Conflict
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 18, 2012
Family Business – The New York Times explores at length how China’s so-called ‘Princeling’ generation — the descendants of Communist Party leaders — use family ties to gain jobs, wealth and influence. “Evidence is mounting…[they] have also amassed vast wealth, often playing central roles in businesses closely entwined with the …
Three Years After War’s End, Sri Lanka Is Only Beginning to Make Peace
When war returned to the Vanni, the vast swath of land in Sri Lanka’s north, it came quickly and left just as fast. For over three decades as Tamil militants fought successive Sri Lankan governments seeking an independent Tamil …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 17, 2012
Suspicious Minds – Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reveals that elderly Communist Party members in the Chinese province of Yunnan have been questioned after they penned a letter calling for the sacking of Zhou Yongkang, the country’s top security official, amid rumors of continued infighting following the downfall of Bo Xilai. …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 16, 2012
Arming Rebels – The Washington Post reveals Syrian rebels battling President Assad’s regime have begun receiving “significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks.” Opposition activists and foreign officials say the arms are paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated in part by the U.S., according to the newspaper. But, “Obama …
For China, Economic Growth Doesn’t Always Equal Happiness
When Bo Xilai, the rising Chinese Communist Party official who was purged in March, gave his last public comments before disappearing into detention, he was wrong about a lot of things. That bit about not being under …
Why the Capture of a Kony Lieutenant Isn’t a Big Deal
For a journalist, Special Operations are problematic. They work in secret and tend to consider the press, at best, an annoyance and, at worst, a hindrance and a danger. In January, TIME photographer Dominic Nahr and I
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 14, 2012
Hunger Pains – The Guardian writes that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has warned Israel of “disaster that no one could control” as Palestinian hunger strikers near death. Tony Blair, the Middle East quartet representative, …
An American in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains Tells of Sudanese Bombing
I traveled with Ryan Boyette for a week last month in Sudan‘s Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan. Boyette is an American and former aid worker who has lived in the Nuba for nine years. He built his own house there and, last year,
…
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 11, 2012
Fruit Flare-Up – China’s turned to a new weapon in its dispute with the Philippines over contested South China Sea islands. State-run People’s Daily gleefully reports that “fruit from the Philippines will receive stricter …
Must-Reads Around the World, May 9, 2012
Warring Words – China’s state-run Global Times issues its most threatening commentary yet on the continuing standoff with the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea. Under the headline “Peace Will Be a Miracle …
“Everyone agrees that these are bad guys. But the benefits outweigh the risks.”
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 4, 2012
Mid-Term Blues – The U.K.’s two ruling coalition parties, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, both suffered setbacks in local elections Thursday. The Guardian is live-blogging the results — including for the London …