Tag: Foreign Policy and National Security

Telling the ‘Right’ Story: Dina Nayeri on Refugee Credibility

In her newest book, Who Gets Believed?, writer and refugee Dina Nayeri explores the role of credibility in seeking aid, from access to asylum to the criminal justice system. According to Nayeri, the most vulnerable (the uneducated, neurodivergent, etc.) are often deemed the least credible, because they don’t know how to tell the “right” story: the one that could save their life.

“We come at our most wretched moment to other people’s doors. And we should not have to be thinking about how we come across, or how we present right then.”

Sound the Alarm—Sweden Drops ‘Feminist’ and Returns to Mere ‘Foreign Policy’

While the Swedish government has reassured both domestic and international stakeholders that removing ‘feminist’ from the official description of its foreign policy will not affect its commitment to gender equality, there are many who mourn this change.

As feminist activists and officials working all over the world to advance this approach, we mourn the loss of the world’s first feminist foreign policy, an effort that has, in our view, had an important global impact.

Rape Rhetoric and Russia’s War on Ukraine

As in the case of many an abusive ex-partner, Putin has threateningly hovered and glowered over Ukraine since the country declared itself independent in 1991.  

This playbook of bullying and domination is well known to those who study sexual and interpersonal violence, with parallels both implicit and explicit. For years, witnesses have stood on the sidelines while Putin raged and menaced.

Susan Rice

Biden Recruits Veteran Policy Adviser Susan Rice: “We All Rise or Fall Together”

President-Elect Joe Biden appointed Ambassador Susan Rice to serve as director of the Domestic Policy Council in his administration.

“In the 21st century, our foreign economic and domestic imperatives are deeply intertwined,” Rice said in her acceptance speec. “Tackling these challenges is personal to me. I am a descendant of immigrants and the enslaved, and service is in our blood.”

Avril Haines to Become First Woman Director of National Intelligence

Avril Haines to Become First Woman Director of National Intelligence: “I Have Never Shied Away From Speaking Truth To Power”

Avril Haines, the next director of national intelligence, used her acceptance speech to emphasize the public service component of her position—and throw shade on her predecessors who continue to deny that Trump lost the election.

“You know that I have never shied away from speaking truth to power. And that will be my charge as director of national intelligence.”

Linda Thomas-Greenfield Steps Up as UN Ambassador: "The Challenges We Face Are Not Unresolvable if America Is Leading the Way"

Linda Thomas-Greenfield Steps Up as UN Ambassador: “The Challenges We Face Are Not Unresolvable if America Is Leading the Way”

Linda Thomas-Greenfield was nominated U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. If confirmed, Thomas-Greenfield will become only the second Black woman to serve in the role.

“The challenges we face, a global pandemic, a global economy, a global climate change crisis, mass migration and extreme poverty, social justice are unrelenting and interconnected, but they’re not unresolvable if America is leading the way.”