One of the most well-known and enduring conflicts in the Middle East today is the Arab-Israeli conflict. It’s a complex and controversial topic that covers different aspects and that has defined the region for decades now. It could mainly be described as a national conflict between two communities that have fought for generations for the same land. But it also entails religious aspects, economic issues, regional aspects, etc. Different rounds of negotiations have tried to solve this problem since the 1990s, and though there have been advances, some major stumble blocks remain. These unsolved issues are the future status of Jerusalem, considered by both parties as their capital, borders, which could follow broadly the pre-1967 lines, the question of Palestinian refugees and their claimed right of return to their pre-1948 homes, and the future of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Parliamentary sovereignty in the light of Brexit
During the last few years, there has been an increase in debates about the future of the European Union, partly as a result of Brexit. For long, public awareness of the EU was small. It was perceived as a distant bureaucracy with a lack of connection with regular citizens. This had an important effect on the European Parliament elections, which in many countries have impressively low turn-out. They were seen as an election of minor importance and parties had difficulties to mobilize their electorate. In Britain, this lack of enthusiasm for European integration was combined with public distrust, which increased as a result of the crisis that hit world economies from 2008 onwards. There are multiple reasons for this specifically British type of Euroscepticism and analysists have pointed out every possible one of them. Geography and history certainly play a big role in it. Britain’s longstanding good relations with the United States and other countries from its former empire certainly influence its self-perception as substantially different from its continental neighbours. Additionally, its strong economy and its significant role in the world have contributed to the idea that Britain does not need the EU. Apart from all this, there is a concept in the British special political system that has certainly affected the Brexit debate: parliamentary sovereignty.
Cambio de rumbo en el Nuevo Mundo: del Trickle-Down a Trumponomics
Hace unos días, la Reserva Federal volvía a subir los tipos de interés. Tras más de una década de políticas monetarias expansivas, parece que el “el gas de la risa” se ha terminado. La situación económica global la podríamos comparar con la resaca tras una fiesta que se alargó demasiado. A pesar de las diferencias, podemos afirmar que dicha política ha sido la tónica en el mundo desarrollado. A fecha de 2016, los diez principales bancos centrales del mundo poseían un total de 21,4 trillones ($) en activos, lo que suponía un aumento del 10% respecto a la media de los años anteriores (3%).
Change everything without changing anything: promises and failures in Italian politics
The “Contract for the government of change” is the project for a government subscribed by the League of Matteo Salvini and the Five Stars Movement led by Luigi Di Maio. The current prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, has been selected by both politicians to serve as an executor of the contract. However, to reach the result Italy had to get through three tough months, in which politicians had to overcome veto positions, to compromise and to deal with alliances. Eventually, an admittedly populist government was formed, formally led by Conte but substantially directed by Di Maio and Salvini, in which the management of power requires a constant mediation between different parties, opinions and priorities.
Is North Korea working towards political openness? A view on China, South Korea and the US summits
On June 25th 1950, 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army crossed the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the pro-Western Republic of Korea. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. Three years later, in July 1953, the Korean War halted, but did not end. On 27th July 1953, a ceasefire between both parties was signed (but not a peace treaty), drew a new boundary near the 38th parallel, and created a 2-mile-wide “demilitarized zone” (also known as DMZ) that still exists today. In all, some 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war (History, 2009). After 65 years of armistice, both Koreas might be reuniting, finally ending the longest active conflict in the world today.
The Skripal Case, Propaganda, and Syria: Are We In For Another Cold War?
Last March, the former double-agent and spy Sergei Skripal, and his adult daughter, Yulia, were found unconscious on a park bench in the UK town of Salisbury. Both had been poisoned with a nerve agent known as Novichok, developed by USSR several decades ago. After an investigation, British officials accused Russia of planning and executing the death-threatening poisoning, which could have affected as many as a hundred thirty people to Novichok. In a statement to the House of Commons on March 12, Prime Minister Theresa May said it was “highly likely” that Russian officials organized the attack.