Skip to main content

Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs

2024

July

The ideal of world peace has helped the International Olympic Committee become immensely profitable, but it masks the strategic decisions that guide the Olympics, especially in times of war, conflict and authoritarian rule.

As in 1936, war is not enough to exclude a nation from the Olympic Games

July 26, 2024 – from Chicago Tribune
Ian Hurd, professor of international politics at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and his Buffett Undergraduate Research Fellow Sadie Barlow are shedding light on the laws and politics behind the Olympic Games in a three-part series in the Chicago Tribune. The final article explores how the Games' founding ideals clash with geopolitical realities "especially in times of war, conflict and authoritarian rule."
There is no Olympic sport that is indifferent to gender in the sense of allowing everyone to join without regard to sex. As a result, every Olympic sport tries to regulate the boundary between men and women — and keeping up the distinction is a tremendous amount of work.

At the Olympics, must it be men versus women?

July 25, 2024 – from Chicago Tribune
Ian Hurd, professor of international politics at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and his Buffett Undergraduate Research Fellow Sadie Barlow are shedding light on the laws and politics behind the Olympic Games in a three-part series in the Chicago Tribune. Their second article explores how the Olympic Games wrestles with whether, and how, to treat men and women athletes differently.
There’s the Olympics that you know and the Olympics you don’t. The Games and the spectacles are familiar, as are the scandals. But few people know the Swiss tax code and the web of nonprofit organizations that bring the Games into being

The Swiss tax code and global machinery bring you the Olympic Games

July 24, 2024 – from Chicago Tribune
Ian Hurd, professor of international politics at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and his Buffett Undergraduate Research Fellow Sadie Barlow are shedding light on the laws and politics behind the Olympic Games in a three-part series in the Chicago Tribune. The series is among the initial outputs of Professor Hurd's “Dilemmas of World Order” project, for which Barlow serves as a research assistant through the new Buffett Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program.
Major fires raged across the Indonesian archipelago in 2023 and caused massive health, economic, and ecological impacts to the area.

‘Playing’ with fire

July 23, 2024 – from Inside Indonesia
Sofyan Ansori, a 2023–24 Buffett graduate fellow and PhD candidate, co-authored an article describing how major fires in Indonesia have reignited debates over Indigenous fire management roles and failing government fire prevention policies.
The Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network is a global coalition of colleges, universities and organizations that defend academic freedom and protect scholars around the world who face threats due to their work, beliefs or identity

Defending Academic Freedom Through Scholars at Risk

July 23, 2024 – from Duke Global
Samantha Nissen, Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives on the Buffett Institute’s Research & Programs team, shed light on her experience at the June 2024 Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network Global Congress in Vilnius, Lithuania, where she represented Northwestern University. The SAR Network is a global coalition of colleges, universities and organizations that defend academic freedom and protect scholars around the world who face threats due to their work, beliefs or identity.
This essay argues that the rise of slow cinema aesthetics, particularly the affective mode of anxiety that it cultivates through the chronic violence of the long take, is one aesthetic approach within contemporary cinema to mediate slow violence. This argument is developed through a close reading of Tsai Ming-liang’s film, I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone (2006), paying particular attention to the representations of ambient toxicity, the exhausting forms of reproductive labor on display, and queer forms of intimacy.

The Weather in Tsai: Slow Cinema and Slow Violence

July 23, 2024 – from University of Minnesota Press
Buffett Institute's Climate Crisis + Media Arts Global Working Group member Lakshmi Padmanabhan's essay, published in the Cultural Critique journal, argues that the rise of slow cinema aesthetics, particularly through the long take, is one aesthetic approach within contemporary cinema to mediate the slow violence of environmental degradation.
Recognizing an urgent need to provide students and other members of the Northwestern community with a foundational knowledge of Israel and Palestine to make sense of what they were reading and seeing on television and social media, a group of Northwestern professors developed a plan for a lecture series about the region.

Series on Israel and Palestine a model for studying difficult topics

July 22, 2024 – from Northwestern Now
In response to violence in Israel and Gaza, Northwestern professors launched a recent lecture series to provide foundational knowledge on the region and encourage productive dialogue. This initiative, co-hosted by the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Studies Program, the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies and the Buffett Institute, aimed to foster understanding and model the importance of deep, nuanced discussions on controversial topics.
Three human figures. Northwestern University researchers have launched a new, easy-to-use platform for detecting deepfakes, which now is available to a limited number of verified journalists.

Deepfake-detection system is now live

July 10, 2024 – from Northwestern Now
Journalists can now get free expert analysis of whether an image, audio or video is a deepfake using a new platform created by the Northwestern Security & AI Lab (NSAIL) led by V.S. Subrahmanian, Buffett Faculty Fellow and professor at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering. The Global Online Deepfake Detection System (GODDS) is easy to use, free for verified journalists and provides a validity assessment via email within 24 hours.

