Around the World
Despite Kenyan politicians requesting that President Obama leave ‘the gay agenda’ at home, this week Obama addressed the nation’s discriminatory stance toward sexual minorities by holding a closed-door meeting with prominent Kenyan gay rights activists. Patrick Kurth explores the nuances of Kenyan LGBTQ activism in an interview with David Kuria, the former chairman of the Gay and Lesbian Coalition and the nation’s first openly gay candidate for public office.
Meanwhile, French authorities reported that a Sudanese man died in his attempts to cross the Channel Tunnel into the United Kingdom. He became the ninth victim in a recent surge of migrant deaths in Calais, a prominent northern port town. French photographer Phil Le Gal documents the lives of some of those residing in Calais’ largest migrant camp, nicknamed the “New Jungle.”
Across the Atlantic, half of the Cuban men’s field hockey team abandoned their country and teammates at the Pan American Games in Toronto. While the flight of Cuban athletes to the U.S. is nothing new, Brendan Krisel examines the recent rise in defections and how they correspond to likely changes in immigration policy between the two countries.
Finally, on this week’s episode of World Policy On Air, Gary Sick, former National Security Council member under Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan, argues that a world without an Iranian nuclear deal is far more dangerous than the alternative.
Around the Institute
WPI Fellow Lissa Weinmann and her husband John Loggia have launched a new arts and education center in Brattleboro, Vermont, where they will host a series of foreign policy discussions on pressing global issues. Last Friday, in coordination with the Windham World Affairs Council, they kicked off their “Hot Off the Press” series, featuring former Ambassador Peter Galbraith, who discussed the intricacies of the Iranian nuclear deal. On November 6, Cuban diplomat and educator Carlos Alzugaray will join “Hot Off the Press,” offering his insights on the changing diplomatic relationship between the United States and Cuba.
Fellow Updates
Alon Ben Meir, in a recent article for the Huffington Post, discusses Prime Minister Netanyahu’s recent order to demolish the small Palestinian town of Susiya, calling on Israeli citizens to address such a flagrant violation of human rights.
Elmira Bayrasli, in a recent article for Techcrunch, explains how Kenya’s budding startup sector can help the developing nation lay a strong foundation for future economic growth.
Nina Khrushcheva, in a recent article for Today’s Zaman, contextualizes the shootings in Chattanooga by comparing the United States’ and Russia’s historical relationship with Islam.
Khadija Sharife coordinated the groundbreaking “Fatal Extraction” project with the International Consortium of Journalists, designed to reveal the devastating footprint Australian mining companies have left across Africa.
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[Photos courtesy of Phil Le Gal and Wikimedia Commons]