Clik here to view.
From Georgia to the EU is a long road
Georgia has signed an association agreement with the EU. But there is a long road ahead toward establishing transparent and accountable government.On June 27th, Georgia, together with Moldova and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Today MPs vote to end slavery - tomorrow they vote to continue it
One consequence of proposed cuts to legal aid is that children trying to prove they have been trafficked will be denied legal assistance.This afternoon, the modern slavery bill gets its second reading....
View ArticleWhat do we do we do about the United Kingdom? And why federalism isn’t the...
Federalism may sound like a nice idea, but it isn't the answer.In the last few weeks political debate has become filled with talk of the possibility of a federal United Kingdom. This has come not...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A post-World Cup glow for Belgium?
The success of the Belgian national team at the 2014 World Cup has briefly united Flemish and Walloon speakers, but will this have any effect on the country's increasingly fractious identity...
View ArticleClik here to view.
One, two, three viva l'Algérie!
The match between Algeria and Germany was not solely the sporting equivalent of David and Goliath. The Algerian national team has a political history: from its creation by the FLN to its current...
View ArticleClik here to view.
This week's window on the Middle East - July 8, 2014
Arab Awakening's columnists offer their weekly perspective on what is happening on the ground in the Middle East. Leading the week: Syrian refugees in Turkey: “They are everywhere”.Syrian refugees in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Long live the Donetsk People’s Republic!
What will ‘Defence Minister’ Strelkov do, now that Slavyansk has been lost? And can he rely on Vladimir Putin? The loss of Slavyansk to Ukrainian government forces has placed the so-called People’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Renaissance redux: the Islamic paradox
Recent political events that have swept across the Islamic world have fundamental implications for the most basic principles of political Islam. Some speak of a new wave of Islamic modernism in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Spanish town where people come before profit
The remarkable story of Marinaleda - the Andalucian town based on co-operative and social-democratic principles that is bucking the moribund trend in Spain.Photo supplied by authorsIn the south of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Searching for a new debate on immigration in Europe
In the current debate on immigration in Europe, confusion and populist bias came to the fore once again during the latest elections to the European Parliament. This is especially true of Italy, whose...
View ArticleHow one man was stripped of his UK citizenship—twice
The UK home secretary has pushed legislation through Parliament which allows her to strip individuals of their citizenship, even if they are rendered stateless—but the case on which she drew turns out...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ruslan Kutayev: Chechen human rights activist
Ruslan Kutayev, human rights activist, has been sentenced to four years imprisonment in Chechnya for possession of heroin. His fellow campaigners are convinced that the charges were false.On Monday 7...
View ArticleTime to get even with Stevens
New NHS boss Simon Stevens has revealed his true privatising colours with this week's announcement on personal health budgets - which would wreck NHS services and leave the field clear for big...
View ArticleThe Middle East - who cares?
Or at least, who cares enough to try to start thinking anew? The region is burning. Apart from the parties to the conflicts who want to win, nobody seems to have any idea of what to do.Right...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Look far right, and look right again
The Russian political establishment thinks that Ukrainians are 'traitors to Orthodox civilisation and Russian unity.’ But it is not only Putin’s Russia that is behind the challenge to democracy in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Arab migrants face a new Sykes-Picot in Calais
The latest raid on camps in Calais is an example of Europe continuing to strengthen border controls and crack down on migrants. But violence and coercion will not deter those who are determined to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The devastating truth of women’s rights in Afghanistan
The looming withdrawal of western forces from Afghanistan highlights the apparent dispensability of the modest gains Afghan women have seen since 2001—and the deep-seated forces which sustain a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
As Israel-Palestine descends into violence, what should Europe do?
The latest effort by the Israel-aligned US to renegotiate the asymmetric power relationships of the Middle East has inevitably failed, with brutal violence following; it is time, as an alternative, for...
View ArticleSrebenica: the world fails, but never one’s own government
There are cogent reasons – international, historical and domestic to Britain – why this year's Srebenica massacre commemorations are different, and beg painful, difficult questions that demand...
View ArticleThe security dilemma, the media and the Israeli bombardment
If you care about human life you should be appalled by what is happening in Gaza right now. But you should also be appalled if you are a hardheaded political realist. Or even if you simply love...
View Article