Through quiet diplomacy, Russia may be courting the rising star of Latin American populism, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. In time, he must decide between international respectability and a bear hug from Vladimir Putin.
Tag: democracy
In matters of foreign policy, whether the war in Ukraine or in Gaza, the rejection of extremes should appear as an obvious fact of reason and ethics. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Updated June 26, 2024 at 1 p.m. President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech on this day in 1963. Where did President Kennedy deliver his speech? President Kennedy gave his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in West Berlin, at the Rathaus Schöneberg (Schöneberg City Hall) in front of a crowd […]
Ten years of Narendra Modi’s leadership have contributed to create a personality cult around his person in India. But recent elections show that something is now changing, writes Harish Khare.
Venezuela and its neighbors are nervously waiting to see if President Maduro and his clique will soon hold a fair election, or cling onto power, fueling more despair and unleashing yet another migratory wave over the region.
Can the surge of the far right in Europe pave the way for Donald Trump’s victory in the United States in November? Or will a majority of Americans reject a convicted former president running for office? Though political patterns are hard to detect, young voters play an important role in what comes next, writes political scientist Dominique Moïsi in French business daily Les Echos.
As citizens across the EU prepare to elect a new parliament, Italian author Viola Ardone remembers her late grandmother who, despite an elementary education and lack of political interest, never missed an election.
Updated June 5, 2024 at 12:30 p.m. The famous tank man photo is an iconic image captured during the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing, China, on this day in 1989. The photo depicts an unidentified Chinese man standing in front of a column of tanks, blocking their path. Who took the tank man photo? The […]
Updated June 2, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. On this day in 1979, Pope John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyła in Poland, visited his home country for the first time as pontiff, marking a crucial moment in Polish history. And beyond… Why was Pope John Paul II’s visit to Poland significant? Pope John Paul II’s visit […]
Psychologists call it “moral decoupling” when people continue to support notable people in politics, media and sports even when they believe these leaders have significant moral failings outside of their professional vocation.
According to Egyptian poet Alaa Khaled, student protests in the universities in the United States and Europe are not only directed against the practices of Israel, and in solidarity with Palestine, but are an instinctive expression of the desires of young people lost in a nihilistic modern culture.
Updated May 10, 2024 at 11:40 a.m. Nelson Mandela was sworn into the presidency at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa on this day in 1994. What happened during Mandela’s president? Nelson Mandela led the end of apartheid and the transition to democracy in South Africa during his time as president. Mandela had been […]
In India, journalists are either ousted from the country, jailed, penalized or criticized for a stance when reporting on government inattention to some issues. In the process the focus sometimes, is on the teller, not the story.
Updated April 27, 2024 at 12:45 p.m. South African citizens of all races were allowed to vote in a general election for the first time on April 27, 1994. This was the first democratic election in South Africa after the end of the apartheid system. How did apartheid end in South Africa? The end of […]
It all started on April 25, 1974, when some frustrated military officers — who had seen with their own eyes the effects of colonization in Western Africa — decided to overthrow the military regime. And over the past half-century, Portugal has gone from an archaic dictatorship to bona fide cool corner of the Western world.
Updated April 25, 2024 at 11:450 p.m. On this day in 1945, Allied troops entered Milan and other major Italian cities, signaling the end of fascist rule and the Nazi occupation. The Italian resistance movement played a significant role in the liberation of the country. What was the fascist regime in Italy? The fascist regime […]
Former mayor of Istanbul, Erdogan had once theorized that a victory in the capital meant an easier path to a national victory. Following this theory, having lost by ten points to the Republican People’s Party means an even tougher defeat for the 70-year-old president. Is this the beginning of the end?
Safety or addiction concerns about TikTok are very real. But would U.S. elected officials seek to ban or control this social network if it were not Chinese? Are U.S. social networks less harmful? For France Inter, Pierre Haski warns us to take a step back when pointing the finger at TikTok.
Pope Francis appears incapable of grasping that for Ukraine to “raise the white flag” would be to concede defeat, and accept the victory of evil over good. Is he a poor theologian or a poor global strategist, or both?
