Issues and Analysis
News and views on the people, places and topics of concern to Community Supported Film and its project partners
Recent Posts
ON AFGHANISTAN | A Look at Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Crisis
Millions of Afghans are struggling to survive after crucial foreign aid was halted due to the Taliban’s takeover. Images from Afghanistan show a catastrophe in a country already traumatized by decades of war. Source: A Look at Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Crisis Foreign...
ON AFGHANISTAN | The Search for Stability in Afghanistan
Can Iran and Pakistan manage the Taliban’s Emirate? Source: The Search for Stability in Afghanistan, Foreign Affairs, by Kamran Bokhari, January 11, 2022
ON HAITI, ON DEVELOPMENT | Have the lessons of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake been learned?
“Build back better” became a guiding mantra after the earthquake struck in 2010, but Haiti has struggled to follow it and prepare for future disasters.
ON AFGHANISTAN | Afghan women protestors modify ways of protesting
Afghan women and activists, who have been facing the worst situation since the Taliban came into power, have started writing their demands on the walls of Kabul.
ON HAITI | ‘Criminal and barbaric’: Two Haitian journalists killed by gang
Two Haitian journalists killed by gang members on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince on Thursday.
ON HAITI | ‘On the Streets, We Are Prey’
https://globalpressjournal.com/americas/haiti/on-the-streets-we-are-prey/
On the Media
ON THE MEDIA, ON MIGRATION | ‘Telling our own stories’: Rohingya lives, through a camera lens
‘Telling our own stories’: Rohingya lives, through a camera lens —
Daily joys, growing hardships: Emerging Rohingya photographers are documenting their refugee community’s stories, one snapshot at a time.
ON THE MEDIA | A prayer for a humbler media
“It’s time to acknowledge that the enduring belief of American media’s exceptionalism is toxic, and if it continues, it will take down democracy with it.”
ON THE MEDIA | ‘Prison was Horrible but I Will Still do my Work as a Journalist’
International correspondent, Jeffrey Moyo, who was released from detention after being arrested for breaching Zimbabwe’s Immigration Act by helping two foreign journalists work in the country, says press freedom is undermined when journalists cannot work undeterred....
ON THE MEDIA, ON AFGHANISTAN | Handing the microphone to Afghan women
Four Afghan women were killed in as many days in March 2021 – targeted for being women working in television and in medicine. As Afghanistan’s peace process is marked by increasing violence, BBC Media Action held remarkable sessions of their Open Jirga and...
ON THE MEDIA | How African news organizations can build strong alliances across the continent
“There is an increasing need for African voices to be heard in the spaces where policy is made, especially around digital rights and access to digital platforms. So if there is a strong coalition that can help amplify these local voices, that could be a further...
ON THE MEDIA | Press Freedom under Lockdown Across Two-Thirds of the Globe
Press freedom is facing a growing crackdown one year into the COVID-19 pandemic as governments around the world restrict access to information and muzzle critical reporting, media and rights watchdogs have warned. Source: BRATISLAVA, Apr 22 2021 (IPS), by Ed...
On Economic and Social Development
ON HAITI, ON DEVELOPMENT | Have the lessons of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake been learned?
“Build back better” became a guiding mantra after the earthquake struck in 2010, but Haiti has struggled to follow it and prepare for future disasters.
ON DEVELOPMENT | It’s time for the global North to look South
“In the face of climate collapse, it’s time for the North to start looking South — and learn from its people and journalists.”
ON AFGHANISTAN, ON DEVELOPMENT | ‘Afghanistan heading for chaos unless action taken immediately’ – Islamic nations
‘Afghanistan heading for chaos unless action taken immediately’ – Islamic nations
ON AFGHANISTAN, ON DEVELOPMENT | New hungry: Urban and middle-class
Afghanistan’s economy spirals: For the first time, there are similar levels of food insecurity among urban households as drought-hit rural ones.