June

Image of bench. If Donald Trump wins a second term in November, he has pledged to embark on the biggest deportation program in U.S. history on his first day back in office

What Mass Deportation Under Trump Could Look Like

June 28, 2024 – from Newsweek
Jacqueline Stevens, a political science professor at Northwestern University and the founding director of the Buffett Institute's Deportation Research Clinic, stated that former President and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's deportation plans "would increase the alarming number of U.S. citizens and legal residents now wrongfully deported."
Headshot of Rahardhika Utama, a visiting scholar in the Buffett Institute's Equality Development and Globalization Studies (EDGS) program, who has been honored with the 2024 Theda Skocpol Best Dissertation Award by the American Sociological Association.

Rahardhika Utama Awarded Theda Skocpol Best Dissertation Award by the American Sociological Association

June 27, 2024 – from Equality Development & Globalization Studies (EDGS) Program at the Buffett Institute
In recognition of his impressive scholarship, Rahardhika Utama, a visiting scholar in the Buffett Institute's Equality Development and Globalization Studies (EDGS) program, has been honored with the 2024 Theda Skocpol Best Dissertation Award by the American Sociological Association. This award acknowledges dissertations that make substantial contributions to the sociology field and is the highest honor a dissertation in comparative and historical sociology can receive in the U.S. Rahardhika's dissertation "Embedded Peasantry and Economic Transformation in the Asian Rubber Belt" is acclaimed for his innovative approach and insights into agrarian economies in Southeast Asia.
Sara Huston moderates a panel at a convening organized by the International Commission on Missing Persons in the Hague

Accounting for Ukraine’s Missing Children

June 25, 2024 – from International Commission on Missing Persons
Sara Huston, co-lead of the Buffett Institute's Global FamDNA Global Working Group, was invited to The Hague by the International Commission on Missing Persons for a roundtable discussion with government and civil society representatives from Ukraine as well as other experts focused on enhancing Ukraine’s strategic vision to locate tens of thousands of missing persons, including illegally deported children. She moderated a discussion on using advanced technologies, including databases and DNA, to locate and identify large numbers of missing children.
Millions of children in the United States face both food and water insecurity, with Hispanic and Black children much more likely to be affected than white children, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. Credit: Colorsandia/Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

Secure access to food and water decreasing for US children

June 7, 2024 – from The Pennsylvania State University
Between 2005 and 2020, the number of children facing simultaneous water and food insecurity in the United States more than doubled. Additionally, Black and Hispanic children were several times more likely than white children to experience food and water insecurity at the same time. This is according to new research by Asher Rosinger, Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Anthropology at Penn State, and Sera Young, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Northwestern University as well as co-lead of the Buffett Institute's Making Water Insecurity Visible Global Working Group. Learn about the key insights in this press release from Penn State.
Nature Water logo

Trends and disparities in concurrent tap water avoidance and household food insecurity among US children

June 7, 2024 – from Nature Water
New research co-authored by Professor Sera Young, co-lead of the Buffett Institute's Making Water Insecurity Visible Global Working Group, unveils the extent of children's experiences of water insecurity and food insecurity in the United States. The research also shows that children who were water insecure were more likely to be poor and minoritized, and were 53% more likely to be food insecure than children who were not water insecure.
Yoes Kenawas

Yoes Kenawas Triumphs in Dissertation Defense: Unraveling the Dynamics of Political Dynasties

June 6, 2024 – from Equality Development & Globalization Studies (EDGS) Program at the Buffett Institute
Arryman Fellows are Indonesian scholars awarded a one-year grant for pre-doctoral research at the Buffett Institute's Equality Development & Globalization Studies (EDGS) Program. Dr. Yoes Kenawas is a 2014 Arryman Fellow who has successfully defended his doctoral thesis, which sheds light on dynastic politics by examining the intricate web of power, legacy and organizational capabilities within political families. As Indonesia grapples with the ascent of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son to the vice presidency, Yoes's work gains newfound relevance. Learn more about his research.
Dr. Wara Urwasi, a Northwestern University Arryman Scholar

Celebrating Dr. Wara Urwasi's Dissertation Defense: A Triumph in Urban Sociology

June 6, 2024 – from Equality Development & Globalization Studies (EDGS) Program at the Buffett Institute
The Arryman Scholars Program at the Buffett Institute's Equality Development & Globalization Studies (EDGS) program aims to make a major contribution to higher education in Indonesia by training new young scholars in the social sciences at Northwestern University. Dr. Wara Urwasi, a Northwestern Arryman Scholar, has successfully defended her dissertation, marking the culmination of years of dedicated research. Learn about Dr. Urwasi’s work, which delves into the intricate relationship between state policies and urban poverty, focusing on state responses to informal settlements.
Laura Hein and Anto Mohsin's headshots

