Around the World
Citing the brutality and extremism of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Washington Republicans are all but determined to stop the Iranian nuclear deal from taking effect. Ellen Lightfoot argues this is a gross miscalculation because it undermines Iran’s struggling liberal base, which could help deter the precarious ambitions of Tehran’s hardliners.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, Egyptian journalists faced another setback with the drafting of a new “anti-terrorism” law, designed to further criminalize freedom of the press. Reflecting on the wave of state-led repression since Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took office in 2014, Joscelyn Jurich urges the international community to take a more active stand against human rights abuses toward Egyptian citizens and creatives alike.
And in China, President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign continues to accelerate as it targets an unusually high number of Communist Party members. Eunson Cho questions the motives behind the campaign by exploring various connections between the subjects of the investigation.
Finally, on today’s episode of World Policy On Air, Peter Atwater returns to explain how a lack of confidence in the Greek economy will make a “Grexit” from the Eurozone a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Around the Institute
On July 21, the Bard College Globalization and International Affairs Program at the World Policy Institute hosted a lecture for Bowdoin College Assistant Professor David K. Hecht to mark the release of his new book, Science and Storytelling: Rewriting Oppenheimer in a Nuclear Age. Speaking of Americans’ longstanding skepticism of science, and equally longstanding fascination with scientific celebrities, Hecht argued that certain scientists become celebrities when they are seen as “not just a scientist.” He ended by drawing parallels between such skepticism and our perceptions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Iran Deal.
Fellow Updates
Alon Ben-Meir, in his latest piece for The Jerusalem Post, discusses the historical legacy of the Iranian nuclear deal.
Yaffa Fredrick, in an interview with South African radio station ChaimFM, explains the intricacies of the American electoral system as the 2016 race shifts into high gear.
James H. Nolt, in his latest for Polarizing Political Economy, explores China’s slowing economy and the devastating consequences likely to ensue from a major asset crash.
Khadija Sharife describes the methodology behind the ground-breaking Fatal Attractions project, aimed to reveal the devastating footprint left by the Australian mining industry in Africa.
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[Photos courtesy of Sebastian Horndasch and Wikimedia Commons]