writing
How protests protect South Korea’s mercurial democracy | January 9, 2025
In South Korea, trash balloons prompt a debate over free speech | SepTEMBER 25, 2024
South Korea’s ‘Honeymoon island’ risks erasing its history | July 8, 2024
South Korea’s young people are fed up with party politics | May 23, 2024
A Seoul Drag Queen on a Mission | APRil 3, 2024
In South Korea, an experimental school prioritizes happiness | FebRuary 27, 2024
South Korean students still struggle under a draconian system | January 27, 2024
Young South Koreans struggle to see a way forward | November 28, 2023
South Korea’s Election Will Be Decided by Young Voters | March 3, 2022
Democracy Activists Are Losing Faith in Power-Sharing Transitions | February 10, 2022
Biden’s Democracy Summit Cleared a Very Low Bar | December 20, 2021
The International Community Is Failing Myanmar | September 27, 2021
The Movement to End Transnational Repression | July 30, 2021
Myanmar’s Anti-Coup Resistance Is Running Out of Options | July 1, 2021
Can Influencers Save the Travel Industry From Itself? | June 11, 2021
Don’t Let Humility Get in the Way of Robust Democracy Promotion | May 20, 2021
U.S. Democracy Promotion Needs a Reboot | April 30, 2021
The U.K.’s Misguided Effort to Criminalize Protests | April 13, 2021
Translating K-Pop’s Success Into South Korean Soft Power | March 19, 2021
The Return of Myanmar’s ‘Revolutionary Spirit’ | February 18, 2021
A Sham Election May Be the ‘Nail in the Coffin’ for Democracy in Myanmar | November 3, 2020
With ‘Mulan,’ Disney Reveals the Perils Facing Foreign Firms in China | September 29, 2020
Why Thailand’s Leaderless Protests May Have Already Succeeded |
August 25, 2020
Why Sudan’s Ban on Female Genital Mutilation Isn’t Enough to Protect Its Girls | August 3, 2020
‘The Best Hope We Have.’ The Promise of Protest Movements Going Global | July 2, 2020
Taiwan Successfully Navigated COVID-19. But What About U.S.-China Tensions? | May 15, 2020
Tech Giants Aren’t Doing Enough to Combat Misinformation About COVID-19 | May 1, 2020
How to Protect Democratic Institutions During the Coronavirus Pandemic | April 20, 2020
DEMOCRACY WILL SURVIVE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, BUT NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT | April 3, 2020
Refugees Are Being Ignored Amid the COVID-19 Crisis | March 20, 2020
Human Trafficking Has a HIdden Cause … And It’s On the Rise Worldwide
July 30, 2019 | Prachi Vidwans and Malaak Jamal
Human trafficking is an epidemic in and of itself. But it’s also a symptom of other deeply-rooted, international challenges — the refugee crisis, civil conflict, poverty, and more. This is a generally accepted truth. But there’s another root cause that is rarely, if ever, discussed: authoritarianism.
'Ideas Cannot Be Killed With Weapons.' Why the Assassination of Syria's Most Prominent Citizen Journalist Matters
November 29, 2018 | Prachi Vidwans
Most people who live through war tend to focus on the short-term and prioritize survival. But even when he was surrounded by chaos and destruction, Raed Fares refused to give in to death and misery.
Two Years in Prison for Doffing a Scarf
August 3, 2018 | Prachi Vidwans and Roberto Gonzalez
An Iranian court has ordered Shaparak Shajarizadeh, a 43-year-old woman from Tehran, to spend the next 20 years atoning for an act that shouldn’t be a crime. Last month she was sentenced to two years in prison and 18 years’ probation for removing her hijab, or head scarf, in public.
One Year After Mother Mushroom’s Imprisonment, Signs of Hope in Vietnam
June 29, 2018 | Prachi Vidwans and Joy Park
One year ago on June 29, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh found herself in prison, staring down a 10-year sentence. It has not been an easy year. Far from it.
Zimbabweans must rally around Pastor Mawarire
April 18, 2017 | Prachi Vidwans and Thor Halvorssen
To be sure, any bid to unseat Mugabe faces tough odds. But Mawarire is exactly right in his commitment to oppose Mugabe, no matter what. The aging dictator has committed countless human rights violations and sent his country into a downward economic spiral. Mawarire’s determination to end Mugabe’s rule through the ballot box is nothing short of heroic.
(Originally published on the Mail & Guardian.)
Why the World Needs to Get Ready for the Next Generation of Slums | August 15, 2014
Girls Deserve Better — And Not Just in Nigeria | May 16, 2014
Sochi Watch: To Attend or not to Attend, That Is the Question | December 19, 2013
These articles were published during my time working as an assistant editor at Foreign Policy’s Democracy Lab.