Armenia goes to the polls to elect its fifth National Assembly on May 6. The legitimacy of nearly all the elections in the country has been disputed in the past, but this time there are indications that greater distribution of power and the participation of two Fletcher alumni politicians might lead to more free and fair voting.
International Engagement–and its Discontents?
This year, I spent my spring vacation with a Peace Corps Volunteer host family in the Dominican Republic. We visited a USAID project site, a school under construction, and a political rally in anticipation of this month’s presidential election. I was surprised to learn some of my North American colleagues found my visit offensive—“Do you have any idea how politically incorrect that is?” I was asked. The problem? I am a middle-class, Western-European-sampling-plate… read more >>
Roma: Europe’s Silent Minority
Anti-immigration and anti-Muslim vitriol pervades the European press. This focus obscures the fact that the largest and most disenfranchised minority on the continent is native to Europe: the Roma. Known as Europe’s “gypsies,” there are between 10 and 16 million Roma currently living in the EU. Most reside in Eastern countries that joined the Union in 2004 and 2007. The Roma are plagued by lower educational achievement, higher unemployment… read more >>
Missing the Point: Contextualizing the Results of Israel’s Kadima Primary
It should come as no surprise that former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz’s victory over Tzipora “Tzipi” Livni in the March 27 Kadima leadership election has been widely reported abroad. Most analyses, however, have only repeated several simple themes, proclaiming the end of the Sharon–Livni era and a conservative shift in the Israeli populace. Several common analyses, which follow below, cloud the picture more than they clarify it, demanding… read more >>
Latest Fletcher Forum of World Affairs print journal released
The latest edition of the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs print journal ships soon. You can subscribe now to get your copy. The current edition, Volume 36:1, features the following pieces. Interviews Radhika Coomaraswamy Protecting Children in Armed Conflict In her role as the Under-Secretary-General, Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy discusses the ongoing challenges of keeping children from being victims… read more >>
