The far-right League party in Italy, rising in popularity, now faces the prospect of being marginalized by its extremist rhetoric after this summer’s gamble by its populist leader backfired.
Tag: politics
Partisans of political moderation are mistaken if they are looking for the ideals of the European liberal tradition in today’s neoliberalism.
It would be a mistake to assume that Italy has seen the last of the controversial ‘Captain,’ who will have a different kind of influence at the helm of the opposition.
Burk Uzzle’s image of loving (and muddy) couple at Woodstock has become a symbol for the 1960s hopes for a better future.
Italy reached a preliminary agreement with other EU countries on rescuing migrants at sea. But Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has not shared the news at home, and has kept attacking his supposed partners, especially Germany.
After the death in prison of deposed President Mohammed Morsi, rights organizations accuse again Egypt’s authorities of medical negligence within prisons.
President López Obrador’s confrontational approach to ruling Mexico has reminded many of Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez. But he seeks confrontation as a tool like the iconic 20th century Argentine leader.
Ekrem Imamoglu’s victory in the recent rerun election in Istanbul was a breath of fresh air for Turkish democracy. But to really recover lost ground, the country needs a new set of rules, writes Yakup Kepenek.
A spotty performance as a communicator and uncertain start to downsizing the state mark the fiery Jair Bolsonaro’s first six months as president of Brazil.
Democratic systems offer little incentive for long-term thinking. But unless we can implement true, forward-looking policies, problems like climate change will only multiply.
In the land of Charlie Hebdo and Plantu, the decision of the American newspaper to eliminate cartoons in its international edition is not welcome news at all.
PARIS — He looks the part. Michel Barnier, the former French cabinet minister and longtime EU political fixture, could easily be plucked by Hollywood casting agents to play the role of European Commission president. Whether he gets the job in the coming days is a question too complex for any movie script — or news […]
The U.S. president has little regard for the rules of trade and diplomacy, as evidenced by the extortion tactics he just pulled off with Mexico.
It’s not that Italian women don’t enter politics. But they don’t, for the most part, rise through the ranks to national leadership positions. Why?
For the first time in 25 years, the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not be running Turkey’s biggest city. With his landmark victory in Sunday’s election rerun, Ekrem Imamoglu will be the new mayor of Istanbul, with significance that reaches well beyond the city’s 15 million residents. Imamoglu, who won easily 54% to […]
-Essay- NEW DELHI — I’m convinced Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I have one thing in common: We both practice our version of yoga regularly and desperately want to be yogis. Sure, the prime minister encouraged the United Nations to declare June 21 as International Yoga Day and millions of Indians watch videos of Modi’s animated self perfectly executing various asanas, while I haven’t even managed to convince my husband to join me in a surya namaskar (sun salutation). Still, I believe Modi and I are kindred yoga spirits. After perusing many videos and images of the prime minister doing […]
Facing U.S. brinkmanship over tariffs and migration, Mexico’s president must act to unite his country with sensible policies and end his ‘confrontational’ strategy with domestic critics.
Against a tide of right-wing nationalism, Germany’s Basic Law — with its emphasis on fundamental rights — is as relevant now as it was 70 years ago, when it first appeared.
From France to Poland, the far-right draws people in with plot lines that offer fast and easy answers but no long-term solutions.
As India votes in national elections, manual scavengers are trying to overcome caste stigma and prejudice.
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Why Does The Left Love Islam So Much?
Some leftists are screaming racism because of a conference on the pros and cons of the headscarf in Frankfurt. One can only wish these people that they never have to live in the society that they are rooting for.
NEW DELHI — The great Indian electoral war of 2019 ended with Narendra Modi securing a historic mandate to rule India for another five years. The divided opposition should not have expected anything better as it had no national narrative, no credible agenda and no alternative leadership to contain a colossal opponent like Modi. It is ironic that in a parliamentary democracy like India, people have voted for the “leader” Modi, rather than members of parliament. No doubt, the president of his BJP party, Amit Shah displayed a shrewd strategy that helped secure this victory. Yet he still has a […]
Chancellor Kurz deserves credit for trying to work with the populist FPÖ. But he’s also right to end the relationship in the wake of the damning scandal
With his untruths, bad choice of friends and unwillingness to apologize, India’s prime minister is everything our parents taught us not to be.
The question ‘If not Modi, then who?” points to a worrying lack of understanding of how a parliamentary democracy works.
The Western-aligned Lima Group is now seeking help from the more neutral International Contact Group, and even Cuba, to resolve the political deadlock in Venezuela.
Once upon a time, Italy embraced its own politically incorrect billionaire-turned-politico. And yet the real shift toward Trump-style nationalism came after Berlusconi’s departure.
Older politicians seemingly face an image problem in some Latin American countries. But in this continent of massive corruption scandals, can age really be the issue for voters?
Bogged down by months of protests, the embattled French president now faces a new kind of challenge. But the disastrous cathedral fire may also be something of an opportunity.
Turkey’s president first burst on the scene in 1994 when he was elected mayor of Istanbul. Now, his party tries to hold the city.
The increasingly unpopular president is collaborating with dozens of current or retired soldiers as he tries to push through a controversial policy agenda.
Zuzana Čaputová becomes the country’s first female head of state, and brings hope to Slovaks looking to end to corruption and to others for a response to populism across Europe.
–OpEd– BERLIN — The late Chancellor Helmut Kohl, a great European who led Germany through its unification, was wrong. European integration is no longer “irreversible.” Today, in 2019, disintegration is the declared goal of many member states. It is dependency, not independence, that has until now made Europe strong. For the future, Europe does not […]
WASHINGTON — Next, more of the same, but with more entrenched division, a bitter crossfire of allegations and then, finally, a reckoning in the form of the 2020 presidential election. The long-awaited conclusion of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election is likely to harden congressional Republicans’ wall of support for President Trump, strengthen Democratic demands to hold Trump to account — and result in little change in public opinion, according to historians and politicians who have studied past national scandals. Mueller’s conclusion — he found no evidence of collusion with Russia but […]
With no other elections set for the coming years and the AKP party’s increasing use of bully tactics, Turkey’s local poll is a last chance to send a true political message.
Italy’s political leaders who rejoiced with Brexit referendum are now silent.
Often accused of sympathizing with the left, Pope Francis has a simpler ‘apolitical’ view of politics and public office: it should be at the service of the disadvantaged.
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Europe On Brexit: Pick Your Metaphor
-Analysis- “It’s almost like Shakespeare: Brexit or no Brexit? That was the question.” German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle resorted to a passing twist on Hamlet after the British Parliament delivered what may be the final defeat Tuesday night in Prime Minister Theresa May’s attempt to lead the UK to an orderly divorce from the European […]
It’s tempting to imagine that if our leaders were better teachers, consensus would ensue. But what works in the classroom doesn’t necessarily apply to politics.
Despite episodes of hatred and nationalism, Gandhi’s ideas are still alive and well in India.