“Love Jihad” – Correcting Desire through Narrative

This Monday, a young Indian woman, from the northern province of Uttar Pradesh, retracted a statement made in August, which had accused a Muslim man of abducting, raping, and forcefully converting her to Islam for marriage. According to Thea Walsh, the notion of “love jihad” can be viewed as a nationalist ploy to promote a singular definition of belonging in Indian society.  

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Belated Justice

A new trial began this Friday for the two highest-ranking members of the Khmer Rouge, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, for their part in the Cambodian Genocide. Kwame Newton argues that, with many of the trials occurring so long after the crimes themselves, even the harshest rulings seem somewhat irrelevant.

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New Alliance, Old Fear

A report released last week on the U.S.-Japan alliance, which seems to prescribe a more powerful and assertive Japanese military, has put China on high alert.  Zihao Liu argues that, despite the lack of militaristic feeling in Japan, the vague and foreboding language of the report will likely reinforce China’s mistrust of the U.S.-Japan alliance. 

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Battle for Kobane: A Test of International Effectiveness

With the Syrian border town of Kobane under siege for the past weeks, calls among the international community have been growing stronger for international intervention to support the town in its fight against IS militants.  Chris Rodriguez looks at why Turkey is not likely to play any role in such an intervention, and why the U.S. should.

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