Q&A Exodus of Cuban Doctors From Brazil Threatens to Exacerbate Its Health Care Woes The Editors Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019 Cuba canceled a medical cooperation agreement with Brazil and withdrew thousands of its doctors from the country late last year, after criticism by Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro. In an interview, Albert Ko discusses the withdrawal’s likely implications for Brazil’s marginalized communities.
Africa Watch Deadly Hotel Attack by al-Shabab Sends a Message to Kenya—and Washington Robbie Corey-Boulet Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 Members of the Somali extremist group al-Shabab killed 21 people in an attack on a Nairobi hotel and shopping complex this week, underscoring the risk of blowback in Kenya over its military operations in Somalia. Read up on that and other stories from across the continent in our weekly roundup of Africa news.
Q&A What’s Driving the Student Protests Paralyzing Albania’s Universities? The Editors Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 Since December, students have brought Albania’s public universities to a standstill with protests against higher education reforms. In an interview, Esmeralda Shehaj and Armando Memushi discuss the students’ grievances and the implications for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government.
Q&A Why Canada Is Putting Out the Welcome Mat for Immigrants The Editors Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019 In its annual report to Parliament on immigration, Canada’s government laid out a three-year plan to welcome more than 1 million immigrants to the country over the next three years. In an interview, Kareem El-Assal and Sara Rose Taylor discuss Canada’s immigration policies and its approach to integration.
Q&A Can Cambodia’s Decimated Political Opposition Survive a Leadership Struggle? The Editors Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 Factional divisions within Cambodia’s banned opposition party came to the surface in December, pitting its two most prominent figures in a battle for leadership. In an interview, Astrid Norén-Nilsson discusses the origins of the dispute and its implications for Cambodian politics.
China Note China’s Spat With Canada Worsens With Death Sentence in ‘Political’ Drug Case Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 A court in the Chinese port city of Dalian sentenced a Canadian man convicted of drug trafficking to the death penalty Monday, the latest development in an intensifying diplomatic spat between Beijing and Ottawa that has already resulted in the arrest of two Canadians on charges of “endangering national security.”
The Trial of Laurent Gbagbo and the Resilience of Cote d’Ivoire’s Old Guard Robbie Corey-Boulet Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 The acquittal of Cote d’Ivoire’s former president, Laurent Gbagbo, at the International Criminal Court is the product of years of prosecutorial missteps. Regardless of whether he returns to Ivorian soil, the case’s collapse will complicate efforts to turn the page on the very conflict the court set out to adjudicate.
Q&A The Impact of Japan’s Split From the International Whaling Commission The Editors Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019 In late December, Japan formally announced it would withdraw from the International Whaling Commission, clearing the way for it to resume commercial whaling in July. In an interview with WPR, Natalie Barefoot discusses Japan’s reasons for leaving and the effect on whale conservation efforts.
Q&A After AMLO’s Education Overhaul, What’s Next for Mexico’s Troubled Public Schools? Elliot Waldman Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has moved to undo the previous administration’s reform of Mexico’s troubled public education system. In an interview, Alexandra Zapata discusses Lopez Obrador’s education platform and explains why she is not optimistic for the country’s public school students.
Africa Watch Kabila Is Finally Departing, but Congo’s Future Is as Uncertain as Ever Robbie Corey-Boulet Friday, Jan. 11, 2019 In results that were immediately contested, Felix Tshisekedi was declared the surprise winner of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidential election. The country’s crisis may simply be entering a new phase. Read up on that and other stories from across the continent in our weekly roundup of Africa news.
Trump’s Transactional Worldview Is Imperiling the U.S.-South Korea Alliance Elliot Waldman Friday, Jan. 11, 2019 On Jan. 1, the cost-sharing defense pact for the U.S. military presence in South Korea expired amid President Donald Trump’s demands that Seoul pay more. The dispute over stationing costs puts a strain on U.S.-South Korea relations as the two allies seek to reboot stalled nuclear talks with North Korea.
Q&A Netanyahu’s Embrace of Far-Right Populists Risks Betraying Israel’s Values The Editors Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raised eyebrows by meeting with far-right European leaders like Italy’s Matteo Salvini and Hungary’s Viktor Orban. In an interview, Shimon Stein explains why many in Israel see these cozy relationships as a betrayal of the country’s core values.
