A damning report held UNAIDS leaders responsible for creating a culture of impunity and harassment. Why has the UN been so slow to respond? A woman writes the ‘#MeToo’ slogan on a placard during a rally against violence against women, 29 October 2017...
After years of conflict, Afghanistan yearns for peace. The best forum would bring the government and Taliban together in a grand assembly. Members of the Afghan national consultative council known as the Loya Jirga in Kabul, Afghanistan, 24 November 2013 (AP...
The kingdom is spending billions on its entertainment industry, hosting the likes of Mariah Carey, Cristiano Ronaldo and golf pros. What’s in it for Saudis? An aerial view of a Saudi development (Photo courtesy of Bernd Debusmann Jr) I was sitting on a lush...
Corruption fuels a vicious cycle. It undermines democracy and human rights, and weak institutions cannot control corruption. Anti-government demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela, 1 July 2017 (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Most countries including the United States are...
China has exploded to superpower status since I lived there 40 years ago. On a recent visit, the progress was unmistakable. But so were shortcomings. The author dressed for work in many layers to teach all winter without heat in 1981-82 Thumb-sucker anniversary...
Yemen is the poorest Arab nation, caught in the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. But can UN-brokered talks in Sweden stave off mass starvation? A malnourished boy rests on a hospital bed in Hajjah, Yemen, 1 October 2018 (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed United...
Israel is the most gay-friendly nation in the Middle East. But it’s not perfect. Listen to two activists discuss their work to uphold gay rights in Israel. Interested in identity and gender, Giuliana Nicolucci-Altman spent a summer studying in Jerusalem trying...
Venezuelan citizens scrounge for food and medicine while prices soar. Where is the formerly prosperous oil exporter, now in crisis, headed? In the grips of the worst economic recession in the Western hemisphere, Venezuela has spiraled into a full-blown...
By Nadia Dala Both Islamic jihadist movements and Islamic governments that are trying to counter jihadism are relying on women to win over the hearts of Muslims. Women in jihadist circles are child-bearing, silent recruiters, while governments in some parts of the...
The killing of Jamal Khashoggi adds to Saudi Arabia’s grim human rights record. But don’t expect America to sacrifice arms deals. Human rights activists protest against the death of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, 9 October 2018 (AP...