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Geopolitics In The News

Madagascar Coup, How Gen Z Anger Triggered A Military Takeover

The army has seized power in Madagascar, after President Andry Rajoelina fled abroad, having been challenged for weeks by rebel Gen Z youth. The uprising stems from social grievances and a generational sense of frustration — demands the military leadership is unlikely to meet.

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Economy Geopolitics

Why A New African Alliance To Fight Islamists Is Likely To Fail — To Russia’s Benefit

Burkina Faso, Mali And Niger, three military-led Sahel countries, recently withdrew from the ECOWAS regional bloc and established a new military alliance to tackle jihadist violence in the region. But the new forces’ prospects for success are slim.

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics Ideas special series Trump And The World

Disruption? What They Really Mean Is Coup — The Trump-Musk Blitz Seen From Abroad

In economics, disruption describes an ordinary process: innovations replace outdated technologies. But in politics? It takes on a far darker meaning, writes German weekly Die Zeit.

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This Happened

This Happened — September 27: The Founding Of Myanmar’s NLD

Updated September 26, 2024 at 10:50 a.m. On this day in 1988, The National League for Democracy was founded in Yangon, Myanmar. How did the NLD come into existence? In 1988, Myanmar‘s pro-democracy uprising, known as the 8888 Uprising, began. Citizens took to the streets to protest against the authoritarian rule of the military junta. […]

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Geopolitics

Maduro’s Fate: Between A Loyal Army And How Far The Latin American Left Will Go

Edmundo Gonzales, the opposition candidate who should have been declared the winner of the July election in Venezuela, has gone into exile in Spain. For the time being, President Maduro has won the day, even if he is denounced by the Latin American democratic left, notably Lula in Brazil.

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Geopolitics

Lauriane Doumbouya, The Mysterious French First Lady Of Guinea Steps Into The Limelight

When Guinean President Mamady Doumbouya was inaugurated three years ago, her presence alongside the coup leader grabbed the public’s attention. And although she has increasingly made public appearances, little is still known about the French police officer turned first lady.

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

What The Ancient Sanskrit “Yayati Syndrome” Says About Why Old Men Cling To Power

Everywhere stars rise to power as charismatic demagogues and risk-takers, but these very qualities breed in them an implacable desire to control all power and push away all they see as worthy replacements.

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Geopolitics

Lula vs. Bolsonaro, Brazil Has Its Own Dark Sequel Brewing

Uncertain economic conditions and divisive posturing in favor of the Global South may send Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s middle class voters back to the Right, where his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro is maneuvering between criminal charges and a return to the presidency.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Kissinger v. Allende, A South American Lesson For What’s At Stake In Ukraine

The cold arrogance of Henry Kissinger extends from Santiago de Chile half a century ago, where he helped orchestrate the violent overthrow of the leftist President Salvador Allende to his view today on Russia’s would-be “sphere of influence.”

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In The News

Gabon Coup Leader Sworn In, Escaping Burning Man, Google Turns 25

? Ǹdéèwō!* Welcome to Monday, where Gabon’s coup leader is sworn in as “transitional president” after President Ali Bongo was ousted last week, Russia launches an attack on one of Ukraine’s biggest grain ports and the most-used search engine celebrates its 25th birthday. Meanwhile, in Les Echos, Basile Dekonink reports from the small Balkan nation […]

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Geopolitics

Gabon And Niger Coups Are A Wake-Up Call To Confront Kleptocracy In Africa

After a series of coups in West Africa, what will happen to the corrupt systems set up by past rulers — will they endure, or could reform be ahead?

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Geopolitics

First Niger, Now Gabon: What’s Triggering The Coups d’État In Francophone Africa?

Is it a Russian conspiracy or anti-Paris bias? Or a sign that democracy has never really taken root in post-colonial realities?

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Economy

Unpacking Erdogan’s Charm Offensive In The Gulf (It’s Complicated)

Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent tour of Gulf states is proof that the Turkish president aims to repair his country’s diplomatic ties in the region, all the while looking for investment for Ankara’s floundering economy. Quite the reversal of fortunes considering that not so long ago Gulf countries faced accusations of sponsoring the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.

