Stories about International Relations from August, 2019
A study of Bulgarian far-right proto-militias dismantles the theory of the lone-wolf extremist
Research shows that the members of far-right extremist groups don’t necessarily believe the narratives promoted by their networks about “migrant invasion” or “islamization,” but consider hate speech as useful weapon.
Nigeria's reputation takes a hit as three online fraud cases make international headlines
The cases involve a young star entrepreneur, the continent's largest e-commerce platform, and 80 online scammers.
An effect of rising deforestation in Brazil, Amazon fires turn into a global crisis
Besides Jair Bolsonaro's policies, experts point to deforestation, seasonal burnings, lack of funding and inspection as the main causes to a record-breaking year in number of wild fires.
Will Zimbabwe succeed in overturning a ban on the ivory trade?
Zimbabwe is currently sitting on a stockpile of seized ivory worth hundreds of millions.
Pakistan's government suspends relations with India in show of solidarity with Kashmiris
After Narendra Modi's government in India scrapped Article 370, many Pakistanis asked the ruling party to take action.
Vitriolic response to art exhibit tests the limits of freedom of speech in Japan
A controversial art exhibition at an arts festival in Japan has led to government criticism, threats, at least one arrest, protests by artists and questions about freedom of expression.
Indian government asks Twitter to remove accounts ‘spreading rumours’ about Kashmir
With the communication blackout inside Kashmir, netizens elsewhere resorted to Twitter to speak out against India's revocation of the region's autonomous status.
How Hungary-funded news sites helped a false story travel all the way from Slovenia through Greece to North Macedonia
Fact-checkers in North Macedonia have traced the original source of the bribe article and uncovered a complex trail of disinformation spanning at least four countries.
Indian-administered Kashmir is like an ‘open prison’, says observers
"What is happening in Kashmir is 'normal' in the sense that state-backed violence, deceit and lies, gag on civilian voices, and govt propaganda have always been a 'normal' in Kashmir."
Oral historians and archivists fill in the record of the 1947 partition of India
Historians are working on getting the remaining survivors of the Partition to recall the events so their stories can be preserved.
Dubious CIA plot theory by former Yugoslav army colonel finds a platform in Serbian media
“Fake news, fake media, fake journalists, fake analysts – they have flooded the Serbian media space.”
Travel: An extreme sport for Africans
It’s difficult for Africans to travel outside Africa — but it’s equally grim to travel within the continent.
China’s hunger for minerals stirs resistance in rural Thailand
Chinese efforts to obtain a cheap source of a crop-boosting mineral are raising fears of an environmental crisis among farming communities in Thailand.
Indian government abolishes Kashmir's special status, announces bifurcation
"It's basically like England walking into Scotland with troops and getting rid of the Scottish Parliament and arresting all the Scottish nationalists. This is just not acceptable."
Three naïve questions about Belarus
Why do so few people know about Belarus?