Yermi Brenner

Yermi Brenner reports on migration and other sociopolitical issues for Al Jazeera, Global Post, Deutsche Welle and other publications. He is based in Berlin and is a graduate from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Follow him on Twitter: @yermibrenner.

Women Refugees in Germany Demand Better Conditions, and the Government Responds

Yermi Brenner

• October 2, 2014

BERLIN, Germany — António Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, recently praised Germany’s asylum policy, calling it a “positive example for other European states to follow.” In the streets of Berlin, however, the situation appears to be far from positive. In the last few months, the German capital has experienced several high-profile demonstrations …

Migration, Refugees, Women

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Women’s Voices Must Stay ‘Alive’ in ISIS-Controlled Regions

Yermi Brenner

• August 31, 2014

The extremist Sunni militant group called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which recently declared a caliphate in parts of the Middle East, now controls an area of 13,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Testimonies coming out about daily life in the ISIS-controlled region depict an agenda of fear and intimidation being imposed, …

Gender Violence, Human Rights, Middle East

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Her Job? To Welcome Boat Migrants Landing at Sicily’s Ports

Yermi Brenner

• May 20, 2014

SICILY, Italy — Fabiana Giuliani is a legal associate for the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees, but in the last few months she has spent most of her time in ports. Based on the southern island of Sicily, Giuliani, a 31-year-old Italian native who has been working for the UN refugee agency for …

Africa, Human Trafficking, Libya, Migration

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Bosnia-Herzegovina: Hopelessly Divided

Yermi Brenner

• May 14, 2013

It was the 29th minute of the decisive World Cup qualifying match in March between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Greece. A midfielder, Zvjezdan Misimovic, a Bosnian Serb, delivered a beautiful pass to a striker, Edin Dzeko, a Bosnian Muslim, who headed the ball into the goal. The multiethnic teamwork led to two more goals and 3-1 …

Governance, Peace and Security, Security Council

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When Intervention by Foreign Powers Is Justified

Yermi Brenner

• April 24, 2013

One of the most complicated dynamics in international relations is whether foreign powers should intervene when a government is creating a humanitarian crisis among its own people. David L. Phillips, a former a senior adviser to the United States Department of State and to the United Nations, has repeatedly dealt with this problem, and …

Human Rights, Peace and Security

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The Catholic Church’s Decline in Croatia

Yermi Brenner

• April 9, 2013

As Pope Francis is getting used to life in the Holy See, a sexual-education program in neighboring Croatia offers hints of decline of the Roman Catholic Church’s political influence in the region. The introduction of sex-ed in Croatian public schools in September set off a culture war in the country. The government has refused …

Health and Population, Human Rights

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The North Kosovo Obstacle to Peace

Yermi Brenner

• February 19, 2013

Thousands of people packed the streets of Pristina this past weekend, celebrating as Kosovo marked five years of independence. But in the municipalities of northern Kosovo, few people were rejoicing. Thirteen years after Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian leader whose nationalist crusade set off the Balkan wars, withdrew his army from Kosovo, and three years …