Worldcrunch
Bolivian President Luis Arce easily survived Wednesday’s bungled coup, which may suggest the populist Left is more resilient than it used to be. But it may also be the foreshadowing of the reigniting of an internal war with fellow Socialist and former President Evo Morales as unrest spreads around the country.
Aggressive lending is undermining Russia’s economy, and citizens’ incomes are not keeping up with expenses. It’s the clear sign of a looming economic crisis.
There is real generational disaffection that is pushing some young voters to the far right in Europe and the U.S.. But their skills, including on social media, is a real advantage for success among the youth.
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.
Iran’s regime has selected six candidates for the presidential elections due in late June, and possibly even a winner, just as millions of Iranians may have made their own choice, to no longer vote in a dictatorship.
Russia announced a ban on 81 European media — in retaliation to the EU’s ban of Russian state media. The move is indicative of the prevailing Cold War climate, which limits the exchange of information between hostile worlds.
Mexico is already suffering the effects of the climate emergency. And president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum — a climate scientist and former environmentalist — will have to choose between taking her predecessor’s fossil route and a harder but more sustainable path.
As France prepares for snap legislative elections that are expected to see a surge by the far-right Rassemblement National party, the country’s Algerian community is preparing for the worst. Some have even applied for citizenship in the North African nation of their forebears.
Jordan Bardella may become the first far-right prime minister in France since World War II. Is this good news for Vladimir Putin?
After spending the past five years in prison in the UK and nearly 15 years battling for his freedom, the founder of WikiLeaks is set to be released. Nonetheless, his case sends a terrifying message to any sources sitting on evidence of abuses by the government and its agencies.
A young man was killed in northern Egypt on Sunday by an improvised explosive device, the latest tragedy that reminds us that once a war has ended, there is still much to be done before we can put it in the past.
This is not the first spike in deaths of those making the Hajj pilgrimage, but what this year’s toll was accompanied by photos and videos circulating on social media that showed how many dead pilgrims were left on the roads near Mecca.
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.
Vladimir Putin presents himself as the leading advocate for multipolarism, but continues to reveal his true world view, where we are divided among those that respect nothing but personal power — and fools.
The Venezuelan opposition and its leader Corina Machado may yet end 25 years of socialist rule with an against-the-odds election win in July, which would bring to mind that of Corazon Aquino in 1986 that toppled the Marcos regime in the Philippines.
Zionism shares with Nazism the claims of building what they call National Socialism, though the nationalism always takes over. There are lessons in the Oscar-winning film The Zone of Interest, and the current politics of the far right in Europe.
The Sierra Madre, a World War II cargo ship grounded 300 kilometers off The Philippine coast, was involved in an incident between the Philippine and Chinese navies on Monday. It’s the focus of a tug-of-war between Beijing and Manila, against the backdrop of the U.S.-China Cold War.
Spain, Norway, Ireland and Slovenia’s formal recognition of Palestine as a state highlights that Arab countries, many of which recognized Palestine in 1988, have not built upon that step.
A chapter of history is closing: that of the active French military presence on the African continent, which will soon be reduced to a bare minimum after being a central element of France’s presence in its former colonial empire.
China will remain the elephant in the room when it comes to foreign policy during Narendra Modi’s third term too. Though he boasts of his closeness to many world leaders, Modi failed to charm President Xi Jinping.
Peru’s President Dina Boluarte is traveling to China to fine tune free trade with this vital, if overbearing, business partner. It will also help her flee the deep and wide popularity among Peruvians.
Mediation efforts are ongoing to halt the escalation between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which could degenerate into all-out war at any moment. But diplomacy seems powerless in the face of the logic of war.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s declaration labeling Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as “extreme right-wing” is a politically charged move. But is this assessment fair, given Meloni’s strong support for Ukraine and responsible economic decisions — or is there some demonizing and distracting at play?
China’s Premier Li Qiang has offered to send Australia two new pandas during his visit to Adelaide Zoo, as “friendly messengers of China-Australia relations.” It’s the latest example of China’s enduring and unique “panda diplomacy.”
There is a striking paradox: the European elections, which were expected to cause a seismic shift, ended in relative continuity in most places. The crisis erupted where it was least expected: in France, snap elections could have serious consequences in the whole of Europe.
As the U.S. presidential election draws closer, independent Russian-language media Vazhnye Istorii spoke with American politics specialists about the possibility of a second Trump term and what it would mean for the Russia-Ukraine war, traditional U.S. allies and China.
The political project in the Arab world, both of tyrants and their opponents, has been focused on visions of glory and repeating slogans. But what is a movement if it doesn’t seek to improve the lives of those for whom it claims to speak?
Hamas attack on Oct. 7 created a deep rift in the confidence of Israel’s citizens, in their country’s security, military and moral superiority. The Zionist project may never recover.
From Trump in the U.S., Eurosceptics in the UK, the Catalan independence movement or the growing rejection of immigration in much of the developed world shows that a century after the founding of fascism, the darker instincts of humans are always lurking just below the surface.
As the Olympic flame of Athens prepares to illuminate the world of sports, Africa remains in the shadows. Yet the world’s youngest continent has an unparalleled potential to become a major hub for sports on a global scale.
As the upcoming French and American elections show, the Western democratic model is being put into question — both externally by revisionist powers, and internally.
Under pressure from Arab states and Russia, which calls the shots in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad is tiptoeing away from the Iranian regime, a troublesome ally that has nevertheless spent billions of dollars to help keep him in power.
The G7 countries meeting in Italy are examining a proposed $50 billion loan to Ukraine, a way of preempting possible future obstacles: Trump in the U.S. and the far-right in France. The wildcard is Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to dissolve Parliament and call special elections caught his international partners by surprise. The stakes are high, especially for Ukraine.
Global sand consumption has tripled in 20 years, to the point where the United Nations has called for countries to rethink their use of this “strategic resource” that is fueling tensions between states.
Israel’s special forces rescued four hostages on Saturday, an apparent major success of the war in Gaza. Yet, paradoxically, the operation has created a political crisis for Benjamin Netanyahu, leading to protests and the resignation of several war cabinet ministers.
Comparisons between the wars in Europe and the Middle East tell us a lot about the standpoint of those who compare. They also signal to a new world order that has yet to be shaped.
Olaf Scholz has refused to dissolve Germany’s parliament, even though his coalition suffered a major defeat at the European elections. The Chancellor’s weakened position comes at a bad time for Europe, where the union’s other major power, France, is also in a fragile state.
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.
Awkward political figures will run for the Iranian presidency in the elections planned later this month. The one reformer allowed to run will not be able to grant legitimacy to the regime.