Seasons of the Arab Spring: A Review
On Thursday, January 22, the International Affairs Department hosted a panel discussion, “Seasons of the Arab Spring.” Contributors included Northeastern professors, Denis Sullivan, Valentine Moghadam, and Berna Turam. Visiting scholars Dr. Emily Curry and Shamiran Mako also participated in the panel. The discussion focused on five countries and their involvement in the Arab Spring: Egypt, […]
Bosnia Through Illustration: Politics, the Economy and Education
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The Cost of Asylum: The Syrian Refugee’s Plight in Germany
Germany faces a uniquely delicate situation due to a recent influx of refugees. Since 2011, Syria has been immersed in a civil war that has rivaled any in recent years, with up to 200,000 people dead and at least 4.5 million internally displaced.[1] The crisis has forced millions from their homeland, which has created an […]
Setting Alight the Molotov Cocktail: The Kashmir Question
“It is an irony of history that by a combination of fortuitous circumstances a tiny nation of Kashmiris has been placed in a position of great importance, where it can be instrumental in making or marring the future of so many.” – Prem Nath Bazaz (1967) Hindustan’s partition into Pakistan and India precipitated problems and […]
Northern Ireland: A Winding Road to Peace
A place that many consider a “post-conflict” society, Northern Ireland, is a Gordian knot of ideology further entangled through the problematic limbo customary of the road to peace. Never has the pathway to peace been a linear one—not in Bosnia, not in Rwanda, and not in Northern Ireland. Following a period characterized by ethno-nationalistic violence, […]
Conflict-Free in the Congo
In response to over a decade of brutal violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Intel announced in January that it will produce the world’s first “conflict free” processors.[1] Though there have been attempts to publicize the atrocities occurring over the control of the mineral rich land in the DRC, this is the […]
Discrimination Against Minorities in Pakistan: a Look at the UDHR
December 10th, 1948 was a momentous day for human rights. The still-young United Nations (UN) unanimously, with eight abstentions, passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a 30-article guideline that promotes “universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction of race, sex, language, or […]
Prisoner of Conscience: The Story of Mam Sonando and the Future of Journalists in Cambodia
On May 16th, 2012 the Cambodian government conducted a raid of Kratie Province, located in northeast Cambodia. Hundreds of police officers and soldiers bombarded the province, armed with weapons and the help of a military helicopter. Hundreds of Kratie residents were displaced from their land during this government-supported raid, which the government defended by claiming […]
Kenya’s 2013 Presidential Election: Recurring Violence or a Peaceful Transition?
Between 2002 and 2007, Kenya was an African leader. In one of the most hostile areas of the world, where Islamists had taken control of neighboring Somalia, Sudan faced constant ethnic conflict, and rebel groups were attacking civilians in nearby Uganda and eastern Congo, Kenya managed to flourish. The economy grew at an average of […]
Srdja Popovic
On Thursday, November 29th, Srdja Popovic visited Professor William Lovely’s Modern Political Thought class to lecture on the importance of non-violent activism. Popovic has an extensive history in the realm of peaceful action. He and his colleagues have significantly impacted the direction of Serbian politics, and they continue to be a major influence in nonviolent […]