May 2015 The first time I saw the Córdoba Mosque-Cathedral was during a vacation to Spain. I remember walking into the building, and feeling a sense of awe as I stared up at the rows of striped arches, dimly lit by elegant brass lamps. Nestled in the heart of the mosque is a cathedral bathed […]
“A Finance Minister Fit for a Greek Tragedy”
New York Times Magazine — Suzy Hansen’s latest article takes an in-depth look at the tactics of Greek Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and Greece’s precarious place in the European Union. Varoufakis, only four months in to his term, is determined to improve Greece’s economic situation regardless of the political cost to him. Read the article here. […]
“Benjamin Netanyahu’s Grade A Pork-Barrel Politics”
Foreign Policy — Neri Zilber’s latest piece for Foreign Policyr discusses the future of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government and how he has cemented his grasp on political power. Read the article here. […]
Andrew Rice Named Mirror Awards Finalist
“The Pierre Omidyar Insurgency,” a piece by Past Fellow Andrew Rice, published by the New Yorker has been named a finalist in the 2015 Mirror Awards. The piece is nominated for Best Profile and offers a fascinating look at the rather mysterious founder of eBay and his fight for government transparency. The winner will be […]
“The Kings of the Desert”
The New Yorker — Nicholas Schmidle’s latest piece describes “a billion-dollar mirage” that resulted in a financial scandal in the Middle East and legal proceedings in the United States. This is just the latest of many compelling long form pieces written by Schmidle in his capacity as a Staff Writer at the magazine, where he has been since […]
Pramila Jayapal in OZY
Past ICWA Fellow Pramila Jayapal is gaining a lot of attention as a state senator in Washington. Many are impressed with her activist roots and expect her to go far in politics. Read “From Handcuffs to Elected Office: Washington State’s Rabble-Rousing Senator,” a profile of Jayapal by Sanjena Sathian for Ozy. […]
The Revolutionary Tour Guides of Burkina Faso
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – On Nov. 1, 2014, the day after Blaise Compaoré resigned as Burkina Faso’s president and fled the capital in a convoy, abruptly ending his nearly three-decade hold on power, a 40-year-old man named Prosper looked on as an opposition lawmaker exulted over the autocrat’s hasty departure while giving a radio interview […]
Talk That Talk: On Narratives and Elections in Lagos
LAGOS, Nigeria–Election day dawned cloudy and cool in Lagos; an odd tranquility filtered through my window. I heard birds, and the wind, rather than the normal honking and hawking—the ambient sounds that permeate the air here, fueling what seems to be endemic insomnia among its residents. The silence was particularly notable after the clamor […]