The WIP: Byline portal + WIP Contibutors

Mourning and Anger on Dobrovoljacka Street

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:07:11 -0800

by Marija Arnautovic and Tina Jelin Dizdar, RFE, Czech Republic - Bosnia this month marked the 20th anniversary of one of the milestones of the country's 1992-95 war: the fighting on Sarajevo's Dobrovoljacka Street, in which an unknown number of Serb soldiers died. As officials and civilians commemorated the event, some Bosnians came to protest against honoring the forces that besieged the city.

For Many Indians, the Land of Opportunity Is the Land They’re Going back To

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:01:43 -0800

by Stephanie Nolen, Globe & Mail, Canada - Canada has traditionally competed for India’s skilled migrants with Australia, Britain and the United States. But now there’s a new country in the mix, a destination with increasing appeal for young, educated and ambitious Indians: India.

Vietnam Floats between China and US

Tue, 15 May 2012 01:42:44 -0800

by Lien Hoang, Asia Times, Hong Kong - China's fast political, economic and military ascent has Southeast Asian countries scrambling for alternative alliances. In the case of Vietnam, that has meant shoring up support from Russia, Japan, India, Australia and notably the US, a former war adversary.

Undocumented Mothers Have Dreams, Too

Tue, 15 May 2012 01:37:43 -0800

by Angy Rivera, Mónica Novoa, Colorlines, USA - My mother and I landed in New York on August 29, 1993, a week before my third birthday. She didn’t know that starting this day, we would become undocumented. For years I translated the world to my mother, from paperwork to meetings with the landlord.

The Face of Islam, According to Foreign Policy

Tue, 15 May 2012 01:27:15 -0800

by Hilal Elver, Al Jazeera, Qatar - The issue focused on women in the Middle East, Russia and China - but completely ignored gender problems in the West.

Banks Could Sink the Euro

Tue, 15 May 2012 01:18:02 -0800

by Caroline de Gruyter, NRC Handelsblad, The Netherlands - Forget the debate about austerity versus growth, the future of the single currency is being played out in the banking sector. As a result of the crisis, governments and financial institutions have become so interdependent that they have weakened each other.

Photos: Survivors of North Carolina's Eugenics Program

Mon, 14 May 2012 03:45:24 -0800

by Maya Dusenbery, Mother Jones, USA - Between 1929 and 1974, North Carolina sterilized more than 7,500 of its residents. Most were operated on without their consent, having been deemed "feebleminded" and unfit to reproduce by the state Eugenics Board. Eighty-five percent were women; about 40 percent were black or Native American. As many as 2,000 victims are thought to still be alive.

Sand County, the Sequel

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:59:47 -0800

by Sandra Steingraber, Orion, USA - Last January, my hometown newspaper brought word that the LaSalle County board has approved strip mining for frack sand along the boundary of Starved Rock State Park, which is a marvel of sandstone outcroppings and gorges. The county board was swayed by the promise of thirty-nine jobs, which start at eighteen dollars an hour. So, absent further intervention, the beloved landscape of my childhood may be carted off and shoved into the fractured landscape of my children’s childhood.

Latin America: Gender Equality Still Not a Reality

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:56:17 -0800

by Marisela Castillo Apitz, Latin America Press, Peru - Political polarization impedes ruling government and opposition parties to create joint agenda to ensure women’s inclusion.

Georgia: Can Tbilisi be Supersized?

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:41:54 -0800

by Molly Corso, EurasiaNet, USA - As Georgia rushes to embrace the West, American-style fast food franchises are trying to make inroads into a country with a rich culinary tradition.

High Hopes for Malawi’s First Woman President

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:35:19 -0800

by Susan Tolmay, AWID, Canada - On 7 April 2012 Joyce Banda made history by becoming the first female President of Malawi and the first in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)[1] following the sudden death of former President, Bingu wa Mutharika.

How Right-Wing Extremists and Islamists Are the Same

Fri, 11 May 2012 01:33:31 -0800

by Barbara Hans and Julia Jüttner, Der Spiegel, Germany - Last weekend, Salafist Muslims and anti-Islam right-wingers faced off in Bonn, and 29 police officers were injured as a result. The two groups appear to be diametrically opposed, but a deeper look reveals they have a great deal in common. The totalitarian worldview has many manifestations.

Map: The State of Marriage Equality in America

Fri, 11 May 2012 01:10:26 -0800

by Samantha Oltman, Mother Jones, USA - Where in the United States do gay people have the right to get hitched?

Israeli Politics Are Proving More Absurd Than Any Reality TV Show

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:25:25 -0800

by Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz, Israel - Events like the last-minute Kadima-Likud deal are a slap in the face, reminding Israeli citizens that they aren’t watching 'American Idol' – they're watching 'Survivor.'

Tolerance Toward Spousal Abuse in Egypt Persists Post Revolution

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:43:31 -0800

by Manar Ammar
-Egypt-

• Egyptian Women. Photograph by Joseph Mayton and courtesy of Bikyamasr.com. •

When Marwa* arrived at the hospital, her left arm was dangling beside her body like a lifeless piece of cloth. After examination, the doctors told her that her upper arm was shattered in three spots, and a number of surgeries must follow. The night before, following an argument with her mom, her younger brother interfered with his fist. For over an hour he hit and beat Marwa senselessly. He even threw a chair at her.

“I don’t have full normal movement in my arm, even after three and half years since the fight,” says Marwa. “I still don’t speak to my family, with the exception of my mother, and till this day he never apologized.”

Marwa, an educated middleclass woman, decided to press charges against her brother. Her decision lost her the family’s compassion and made her an outcaste. She had to drop the charges and move out of the family home.