March 4, 2020
Women in Leadership: Strides and Struggles; U.S.-Taliban Watch; Escalation in Syria; Global Geopolitics; China Under Pressure; Covid-19 Monitor; Obstacles in Africa; and The Future of Tech
" Maybe it’s not that big of a deal in Finland that we have five women in power … But it means something that the media and global community is talking about it."
-- Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, during a panel at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos.

" If the current change in Ethiopia is headed equally by both men and women, it can sustain its momentum and realize a prosperous Ethiopia free of religious, ethnic, and gender discrimination. The absence of peace victimizes firstly women."
-- Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, first female President of Ethiopia and the only current female head-of-state in Africa, in 2018 Addis Ababa remarks to the House of Peoples' Representatives.

" Human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights."
-- Hillary Clinton, 67th U.S. Secretary of State and former U.S. presidential candidate, in a famous 1995 speech to the UN's Fourth World Conference on Women as First Lady of the U.S.
Women in Leadership: Strides and Struggles
“ Women’s Power Index” Rachel Vogelstein and Alexandra Bro -- Council on Foreign Relations, January 30, 2020


“ The Theme of International Women’s Day 2020, Explained” Darren Thackeray -- World Economic Forum, March 4, 2020

“ For the 1st Time, Architecture's Most Prestigious Prize Is Awarded to 2 Women” Neda Ulaby -- National Public Radio, March 3, 2020 

“ Life Inside an Afghan Women’s Prison” Francesca Donner -- New York Times, February 29, 2020
U.S.-Taliban Watch

“ Cracks Start to Show in U.S.-Taliban Deal” Lara Seligman -- Politico, March 2, 2020

“ Why Afghanistan Became an Invisible War” Juliette Love and Rod Nordland -- New York Times, March 1, 2020
Escalation in Syria

“ Turkish Losses Rise in Dangerous Escalation Over Syria’s Idlib” Amberin Zaman -- Al Monitor, February 28, 2020

“ Erdogan Is Holding a Gun to His Own Head in Syria” Bobby Ghosh -- Bloomberg, February 27, 2020

“ From Syria to Turkey to the EU - An Interconnected Crisis” Human Rights Watch, March 3, 2020 
Global Geopolitics
“ Russia’s Relations With the West Are Not Going to Get Any Better” Dmitri Trenin -- The Security Times, February 2020

“ Ukraine’s Economic Growth May Spell Trouble for Poland” Maria Wilczek -- Al Jazeera, March 2, 2020

“ Why the Palestinian Authority Should Accept the Trump Administration’s Olive Branch of Opportunity” Eliora Katz and Eyal Tsir Cohen -- National Review, March 2, 2020

“ A Leaderless Struggle for Democracy” Sarah Repucci -- Freedom House, March 2020

“ Bolsonaro's Plan to Legalize Crimes Against Indigenous Peoples” Maria Canineu and Andrea Carvalho -- Human Rights Watch, March 1, 2020 
China Under Pressure
“ China’s Schools, Forced Online By Virus, Run Into Censors” Yanan Wang -- Associated Press, March 4, 2020

“ Uyghurs for Sale” Vicky Xiuzhong Xu; Danielle Cave; James Leibold; Kelsey Munro; Nathan Ruser -- Australian Strategic Policy Institute, March 1, 2020

“ Trump Administration Order Four Chinese News Outlets in the U.S. to Reduce Staffs” Carol Morello -- The Washington Post, March 2, 2020

“ How China Uses National Identity as a Weapon” Yuan Yang -- Financial Times, February 28, 2020
Covid-19 Monitor
“ The Coronavirus Is No 1918 Pandemic” Jeremy Brown -- The Atlantic, March 3, 2020 

“ That 1970’s Feeling” Kenneth Rogoff -- Project Syndicate, March 4, 2020

“ Italy Shows How to Tackle the Coronavirus Impact” Ferdinando Giugliano -- Bloomberg, March 2, 2020

“ Covid-19: The New Reality” Andrew Schwartz; Stephen Morrison; Jude Blanchette; Stephanie Segal -- Center for Strategic and International Studies, February 28, 2020 
Obstacles in Africa
“ African Union to EU: We’ve Got Our Own Strategy, Thanks” Simon Marks -- Politico, February 28, 2020

“ The West Ignores the Growth of Islamist Insurgents in Africa at Its Peril” Simon Tisdall -- The Guardian, February 29, 2020

“ How the Hirak Protest Movement Is Reshaping Algerian Politics” Amel Boubekeur -- European Council on Foreign Relations, February 27, 2020
The Future of Tech
“ The Future Will Be Shaped By What Global Productivity Growth Does Next” Warwick McKibbin and Adam Triggs -- Brookings, March 2, 2020 

“ How Can AI Impact Work In M&A?” Eric Braun -- Forbes, March 4, 2020