There are now more than 50 million displaced persons (refugees) in the world, the highest number of such persons in the world since World War II. The world has moved away from the term refugees to the phrase “displaced persons” to account for those people who remain in their home country even though they have left their homes. Most of these displaced people are fleeing conflict areas, and it is often very difficult to get any assistance to them because of the issue of sovereignty.
The situation in Iraq suddenly became significantly weirder. Russian President Putin has offered Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki “total support” in fighting ISIS. Putin definitely has an interest in combating ISIS since Putin has been confronting a radical Islamist group in Chechnya for many years. But imagine the possibilities. The US could be fighting along side Russians against rebels who also wish to overthrow President Assad in Syria, a Russian ally. Ultimately, the US and Russian forces could be fighting along side Iranian forces who also wish to support al-Maliki. War makes for very strange bedfellows.
The new Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has ordered all government officials to use Hindi instead of English in all social media platforms. The order is consistent with Modi’s Hindu nationalism, but there are many in India who do not use Hindi as their primary language. English, although the language of colonialism, has served as a language that does not favor any of the indigenous groups. It is unclear whether the order will stick as it has been issued in the past and failed.
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