ON AFGHANISTAN, ON DEVELOPMENT | Biometric data and the Taliban: ‘The Taliban have been given the keys to the server room.’
The Taliban have inherited databases and technology that could be used to identify people linked to previous regimes or international forces, or members of persecuted groups who have received aid.
ON DEVELOPMENT, ON AFGHANISTAN | Rethinking Humanitarianism: NGOs and counter-insurgency, The case of Afghanistan
What lessons should humanitarians take away from the past 20 years in Afghanistan? Was the role of Western aid agencies helpful or hurtful? Were they impartial or complicit?
On Migration
ON MIGRATION | Give refugees a voice on our own futures
Including the views of refugees in efforts to reform the global refugee system is not yet the norm. It desperately needs to be.
ON THE MEDIA, ON MIGRATION | ‘Telling our own stories’: Rohingya lives, through a camera lens
‘Telling our own stories’: Rohingya lives, through a camera lens —
Daily joys, growing hardships: Emerging Rohingya photographers are documenting their refugee community’s stories, one snapshot at a time.
ON MIGRATION, ON HAITI | Texas: thousands of migrants, mostly Haitian, gather under border bridge in squalid makeshift camp
Thousands of mostly Haitian asylum seekers have gathered under the bridge that connects Del Rio in Texas and Mexico’s Ciudad Acuña, creating a makeshift camp with few basic services in intense heat. More than 50 Democratic lawmakers urged the Biden administration to halt deportations to Haiti.
ON MIGRATION | Here to Stay: How two faded seaside destinations have taken to refugee resettlement
"...there was also the sense that [Syrians] with professional backgrounds and business acumen would revitalize the community.” Residents largely embraced the prospect, quickly establishing a welcome committee with over a hundred volunteers. They collected and sorted...
ON MIGRATION | 44 percent of US Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children.
Date: June 17, 2021 New American Fortune 500 in 2021: Top American Companies and Their Immigrant Roots Immigrant entrepreneurs have long been an important part of America’s economic success story. Some of the largest and most recognizable American companies were...
ON MIGRATION | Short film festival focused on stories related to Black and immigrant mental health.
Voices With Impact is hosting an online short film festival focused on stories related to Black and immigrant mental health. The festival kicks off on Monday, June 21 with a virtual premiere...
On Afghanistan
ON AFGHANISTAN | A Look at Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Crisis
Millions of Afghans are struggling to survive after crucial foreign aid was halted due to the Taliban’s takeover. Images from Afghanistan show a catastrophe in a country already traumatized by decades of war. Source: A Look at Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Crisis Foreign...
ON AFGHANISTAN | The Search for Stability in Afghanistan
Can Iran and Pakistan manage the Taliban’s Emirate? Source: The Search for Stability in Afghanistan, Foreign Affairs, by Kamran Bokhari, January 11, 2022
ON AFGHANISTAN | Afghan women protestors modify ways of protesting
Afghan women and activists, who have been facing the worst situation since the Taliban came into power, have started writing their demands on the walls of Kabul.
ON AFGHANISTAN, ON DEVELOPMENT | ‘Afghanistan heading for chaos unless action taken immediately’ – Islamic nations
‘Afghanistan heading for chaos unless action taken immediately’ – Islamic nations
ON AFGHANISTAN | US air wars in Middle East and Afghanistan ‘deeply flawed’: NYT Report
The Pentagon’s air wars in Middle East and Afghanistan marked by ‘flawed intelligence’ and ‘faulty targeting’, NYT investigation finds.
ON AFGHANISTAN | The beautiful land of endless suffering, by Jamaluddin Aram
Jamaluddin Aram served as CSFilm’s translator and coordinator in Afghanistan from 2010-12.
He is a documentary filmmaker, producer and short story writer from Kabul. He lives in Toronto.
Jamal has written a searingly poetic and vibrantly visual opinion piece on Afghanistan for Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper.