Iran’s exiled and surprisingly popular crown prince Reza Pahlavi is the son of the last shah, and is uniquely positioned to help unite opponents against the country’s brutal regime. But he can only do that by reaffirming his royal status, rather than responding on calls to renounce his title.
The threats posed by advanced AI are serious and varied. Among them is a direct threat to capitalism so much that in the end we will be faced with a choice between two systems: a new form of communism or unchecked chaos.
A former member of the Hungarian Parliament warns the U.S. about the potential re-election of Donald Trump, which could mirror Hungary’s slide toward authoritarianism under strongman Viktor Orbán, as the two meet in Florida.
An Argentine writer in Sweden was shocked to see pets as quiet and orderly as people there, quite in contrast with pet owners at home. Did that say all there is to say about the contrasting states of two countries?
With Putin’s war in Ukraine, people may need reminding that Belarusian leader and Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko is a dictator in Europe’s midst, write German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in an article for Die Welt.
Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto is expected to win Indonesia’s presidential election, on Feb. 14. Yet concerns about democracy are on the rise, as the nation carefully balances ties with Beijing and Washington.
The advent of digital technologies has made us increasingly lonely and isolated. In the virtual world, none of us participate in decision-making, but we all receive one-sided messages that influence our behavior, including our political beliefs. If this is the case, what will the democracy of tomorrow look like?
Prabowo Subianto’s campaign team has heavily promoted him as a baby-faced cute grandpa on the internet, overshadowing the former army general’s dark authoritarian past and potential intent to dismantle Indonesia’s fragile democratic system.
President Macky Sall’s decision to suspend the February 25 presidential election has plunged Senegal into chaos. It’s also grim news for those seeking institutional reform across Africa, where Dakar was long seen as a democratic model.
As nearly half of the world prepares to vote in elections this year, Turkish journalist and author Ece Temelkuran warns, in the Istanbul-based weekly Oksijen, that many countries are following Turkey’s path from democracy to dictatorship.
The incumbent has achieved enormous popularity with his state of emergency ironclad rule, which has largely curbed gang violence
There is major maneuvering among the small but strategic islands in the South Pacific, with China offering security cooperation, and the United States reopening embassies and reviving dormant cooperation.
By electing William Lai, the Taiwanese people have reaffirmed their desire for sovereignty and independence from China in the face of Chinese threats. And meanwhile, Donald Trump’s comeback could reshuffle the cards again.
To avoid succumbing to machines, we must understand the difference between risk and danger, argues noted Italian technology ethicist Paolo Benanti.
As Mexico’s president seeks to consolidate his power ahead of the 2024 general elections in the fall, will voters and institutions react to safeguard the country’s democracy or fall deeper into outgoing President López Obrador’s authoritarian impulses?
It’s the first big election of 2024, and it may well prove one of the most contested — and significant ones. As these vote on Saturday, Taiwanese citizens will be picking the fate of their identity and democracy.
Beginning with Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Moscow’s actions against its supposed “brotherly” neighbors have yielded decidedly mixed results. Yet there are certain outcomes of Russian aggression against Ukraine that have weakened the West and the post-Cold War global order.
The black-and-white view of the world which separates people into loyalists and traitors is incompatible with the compromises and moderation that make a liberal democracy tick, and which make society free and livable.
Updated Dec. 18, 2023 at 12:25 p.m. The United Arab Emirates is a monarchy, and had never allowed elections in its political system. That would change on this day in 2006. Why did the Arab Emirates decide to hold elections? The aim was to increase political participation among Emiratis through a “political empowerment program”, which […]
Egypt is holding a presidential election during which President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is certain to win another term. To protest a lack of genuine democracy, some opponents have chosen to boycott the whole process, others opted to invalidate their votes. It’s a loaded calculation.
In the U.S., Republican senators called on to approve military aid to Kyiv are blackmailing the Biden administration on an unrelated matter. In Europe, French President Macron will be dining with the Hungarian Prime Minister, who has threatened to block aid to Ukraine as well.