Celebrating New Leadership at EDGS: Laura Hein & Anto Mohsin

June 6, 2024 – from Equality Development & Globalization Studies (EDGS) Program at the Buffett Institute
The Buffett Institute's Equality Development and Globalization Studies (EDGS) program is celebrating two appointments that promise to shape its future at Northwestern and beyond. Laura Hein, the Harold H. and Virginia Anderson Professor of History at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and Anto Mohsin, Assistant Professor in Residence in the Liberal Arts Program at Northwestern in Qatar, have joined EDGS Director Jeffrey Winters to broaden and deepen relationships with academic institutions in Southeast and East Asia. Learn more about their new roles in EDGS and scholarly backgrounds.
Installing sensors along manoomin beds. From left: Blaine Rothrock, Northwestern University; Kathleen Smith, GLIFWC; Yaman Sangar, Georgia Tech; Brandon Byrne, GLIFWC; Eric Greenlee, Georgia Tech. Inset: This buoy contains several sensors to monitor the air and water around manoomin beds. (AISES (aises.org) photos)

Manoomin gii-nitaawigiyaan Makak, sensor for manoomin

June 5, 2024 – from Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC)
The Buffett Institute's Disproportionate Impacts of Environmental Challenges Global Working Group is co-leading a project to protect wild rice on tribal lands governed by the Ojibwe Nations with partners from the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Argonne National Lab and others. Called the Strengthening Resilience of Ojibwe Nations Across Generations (STRONG)-Manoomin Collective, this effort funded by the National Science Foundation has brought environmental sensors to Ojibwe communities to monitor the effects of climate change on manoomin, or wild rice. This Buffett Global Working Group also co-developed sensors that respond to tribal needs, such as monitoring contaminants in water that might come from mining operations or pipeline leakages—two primary environmental concerns for Ojibwe Nations. Ultimately, the sensors will support the development of cyber infrastructure that will facilitate Ojibwe Nations’ access to critical environmental data they can use to assert their treaty rights and exercise sovereignty. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission reports on the project.
International Educators of Illinois logo

Unlocking the Value of Studying Abroad in Underrepresented Destinations

June 4, 2024 – from International Educators of Illinois Newsletter
Carmen Hernández, a Student Services Program Administrator for the Buffett Institute's Global Learning Office, shares insights into how to help students understand the value of studying abroad in underrepresented destinations.

May

Over the last two years, visiting scholars have arrived from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Turkey and Ukraine. Illustration by Ziye Wang

The Daily Explains: What is the Scholars at Risk program, and how will NU provide new scholarships to Palestinian students and faculty?

May 30, 2024 – from The Daily Northwestern
Over the last two years, the Buffett Institute has hosted visiting scholars have from various countries, including Afghanistan, Cameroon and Ukraine, through our Threatened, Displaced or At-Risk Scholars Program. As part of the April 29 agreement with demonstrators to deescalate the pro-Palestinian encampment in Deering Meadow on Northwestern's Evanston campus, University administration committed to supporting visiting Palestinian faculty and students through this Buffett Institute program. Learn more in The Daily Northwestern.
Professor Jennifer Lackey with NPEP students at the Epistemic Reparations and Carceral Injustice Conference. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Lackey

A just look at Jennifer Lackey

May 30, 2024 – from North by Northwestern
Jennifer Lackey is a professor of philosophy, founder and director of the Northwestern Prison Education Program and co-lead of the Epistemic Reparations Global Working Group at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. Learn how she leverages each of these roles in her work to tackle carceral injustice in this North by Northwestern feature.
Mayaan Hilel speaks at a podium in the Norris University Center.

Arab-Jews Before and After Israeli Statehood with Maayan Hilel

May 29, 2024
In the final talk of this joint speaker series exploring fundamental history of Israel and Palestine, Maayan Hilel delved into the term "Arab-Jews" as both a cultural and historical identifier, shedding light on the multifaceted social, political and cultural experiences of Arabic-speaking Jews in the Middle East and North Africa from the late nineteenth century until 1948.
Leena Dallasheh's headshot

The Nakba and Palestinian Identity with Leena Dallasheh

May 21, 2024
In the penultimate talk of this joint speaker series exploring fundamental history of Israel and Palestine, Leena Dallasheh focused on the Palestinian experience after the Nakba (the Catastrophe of 1948) and their early encounters with the Israeli State. It highlighted central themes related to all three parts of post-1948 Palestinian history: Palestinian refugees, Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Illustration by Lily Ogburn | Ald. Bobby Burns (5th) said at-home water lead testing will be “incredibly relieving” for people because it’ll help them understand what is in their water.

At-home water testing aims to create confidence in water quality

May 14, 2024 – from The Daily Northwestern
Evanston's 5th Ward Alderman Bobby Burns is collaborating with the Buffett Institute's Making Water Insecurity Visible Global Working Group to provide residents with opportunities for at-home water quality testing using novel biosensor technologies. They are seeking residents of 50 homes in Evanston to participate in the first round of the study, which will focus on lead contamination. Along with the lead testing device, study participants will receive $50 in gift cards, a water filter with replacements and additional resources to avoid lead contamination.
Book cover

When Extraordinary Circumstances Call for Mutual Aid: The Arrival of Afghan Academics in the U.S.

