By Bartosz Animucki UCR Class of 2016
The European Banking Union: An Essential Part of the European Project
By Koen Maaskant Staff Writer The Eurozone crisis that followed the economic and financial crisis of the past years almost led to the end of the European Project and is still in a very vulnerable phase of restoration. The bankruptcy of several banks and the sovereign debt crisis of countries such as Greece and Ireland…
Iran’s Ambiguous Intentions
By Erisa Nuku Staff Writer On September 27th, Secretary of State John Kerry had a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif. This has been the highest-level diplomatic exchange between Iran and the United States in the past thirty years. It was followed by a historic phone call between President Barack Obama and Iran’s…
A Pope for Change?
By Tajha Chappellet-Lanier Staff Writer Pope Francis I has been making headlines since the night he was chosen as Pope. Fellow newsreaders may remember his early days in Rome, when he attracted attention by paying for his own hotel room and, famously, taking the bus to the Vatican. The societal values implicit in this are…
Catalonia: The Next State of Europe?
By Charlotte Berends UCR Class of 2014 On Thursday, September 26, the Catalan Parliament adopted a resolution stating that an exact date, an explicit question, and the precise legal process for a referendum on the self-determination of Catalonia would be determined by the end of the year. This resolution marks yet another step in Catalonia’s…
The Road to Equality in the UN Security Council
By Julia Airey Staff Writer Recent diplomatic actions in the 68th session of the UN General Assembly by Zimbabwe’s President, Robert Mugabe, has caused the much-discussed debate about representation in the Security Council to resurface. President Mugabe argued that the UN does its members an injustice by allowing Europe two of the five seats on…
The German Elections – Is the Great Coalition in Sight?
By Peter Williamson Staff Writer It’s official, the Christian Democrat Union (CDU) has emerged as the big winner from this year’s general elections in Germany, and Angela Merkel will be Chancellor of Germany for a third term. The CDU managed to garner 41.5 percent of the vote, marking for them the first great victory since…
The Rocky History of The Muslim Brotherhood
By Tajha Chappellet-Lanier UCR Class of 2014 On August 17, 2013, interim Prime Minister of Egypt, Hazem el-Beblawi, proposed the dissolution of the Muslim Brotherhood. Just days later, he backed down from the idea, saying instead that his government would continue to closely monitor the group. And this is just the most recent difficulty faced…
Olympic Games 2020: Abe’s Fourth Arrow or a Move Towards More Nationalism?
By Koen Maaskant Staff Writer Awarding the Summer Olympic Games of 2020 to Tokyo seems to be another victory for current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan. By delivering a strong speech in Buenos Aires, he helped secure the Olympic Games for Japan, which will host an Olympiad for the second time, after the Games…
Recount Demanded by Moscow Mayoral Candidate
By Vincent de Ruiter Staff Writer On June 8, 2013, Moscow held its elections to determine its next mayor. According to the official Moscow electoral commission, the Putin-supported mayor Sergey Sobyanin won reelection with a handsome 51.37% of the popular vote. This was the first time in 10 years Moscow held a popular vote to…
Saudi Arabia Takes a Stand on Domestic Violence?
By Julia Airey Staff Writer Last Monday the campaigning done by the King Khalid Foundation to combat domestic violence in Saudi Arabia led to a landmark victory. Thanks in part to the Foundation’s efforts, cabinet members of King Abdullah’s government signed into law a historic piece of legislation on the 26th of August.
Kosovo and Serbia: Looking Forward to A Euro-Atlantic Future
By Erisa Nuku Staff Writer Fourteen years have passed since NATO bombed Serbia in response to the ethnic cleansing of the Albanian population in Kosovo by Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević. In April of 2013, both countries reached a landmark agreement, which will make it possible for them to pursue their Euro-Atlantic dream.
The Muffled Beats of the War Drum
Vincent de Ruiter Staff Writer On Saturday, 31 August, President Barack Obama announced his support of “military involvement” in the Syrian civil war. Citing State Department reports of evidence that the regime of Basher al-Assad had used chemical weapons against its own citizens, Obama called for military action against the Syrian regime, with congressional approval….