The Yale Globalist Blog

What can we learn about another region by reading their newspapers and watching their TV? It’s a question I’ve become interested in as I learn Arabic and have started to consume Arab media.

Much is not surprising. For example, during the Israeli incursions in the Palestine over the past few weeks, al-Jazeera reported that “martyrs were martyred” (istshhada shaheedan) rather than “civilians were killed” (qutila muwatinin).

The political cartoons are more blunt. The views expressed are typical of the “Arab street”: America sucks, Israel sucks, etc. But the visual language is fascinating.

A sheikh uses the American flag as a prayer mat. The flag reads, loosely translated, “Submission–not hunger!” The young Palestinian freedom fighter’s sign reads “Hunger–not submission!”

After the jump: a selection of more Arab political cartoons.
Continue Reading »

I took advantage of a domestic article assignment to do reporting for next issue’s main. Over winter break I spent a few days in central and southern Illinois to report from a state that reached its peak of coal production in 1918. Nevertheless, the coal industry remains a powerful one in Springfield, as it is in many state capitals.

Continue Reading »

With Barack Obama the new front runner for the Democratic nomination after his victory in Iowa, the Illinois senator faces revived scrutiny from the international media and the Washington chattering class. But one aspect of Obama’s candidacy that has not garnered much attention is his uniquely international biography and what it means for U.S. foreign policy.

Continue Reading »