May 14, 2024 – from IGI Global
Ghazi Hashimi, Clinical Fellow at Northwestern University's Buffett Institute and Pritzker School of Law, co-authored a chapter on “When Extraordinary Circumstances Call for Mutual Aid: The Arrival of Afghan Academics in the U.S.” in the new book "Resilience of Educators in Extraordinary Circumstances: War, Disaster, and Emergencies." The chapter provides insight into his evacuation from Afghanistan and arrival at Northwestern through the establishment of visiting positions for Afghan scholars at risk.
A pipe and fixtures in an older Evanston home. Many of the water lines that service Evanston are made of lead and need replacement. Credit: Adina Keeling

Northwestern studying at-home tests for lead in water

May 13, 2024 – from Evanston RoundTable
The Evanston RoundTable highlighted a study led by members of the Buffett Institute's Making Water Insecurity Visible Global Working Group, which will provide at-home tests to check for lead in water to households on Chicago’s Southeast Side and in Evanston.
Governments should weigh the risks of diminishing their credibility when deciding when, if ever, to use deepfakes. "Facial Recognition 1." (EFF Photos, https://tinyurl.com/2w279xtt; CC BY 2.0 DEED, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)

Should Democratic Governments Use Deepfakes?

May 9, 2024 – from Lawfare
Deepfakes are emerging as weapons of statecraft, with countries like Russia using them in the Ukraine war to create fake videos of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and senior Ukrainian defense officials telling soldiers to lay down their arms. In this op-ed, Buffett Faculty Fellow V.S. Subrahmanian and co-authors Daniel Byman and Daniel Linna argue why and how governments should weigh the risks of diminishing their credibility when deciding when, if ever, to use deepfakes.
Wind turbines in a field

University Leaders Discuss Collaborative Climate Solutions at COP27

May 9, 2024 – from The Group of Nations
The Group of Nations' Global Briefing Report on COP27 and COP28—the United Nations' annual climate change conference held in 2022 and 2023, respectively—examines universities' role as key solutions providers for climate action in this article examining the insights shared at an official side event hosted by university networks like the U7+ Alliance of World Universities during COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Northwestern University then served as the Secretariat of the U7+ Alliance, and during its three-year term, the Secretariat was housed at Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.
Shay Hazkani is an Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. He specializes in social and cultural history of Palestine and Israel.

The 1948 War with Shay Hazkani

May 6, 2024
In the fifth talk of our joint speaker series exploring fundamental history of Israel and Palestine, Shay Hazkani provided an overview of the 1948 war that commenced following the United Nations' approval of a partition plan for Mandatory Palestine. Shay Hazkani is an Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. He specializes in social and cultural history of Palestine and Israel.
In conversation with Peter Slevin, Professor at Northwestern University's Medill School, Anne Applebaum

The Twilight of Democracy with Anne Applebaum

May 2, 2024
In conversation with Peter Slevin, Professor at Northwestern University's Medill School, Anne Applebaum examined the challenges and opportunities of global political and economic change through the lenses of world history and the contemporary political landscape at an event hosted by the Buffett Institute and Kyiv Mohyla Foundation of America representing the National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine.
Ozge and her book cover

"Evil Eyes Sea" with Özge Samancı

May 2, 2024
The Buffett Institute hosted book talk with Buffett Faculty Fellow Özge Samancı, author of the new graphic novel "Evil Eyes Sea," a feminist political mystery set in Istanbul during the 1995 elections. It tells the story of two broke students who witnessed an unusual death on a scuba diving expedition. As the case deepens, they become increasingly entangled with political corruption, religious pressure and possibly murder. Watch the recording.

April

Buffett Faculty Fellows cohort headshots

Announcing the 2024–25 Cohort of Buffett Faculty Fellows

April 30, 2024
The Buffett Institute is pleased to announce our cohort of non-residential faculty fellowships for the 2024–25 academic year. These fellowships support Northwestern faculty who are conducting research outside of the contiguous United States.
Nadim Bawalsa is a historian of modern Palestine and the author of Transnational Palestine: Migration and the Right of Return before 1948 (Stanford University Press, 2022), winner of both the 2023 Palestine Book Award and the 2023 Nikki Keddie Book Award. He currently serves as the associate editor for the Journal of Palestine Studies.

