Rwandan Women

Post-Flag African Nation and State Building and the Question of Gender: Why Independence Does Not Equal Women’s Liberation

Brief Analysis By Francesca Giuliano on January 25, 2021 | Reading time 6 min

This analysis draws on the arguments of feminist scholars to explore the complex role of women in African post-flag societies, and in particular the strategic use of hetero-patriarchal narratives by different African governments for the purpose of nation and state-building. The article shows how African ethno-nationalisms and militarised practices of state-building heavily benefit from the oppression of women and the control of women’s bodies.

ESS General Director John Womersley

Challenges in Designing a Sustainable Research Infrastructure for Europe

Opinion By Ilamaran Sivarajah on January 21, 2021 | Reading time 4 min

Building sustainable support for any “Big Science” project encounters several key challenges. Beyond the socio-economic impact, how public investments in such large-scale science megaprojects can tackle the present global inequalities should also be analysed. The European Spallation Source (ESS), under construction on the outskirts of Lund, Sweden, presents an ideal case to evaluate the challenges in designing a sustainable research infrastructure in Europe.

President of Egypt Addresses Summit on Sustainable Development

The Egyptian Regime and its controversial relations with France and Italy

Opinion By Anoynmous Contributor on January 13, 2021 | Reading time 3 min

The award ceremony in France, when Egyptian president Al-Sisi was given the Legion d’honneur caused a great stir in the international community and in particular in the Italian academic environment. The ceremony represents the hypocritical positions taken by Italy and France in their relationships with Egypt in the light of the recent events.

Jair Bolsonaro

Jair Bolsonaro – Person of the year in organized crime and corruption?

Opinion By Anoynmous Contributor on January 11, 2021 | Reading time 6 min

The nomination of the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for the 2020 corrupt person of the year award is questionable. Other prominent but controversial political leaders such as Recep Erdogan, Xi Jinping, and Alexander Lukashenko certainly were better candidates and could very well be given the infamous award.

Mateusz Morawiecki

The Polish Politics of Confusion – The First Fragment: The Population’s Trust

Opinion By Zuzanna Zajac on January 8, 2021 | Reading time 3 min

On January 4, the Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki held a Q&A session to answer questions on the government’s plans for 2021. Some received this speech as a reassurance, yet a vast majority approached the statement with scepticism and mistrust, caused mainly by the fact that throughout 2020, the government has often released numerous statements, which later turned out to be untrue, reversed, forgotten. The Poles find themselves in a difficult situation. Who can truly help them recover in 2021?

Capitol, January 6th

Destroying the Foundation of Democracy under the Mantle of Free Speech

Opinion By Lion Hummer on January 7, 2021 | Reading time 3 min

For long enough, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and so many other social media platforms have allowed the creation of echo chambers promoting wild conspiracy theories and false news. If not all the incidents before, at least what happened at the US Capitol should show us that violence, incited through various online disinformation campaigns, has moved from the online to the offline world already a long time ago.

Crazy QAnon Lady

The Rise of QAnon – How Conspiracy Theories Became Mainstream

Brief Analysis By Lion Hummer on January 5, 2021 | Reading time 8 min

All tough Conspiracy theories are not new, as they exist since as early as the Middle Ages, there is something special about the QAnon movement. It is a global phenomenon, attracting large numbers across the globe and there are many different factors contributing to its success. How can a far-right conspiracy theory about a global child sex-trafficking ring, run by a cabal of paedophiles who are worshipping Satan become that successful?

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Divisive Politics of Welfare

In-Depth Analysis By Lorenzo Flego on January 2, 2021 | Reading time 12 min

Despite differences between Saudi Arabia and Israel in political, cultural and economic terms, both countries are characterised by an extensive and highly discriminatory welfare system, which enables the state to exert considerable power over society. Although the allocative state system is waning, the usage of welfare is still a powerful political tool, as it significantly aids the state in its capacity to both gain consensus and prevent waves of insurgency.

Telewizja Polska 2

Who is in Charge of the Direction of the Public Thought in Poland?

Opinion By Zuzanna Zajac on December 28, 2020 | Reading time 2 min

This year amidst the Corona Crisis, the Polish party PiS (Law and Order) has managed to push through a bill, which gives the polish public media TVP and Polskie Radio two billion zloty as a compensation for the losses they have faced during the pandemic. This among others, gives room for debate about who gives the direction of the public discourse and what are thus the conditions of existence for other players such as independent media.