• Jul 30, 2009

    Karin von Hippel appeared in an article on Islam and U.S. development money in the Washington Post today:

    ...some scholars say that restrictions on USAID and other American civilian agencies have undercut the United States' ability to win the hearts and minds of Muslims in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, where Islam plays a central role in public and private life.

    Karin von Hippel, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said military commanders have been given much more freedom to fund Islamic causes -- such as rehabilitation of mosques and assistance for religious schools.

  • Jul 30, 2009

     

    We cast doubt on whether the Pakistani army's offensive into Swat would be productive in the long-run...

  • Jul 28, 2009

    The Afghan elections weren't going to be that exciting. Now it appears that two of Karzai's challengers are catching up.

  • Jul 27, 2009

    Oliver S. Mains, a professor at American University in Kabul, explains why the young Afghans he teaches are boycotting August's elections.

  • Jul 15, 2009

    The Aspen Institute recently hosted an event on rape as a weapon of war entitled, Ending the Atrocity, Stop Rape Now: UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, which I attended.  The speakers included The Honorable Margot Wallström (visit her blog), Vice President of the European Commission and Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders’ Ministerial Initiative, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, United States Ambassador-at-large for Global Women’s Issues and Co-founder of Vital Voices Global Partnership.  The event was chaired by Ms. Inés Alberdi, Executive Director of UNIFEM

    I directly encountered the impact of rape on communities during my time in both Sierra Leone, where an estimated 64,000 women were raped during the 11 year civil war, and in Rwanda, where approximately 500,000 women were raped during the genocide.  I follow this issue closely, but I am continually dismayed by the lack of action on the part of the international community to seriously engage member states on addressing issues of gender-based violence.  

  • Jul 15, 2009

    One of the perks of being a DC intern is sitting in on events. Last week I went to the Center for International Media Assistance, at the National Endowment for Democracy, to hear a panel called "The Role of New Media in the Iranian Elections." I wasn't quite sure what the panel would say.