Monday Briefing | March 30
Photo Credit: Geoff Livingston
Monday Briefing | March 30, 2015
Stories to Follow
Nigeria Votes
Nigeria’s elections continue as outbreaks of unrest continue nationwide and the struggle against Boko Haram intensifies. The opposition is crying foul over voting irregularities. Read about it at CNN.
Snapshots of The Iraqi Civil War
Ayman Oghanna goes to Anbar, Baghdad, Kurdistan, and Tikrit to photograph a house divided against itself in the fight against the Islamic State. [note to readers, some graphic content]. Read it at BuzzFeed.
Shot Across the Bow
One of Ukraine’s richest men is fired from his government post for using armed men to try and settle a business dispute in his favor. Will this humble his fellow tycoons? Read about it at Kyiv Post and Reuters.
New Workers, But Few New Jobs
The Inter Press Service outlines the risks and opportunities for the 11 million new workers coming into job markets across Africa “every year for the next decade.” Read it at IPS.
Coalition, Ready or Not
Kenneth M. Pollack editorializes on the risks that the multinational Arab effort in Yemen to roll back the Houthi insurgency poses to Yemen, and the countries itself. Read him at Brookings. In contrast, Al Arabiya’s Joyce Karam offers a much more optimistic assessment of the pan-Arab coalition coming together to take joint action. Read her at Al Arabiya.
Afghan Security Forces Feared by Locals
A look at the corruption and unaccountability that has Afghan civilians worried, and the U.S. pledging funding for years to come despite these concerns. Read about it at War Is Boring.
Notable Events:
On Monday night, hear a panel discussion at Columbia University on the Iranian nuclear negotiations. 6-7:30 at the Morningside Campus’s Faculty House Presidential Ballroom.
The Carnegie Council for Ethnics in International Affairs is hosting an event on future energy strategies in the U.S. on Tuesday evening (6-8) at Merrill House in NYC. Students may attend for free with IDs.
On Thursday, NYU is hosting a symposium on ethics in writing, from topics on religion to biographies. The evening is dedicated to the late David Foster Wallace, author of Infinite Jest. All day from 3-9 at 1 Washington Place, on the first floor.
Next Thursday is the last day to see the UN’s exhibit on women and the slave trade at the United Nations Visitor’s Lobby. The entrance is 1st Avenue at 46th Street, and the exhibit can be during normal business hours and weekends.
And this Thursday, the Grey Art Gallery at 100 Washington Square East is hosting its last double-billed session on art during the Great Depression here in the U.S. and on post-colonial 20th century Indian art. Students enter for free.
In Your Spare Time:
Castles of Sand
A detailed look by WIRED magazine into the land reclamation industry that is stripping some parts of South Asia to the bone. Read it at WIRED.
Telegraphing Discontent
A detailed account covers the power struggles and generation gaps at one of Britain’s leading daily newspapers, The Telegraph. Read about it in the FT.
Labor Studies Expert Not Welcome in UAE
NYU professor Andrew Ross was barred from entering the Emirates recently. Read about it at The Chronicle of Higher Education and on NYU Local.
