Worldcrunch
The Left (Die Linke) and the far-right AfD party scored big in Germany’s federal election on Sunday. But their success has less to do with the fact that they offer more or less radical alternatives to other parties than in their style of political discourse — and more moderate parties would be wise to learn a thing or two from this.
The multi-faceted Friedrich Merz promises to be a most indecipherable head of government. Only one thing’s for certain: He is willing to take risks. It comes with serious perils, but may be exactly what Germany (and the world) needs right now.
Both pessimism and optimism are stored in our genes: They helped us be watchful, while giving us the possibility to hope for a better future. But which one helps us lead a better life? For Die Zeit, Harald Martenstein, a self-declared pessimist, looks at the benefits of both.
Following the death of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition is in a serious crisis, and must look at the fundamental mistakes it’s made the past two years, including calls for destroying the nation and desecrating the flag. It’s not clear what impact the prisoner swap could have, but activist Timofey Martynenko says it’s time to have a pro-Russia, anti-dictator opposition.
Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro joins a long line of dictators whose fall from grace is marked by a period of incessant corruption, isolation, and a disconnection from reality.
The author was from one of the rare families in Damascus who were not direct victims of Syria’s long civil war. But she hardly emerged unscathed.
In 19 years in Gaza, she always felt lost in her mind, body and even time. She was desperate to escape abroad, and made one attempt after another to find a way out. Eventually she did, for better or worse.
The lesser known Phlegraean Fields, near Naples, are now making headlines in Italy because of intense volcanic activity. Together with Vesuvius, they evoke fears in the heart of Neapolitans, but they are also a part of who they are.
Women are used to getting advice about how they’re dressed, their unattended glass — and their route to get back home on Saturday night. This is what rape culture looks like. “Text me when you get home” is part of the silent sisterhood pact that we cherish, but also wish we didn’t need.
It’s not easy coming out to your family as gay or transgender, nor for every family to accept it, especially in conformist societies like Latin America’s. But, unlike decades ago, today families can seek out sensible information and professional help to avoid hurting their children.
In Germany, the Ministry for Family Affairs came up with a strategy to combat loneliness: university chairs, initiatives and even a “loneliness barometer.” But one no-filter boomer writer for Die Welt says it’s all unnecessary — and today’s young people should focus on having more children and stop pathologizing every feeling.
Our Naples-based psychiatrist thinks back at a moment that has forever remained frozen in her mind. In the expression of her son’s terror, she sees all the grieving mothers who can do nothing in the face of war.
People’s deplorable actions ultimately have more to do with socially induced fears and mistrust than some inherent evil. Fiction and tradition tells us humans are fundamentally wicked, but history says otherwise.
In Ukraine, those who do not want to fight on the front or who want negotiations cannot say so publicly for fear of accusations of being traitors.
One day a patient, after listing all his phobias, asked me: “Dottoré, be honest, who’s worse off than me?” “The ones,” I replied, “who say they aren’t afraid of anything.” ____________________________ Learn more about Worldcrunch’s exclusive Dottoré! series here.
Ever since journalist Marina Ovsyannikova protested on live Russian television against the war in Ukraine, her life has changed radically. Now that includes writing for leading German daily Die Welt. In her first article, Ovsyannikova explains what drove her action, how police have targeted her and why the Kremlin’s propaganda works on so many of her fellow Russians.
With traders spooked, physical gold that you can hold in your hands is being traded for a high mark-up compared to the market price for gold.
He’s the mastermind behind has most famous deepfakes of the web. Donald Trump, Bruce Lee or even Elon Musk have been integrated into his videos, which are as fascinating and problematic as they are funny.
The self/other theory of immunology rests on the xenophobic assumption that ‘others’ are always dangerous and need to be removed.
With Donald Trump’s arrival at the White House, America will enter the fifth phase in its relationship with the rest of the world. Despots have reason to cheer.
WASHINGTON — These are anxious times in America. Despite a steadily, if slowly, growing economy and the absence of a major war, people remain troubled by a sense of national underperformance and myriad social ills, most recently the surge in racially tinged fatal shootings committed by law enforcement officers and against them. A new Gallup poll reports that only 17% of Americans feel satisfied with the way things are going, the lowest percentage since October 2013 — and down 12 points in just the past month. For many, of course, a cause of concern is Donald Trump, who accepted the […]
Climate change, pollution, terrorism. Teenagers are increasingly scared of what’s ahead, and why wouldn’t they be? While a certain amount of fear is normal, psychologists advise teens to get help when anxiety takes over.
Typically reliant on solid argument and logical persuasion, Merkel is now turning to the humanity of Germans on the refugee crisis. It’s a revolutionary approach for the world’s most powerful woman.
Being overly shy isn’t always a simple personality trait, something kids will “grow out of…” It can also reach the point of clinical illness. How to know when your child needs treatment.
PARIS — A 4G offer? Danger! Bitcoin? Warning! The World Cup draw? It’s a trap! This is the story of a strange country blessed by the gods, with beautiful scenery and heir to a long and rich history. Though full of talented people and worldwide economic powerhouses, everything now seems to be full of peril […]
Although the number of foreign workers has declined sharply in Russia, Muscovites in particular fear the influx of immigrants – not that they necessarily want to do their jobs.
Last March’s killings at a Jewish elementary school in Toulouse shocked many, but French Jews have been feeling less secure for years. Some leave, though security isn’t the only reason.
BUKAVU – During the occupation of the Congolese city of Goma by the M23 rebels last month, the nearby border with Rwanda remained open, and daily exchanges between the two central African neighbors continued as usual. “We have no problem with the Rwandans as people. They are our brothers, our neighbors,” explains a Congolese teacher […]