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Trend Lines

‘The Best Hope We Have.’ The Promise of Protest Movements Going Global

Prachi Vidwans Thursday, July 2, 2020

Despite their rise globally, nonviolent protest movements have become much less successful in recent decades. To increase their chances of success, the new activists inspired by Black Lives Matter will need to overcome the barriers that divide them while empowering one another with knowledge and tactics.

Q&A

Will Trump’s Voice of America Shakeup Harm U.S. Public Diplomacy?

The Editors Thursday, July 2, 2020

The new head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media is coming under scrutiny for purging the directors and advisory boards of several U.S. government-funded media outlets, including Voice of America. On the Trend Lines podcast this week, WPR’s Elliot Waldman discussed these worries with David Ensor.

China Note

Trump Stands in the Way of a Global Response to China’s Abuses in Xinjiang

Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Amid all the focus this week on Hong Kong, where Beijing’s plan to clamp down on political dissent came to fruition when controversial national security legislation went into effect Tuesday night, there were more troubling developments about China’s human rights abuses against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

Africa Watch

Will Malawi’s Rerun Presidential Election Make History?

Andrew Green Friday, June 26, 2020

Malawi’s opposition alliance is claiming victory for its candidate in the country’s unprecedented rerun of last year’s presidential election. If confirmed, Lazarus Chakwera’s win would mark the first time in sub-Saharan Africa that an opposition party has democratically taken power after an overturned election.

Q&A

Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Trigger a Mental Health Crisis?

The Editors Thursday, June 25, 2020

With the pandemic showing no sign of relenting, experts are warning that the psychological trauma associated with the virus could cause a spike in mental health problems. For this week’s interview on the Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s Elliot Waldman talked about the mental health impacts of COVID-19 with Susan Borja.

China Note

Chinese Censorship on Zoom Is a Major Problem for U.S. Colleges and Universities

Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Video-conferencing company Zoom recently admitted it crossed a line by temporarily closing the account of a group of U.S.-based Chinese activists. But Zoom’s solution—that Chinese censorship requests will no longer affect users outside mainland China—creates other problems for American higher education.

Africa Watch

Did China Stoke a Heated African Race for a U.N. Security Council Seat?

Andrew Green Friday, June 19, 2020

Kenya won a surprisingly contentious race for a rotating seat on the U.N. Security Council after defeating Djibouti in a runoff. Djibouti’s loss was also an unlikely blow to China, which appeared to have encouraged Djibouti’s unprecedented candidacy in order to increase its influence on the Security Council.

Why North Korea Blew Up Its Détente With the South

Elliot Waldman Friday, June 19, 2020

In 2018, North and South Korea held a series of meetings and agreed to a number of confidence-building measures, including an inter-Korean liaison office near the border, in North Korean territory. But much of that progress came crashing down this week when Pyongyang demolished the liaison building.

Q&A

Rethinking America’s Alliances for the 21st Century

The Editors Thursday, June 18, 2020

The political scientist Mira Rapp-Hooper has written a new book that probes the history of the modern U.S. alliance system and asks if alliances further American security interests. She joined WPR’s Trend Lines podcast this week to explain why she believes that America’s alliances have proven their value.

Is Syria’s Assad as Weak as He Appears?

Frederick Deknatel Thursday, June 18, 2020

It might seem like an all-too familiar story: With its economy cratered and new pockets of anti-regime resistance, Syria is on the verge of collapse. Is President Bashar al-Assad about to fall? In fact, the situation today is drastically different for Assad than in recent years, because it is so much worse.

China Note

Can India and China Stand Down After Their Worst Border Clash in 45 Years?

Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, June 17, 2020

In a dramatic escalation, a deadly clash Monday along India and China’s disputed border in the Himalayas left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead. Both countries appear to want to avoid a war like the one they fought near this remote frontier in 1962, but tensions may not dissipate so easily.

Africa Watch

Nkurunziza’s Unexpected Death Could Set Off Another Crisis in Burundi

Andrew Green Friday, June 12, 2020

Burundi’s outgoing president, Pierre Nkurunziza died suddenly this week of an apparent heart attack, but there is speculation he may have died of complications from COVID-19. His death has officials scrambling to head off a succession crisis ahead of the August inauguration of his hand-picked successor.