On Haiti
ON HAITI, ON DEVELOPMENT | Have the lessons of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake been learned?
“Build back better” became a guiding mantra after the earthquake struck in 2010, but Haiti has struggled to follow it and prepare for future disasters.
ON HAITI | ‘Criminal and barbaric’: Two Haitian journalists killed by gang
Two Haitian journalists killed by gang members on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince on Thursday.
ON HAITI | ‘On the Streets, We Are Prey’
https://globalpressjournal.com/americas/haiti/on-the-streets-we-are-prey/
ON MIGRATION, ON HAITI | Texas: thousands of migrants, mostly Haitian, gather under border bridge in squalid makeshift camp
Thousands of mostly Haitian asylum seekers have gathered under the bridge that connects Del Rio in Texas and Mexico’s Ciudad Acuña, creating a makeshift camp with few basic services in intense heat. More than 50 Democratic lawmakers urged the Biden administration to halt deportations to Haiti.
ON HAITI | Haiti earthquake aid hampered by delays
Even before the quake, millions of Haitians needed urgent food aid, while the south was still rebuilding from a devastating 2016 hurricane.
ON HAITI | Help Haiti’s Earthquake Recovery
From the Haitian Artists Institute: Here we share a list of a few trusted, local, Haitian-led organizations working in the affected regions should you want to help the relief efforts. These groups have our full confidence.
Background Information
Background information on the places and topics CSFilm has covered:
Download our Immigration Facts PDF
US immigration facts
- Facts on U.S. Immigrants, 2017: Statistical portrait of the foreign-born population in the United States (Pew Research Center)
- The Facts on Immigration Today, 2017: US foreign-born population and its impact on the economy, current immigration policy, and voting power of new Americans (Center for American Progress)
- Immigration Data Guide, 2018: links to the most credible, high-quality data on immigrants and immigration in the United States and internationally. (Migration Policy Institute)
- Facts about Immigration – Learn about demographics, economics, laws, crime rates, citizenship requirements and factors that drive immigration (JustFacts)
Immigration information and research
- How the U.S. Legal Immigration System Works (Migration Policy Institute)
- Mini Course on US Immigration five short email lessons on US immigration (Pew Research Center)
- Immigration Research Library (The Immigrant Learning Center)
- Frequently Asked Questions on Immigrants and Immigration in the US (Migration Policy Institute)
- Ten Myths About Immigration – information to help you and your students separate fact from fear. (Teaching Tolerance)
Refugees in the US
- Refugees in America – about refugee resettlement in the US (International Rescue Committee)
Perceptions and communications about immigrants and refugees in the US
- Out of Many, One: A Defining Moment for American Integration – attitudes that shape perceptions of immigration in the US (a report by the National Immigration Forum)
- When Facts Don’t Matter: How to Communicate More Effectively about Immigration’s Costs and Benefits (Migration Policy Institute)
- Defusing Hate: A Strategic Communication Guide to Counteract Dangerous Speech (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)
- The Hidden Tribes of America – a project to better understand the forces that drive political polarization and tribalism in the United States, 2018 (More in Common)
Employment, the economy and US immigration
- Immigrants and the economy in the US (PDF)
- Immigrants and the American economy (New American Economy)
- Undocumented Immigrants’ State and Local Tax Contributions (Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy)
- Work in the United States, Introduction to Sociology (Lumin Learning)
Immigration and refugee policy, undocumented immigrants, and DACA
- The Debate Over Immigration Policy Reform (Council on Foreign Relations)
- 5 Tips for Talking About DACA – the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (The Opportunity Agenda)
- Trump administration’s proposed changes to family-based immigration and refugee admissions (Pew Research Center)
- Crime and Undocumented Immigrants (New York Times)
- The Criminalization of Immigration in the United States (American Immigration Council)
- Gender Bias and Immigration Policy (Legal Momentum, The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund)
Assimilation and acculturation of US immigrants
- What Does It Take to ‘Assimilate’ in America? (New York Times Magazine)
- Assimilation and Integration of US Immigrants and Their Descendants (Cato Institute)
- Should Immigration Require Assimilation? (The Atlantic Monthly)
- Acculturation, Development and Adaptation of Youth and Young Adults (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
Faith and US immigrants
- Immigrants and Religion – data on the religious composition of immigrants (Pew Research Lab)
Women and Immigration
- Immigrant Women and Girls in the United States (Migration Policy Institute)
- New Beginnings: Immigrant Women and The American Experience (National Women’s History Museum)
- Gender Bias and Immigration Policy (Legal Momentum, The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund)
- For Immigrant Women, Crossing the Border Doesn’t End Their Struggle (The Nation)
Politics and Immigration
- Immigrants have a long history of taking their issues to the people — as political candidates (PRI-The World)
- Immigrants in US Congress, (Pew Research Center)
Points-of-view on US Immigration
- The 14 Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They’re Wrong (Cato Institute)
- The Real Problem with Immigration… and the Real Solution (The Heritage Foundation)
- Immigrants Have Enriched American Culture and Enhanced Our Influence in the World (Cato Institute)
- 5 Ways Immigration Actually Enhances a Country’s Culture (Global Citizen)
Other websites with immigrant stories
- We Are America Project – high school students define via video what they think it means to be American;
- USAHello-Voices – immigrant and refugee stories of integration and overcoming resettlement obstacles
- I Am An Immigrant – stories demonstrating how immigration benefits our communities, economy, and country
- Newest Americans – a glimpse into the world of the newest Americans and a vision of our demographic future (Rutgers University-Newark, VII Photo and Talking Eyes Media)
Resources and Information for Immigrants and Refugees
- USAHello – the resources and information newcomers need to build successful lives for themselves and their families in the US
Background
- Afghanistan’s 36 Years of Turmoil in Review
- Afghanistan’s Conflict Timeline
- Links to Information on Aid, Human Rights and Conflict
- BBC- Afghanistan Country Profile
- United States Institute of Peace
- Afghanistan’s position in the balance of world power
- The Cost of War: Afghan Experiences of Conflict, 1978-2009 (PDF)
Aid and Economic Growth
- Afghanistan National Development Strategy 2010 – 2013
- The World Bank Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund
- Feinstein International Center – “Winning Hearts and Minds?”
- Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit – “Aiding the State?”
- Provincial Reconstruction Teams and Military – Humanitarian Relations in Afghanistan
- Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian Operations: A Handbook of Good Practices
Lessons From Development and Conflict Elsewhere
- PBS Frontline- Nation Building in Bosnia
- Assessing the Kecamatan Development Project, Indonesia (PDF)
- Community-Based Reconstruction in East Timor and Rwanda (PDF)
- Prospects for Community Driven Development in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone (PDF)
- What Everyone Should Know About Filming (And Sharing) Injustice on Social Media (PDF)
US Politics and Afghanistan Current Events
Background
- At a Glance: Haiti (UNICEF)
- Background Notes: Haiti (US Department of State)
- BBC – Haiti Country Profile
Aid and Economic Growth
- Cacophonies of Aid, Failed State Building and NGOs in Haiti: setting the stage for disaster, envisioning the future
- Haiti: the US and Military Aid in Times of Natural Disaster
- Moving Mountains: Challenges in Contemporary U.S. Foreign Aid in the Context of Post-Disaster Haiti
- A Rational Foreign Policy Toward Haiti and How the Media Shapes Public Perception of Haiti
- Ruptures, rights, and repair: The political economy of trauma in Haiti
Lessons From Development and Conflict Elsewhere
- The post-Cold War American interventions into Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo
- The Crucial Role of Civil Society in Disaster Recovery and Japan’s Preparedness for Emergencies
- What Everyone Should Know About Filming (And Sharing) Injustice on Social Media (PDF)
US Politics and Haiti Current Events