Global CooperationThe Peace Walls Must Eventually Come Down
In Northern Ireland, there are barriers known as peace walls separating Irish Catholic and British Protestant neighborhoods from each other. Most of...
Hiram Helfman
14 articles on Insights
Global Cooperation
Human RightsHate in Burma Slows but Does Not Stop Democratization
I have written that Burma is still suffering from ethnic and religiously motivated violence, even as it seeks to strengthen its democratic...
Human RightsThe Slow Process of Reconciliation in Sri Lanka
It has been nearly half a year since Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena was elected to office, and he and his administration...
Human RightsBurma’s Ethnic-Based Violence Must End for Democracy to Thrive
Democracy is a process of becoming, of trying to create the more perfect union, and this is definitely true for Burma (also...
Global JusticeThe Tragedy of Xenophobia in South Africa
After the official end of apartheid in the early 1990s, South Africa has been suffering from xenophobia. The root cause is a...
Global JusticeSocial Media in China and Suppression Thereof
Citizens’ voicing dissent through social media as well as the Communist Party’s efforts to quell speech it deems a threat to its...
Global JusticeEurope’s Proactive Efforts to Reach Out to Youth at Risk of Joining Jihadist Movements
In my previous blog, I mentioned examples of interfaith and intercultural dialogue going on in Europe and emphasized the need for expansion...
Europe Needs to Expand Interfaith Dialogue
The attacks on the French Satirical Newspaper Charlie Hebdo show the need for more interfaith dialogue in Europe, both in the expansion...
Human RightsSuppression of Academic Discussion in China
Although China does allow slightly more freedom of speech than North Korea, ever since Xi Jinping became President in 2013, the country...
Ending the Practice of Foot-Binding
Although the struggle for women’s rights in China is far from over, the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party has allowed women...
Human RightsPresident Maithripala Sirisena: A New, Peaceful Beginning for Sri Lanka?
Recently elected Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena is seeking reconciliation after the end of Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war, which lasted from...
Can China’s Christian Evangelical Movement Improve Religious Freedom?
Both religious tolerance and suppression have been common throughout China’s history, depending on who was ruling at the time. This is true...