Foundations of Palestinian Nationalism with Nadim Bawalsa

April 25, 2024
In the fourth talk of our joint speaker series exploring fundamental history of Israel and Palestine, Nadim Bawalsa examined the emergence of Palestinian political consciousness on the eve of Britain's occupation of Palestine in 1917 and over the course of its 30-year mandate in Palestine. Nadim Bawalsa is a historian of modern Palestine and the author of "Transnational Palestine: Migration and the Right of Return before 1948" (Stanford University Press, 2022), winner of both the 2023 Palestine Book Award and the 2023 Nikki Keddie Book Award.
Report cover

Priority gender-specific indicators for water, sanitation and hygiene monitoring

April 24, 2024 – from World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF
In a new report, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have officially recommended the Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales for the global monitoring of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all. The development of the WISE Scales was led by Northwestern University Professor Sera Young, who co-leads the Making Water Insecurity Visible Global Working Group at the Buffett Institute. Current WISE Scales research is supported by the Leverhulme Trust as well as Northwestern University's Buffett Institute and Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy.
Northwestern offers financial aid for NU programs, Global Engagement Studies Institute, Northwestern exchanges and affiliated programs. For unaffiliated programs, only scholarships are available. Illustration by Leah Schroeder

The Daily Explains: Options for saving money before and during studying abroad

April 22, 2024 – from The Daily Northwestern
Through the Buffett Institute’s Global Learning Office, Northwestern offers study abroad, research and academic internship opportunities that prepare students for success in today’s interconnected world. The Daily Northwestern spoke with Sara Tully, Director of Buffett's Global Learning Office, about students' options for financing their global learning experiences and initiatives to make study abroad financially accessible for all students.
Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, a Foreign Policy podcast supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett Institute

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO): When Girl Power Breaks Through

April 16, 2024 – from Foreign Policy
The final episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, a Foreign Policy podcast supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett Institute, features inspiring stories about girl power. First, we go to Peru, where reporter Jimena Ledgard interviews Wendy Sulca, a former child pop star who is finding a new voice as an advocate. Then, host Reena Ninan speaks with Bogolo Kenewendo, Advisor and Africa Director to the United Nations Climate Change High-Level Champions, about how her childhood shaped her into the political leader she has become.
Elizabeth Thompson speaks at a podium in Harris Hall

World War I and European Intervention with Elizabeth F. Thompson

April 15, 2024
In the third talk of this joint speaker series, Elizabeth F. Thompson examined how a League of Nations mandate institutionalized an asymmetry of political and economic power between Jews and Arabs that would empower militants over peacemakers over its 25-year history.
With Anna Dellit (left) and Kaylyn Ahn, there are now 22 Northwestern students who have earned a Truman Scholarship. They join a community of more than 3,500 Truman Scholars named since the first awards in 1977. Photo by Shane Collins

Two Northwestern students named Truman Scholars

April 12, 2024 – from Northwestern Now
Two Northwestern students were named Truman Scholars, an award regarded as the premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the U.S. Both women worked on their Truman policy proposals while studying abroad through the Buffett Institute's Global Learning Office.
Meric Gertler, University of Toronto; Anna Maria Bernini, Italian Minister of University and Research; Francesco Billari, Bocconi University.

Universities call on G7 leaders to work together to eliminate barriers and increase access to education globally

April 12, 2024 – from U7+ Alliance of World Universities Secretariat
The presidents of 46 universities in the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, for which Northwestern served as the first secretariat, formally committed to the 2024 U7+ Statement on Global Access to Higher Education. The statement was delivered to Anna Maria Bernini, Italian Minister of University and Research, on April 11 as a representative of the Italian government who is playing host to the Group of Nations (G7) this year.
A participant in a Northwestern University study of lead tests and behaviors around lead mitigation takes an at-home test — now in development by the startup company Stemloop — during a visit with researchers last week. Credit: Vanessa Bly

Southeast Siders Can Get $50 To Test Their Water For Lead Through New Study

April 11, 2024 – from Block Club Chicago
The Buffett Institute's Making Water Insecurity Visible Global Working Group is kicking off a study to measure the accuracy and usefulness of at-home tests for lead in water while exploring how access to testing influences neighbors’ actions to protect themselves from lead. The group is recruiting 100 households for the study: 50 from Chicago’s Southeast Side and 50 from Evanston.
Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, a Foreign Policy podcast supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett Institute

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO): Pressing the Case for Girls' Education

April 9, 2024 – from Foreign Policy
On this episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, a Foreign Policy podcast supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett Institute, host Reena Ninan speaks with Julie Mwabe, the team lead at the global advocacy and public policy program at Global Partnership for Education. She leads efforts to mobilize political support at the highest levels for education, including from heads of state. They talk about the state of girls’ education and what the international community can do to close learning gaps, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Mary Pattillo speaks

Northwestern Fulbright Week 2024 Keynote Address

April 9, 2024
The Buffett Institute hosted a keynote address and reception celebrating Northwestern's Fulbright community and the transformative power of cultural exchange, marking the beginning of Northwestern's Fulbright Week (April 8–12, 2024). We were delighted to have as our keynote speaker Dr. Mary Pattillo, Harold Washington Professor of Sociology and Chair of Black Studies at Northwestern University.
Arie Dubnov speaks at a podium in the Guild Lounge.

