Featured Topics
August 22, 2016
Experts on Turkey Bombing, Trump's Deportation Plans, Islamist Rebel, Iran-Russia, and Texas
This week WMC SheSource features experts on the Kurdish wedding bombing in Turkey, Donald Trump changing his stance on deportation, an Islamist rebel admitting to destroying historic shrines in Timbuktu, Iran ending Russia's use of it's Hamadan Air Base, and a Texas judge blocking Obama's bathroom rules for transgender students.
Expert Spotlight
Christina Bache
Independent Consultant
Peace Missions Global
For interviews on the Kurdish wedding bombing in Turkey.
In light of the bombing at a Kurdish wedding in Turkey, we SPOTLIGHT Christina Bache Fidan. Christina has more than 15 years’ experience working on human development, human security, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. She is currently a Research Fellow with the Center for International and European Studies (CIES), located at Kadir Has University, based in Istanbul, Turkey. Christina has a Ph.D. from the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick in the UK. Her dissertation concentrated on the impact of the private sector on human security and peace in fragile and conflict-affected states. Her case study specifically focused on the impact of the Turkish private sector on economic security in the Kurdistan Region (KRG) of Iraq. She has presented her doctoral research at international conferences and regularly provides analysis of developments in Turkey and the Middle East to academic and policy-oriented groups.
Areas of Expertise:
Diplomacy, Humanitarian, International, Middle East and North Africa, Social justice
WMC SheSource
Featured Expert
Marisa Franco
Director and Co-Founder
Mijente and Mijente Support Committee
For interviews on Donald Trump's deportation plans.
With Donald Trump changing his previous deportations plans to one that is more lenient of immigrants, we FEATURE Marisa Franco. Marisa is the Director and co-founder of Mijente, a digital and grassroots organizing hub for Latina/o and Chicana/o people. Most recently she led the #Not1More Deportation campaign, recognized in 2014 by the National Organizing Institute as Campaign of the Year and co-authored How We Make Change is Changing, which describes Not1More’s campaign strategy and structure that activated hundreds of organizations across sectors and communities to demand a stop to deportations. In 2012, she organized the ‘No Papers No Fear’ bus tour throughout the South en route to the Democratic National Convention (often referred to as the ‘Undocubus’). Media includes: Politico, CNN, MSNBC, Univision/Al Punto, Washington Post.
Featured Expert
Shazia Z. Rafi
Managing Director
Global Parliamentary Services, LLC
For interviews on the Islamist rebel guilty of destroying shrines.
Islamist rebel Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi has admitted to destroying historic shrines in Timbuktu, Mali, during his trial at the International Criminal Court. To discuss, we FEATURE Shazia Z. Rafi. Shazia was, from 1996-2013, secretary-general of Parliamentarians for Global Action, an association of more than 1,350 individual legislators from 131 national parliaments. PGA programs promote peace, democracy, justice and sustainable development around the world. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the Fletcher School, Tufts University, Ms. Rafi is an expert in building representative, accountable, international political systems based on the rule of law. Regional specialization is in the Islamic countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Media includes: Geo TV, South-South TV, WMC print and radio, Rachel Maddow, national print and TV media in countries around the world.
Featured Expert
Barbara Slavin
Distinguished Fellow
The Stimson Center
For interviews on Iran ending Russian use of air base.
With Iran discontinuing Russia's use of it's Hamadan Airbase, we FEATURE Barbara Slavin. Barbara is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center and Washington correspondent for Al-Monitor.com, a website devoted to news from and about the Middle East. The author of Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the US and the Twisted Path to Confrontation (2007). She is a regular commentator on US foreign policy and Iran on NPR, PBS, and C-SPAN. She has traveled to Iran nine times, most recently to report on the inauguration of Iran's new president Hassan Rouhani. Slavin also served as a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, where she wrote Bitter Friends, and as a senior fellow at the US Institute of Peace, where she researched and wrote the report Mullahs, Money and Militias: How Iran Exerts Its Influence in the Middle East. Media includes: Washington Post, NPR, C-SPAN, BBC, Al-Jazeera.
Featured Expert
Renee Bracey Sherman
Reproductive Justice Activist & Writer
For interviews on a Texas judge blocking Obama's transgender rules.
A Texas judge has halted Obama's plans to accommodate transgender students in public schools. We FEATURE Renee Bracey Sherman. Bracey Sherman is an activist with extensive advocacy, messaging, and digital media experience consulting with organizations in the the reproductive health, rights, and justice movements. Bracey Sherman began her career working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allied youth planning Gay-Straight Alliance Network’s GSA Advocacy and Youth Leadership Academy, a 3-day lobby day where over 70 youth traveled to Sacramento to share their school experiences with lawmakers to pass legislation, including the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act (CA SB 48), the Gender Nondiscrimination Act (CA AB 887), and Seth’s Law (CA AB 9). Media includes: BBC, The Guardian, EBONY, Time, Salon, Fusion, The Atlantic, WMC Features.
Recent Expert Lists
Recently Added Experts
Liz Theran
Senior Director of Litigation for Education & Workplace Justice
National Women’s Law Center
Areas of Expertise:
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