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Geopolitics

The Tug-Of-War Between Niger’s New Junta And The World Has Begun

Just days after the military seized power in Niger last week, the new junta has already been the target of sanctions by Brussels and Washington. What that means for the 1,000 U.S. soldiers stationed in Niger, among other things, remains unclear.

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In The News

Putin’s Priority: Knowing Which Russian Generals He Can Trust

A rebel chief in exile, a top General arrested, a President waving at the crowd. While Putin is putting on a show in public, a large- scale investigation is cleaning house among the Russian military, one week after the Wagner group’s attempted coup.

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In The News

How China’s Iran-Saudi Diplomacy Stunned The World — Starting With Washington

The move is seen as a coup for China in its efforts to assert itself as a global superpower, while also presenting itself as a responsible and peaceful nation in the eyes of the non-Western world. The agreement is expected to help reduce tensions in the region and revive hopes for peace in Yemen, where the two countries have been fighting a proxy war.

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In The News

Meet Ibrahim Traoré, Russia’s Favorite New Strongman In Africa

While Russia is suffering bitter setbacks in the Ukraine war, it is successfully expanding its influence in Africa. With Burkina Faso, Moscow has succeeded in detaching another country from the French sphere of influence. The Kremlin was not only motivated by security policy, but also by digging into the resources available.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Capitol Riot, Brazil Style? The Specter Of Violence If Bolsonaro Loses The Presidency

Brazilian politics has a long history tainted with violence. As President Jair Bolsonaro threatens to not accept the results if he loses his reelection bid Sunday, the country could explode in ways similar to, or even worse, than the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol after Donald Trump refused to accept his defeat.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Coup de Greed: Myanmar Generals Are Following The Money

How can you hold on to wealth if you are no longer in power?

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In The News

Inside China’s Quiet Flex On Myanmar Coup

The coup? What coup? China remains extremely cautious about upsetting its delicate relationship with Myanmar, given the important economic and strategic elements at stake.

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Geopolitics OneShot

Photo of the Week: This Happened In Myanmar

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/embed/T4ZOY2_Frso expand=1] On February 1, Myanmar’s military seized power and declared a year-long state of emergency, with commander in chief Min Aung Hlaing taking charge. The coup d’etat follows the national election victory of the party of leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which the armed forces refused to recognize. Suu Kyi and her party […]

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In The News

Mali Coup: Fractured Opposition Leads To Military Power Grab

After the Aug. 18 coup d’état in Mali, a growing popular protest movement that emerged in June may be quickly forgotten.

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Geopolitics

The Latest: Myanmar ”Bloodbath” Warning, Jimmy Lai Guilty, Pricey Airline Food

Welcome to Thursday, where WHO chides the EU’s slow vaccination rollout, two of Hong Kong’s best-known democracy leaders are convicted and Japan has a pricey solution for those missing airline food. Buenos Aires daily Clarin also has the scoop on the meat industry’s beef with a former Beatle. • COVID update: The world’s second most […]

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In The News

The Latest: Suu Kyi Charged Again, Guinea Ebola Outbreak, Bitcoin’s Record

Welcome to Tuesday, where Myanmar files new charges against Suu Kyi, Guinea reports an Ebola outbreak and bitcoin value is about to cross a major threshold. We also look at a new business booming in China during the pandemic: student ghostwriting. • COVID-19 latest: The World Health Organization has authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency […]

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In The News

The Latest: Myanmar Tightens Grip, Trump Acquitted, World’s Oldest Brewery

Welcome to Monday, where the Myanmar generals are tightening their grip, new COVID variants are identified and a very ancient watering hole is discovered in Egypt. We also have a Die Welt piece on the dark side of the dream of moving out to the countryside. • COVID-19 latest: Researchers have identified seven new variants […]

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In The News

Venezuela: The Hard Part About Overthrowing Maduro

The opposition has so far failed to provoke a military uprising against President Nicolás Maduro, and for now, can only count on an angry but tired population.

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Ideas

Venezuela: Global Left Seduced By Another Latin American Strongman

From Spain’s Podemos to Noam Chomsky, many left-wingers around the world are too blinded by ideology to see the Venezuelan crisis for what it really is.