Zionisms: Variations on a Theme with Arie M. Dubnov

April 9, 2024
In the second talk of this joint speaker series exploring fundamental history of Israel and Palestine, historian Arie Dubnov delved into the multifaceted history of Zionism, exploring its various ideological strands and historical context from its origins in the late ninteenth century to its impact on contemporary politics in Israel/Palestine.
International journalists Marzio Mian and Alessandro Cosmelli talked about their experience reporting in Putin’s Russia Friday.

International journalists take students and faculty ‘Inside Putin’s Russia’ at Buffett Institute event

April 7, 2024 – from The Daily Northwestern
International journalists Marzio Mian and Alessandro Cosmelli discussed on Friday their recent work reporting along the Volga River in Russia, which produced a cover story for Harper’s Magazine called “Behind the New Iron Curtain.” The event was co-hosted by the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
One of four people suspected of creating and operating several Internet platforms to recruit young women to join the Islamic State group is arrested in Melilla, the Spanish enclave neighboring Morocco, Feb. 24, 2015. (Angela Rios/AFP via Getty Images)

ISIS and al-Qaida Seek Lone Wolves Online as Security Operatives Work To Prevent Terrorist Attacks

April 5, 2024 – from The Media Line
In this report on the escalating use of social media by terrorist organizations for the recruitment of "lone wolves"—such as young Muslims in the West who feel alienated by European society—Buffett Faculty Fellow V.S. Subrahmanian discusses the intricacies of monitoring such activities online, noting the dual threat of being targeted both by terrorists for potential infiltration and by intelligence agencies for suspicious activities.
 journalist Marzio Mian and photographer Alessandro Cosmelli

Inside Putin's Russia

April 5, 2024
What do Russians think about the war in Ukraine? How are they reacting to sanctions? In a recent cover story for Harper's Magazine, journalist Marzio Mian and photographer Alessandro Cosmelli tell the surprising story of what they discovered on a trip down the Volga River. The Buffett Institute hosted a conversation with Mian and Cosmelli about contemporary Russia, international reporting and the long shadows of the Cold War, moderated by Ambassador Ian Kelly.
In a prerecorded video released on March 22 by the palace, Catherine, Princess of Wales, announced she had cancer. Credit...BBC Studios/Handout, via Reuters

How an Editors’ Note Fueled Another Kate Conspiracy Theory

April 4, 2024 – from New York Times
A routine Getty Images caption beside the Princess of Wales’s cancer announcement has fanned disinformation about her. The New York Times spoke with Buffett Faculty Fellow V.S. Subrahmanian, who ran a copy of the video through a system of 15 algorithms his team at the Northwestern Security & AI Lab (NSAIL) has been developing to detect manipulated videos. They found no evidence that the video is fake.
The seven scholars in the joint speaker speaker series on Israel & Palestine. Starting top left: Awad Halabi, Arie Dubnov and Elizabeth Thompson, Nadim Bawalsa, Shay Hazkani, Leena Dallasheh and Maayan Hilel.

Joint speaker series aims to provide a fundamental history of Israel and Palestine

April 4, 2024 – from Northwestern Now
A new initiative, “Israel & Palestine: Joint Speaker Series Exploring Fundamental History,” is being co-sponsored by the Middle East and North African Studies Program, the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies and the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern. A series of talks by renowned scholars of the region, seven sessions will be held April 4 to May 29 on the Evanston campus and are open to Northwestern students, faculty and staff.
Awad Halabi speaks at a podium in the Guild Lounge.

Late Ottoman Palestine with Awad Halabi

April 4, 2024
For the first talk of this joint speaker series exploring fundamental history of Israel and Palestine, Awad Halabi examined how Palestine’s different religious communities were able to engage and interact with one another in the era of Late Ottoman rule in Palestine (c. 1850–1917).
Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, a Foreign Policy podcast supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett Institute

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO): Fighting for LGBTQ Rights in Kenya

April 2, 2024 – from Foreign Policy
Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya, as it is in more than half of African countries. But public attitudes have begun to shift. The fourth episode of the latest season of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, a Foreign Policy podcast supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett Institute, follows the key people driving this change.
The east bank of the Volga River. All photographs from Russia by Alessandro Cosmelli, July 2023 © The artist

Alessandro Cosmelli, Marizo Mian To Speak to Students on Three U.S. Campuses

April 2, 2024 – from Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting grantees Alessandro Cosmelli and Marzio Mian will speak on their project, Volga Blues, to students at the Northwestern Buffett Institute, the University of Michigan’s Wallace House Center for Journalists and Indiana University.

March

Global Burden of Water Insecurity Using the WISE Scales. The Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales measure human experiences with water and provide insights into whether individuals can reliably access sufficient water for domestic uses. To date, nationally representative water insecurity data have been collected in 40 countries, providing insights into who, exactly, is experiencing water insecurity.  Data for all countries (except Tonga and Mexico) were collected using the IWISE Scale in the 2020 or 2022 Gallup World Poll.

