st century was met with an explosion of international documents intended to protect universal human rights. Indeed, the international community is currently flooded with treaties, protocols, resolutions, mandates, and handshakes. However, there is one critical element to all of these policies and ideas that dries up their potential for positive impact – enforcement. Without […]
Three Decades Late: U.S.-Cuba Relations
Fifty-four years after diplomatic fallout, the United States and Cuba are finally ready to let bygones be bygones. In his State of the Union address on January 20, 2015, U.S. President Barack Obama called for Congress to reestablish diplomatic relations and to end the trade embargo with Cuba, “ending a policy that was long past its […]
Left High and Dry: Human Rights, Water, and Bankruptcy
Since its March 2013 bankruptcy, the city of Detroit has been beleaguered with considerable economic woes. With $12.3 billion in unpaid liabilities and a purported total debt of up to $20 billion as estimated by the Citizen’s Research Council of Michigan, Detroit would have to undergo a complete restructuring in order to stop the hemorrhage […]