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In The News

When Suharto Came Knocking, Revisiting Indonesia’s Darkest Day

Sept. 30, 1965, is a night that changed Indonesia forever. The events of that night led to Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, being ousted from office, as military General Suharto assumed control of government — Suharto went on to rule the country for 32 years, until 1998. In Central Java, Indonesia, KBR journalist Muhamad Ridlo spoke with a man who was at the heart of the action that night, and who says a fake version of events has been remembered in Indonesia. JAVA — The man in front of me is tall and thin. He’s 77 years old, with a vivid […]

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In The News

Erdogan’s Purge Stretches All The Way To Pakistan

KARACHI — A Turkish family is rushing out to a weekend protest in this populous Pakistani city; outside the Karachi Press Club, Turkish residents release doves as a sign of peace; 25 Turkish teachers plea for safety in Pakistan. These Turkish families have lived here for over two decades, teaching at a network of international schools led by Fethullah Gülen, a moderate Islamic cleric from Turkey, who currently lives in the United States. In the last 16 months, 28 Gülen schools and colleges across Pakistan have been shut down under pressure from the government in Ankara. Staff members now face […]

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In The News

Erdogan’s Global Witch Hunt, With A Little Help From Interpol

-Analysis- Even as the European Union has wavered on whether to let Turkey into its exclusive grouping, Ankara has flexed its muscles within the bloc. It has done so by using a shared tool and resource to fight crime: Interpol. Last Saturday, Spanish authorities arrested author Dogan Akhanli after Turkey issued an Interpol arrest warrant […]

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In The News

On Coups And Croissants, Why The News Is All About Me

What kind of a world do we live in, when Turkey can’t even give us a proper coup anymore? Unable to sleep for the summer heat in Valencia, I remember that twisted thought coming to me as the July 15 coup — or at least its broadcast version — was unfolding on the radio. Typically […]

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In The News

After The Coup, Why I Left My Beloved Home In Turkey

-Essay- Until last year I lived in Istanbul with my husband. We’re both from Australia and we taught English at local universities. We had a great life, with wonderful Turkish friends like Hasan and Nurhan (not their real names.) On Friday nights in the summer, we went out to dinner with them. On one such […]

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In The News

Nicolas Maduro’s ‘Coup’ On Front Page In Peru

El Comercio Venezuela slid closer toward dictatorship after a Supreme Court ruling Wednesday night gutted the powers of the opposition-led legislature. Peruvian newspaper El Comercio reports that Peru and other Latin American countries have condemned Venezuela’s move toward one-man rule as can be seen on this front page. Peru withdrew its ambassador to Venezuela soon […]

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In The News

Venezuela’s Chilling ‘Self-Coup’

-Analysis- You don’t need to be an army general marching in with troops to mount a coup in a country. Sometimes democracy can be crushed by the very person elected at its helm — the president. In Venezuela, analysts and opposition leaders are describing this phenomenon as a “self-coup,” after President Nicolás Maduro ordered the […]

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Geopolitics Ideas

Turkey, Beware Of Erdogan’s Blind Faith In Majority Rule

-OpEd- ISTANBUL — The 2010 referendum to change Turkey’s constitution to give more power to the presidency prevailed in part because of the “It Is Not Enough, But Yes” call for support. I voted “No” then. And now, as it appears that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to hold another referendum that will give even […]

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Geopolitics Ideas

Turkey’s Failed Coup, Why The Official Line Doesn’t Add Up

Who knew what and when? Questions linger two months after the coup attempt was quickly stamped out.

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Geopolitics Ideas

After Summer Of Chaos, How Donald Trump Can Calm Our World

The past few months have left a feeling of an ever less stable future. But a clean defeat of the Republican in November is the quickest way to bring back some order to the world.

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Ideas

Erdogan’s Post-Coup “New Turkey”? Islamism Disguised As Unity

Both President Erdogan and top opposition parties are focused on national reconciliation. But Erdogan’s plans will ultimately exclude democracy.

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Ideas Society

Reading Erdogan In The Heart Of Germany’s Turkish Community

In Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, home to many people of Turkish descent, opinions about Recep Tayyip Erdogan and last week’s failed coup that tried to oust him range from shock to skepticism.

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blog

Turkey Coup Attempt Foiled, Follow Latest Updates

The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is enforcing a crackdown of those believed linked to the failed coup attempt that began Friday night. Turkey officials report that some 265 people were killed in the attempted military overthrow of the Erdogan government. Follow the latest updates in real-time on BBC.

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