Living the Global Water Crisis: How the World Experiences Water Insecurity

March 27, 2024 – from Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales measure human experiences with water and provide insights into whether individuals can reliably access sufficient water for domestic uses. To date, nationally representative water insecurity data have been collected in 40 countries, providing insights into who, exactly, is experiencing water insecurity. The Center for International and Strategic Studies published these data in a new report. Current WISE research is made possible by the Leverhulme Foundation as well as the Buffett Institute and Trienens Institute at Northwestern.
The WISE Scales include 12 questions about how frequently problems with water are experienced (figure 2).  Items focus on experiences with water for consumption (e.g., drinking, cooking) and hygiene (e.g., handwashing),  and consider psychological manifestations of water insecurity (e.g., worry, anger).

Measuring human experiences to advance safe water for all

March 27, 2024 – from Northwestern Institute for Policy Research
Read about the history and impact of the Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales over the past decade in this new report. Current WISE research is made possible by the Leverhulme Foundation as well as the Buffett Institute and Trienens Institute at Northwestern.
Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, a Foreign Policy podcast supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett Institute

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO): The Effort to Reduce Child Marriage in India

March 26, 2024 – from Foreign Policy
The negative impact of child marriage is widely documented. Child brides suffer domestic violence more often, drop out of school in greater numbers and are more likely to experience poverty. While Indian girls still account for one-third of child brides in the world, the prevalence of child marriage there has declined about 7 percent in the past eight years. The third episode of the latest season of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, a Foreign Policy podcast supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett Institute, looks at how India has been able to reduce its child marriage rates.
Men extract water from a well at the village of El Gel, near the town of K'elafo, Ethiopia. Getty Images

An estimated 1.2 billion people experienced water insecurity in the prior year

March 21, 2024 – from Northwestern Now
On this year's World Water Day, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a livestream featuring Professor Sera Young, co-lead of Buffett's Making Water Insecurity Visible Global Working Group, on her Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales, an innovative tool designed to measure universal experiences with water insecurity and inform development action and policy implementation. Current WISE research is made possible by the Leverhulme Foundation and the Buffett Institute. Young will also present highlights from the forthcoming WISE Impact Report during a hybrid event at the Shard in London on Wednesday, March 27 at 10 a.m. CDT.
Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, a Foreign Policy podcast supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett Institute

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO): How Access to Contraceptives & Safe Abortions Changes Lives & Economies

March 19, 2024 – from Foreign Policy
Family planning is one of the most economically important strategies for women and girls. Access to contraceptives can help women and girls get an education and participate in the workforce. Furthermore, it could reduce maternal deaths by as much as three-quarters, according to the United Nations Population Fund. But nearly 10 percent of women of childbearing age around the world have unmet contraceptive needs and teenage girls report less access to contraceptives than other age groups. The second episode of the latest season of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, a Foreign Policy podcast supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett Institute, looks at the most effective ways to increase family planning services.
Aman Shaikh (MEM ‘24) traveled to Dubai to experience COP28. Now he's focused on finding a way to mitigate climate change.

‘The Olympics for Climate Change'

March 18, 2024 – from McCormick School of Engineering
Aman Shaikh, a graduate student in the Master of Engineering Management program at the McCormick School of Engineering, traveled to Dubai for the United Nations' annual climate change conference COP28 through the support of the Buffett Institute. He recounts how attending COP28 helped him better understand technology's role in addressing climate change, and the role engineers can play in climate action.
Photo of Deborah Cohen

Deborah Cohen named executive director of Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs

March 14, 2024 – from Northwestern Now
Deborah Cohen, the Richard W. Leopold Professor of History in Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, has been named executive director of the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. A scholar of European and global history, Cohen has served as interim director of the Buffett Institute since January.
Questions to ask about government use of deepfakes Northwestern researchers examine the potential harms to democracy

Questions to ask about government use of deepfakes

March 12, 2024 – from Northwestern Now
Will the lure of deepfakes prove irresistible to democratic governments? What questions should governments ask — and who in government should be asking them — when a deepfake is being considered? Two Northwestern professors, Buffett Faculty Fellow V.S. Subrahmanian and Daniel Linna, co-authored a new report examining several hypothetical scenarios in which democratic governments might consider using deepfakes to advance their foreign policy objectives and the potential harms this use might pose to democracy. Subrahmanian co-leads and Linna is a member of Buffett’s AI and Social Movements Global Working Group.
Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Podcast: How Should Governments Use Deepfakes?

