Institute of Current World Affairs

ICWA@100: Thelma’s shoes Sharon Griffin Doorasamy on post-apartheid South Africa.

Former ICWA fellow Sharon Griffin Doorasamy reflects on South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and her own family's history as Black slaves and domestic servants in the US in this intimate 1996 dispatch: compass.icwa.org/p/icwa100-th...

ICWA@100: The unlikeliest of reunions A mounting power struggle split families in 1990s Algeria.

Trustee & former fellow Katherine Kono spent her ICWA fellowship (1993–1995) in Saudi Arabia, France, Algeria, Yemen & Egypt, studying tradition & modernity in the Arab world. In this dispatch from Algiers, she reports on growing tensions between Islamists & police:
compass.icwa.org/p/icwa100-th...

Rowland Robinson shares some photos from his new base in Brazil. In May, he accompanied non-profit workers to Cracolandia or "Crackland," a region of São Paulo known for its high incidence of drug use. In the video, he dances with folks living on the street--you can spot him by his patagonia!

On The New Yorker Harold Ross's gamble, 100 years on.

As @newyorker.com celebrates its 100th anniversary, Adam Van Doren considers the legacy of the magazine's “lovable old volcano,” founding editor Harold Ross:
compass.icwa.org/p/on-the-new...

On building solidarity - ICWA ICWA fellow Edric Huang reports on the 10th International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association Asia conference in Nepal.

By the end of the @ilgaasia.bsky.social conference, I wondered how we’d move emotional connections and bonds into action-oriented solidarity that wouldn’t fall into a trap of universalism or cultural relativism, Edric Huang reports from Kathmandu, #Nepal: www.icwa.org/ilga-nepal-c...

In praise of cantinas Mexican history served daily, with limes on the side.

Former fellow @joshualevkowitz.bsky.social takes Compass on a tour of Mexico City cantinas, where classes mix and one can enjoy a drink and a snack while imbibing local culture and history: compass.icwa.org/p/in-praise-...

Macron should call Trump’s bluff When it comes to defense, Europe has the means to stick it to Washington.

As Trump shakes traditional US alliances, #France has a trump card (no pun intended) it has played in the past that, if used again, could shift the debate about the raison d’être & future of NATO, Jean-Louis Doublet writes for Compass. France has nukes: compass.icwa.org/p/macron-sho...

Review: Opposing authoritarianism Benjamin Nathans’s history of the Soviet dissident movement has important lessons for today.

The awarding of @pulitzerprizes.bsky.social for Nonfiction to @benjaminnathans.bsky.social's history of the Soviet dissident movement couldn’t be more timely, @gregoryfeifer.bsky.social writes for Compass. To the Success of our Hopeless Cause has important lessons: compass.icwa.org/p/review-opp...

Portugal’s addiction treatment at a crossroads - ICWA Despite their success, Portugal's addiction programs face budget cuts and lack of political will, ICWA's Rowland Robinson reports from Lisbon.

Funding for substance use services in Portugal has declined due to a lack of political will. When the govt pushed through its reforms from 1999-2001, the heroin crisis was the number one issue for voters. Now it's in 14th place, Rowland Robinson reports: www.icwa.org/portugal-add...

Meet our fellows! And if you're a past or current fellow who has been left off this list, please request to be added 🧭 go.bsky.app/SsnQaBf

Going toe to toe with ‘vandals and demagogues’ A conversation with Jeffrey Gedmin.

"The Trump admin has antagonism to development & democracy, any soft power—support of civil society abroad, rule of law, independent media. So US-funded intl media finds itself a real target," Jeffrey Gedmin, CEO of Middle East Broadcasting Networks tells Compass: compass.icwa.org/p/going-toe-...

Edric Huang walked in the parade with Nagoya University designated associate professor Euan McKay, who has formed support networks for LGBTQ+ faculty across Japan & conducted research on LGBTQ+ university students’ experiences.

This year, Nagoya Rainbow Pride attracted over 50,000 visitors & 1,200 parade participants. Nagoya is the capital of Aichi Prefecture, the first Japanese prefecture to recognize same-sex couples & their children as a family with its “Familyship Oath System” in early 2024.

Montenegro walk Anna Shmitko is a documentary director and photographer whose work spans reportage, fine art and social commentary.

Montenegro walk - photography by Anna Shmitko on Compass: compass1925.substack.com/p/montenegro...

Signage from Suriname’s ‘Casablanca’ The capital’s residents hail from diverse cultures and languages. Could that present an opportunity?

Suriname’s capital Paramaribo is a tropical melting pot and waystation for globally displaced citizens heading north. The signs are everywhere, ICWA board member Joel Millman writes for Compass:
compass.icwa.org/p/signage-fr...

Portugal’s addiction treatment at a crossroads - ICWA Despite their success, Portugal's addiction programs face budget cuts and lack of political will, ICWA's Rowland Robinson reports from Lisbon.

