Does a foreign policy of “principled realism” necessarily entail sidelining human rights concerns and offering few critiques of authoritarian leaders’ records on democracy, the rule of law and protecting essential… Read more »
When Yang Shuping spoke Sunday of her eternal gratitude to the University of Maryland for teaching her about “free speech” and showing her that her “voice mattered,” she may not… Read more »
Thailand’s junta has failed to fulfill pledges to respect human rights and restore democratic rule three years after the military coup. The ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), led… Read more »
Thousands of Moroccans marched in a northern town to protest against injustice and corruption this week, Reuters reports: Political protests are rare in Morocco, but tensions in al-Hoceima have been… Read more »
The murders of secular activists by violent Islamist militants in Bangladesh have received considerable international and domestic attention, notes a new report from Amnesty international. However, they have taken place… Read more »
The jailing for blasphemy this month of Jakarta’s former governor raised fears that the moderate traditions of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation were under siege. Now the government is… Read more »
The prickliness of North Korea’s messaging also can be read as an evolutionary strategy, akin to a hedgehog showing its spines to protect its pink underbelly, Hannah Beech writes for… Read more »
A leaked document on China’s Silk Road investment plan poses diversity and multi-party democracy as problems, notes analyst Anders Corr. It raises questions about the extent to which the international community should… Read more »
Mashal Khan was never afraid to speak his mind. The 23-year-old journalism student was known for questioning his peers and speaking out against injustice and corruption, the Guardian reports: But… Read more »
Richard Gere says he’s become untouchable among Hollywood’s big studio projects, because his pro-Tibet views threaten a film’s success in the ever-lucrative Chinese market, reports suggest: A prominent advocate for… Read more »