March 12, 2024 – from Lawfare Podcast
This episode of the Lawfare Podcast delves into how democracies should think about using deepfakes with Buffett Faculty Fellow V.S. Subrahmanian, Daniel Byman and Daniel Linna, co-authors of a new Center for Strategic and International Studies report examining two critical points: the questions that a government agency should address before deploying a deepfake, and the governance mechanisms that should be in place to assess its risks and benefits.
Government Use of Deepfakes: The Questions to Ask

Government Use of Deepfakes: The Questions to Ask

March 12, 2024 – from Center for Strategic & International Studies Transnational Threats Project
Buffett Faculty Fellow V.S. Subrahmanian is the lead author of a new report examining hypothetical cases in which deepfakes might be used by democratic governments. Along with co-authors Daniel Byman and Daniel Linna, Subrahmanian argues that deepfakes should not be used without a clearly articulated set of guardrails that consider both the benefits and the risks of a proposed government-run deepfake-enabled operation. Subrahmanian co-leads and Linna is a member of Buffett’s AI and Social Movements Global Working Group.
The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is back with an all-new season. This time, all our stories are about something that has been getting a lot of media attention lately: Girls. What do they really need to succeed right now? And how can we work with them to get there?

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO): The Economics of Period Poverty

March 12, 2024 – from Foreign Policy
The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, a podcast from Foreign Policy with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett Institute, is back with an all-new season. This time, all our stories are about something that has been getting a lot of media attention lately: Girls. What do they really need to succeed right now? And how can we work with them to get there? For this first episode, we focus on an often hidden aspect of girls’ economic lives that has a significant impact: period products.

February

In his lecture, Eboe-Osuji argued that peace as a fundamental human right could help achieve global peace.

Buffett Institute hosts lecture with former president of the International Criminal Court

February 29, 2024 – from The Daily Northwestern
The Buffett Institute for Global Affairs hosted a lecture by the former President of the International Criminal Court Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji at the Pritzker School of Law on Thursday, February 29. In his lecture, he argued that peace as a fundamental human right could help achieve global peace. Read about the insights he shared in the Daily Northwestern.
Author Anto Mohsin speaks with his discussants Julie A. Cohn and Suzanne Moon and the event moderator Baron Reed

Protecting Humanity: Rethinking Approaches

February 29, 2024
The Buffett Institute and Pritzker School of Law hosted a lecture from Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, former President of the International Criminal Court from 2018 to 2021. During the lecture, Judge Eboe-Osuji shared insights from his work to foster a more just and peaceful world through international accountability for human rights violations.
Author Anto Mohsin speaks with his discussants Julie A. Cohn and Suzanne Moon and the event moderator Baron Reed

"Electrifying Indonesia" Book Talk with Anto Mohsin

February 16, 2024
The Buffett Institute hosted a book talk with Anto Mohsin, Buffett Faculty Fellow and Assistant Professor in Residence at Northwestern in Qatar as well as the author of the new book Electrifying Indonesia: Technology and Social Justice in National Development, which tells the story of the entanglement of politics and technology during Indonesia’s rapid post-World War II development.

January

A vendor standing near Cermak Road in Pilsen protects themselves from the sun on a day when temperatures reached as high as 91 degrees.

Heat Study: Chicago Temperatures Vary As Much As 22 Degrees Between Neighborhoods

January 29, 2024 – from Borderless Magazine
Led by Northwestern Buffett's Defusing Disasters Global Working group, the Heat Watch Chicago mapping study results show how extreme heat disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities. The group is working with the city to develop a heat vulnerability index to target resources to the areas that are the hottest and most vulnerable to extreme weather.
Three men (Bryan Brayboy, Noah Sobe and Baron Reed) sitting in chairs ,talking on a panel.

Global Futures of Education with Bryan Brayboy and Noah Sobe

January 24, 2024
The Buffett Institute hosted a discussion exploring global futures of education with Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy (Lumbee), Dean at the Northwestern School of Education and Social Policy, and Noah Sobe, Professor at Loyola University Chicago and former Senior Project Officer at UNESCO's Future of Learning and Innovation team. Watch the recording.
Jennifer Lackey

Jennifer Lackey and Marcelo Vinces receive Daniel I. Linzer Awards

January 17, 2024 – from Northwestern Now
Jennifer Lackey has received the 2024 Daniel I. Linzer Award for Faculty Excellence in Diversity and Equity for her dedication and commitment to the Northwestern Prison Education program. Lackey also co-leads the Epistemic Reparations Global Working Group at the Buffett Institute.
Expo City in Dubai, UAE where COP28 took place

COP28 Takeaways from Northwestern’s Delegation

January 16, 2024
For a third year, Northwestern Buffett supported a delegation of 12 faculty and graduate students to attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 28th Conference of Parties (COP28), the world’s largest annual international climate summit. Read delegates' reflections on the challenges and promise of global climate action.
Northwestern's Evanston campus

International Student & Scholar Statistics 2022–23

January 1, 2024 – from the Office of International Student & Scholar Services
Northwestern Buffett's Office of International Student and Scholar Services (OISS) helps international students and scholars as well as faculty and staff navigate the many complexities associated with student and employment-based visa classifications within the Northwestern community. Learn about enrollment trends and statistics on members of Northwestern's international community who receive visa sponsorship through OISS in their 2022–23 annual report.