Portugal faces a critical shortage of medical professionals decades in the making due to stagnating funding across the national health service, the emigration of young people & policies limiting the number of medical students, Rowland Robinson reports: www.icwa.org/portugal-add...

On building solidarity - ICWA ICWA fellow Edric Huang reports on the 10th International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association Asia conference in Nepal.

Trump's freeze on foreign aid assistance had "catastrophic results," since LGBTQ+ groups around the world relied on USAID as societal stigma & discriminatory laws discouraged local donors from affiliating with them, Edric Huang reports from @ilgaasia.bsky.social: www.icwa.org/ilga-nepal-c...

Back to Bangdong village A post-Covid visit to rural China reveals what it means to be a neighbor.

Matt Chitwood returns to his fellowship base in the mountainous southwestern region of Yunnan, China, after four years away and finds the village has endured many changes in his absence. He writes about the wedding of former mayor Zhu Hong for Compass:
compass.icwa.org/p/back-to-ba...

Mein Kampf 100 years on What is its significance for the resurgent far right?

A century after the publication of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, @unisouthampton.bsky.social Professor @neilgregor.bsky.social writes for Compass about a new scholarly edition of the text and the resurgence of far-right thought, speech and action: compass.icwa.org/p/mein-kampf...

Portugal’s addiction treatment at a crossroads - ICWA Despite their success, Portugal's addiction programs face budget cuts and lack of political will, ICWA's Rowland Robinson reports from Lisbon.

Organizations that make up Portugal's addiction treatment model—methadone vans, outpatient & inpatient treatment centers & therapeutic communities—are under strain because of budget cuts & a lack of political support, Rowland Robinson reports from Lisbon: www.icwa.org/portugal-add...

Letter from the Sri Lankan killing fields Some 100,000 lives were lost in the civil war, but justice remains elusive.

In "Letter from the Sri Lankan killing fields," Compass contributor Matthew Stevenson journeys to Jaffna, the end game of the brutal Sri Lankan civil war, which ran from 1983 to 2009. Some 100,000 lives were lost, but justice remains elusive: compass.icwa.org/p/letter-fro...

Kafka’s The Trial: 1925 – 2025 A century after the novel’s publication, its portrait of arbitrary justice is increasingly relevant.

“Today, when legal guarantees are increasingly ignored not only by authoritarian states but even some countries that take pride in their constitutions, Kafka’s The Trial speaks with ever-increasing urgency.” Ritchie Robertson on the novel a century later: compass1925.substack.com/p/kafkas-the...

Tens of thousands of people—including Edric Huang—attended this April rally to recall KMT legislators. Booths lined both sides of the street for people to sign petitions in their home districts. So far, 31 petitions to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators have reached the final stage.

Taiwanese rapper Yang Shu-ya performs “2045,” about her anger if war broke out between China & Taiwan. Behind her, the words “Protect Taiwan! Reject the United Front” create a direct link between the KMT party & the CCP’s tactics to influence & ultimately invade Taiwan.

Is Trumpism exportable to Europe? Czechia may be a test case The billionaire populist Andrej Babiš is running for his old job as prime minister.

Is Trumpism is an exportable model of right-wing populist politics? For Compass, @daliborrohac.bsky.social analyzes Czech billionaire populist Andrej Babiš's reelection campaign for prime minister: compass1925.substack.com/p/is-trumpis...

The velvet leash When do people fight for their freedom?

When do people fight for their freedom? Ilya Kolmanovsky analyzes the detainment of Harvard scientist & Russian citizen Ksenia Petrova and draws comparisons to animal conditioning techniques:
compass.icwa.org/p/the-velvet...

Greenland chairs the Arctic Council - ICWA At a precarious moment for the Arctic Council, Greenland takes the helm for the first time, ICWA fellow Brett Simpson reports.

In 1996, representatives from 8 polar states & 6 Indigenous organizations convened the first @arcticcouncil.bsky.social in Ottawa to make Gorbachev’s vision of "polar peace" a reality. Science precedes & undergirds the council’s work, @brettvsimpson.bsky.social reports: www.icwa.org/greenland-ch...

Copenhagen conversation Anna Shmitko is a documentary director and photographer whose work spans reportage, fine art and social commentary.

Copenhagen conversation - photography by Anna Shmitko on Compass: compass.icwa.org/p/photograph...

Kafka’s The Trial: 1925 – 2025 A century after the novel’s publication, its portrait of arbitrary justice is increasingly relevant.

“Today, when legal guarantees are increasingly ignored not only by authoritarian states but even some countries that take pride in their constitutions, Kafka’s The Trial speaks with ever-increasing urgency.” Ritchie Robertson on the novel a century later: compass1925.substack.com/p/kafkas-the...

Is Trumpism exportable to Europe? Czechia may be a test case The billionaire populist Andrej Babiš is running for his old job as prime minister.

Is Trumpism is an exportable model of right-wing populist politics? For Compass, @daliborrohac.bsky.social analyzes Czech billionaire populist Andrej Babiš's reelection campaign for prime minister: compass1925.substack.com/p/is-trumpis...