Europe is the “freest” continent according to most indices and rankings, including Freedom House’s new 2019 “Freedom in the World” report. Though two countries – Serbia and, as the only EU country, Hungary – were downgraded from “free” to “partly free” this year (mainly for government-sanctioned intimidation and legal steps against opposition), the overwhelming majority…
Category: featured
We lead the best lives that humans have ever had. With all the doom and gloom going on in the world around us, seemingly unending wars being fought in the middle east and still all too many people suffering of extreme poverty and hunger in less economically developed countries, this is easy to forget. Yet it is true, and especially in light of seemingly unsolvable crises and problems, it is well worth slowing down and taking a look at the empirical evidence that exists, reminding ourselves that: yes, there are problems, but yes, our lives are actually pretty good.
Supporters of isolationism will be quick to point out all the things supposedly wrong with the statement “globalization benefits us all”. They will do so in the comment threads of YouTube videos, on Twitter or Facebook, posting their opinions to a global audience, typing on their smartphones manufactured in China and with components from Africa,…
Introduction Adolf Hitler’s “Machtergreifung”[1] on the 30th of January 1933 created the foundation for open anti-Semitic violence, which would eventually pave the way into what became known as the holocaust: the “systematic, state-organized persecution and murder of at least six million Jews … by Nazi-Germany”.[2] Antisemitism was nothing new when the NSDAP[3] gained power in…
Terrorism is without question an issue of global concern, and, as like most such issues, an incredible divisive one. The world has not been the same since 2001, with security specialists commonly referring to the “pre-” and “post-nine-eleven” world. The attacks in September of 2001 shook the world, and the US’ decisive and forceful reaction…
“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”. Except when they don’t. “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth [in the Declaration of Human Rights], without distinction of any kind” Except when they are refugees. “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity…
China is in a good position today, without question. Domestically, standards of living have been increasing and the economic growth of around 7% persists, and on a global scale, weak and isolationist United States leave more and more room for Chinese “soft power” – investments of various sorts – to give Beijing increasing leverage,…
Title Image: A protester holds up a copy of the Polish constitution. Image: @DukaKofi via Twitter. Over the last months, Poland’s nationalist ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) has tightened its grip on power through a series of authoritarian laws, placing the country’s media and highest constitutional court under its control. Human Rights organizations, the…
The early 21st century has seen a resurgence in dictatorships and authoritarian governments throughout the world, including regions like Europe previously thought to now be stable democracies. However, models like the Soviet-inspired communist state or “traditional” dictatorships are outdated and will not survive through the 21st century. Instead, a new form of authoritarian regime is…
The European Union can now cut ‘hate-inducing’ live broadcasts and delete sections from their online archive. The Guardian, the 9-million reader newspaper that published Snowden’s revelations on global surveillance, published an article titled ‘is it ethical to punch a Nazi?’ Anti-Trump protesters in Berkeley turned a peaceful demonstration into a riot, burning things and smashing…