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Prospect of regime change in Iran
The upcoming presidential elections in Iran may bring about formidable change that will take aback even the alleged leaders of public opposition movements. In recent weeks the infighting among various...
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New pope Tawadros on the horns of a dilemma
The newly chosen pope of Egypt’s Coptic Christians assumes his leadership in a country ruled by the first Islamist regime in modern history. Is it possible to fulfil the challenge of integrating the...
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Who are the Finns? Ask The Finns!
Combining support for the welfare state with xenophobic populist sentiments, The Finns have clouded and shaken the traditionally straightforward Finnish political landscape. Beyond this textbook...
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Australia: the Prime Minister who redefined misogyny
The Australian Prime Minister's recent speech about “repulsive double standards on misogyny and sexism” in the House of Representatives has recast the debate about gender prejudice in politics. Even if...
View ArticleViolent power, civilian exclusion and the M23
Violence in eastern DRC is portrayed by western countries in terms of abject failure: people or events in the Congo (or Rwanda) have caused peacebuilding and development processes to fail. But the M23...
View ArticleMali, preparing for war
Mali's army will be unable to dislodge the Islamist hold on the country's north, even with the help of fellow west African forces. This makes direct western military intervention more likely.Mali's...
View ArticleFrom transitional justice mechanism to monumental revenge: the Bangladesh...
The Bangladeshi International War Crimes Tribunal quickly became a stage for political interference and intimidation. With elections approaching, escalating tactics threaten to condemn the entire...
View ArticleMr. President, Why are you silent?
An open letter to President Barack Obama as “Pillar of defense” gets under way. Dear President Obama,I write to you on behalf of my sons, as a mother of Palestinian children, who are in turn the sons...
View ArticleFemicide in Central America: is creating Female-Friendly Urban Zones really...
Female-friendly spaces are on the rise as a means to combat gender-based violence. But do women need to be separated to be protected? Over the last decade, 'female-friendly' urban planning spiked in...
View ArticleConfronting militarist mindsets in Israeli society: interview with New...
In an increasingly right-wing political environment, addressing the place of the military in Israeli society means going through the cracks rather than lobbying government. International connections...
View ArticleForeign aid to local NGOs: good intentions, bad policy
International solidarity is a wonderful idea, and the notion of transferring resources from North to South for good causes is morally attractive. The mechanics of doing this properly, however, are far...
View ArticleChild poverty in Britain — redefine it, or reduce it?
The UK government claims today that current measures of child poverty fail to tackle the “root causes of poverty. . . worklessness, educational failure and family breakdown”. A paediatrician asks:...
View ArticleSyria needs a twin-track negotiation
Since 2011 three failed strategies have been attempted, with weapons provision bringing up the rear. The regional politics of the conflict make the dangers of massive escalation imminent: it is time to...
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Russia: when does free education have to be paid for?
Primary and secondary education In Russia is supposed to be free, but parents are being forced to pay for all kinds of necessities — from building repairs to expensive textbooks. However, as Oleg...
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Politics as theory and politics as practice
In 1962, the late Professor Sir Bernard Crick published his seminal work In Defence of Politics. Fifty years on, formal political processes have never been in greater need of defending. In this...
View ArticleA light skirmish over British Army E-book: literary critics in the cyber age
When hostile reviews are orchestrated.The new role of the ‘literary critic’ in the cyber age is an evolving mystery. On Amazon Kindle Store, and other E-book purveyor-sites, people are invited to post...
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Blue skies, clear thinking: Russian democracy in the Cloud
The recent election to the Coordinating Council of the Russian opposition was a first. Run across the whole country, entirely online, it demonstrated an unprecedented unity between the various...
View ArticleLa violence du pouvoir, l'exclusion des civils et le M23
Les pays occidentaux décrivent la violence à l'est de la RDC comme un échec cuisant : des personnes et des événements au Congo (ou au Rwanda) ont provoqué l'échec des processus de paix et de...
View ArticleThe Coming Dictatorship of Britain
The UK's coalition government of Tories and Lib Dems is about to push through legislation creating secret courts that will protect the State at the whim of Ministers and the Sectet Services. It is an...
View ArticleWhy do Arab rulers want a ceasefire in Gaza but not in Syria?
The rulers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar insist that Bashar Assad step down or be removed by force because the Syrian people want him gone. Yet, they ignore the fact that the Arab peoples want them all...
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