Institute of Current World Affairs
@icwa
We advance American understanding of international cultures and affairs by sending young professionals abroad on two-year independent writing fellowships.
Mahli Knutson visits Clifford International School in Guangzhou to research international education & global citizenship in China: 1) Twelfth grade students present their final project 2) Huaqiao New Village, a residential area for overseas Chinese 3) a student fashion exhibit 4) a Clifford teacher.
Newly launched fellow Diana Kruzman @dkruzman.bsky.social reporting from the Dead Sea.
Mahli Knutson shares photos from the Clifford Estate, a gated residential neighborhood in Guangzhou, China, northwest of Hong Kong.
Launching fellow Mahli Knutson stops in Shanghai en route to her base in Guangzhou, China.
Is Palantir CEO Alex Karp's purchase of property in northern Norway a security threat? Or just an uncomfortable reminder to local politicians of the deep-burrowing global influence of a handful of American billionaires? @brettvsimpson.bsky.social reports: www.icwa.org/palantir-nor...
NY-based ICWA alumni @aronouzil.bsky.social, @joshualevkowitz.bsky.social, Katherine Kono, Ezra Fieser and @scotterich.bsky.social help send off new fellow @dkruzman.bsky.social to Lebanon. Diana will be examining how the Lebanese are adapting to multiple crises.
Former Philippines President Duterte's war on drugs illustrated the Filipino proverb, "It’s easy to be human, it’s hard to be humane," capturing the sense of division between our morals & how we live. The ICC trial might widen the gap once more, Sabrina Ochoa reports: www.icwa.org/philippines-...
More photos from Rowland Robinson's trip up the Amazon River: 1) A pink river dolphin in the wild. 2) Interior of the Amazonia Opera House, built during the rubber boom of the late 1800s. 3) A curious Tucan at the Zoological Parc of Mangal das Garças. 4) Rowland in a hammock on the ferry boat.
As former Philippines President Duterte instructed police officers to carry out deadly anti-drug operations across the country, religious ministers and their lay partners were often the first line of defense and response for targeted communities, Sabrina Ochoa reports: www.icwa.org/philippines-...
We are delighted to announce the Blakemore-ICWA Fellowship, a new partnership between ICWA & the Blakemore Foundation. Julia Walton, the first Blakemore-ICWA Fellow, will spend a year examining youth civic participation in Japan amid demographic change. For more info: www.icwa.org/blakemore-ic...
Sabrina Ochoa visited the Masungi Georeserve in Rizal, Philippines, a forest conservation park showcasing some of the most biodiverse habitat in the country.
ONE MORE DAY TO APPLY: Nuclear disarmament remains one of the most critical priorities of our day, with incalculable stakes. Are you a young professional interested in disarmament? Letters of interest for the Rydell-Frisa Disarmament Education Fellowship due by April 30: www.icwa.org/icwa-fellows...
TWO MORE WEEKS TO APPLY: The Rydell-Frisa Disarmament Education Fellowship is open to young professionals with a strong interest in disarmament. The fellow will conduct in-depth research in one or more countries, with professional mentoring. Letters are due by April 30: www.icwa.org/icwa-fellows...
A NATO exercise in Norway last month served for both practice & propaganda at a very difficult time for the military alliance, @brettvsimpson.bsky.social reported from the scene: www.icwa.org/nato-arctic-...
LAST MONTH TO APPLY: We are now accepting letters of interest for The Rydell-Frisa Disarmament Education Fellowship, an immersive two-year independent writing fellowship focusing on global nuclear disarmament. Letters of interest are due by April 30: www.icwa.org/icwa-fellows...
Douglas Lyon takes us to Ganvié, Benin, where the Tofinu people live in houses on stilts and commute by boat. The village’s main industries besides tourism are fishing & fish farming: compass.icwa.org/p/the-venice...
Matthew Wheeler (Thailand 2002-2004) & @steventagle.com (Greece 2021-2023) meet up in Bangkok to trade fellowship stories, discuss how the city has changed & Matt’s work researching Southeast Asian security issues for @crisisgroup.org. Steven wears his trusty ICWA cap whenever he travels.
Alumni and friends: We'd love to see you and your ICWA gear out in the wild! 🌎 Send us photos with your ICWA tote bags, caps, ties, scarves, pens, pins, or other swag, and we'll share them on our social media accounts. 🧭 Here's a photo contributing editor Robert Coalson sent from Cancun, Mexico.
Prioritizing public health policies such as low-barrier housing, treatment & harm reduction leads to greater public safety, reduced crime, public nuisance & drug use, Rowland Robinson reports at the Maine Governor's Opioid Response Seminar @janetmillsforme.bsky.social: youtu.be/FI4zYSQS_tY?...
Nepal borders, flags and cables - photography by Jennifer Katzka on Compass: compass.icwa.org/p/nepal-bord...
"Riding the escalators from the Central to Mid-Levels districts & staring up at the towering office buildings & residential complexes, I was struck by the city’s vertical orientation." Former fellow @steventagle.com shares photos from a 2013 trip to Hong Kong on Compass: compass.icwa.org/p/hong-kong
A @hls.harvard.edu & @upenn.edu grad specializing in intl law & human rights, Sabrina Ochoa will study the impact of the International Criminal Court’s prosecution of crimes against humanity during the Philippines’ “war on drugs,” focusing on the victims of atrocity crimes.
A @nyu.edu graduate and recent Fulbright research fellow in Kyrgyzstan, journalist Diana Kruzman @dkruzman.bsky.social will investigate how communities in Lebanon adapt & even thrive after breakdown, & she’ll report on wider developments in the Middle East.
A graduate of Middlebury College with a master’s degree from @harvard.edu Kennedy School, Mahli Knutson will spend two years in China examining changes in family life and their impact on the concept of childhood, public systems such as orphanage care & decisions families make about childrearing.
We’re delighted to announce the appointment of three outstanding new fellows who will begin their fellowships next year: Mahli Knutson, Diana Kruzman @dkruzman.bsky.social and Sabrina Ochoa www.icwa.org/icwa-2026-fe...
Last days of the Soviet Union - photography by Jennifer Katzka on Compass: compass.icwa.org/p/last-days-...
Portugal - photography by Jennifer Katzka on Compass: compass.icwa.org/p/portugal
The institute is thrilled to announce the 2026-2028 Rydell-Frisa Disarmament Fellowship, which will examine the state of global nuclear disarmament education, with immersion in a country or region to be determined next year. We are very grateful to Randy Rydell and Beth Frisa for making it possible.
Rowland visited a harm reduction welcome center in Rio’s Maré favela, near the recent police mega operation that killed 132. Even during smaller raids, which happen as often as 3x a month in this favela alone, schools, clinics & transportation services shut down, creating fear & disrupting life.
A big thank you to all the fellows, supporters and friends who joined us last weekend to celebrate ICWA’s 100th anniversary! We look forward to building on your ideas and excitement as we move into the institute’s next century.