International and Foreign
2,955 Articles
Why Trump’s Aid Cuts to Syria, Gaza and West Bank Heighten Risk to U.S.
The Trump administration recently announced, in a cascade of shortsighted decisions, that it will cut at least $700 million in aid to Syria and to the West Bank and Gaza, some…
U.N. Peace Operations Should Get Off the Counter-Terror Bandwagon
There has been too little discussion of the enormous risks that counter-terrorism involvement in U.N. peace operations poses for U.N. efforts to maintain and build peace.
Condolence Payments for Civilian Casualties: Lessons for Applying the New NDAA
The new National Defense Authorization Act can help improve the way the U.S. responds to civilian casualties. FOIA requests and interviews with DoD officials, U.S. soldiers, judge…
New Russia Sanctions, Putin’s Economy, and the Shadow Over Planned U.S.-Russia Business Group
How US-Russia business ties hold up, even though a proposed Putin working group may not.
“ISIS Widows” and “Boko Haram Wives”: Overlooked Abuses in Iraq and Nigeria
Thousands of displaced women in Iraq and Nigeria have been arbitrarily branded as affiliated with IS or Boko Haram, and subjected to abuse as a result. Almost 400 in-depth interviews…
The Trump Administration’s Brazen Duplicity in its “Human Rights Agenda”
The State Department says it will now “pursue a robust human rights agenda" in the General Assembly and Security Council rather than the UN Human Rights Council. Ambassador Harper…
To Be a True Reformer, Ethiopia’s Abiy Must Commit to Human Rights Accountability
From his historic overture to Eritrea to his unprecedented opening of the Ethiopian economy, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia has branded himself as a reformer since assuming…
Al-Qaeda and ISIS are on Their Heels in Yemen, But Will Return Unless We Help Build a Lasting Peace
Al-Qaeda and ISIS are vulnerable in Yemen in a way they’ve never been before, but the war there has been too brutal and too sectarian for a tidy aftermath. Too many have been…
U.S. Sanctions against Turkey Undercut a Key Human Rights Tool
For anyone interested in maintaining the legitimacy -- and thus the effectiveness -- of the Global Magnitsky sanctions regime, last week's sanctions against two Turkish officials…
Is Trump Providing the Push the EU Needs to Boost Its Own Defense?
While the European Union has steadily built a common defense policy and capability, Trump’s recent antics might have provided the necessary kick to accelerate and expand those…
Google’s Dragonfly: A Bellwether for Human Rights in the Digital Age
Both of us vividly recall the remarkable events of 2010, when Google took its stand against Chinese government censorship by publicly declaring it would withdraw its search engine…
How the U.S. and EU’s Cooperation with Sudan Rubberstamps Bad Behavior
Above: Sudan’s leader Omar al-Bashir In recent months, the United States and the European Union have been hard at work rebuilding ties with Sudan and lifting sanctions,…