Mohsen Fakhrizadeh

State-Sanctioned Assassinations: Cracks in the Iranian Counterintelligence

Targeted killing operations only make sense if they are used as a deterrent or if a certain target is important enough that his/her death would deal a significant blow to the adversary nation state. To be a target of interest, you have to be irreplaceable. If someone can take your place half an hour after your death and continue your work, assassination is meaningless.

Giuseppe Conte at the EP

The Italian Approach to the Recovery Fund

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the resistance of Poland and Hungary, the European Commission allocated 750 billion euros to help European countries to cope with the deep undergoing economic crisis. This article provides an overview of the Recovery Fund, with a closer look at Italy and at Italian strategies by exploring possibilities and threats.

Budapest Gay Pride 2016

Fidesz’ continuous assault on the Hungarian LGBT+ Community and the recent Szájer affair

Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has been long known for its tough stance on LGBTQI issues, its discrimination against same-sex couples and its ridiculous position on “traditional family values”. The recent Szájer affair further exposes the ruling party’s hypocrisy, as it continues waging a war against the LGBTQI community. If there is one thing for sure, it is that Fidesz never learns.

Victory Celebration in Wilmington

The Biden Presidency and an Impending Rift within the Democratic Party

President Trump’s espousal of anti-internationalist doctrine was met with harsh criticism by both wings of the Democratic Party – centrist and progressive alike. During the incoming Biden-Harris presidency, will this alliance between the centrists and progressives sustain or will the party divide into two ideological blocs?

Przemysław Czarnek

Who is the new Minister of Education and Science in Poland?

In recent weeks Poland has graced international news due to its controversial activities regarding the rule of law, women’s rights, the treatment of church and the EU budget. There is, however, another recent event which has not claimed such notability, yet has strong repercussions on a national scale. On the 7th of December students from Polish universities started a strike against the recently appointed minister of education, Przemyslaw Czarnek, in the fear that his anti-semitic, nationalistic and homophobic beliefs can have long term influence on the knowledge exchange in educational institutions.

Syria, Aleppo

The Impact of Citizen Journalism in Syria

In 2011, during the “Arab Spring”, groups of citizens in the Arab world started to protest their national governments. To have better inter-group communication and to organise public rallies and protests, citizens used social media platforms. Those directly involved in these events reported everything on social media, becoming sort of reporters, warning the world of what was happening in real-time. This article analyses the media coverage of the Syrian civil war, with a closer look at cases of citizen journalism and the effects on Syrian citizens.

Women’s rights

Who does the ‘Women’s Strike’ actually fight for?

On the 22nd October 2020 the Polish constitutional court ruled that the act of aborting a foetus with serious birth defects is unconstitutional. Protests, resembling ones from 2016 broke out all over the country sparking international recognition and support, but also strong criticism from opposition groups such as pro-life or catholic organisations. Nevertheless the 2020 ‘Women’s Strike’ adresses issues that go beyond the abortion ban and thus it should be recognized for what it actually stands for, an attempt to safeguard the democracy ad rights of an entire nation.

Streaming Setup

Live Streams Will Kill the Cable News Pundit

Like many others across the United States and the world, I tuned into the US election intensely watching the results from the comfort of my laptop. With an array of tabs open, I had various maps open, scouring rural and urban counties in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada awaiting election results. The apparatus of cable news is built for an election. But I also had another live stream that I was watching, Hasanabi’s on Twitch. As Gita Jackson, a journalist at Vice that has extensively covered the rise of political streamers, has written, there is something comforting about Hasanabi’s streams, in the manner that he interacts with the internet.

Joe Biden

The Return of the United States to the Global Community

President Donald Trump has long been a critic of America’s involvement in alliances, trade agreements, and security pacts – anything which involves the U.S. collaborating with other nations. In contrast, President-elect Joseph Biden has posited himself as an internationalist, ready to bring the U.S. back to the multilateral world order. This article provides an overview of Trump’s international policies, their effect on America’s place within transnational power structures, and what Biden will likely do to move the U.S. back into the realm of international cooperation.

US nuclear weapons test in Nevada in 1951

The Nuclear Ban is Here – A Hopeful Sign for Nuclear Disarmament? 

The Treaty on the Prevention of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) enters into force on 22 January 2021. This means for the first time since the invention of nuclear weapons, their use, threat of use, development, production, manufacture, acquisition, possession, stockpiling, transfer, stationing, or the installation of nuclear arms on a signatory’s territory by another country will become illegal under international law.