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    Is Afghanistan Ready to Negotiate With the Taliban?

    After more than a year of negotiations between US and Taliban representatives in Qatar, talks have now reached a critical point. The two sides are reportedly close to signing an agreement that will pave the way for intra-Afghan dialogue and the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. However, it is not yet clear who will […] More

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    Donald Trump and Elon Musk Invent the Wheel

    No one can claim that US president Donald Trump lacks empathy for at least some of the downtrodden. Interviewed by CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump responded to a question about Elon Musk. Given all that Musk has been through in recent times, Trump acknowledges that the poor fellow deserves the pity […] More

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    Putin Proposes, Trump Disposes

    In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin is proposing a new constitution. Meanwhile, in Washington, US President Donald Trump is disposing of the old constitution. The first is a demonstration of power meant to showcase the unity of the Russian political system behind a strong leader. The second is an act of desperation that reveals the […] More

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    Can Telling Stories Through Data Help Fight Misinformation in India?

    Over the past five years, India has seen several changes around the creation and dissemination of data. The Indian government has come under fire for withholding data on crucial issues like unemployment, as well as changing statistical methodologies to ascertain key metrics, calling into question the reliability of the source data itself. In a country […] More

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    How to Debate Confederate Symbols

    In a recent interview, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley talked about her decision to call for the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House after Dylann Roof killed nine black parishioners at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in June 2015. While the Confederate flag was not the only one […] More

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    The New York Times Sees Double

    The New York Times’ daring innovation of endorsing two candidates in the Democratic presidential primary has provoked a flurry of comments in the media. The verdict on The NYT’s verdict has been resoundingly negative. For many, it confirms that The New York Times has abandoned its presumed position of leadership. Some see it as a […] More

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    Evangelical Blues, or How Supporting Trump Discredits Christianity

    Now in the final year of his first — or only? — presidential term, Donald Trump is in trouble. Haunted time and again by new revelations of shady, if not criminal, behavior, and ridiculed by his political peers, even including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Trump is universally loathed — with few exceptions, Israel’s increasingly […] More