Joyce Hackel
North Koreans Cross Icy River and Slip Into a New World
North Koreans who flee their homeland aren’t always government opponents. Some of those who risk their lives to escape into China, often wading through strong currents on the icy Tumen River are simply seeking a job and a way to feed their family.
North Korea: Government Struggles to Keep Tech Genie in the Bottle
North Korea limits its citizens access to mobile phones and a government-sponsored intranet, but it can’t shield its population entirely from the widening reach of global technology, says Scott Thomas Bruce with the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability.
Refugees Fleeing Syria are ‘Mostly Kids,’ Many Traveling on Their Own
Melissa Fleming, the chief spokesperson for the UNHCR says thousands of refugees are arriving each day, often including children traveling on their own, arriving in a freezing rain.
Egypt’s Military Winner in New Draft Constitution
University of Chicago law professor Tom Ginsburg has taken a careful look at Egypt’s draft constitution. He says there’s one big winner in the document: Egypt’s military.
Egyptian Islamists: ‘We’ve Won Elections, Now Democracy Isn’t Good Enough?’
Rival protesters clashed in Cairo Wednesday, as tensions continued to escalate over President Mohammed Morsi’s powers and a new constitution. Tarek Masoud of Harvard University says the cleavages between liberals and Islamists run deep in Egyptian society, and that even deep concessions by Morsi would not bridge the divide.
Washington Struggles to Find Allies in Syrian Opposition
Andrew Tabler, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy says the White House will be hard-put to find allies in a post-Assad Syria and currently faces open hostility from within the rebels ranks.
Syria: Anti-Regime Activists Subvert Internet Blackout
Activist Amer al-Sadeq says rebels are gaining territory in the capital and opposition activists are finding ways to work around the communication blackout.
Congo: A Journey Through Goma’s ‘No Man’s Land’
Correspondent Michael Kavanagh traveled Thursday across the frontlines from rebel-held Goma, into Army-held territory, and then back again. He says the warring factions aren’t all keen to negotiate and residents fear the insurgents will go on a massive looting rampage, before pulling out of the provincial capital.
US Servicewomen Challenge Pentagon’s Direct Combat Ban
Four US servicewomen have filed a lawsuit challenging the Pentagon’s policy barring women from some combat roles. Capt. Zoe Bedell (not pictured) is one of the plaintiffs.
Supporters of Egypt’s President Mursi Laud His New Powers
Gehad el-Haddad, a senior adviser to the Muslim Brotherhood says President Mursi needed the new powers to sack an unpopular general prosecutor and to reign in a hostile judiciary.
Rebels in Syria Clinch Key Region in Oil-Producing East
Syrian rebels say they’ve won control of a strategic region in the east of the country, bordering Iraq, with the fall of an army base in Mayadeen.
Sex and Power in the US Military
The turmoil at the Pentagon and the CIA speaks volumes about the US military’s attitude toward women, says Helen Benedict, a professor at Columbia University’s School of Journalism and the author of “The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq.”
Petraeus Scandal Reveals Limits of Email Privacy
The Petraeus scandal offers insights into the security of online communication and the media’s access to military officials, says Zeynep Tufekci a visiting scholar at Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy.
The Mystique of David Petraeus: Were Tough Questions Brushed Aside?
Some journalists are starting to question whether their coverage of Gen. David Petraeus glossed over tough questions about his command of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Spencer Ackerman, a senior writer at Wired who covered Petraeus, says the media’s tendency to portray the general as “superhuman” is having serious consequences.
State Ballot Initiatives Legalizing Marijuana May Cut Into Profits of Mexican Drug Cartels
Residents of Colorado and Washington voted Tuesday to legalize marijuana for recreational use. That move might eventually cut into the profits of Mexican drug cartels, says Beau Kilmer, who co-directs of the Drug Policy Research Center at the Rand Corporation.
Additional funding for PRI's The World is provided by:
