Controversial new nuclear plant ignites Belarus (Jonathan Brown, Al Jazeera)

Thirty years after Chernobyl catastrophe, construction of new nuclear station on border with Lithuania stirs debate.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/09/controversial-nuclear-plant-ignites-belarus-160926094703537.html

Rethinking language: "Islamism" as a dirty word (Jonathan Brown, Brookings)

Much depends on whether one thinks “Islamism” is a dirty word. This is true for policymakers in the West and leaders in the Muslim world alike. As with the moniker “The Muslim Brotherhood,” the word “Islamism” is thrown about loosely and clumsily because it is an amorphous and contested term that reflects the worldview (perhaps deepest fears?) of whoever is using it more than any fixed reality. Those who are suspicious of “Islamism” almost always imagine it, along with “The Muslim Brotherhood,” to be some durable transnational network, uniform in its most threatening characteristics wherever it appears.

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Major obstacles ahead of Kurdish self-rule in Syria (Jonathan Brown, Al Jazeera)

Hunched on a rock atop a hillside overlooking the Turkish border, a commander of the People's Protection Units (YPG) watched over Kurdish new year celebrations last week.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/major-obstacles-kurdish-rule-syria-160328084709789.html

Iraq's forgotten ISIL prisoners (Jonathan Brown, Al Jazeera)

Families are frustrated at the country's failure to rescue hundreds of Turkmen women and children in ISIL captivity.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/iraq-forgotten-isil-prisoners-160316091324521.html