Newsletter Archive

Using the law as a weapon of war might look good to the Trump administration, according to some scholars and attorneys. It’s a concept popularly known as ‘lawfare,’ which is used to reach strategic objectives traditionally achieved by use of lethal weapons. One lawfare specialist predicts the new U.S. president will find the practice familiar because Donald Trump has used law as a weapon while conducting his business affairs.

A Syrian refugee who now lives in the United States, and is on track to become an American citizen, worries others like him won’t have the same opportunity. The Trump administration is expected to put restrictions on immigration from terror-prone regions. Omar Al Muqdad views Syrian refugees, like himself, as ‘natural allies of the U.S.’ because they are fleeing terrorism.

The United States was on the sidelines as peace talks aimed at ending the war in Syria got underway in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana. The Trump administration was represented by U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan George Krol, who attended as an observer. Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria and Syrian rebels are trying to work out a long-term peace agreement. The absence of a strong U.S. voice in the talks is raising questions about the future of American influence in the Middle East.

QUICK TAKE VIDEO: After Iraqi forces took control of the northern Iraqi town of Tal Kayf in recent days, they found it had been transformed into a military camp by Islamic State fighters. In Iraq, VOA surveys the destruction the terror group left behind.

Somalia is turning to an age-old practice to help heal survivors of sexual violence and other trauma. In Mogadishu, VOA explores the program that uses physical activity and mental concentration, in addition to therapy, to give participants a sense of normalcy. Somalia has seen decades of war and lawlessness, and so besides survivors of sexual violence, there are former child soldiers and others at risk of recruitment by armed groups.

‘You will get nothing.’ For widows in Zimbabwe, losing a husband is just the beginning of their ordeal. Opportunistic relatives often trample the property and inheritance rights of widows, and the government lets it happen, according to a new report. In Harare, VOA speaks with widows who faced the fight of their lives when their husbands died.

Governments and business in Asia are looking for alternative trade and economic prospects following the U.S. decision to withdraw from the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP). Former President Barack Obama viewed the TPP as key part of a plan to pivot the U.S. towards Asia to counter China’s growing regional influence. But President Donald Trump is looking to bilateral trade agreements, rather than the multinational trade deals he believes have cost American workers their jobs.