by Bernd Debusmann | 17 May 2019 | Americas, Decoders, Donald Trump, Europe
The Soviet Union and its allies opposed the West for 36 years. After the Iron Curtain fell, NATO expanded, deepening Russian-Western tensions. Russian Premier Nikolai Bulganin signs the eight-nation Warsaw Pact, Warsaw, Poland, 14 May 14, 1955 (AP Photo) The North...
by Ella Hough | 10 May 2019 | Americas, Donald Trump, Immigration, Miss Porter's School, Refugees, Student Posts, United States, Youth Voices
I am proud that my hometown Houston embraces immigrants. It would be great for the U.S. economy if the rest of America did as well. As a native Houstonian, I am proud that my hometown embraces diversity. If you walk around the city, you will see people of many...
by Ben Barber | 3 May 2019 | Africa, Americas, Asia, Eyewitness
Female genital mutilation persists in many countries. While efforts to curb the rite are progressing worldwide, the practice has gained ground in the U.S. A six-year-old girl screams in pain while being cut in Somalia, 17 June 1996 (AP Photo/Jean-Marc Bouju) The...
by News Decoder | 1 May 2019 | Americas, Eyewitness, Gimnasio Los Caobos, Student Posts, Youth Voices
By Camilo Santamaria, Paola Rodriguez, Mariana Romero and Maria Paula Ulloa Urban art is controversial in our country, Colombia, because there are people who like and support it and others who dislike it. Urban, or street, art allows artists to express themselves. It...
by Kiana Tan | 24 Apr 2019 | Americas, Asia, Contest winners, Discovery, Identity, Personal Reflections, Student Posts, Westover School, Youth Voices
Mocked and belittled as an Asian-American, I was desperate to fit in with my peers. With time and age, I have learned to straddle the two cultures. Workers make mooncakes, Taipei, Taiwan, 17 September, 2004 (AP Photo/Wally Santana) One morning I boarded the bus to go...
by Hyuntae Choi | 10 Apr 2019 | Americas, Future of Democracy, Student Posts, Youth Voices
Since 2010, big money has flooded U.S. politics following a Supreme Court ruling that interpreted the First Amendment expansively. Is reform possible? Opponents of the Citizen United ruling protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court, 20 January 2012 (Photo By Bill...
by Ella Steinhilber | 8 Apr 2019 | Americas, Europe, Future of Democracy, Identity, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Youth Voices
I’ve spent the past school year studying overseas. It’s given me a new perspective on my own homeland and on the polarization that divides us. A protest against efforts to repeal the U.S. Affordable Care Act, New York, 24 July 24 2017 (EPA/JUSTIN LANE) I...
by Christine Keilholz | 4 Apr 2019 | Americas, Europe, Future of Democracy, Ukraine
NATO continues to grow in size but not necessarily in strength. Can the 70-year-old military alliance withstand forces weakening its foundations? Today, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is celebrating a big birthday: It’s been 70 years since the world’s most...
by Bernd Debusmann | 18 Mar 2019 | Americas, Donald Trump, Future of Democracy
The regime in Venezuela clings to power amid hunger and misery, in the face of a U.S.-backed opposition. Are we seeing the Syria scenario again? People collect water from a leaking pipeline, Caracas, Venezuela, 11 March 2019 (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) When a little...
by Dylan Klempner | 21 Feb 2019 | Americas, United States, Women's rights
The U.S. is raising awareness about teen dating violence, which is often hidden from parents and a risk factor for future problems. Sami Hightshoe, 16, pauses as she speaks at a news conference on teen dating violence, 8 July 2008 (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds) In the summer...