Global Politics

Three weeks ago, a Taliban commander named Mohammad Ashan turned himself in to Afghan police. Ashan had noticed wanted posters around his native Paktika province promising a $100 bounty for his capture, and he surrendered himself hoping to collect it. Needless to say, he collected nothing and was detained on the spot. Ashan’s comically simple […]

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How is democracy faring in Afghanistan these days? Not well, as far as Afghan women are concerned. While many of its familiar trappings are in place – such as a constitution that promises equality before the law – the practice of democracy ranges from deeply flawed to nonexistent when it comes to women’s rights, especially […]

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One of the most popular grievances associated with the Arab Spring in Egypt and Yemen was about increased food prices – a grievance that has caused upheaval in these countries before, and has significant potential to do so again. Admittedly, food price inflation may not be a sufficient condition for Arab Spring-esque revolutions to occur […]

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