Category: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Women’s rights in Morocco: Balancing domestic and international law

By Leila Hanafi and Danielle Hites

Despite Morocco’s many legal advances in women’s rights, its lack of effective implementation and the existence of legislative loopholes undermines its reputation as an open, tolerant, and progressive country. In recent months, Morocco’s human rights record has come under the scrutiny of international organizations, notably the UN Human Rights Council latest UPR. Morocco’s questionable human […]

Trump’s Transgender Ban Raises Legal Questions

By Rachel Ansley

Is a tweet legally binding directive, asks former US Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning [Editor’s note: On July 27, Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that military policy regarding who may serve will not change until US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis issues new guidelines. “In the meantime, we […]

The Last Three Feet: Advancing LGBTI Rights Absent a Clear Presidential Mandate

By Erin Clancy

“The real crucial link in the international exchange is the last three feet, which is bridged by personal contact, one person talking to another.” – Edward R. Murrow US diplomats serving at embassies and consulates abroad are gearing up for June Pride celebrations with local LGBTI communities and their allies at a time of uncertainty […]

The United States Cannot Afford to Scale Back its Efforts to Advance LGBTI Rights Around the World

By James "Wally" Brewster

In recent years, the protection and advancement of the human rights of LGBTI people has become a hallmark of US foreign policy. In 2011, former President Barack Obama issued a presidential memorandum that, among other things, directed government departments and agencies working overseas to “combat discrimination, homophobia, and intolerance on the basis of LGBTI status […]

The Need for American Leadership in the World

By David N. Cicilline

For eight years, the United States led the world in the fight to advance LGBTI equality and ensure that all people could live free from the fear of discrimination, bigotry, and violence. More than any president before him, former President Barack Obama set the standard to inspire many around the world to follow. On Obama’s […]

The American Brand is Wounded…But It Will Recover

By Daniel Baer

Every time I think the editorials, commentaries, tweets announcing the end of US global leadership have reached a crescendo, it seems that some new decision or announcement from the White House elevates concern again. I confess that I, too, have decried the abdication of a leading role for the United States on the world stage […]

Trump Must Stand Up for LGBT+ Rights

By Arego Mitchell

Over the course of the 2016 election, Donald Trump routinely flip-flopped on issues of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans* Americans. After first saying he would consider appointing Supreme Court justices who would overturn nationwide marriage equality, he soon made it a recurring talking point to highlight how he would be “better for the […]

Transatlantic Media Fellows

2018 Fellows Albin Aghamn: Reporter and editor at Sveriges Television (SVT), Sweden’s national public broadcaster in Stockholm, Sweden. Previously a journalist writing for Eskilstuna-Kuriren in the town of Eskilstuna from 2015 to 2016. Traveled extensively, including most recently to Albania and Turkey. Received a degree in social work from Linnaeus University and a degree in […]

The Gambia Votes: A Rare Victory for Democracy in Africa?

By Kelsey Lilley

The results from The Gambia’s presidential election, which pitted opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate Adama Barrow against longtime president, Yahya Jammeh, made history as they trickled in late at night on December 1. The small West African country, bound on three sides by Senegal, has been ruled for more than two decades by the […]