Divisionaries
Exploring the codes and characteristics of the suburban drug market.
Sociologist Scott Jacques surveys the unique nature of the middle class drug trade, from lower levels of police attention to an emphasis on conflict avoidance, and explains why free drugs, not money, is often the motivator for entering the trade.
Scott is co-author of the new book Code of the Suburb: Inside the World of Young Middle-Class Drug Dealers.
When threats to academic free speech come from inside the campus.
Writer John K. Wilson digs into the issues behind several high profile stories of universities cracking down on free speech, from the firings of Steven Salaita and John McAdams, to the expulsion of those Oklahoma racist chanting frat bros, and explains why trusting university administrators to police speech is a dangerous path.
John has been covering these stories over at the Academe Blog. He also gives us a preview of this week’s Evanston Literary Festival.
No good side - Understanding the forces behind Yemen's descent into chaos.
Middle East scholar Sheila Carapico breaks down the actors, events and motivations behind the war in Yemen – from Saudi incursion to the Houthi rebel uprising – and explains why the only good outcome to the war is the end of violence.
Sheila’s latest writing is Two Resolutions, a Draft Constitution and Late Developments for the Middle East Research and Information Project.
The DEA head's resignation reveals the corruption at the heart of the drug war.
Live from Mexico City, Laura Carlsen explains how the resignation of DEA chief Michele Leonhart over a cartel-backed sex party for DEA officers shows the true relationship between both sides of the drug war, and why she’s hopeful that the Ayotzinapa protest movement can combat the rising secrecy and militarization of government branches throughout the Americas.
Laura wrote the commentaries Leonhart’s Fall Signals Urgent Need for DEA Overhaul and Continuing the Crackdown on Kids.
Understanding clandestine migration in the age of Europe's anti-mobility regime.
Anthropologist Ruben Andersson surveys the realities of refugee migration, from the parallel industries of smuggling and security that profit from crisis, to the political and security systems that thrive on conflict not resolution, and explains why a globalized world needs to reexamine notions of mobility and the right to movement.
Ruben is author of 2014′s highly and often recommended Illegality, Inc. – Clandestine Migration and the Business of Bordering Europe and the recent article Destroy the Smuggling Markets, Not the Boats.
Perpwalking Salman Khan down the crowded footpath towards justice.
Live from Mumbai, Bollywood insider Jeff Dorchen casts Salman Khan as a handsome, penitent killer of men and deer, alongside suicidal fans, mobsters, mechanical Hanumans, and skeptical taxi drivers. Then Jeff gives us an update on the filming of his movie “Basmati Blues,” and his discovery of neer dosas and Bombay ducks.
