On February 11, 2021, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) claimed responsibility for an attack on a Christian town south of Borno State in Nigeria.
February 12, 2021
Special Dispatch No. 9180
Russian Orthodox Scholar Chapnin: The Church, By Marching Lock Step With The Authorities, Is Alienating Russian Youth
February 12, 2021
The religious scholar and former deputy editor-in-chief of the Moscow Patriarchate s publishing house, Sergei Chapnin[1] is worried about the long-lasting effects of the church hierarchy s unwavering support for Putin. This support was reiterated in response to the demonstrations supporting Alexey Navalny. Chapnin believes that the church is alienating the youth, who played a major role in the demonstrations, and is making no effort to understand the motivations behind their participation.
Some local priests provide an exception by engaging with the youth. Thus ironically, it turns out that one task of a priest is to protect young people from church officialdom.
February 12, 2021
Special Dispatch No. 9181
CCP-Owned Global Times Editor Hu Xijin: At Least At This Stage, China Does Not Have The Strategic Ambition To Destroy Western Capitalism
February 12, 2021
On February 2, 2021, Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times, posted an essay he wrote titled What Are China And The United States Competing For? about the nature of the China-U.S. rivalry on his WeChat account.
In it, he stated that both China and the U.S. have a political need to prove the superiority of their systems, but that at least at this stage, China does not have the strategic ambition to destroy Western capitalism. The rivalry between the two, he wrote, focuses mainly on the right to development, i.e. the U.S. geopolitical desire to contain China s rapid development and return to the center of world development, versus the Chinese people s desire for a better life. Our development must be faster than the U.S. s in the long
February 11, 2021
Special Dispatch No. 9178
Syrian Writer: #MeToo Campaign Not Enough To Prevent Sexual Harassment In Arab Countries; Punishment And Public Censure Are Also Needed
February 11, 2021
In a December 12, 2020 article on the website of the London-based daily Al-Arabi Al-Jadid
, Syrian poet and journalist Rasha Omran writes that, while the global #MeToo campaign has encouraged women in the Arab world to speak out about the sexual harassment they experience, this campaign is not sufficient to deter the offenders in the absence of sufficiently strict legislation and in the absence of broad public censure. She adds that the problem of harassment in Arab societies is prevalent even among educated and liberal circles, whose members could be expected to rise above the patriarchal mindset that views women as a commodity. Omran also bemoans the fact that many women in the Arab world justify the harassment and abuse of women and blame the victims. This, she said, reflect