March 13, 2024
On May 14, Turkey will elect its 13th president. The question on everyone’s mind is whether the united opposition’s efforts will be enough to oust the incumbent, Erdoğan. The upcoming presidential and parliamentary election, with its more than 60 million registered voters, is considered to be the turning point in Turkey’s seventy-year-old history as an electoral democracy.
Fast fashion has become a bane to the fashion industry, society, and the environment. While fast fashion opens doors for ordinary individuals to partake in and enjoy fashion, it comes at the expense of exploited garment workers, the plagiarism of artistic work of fashion designers, and most inimically, inhibits any climate protection activism and progress.
It has been 18 years since the Republic of North Macedonia received the status of a candidate country for EU accession. The children born on the historical day when North Macedonia became an official EU candidate are coming of age this year and are on the doorstep of the student campuses. Yet, even though new constitutional changes have been set in place in favor of the neighbors, it is unclear when North Macedonia will join the EU.
Since the beginning of COVID-19, anti-Chinese sentiments have increased globally, often fueled by misinformation spread across multitudes of media platforms. While Sinophobia transcends across countries, one, in particular, stands out: The United States. In 2023 alone, several hate crimes have been reported.
Austria’s longstanding tradition of permanent neutrality is an integral part of the country’s identity and its approach to international politics. However, the flimsy and incoherent interpretation of it not only demonstrates that there is little consensus on how its neutrality policy should be exercised but also makes it a useful smokescreen to justify politicians’ behaviour and connections to certain states, such as Russia. As Sweden and Finland are giving up their neutrality to join NATO, some argue, it is time to rethink Austria’s neutrality too and finally develop a coherent neutrality policy.
India, the world’s largest democracy, is known for uniting people of various backgrounds under one country. However, since the rise of the far-right Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister in 2014, the nation’s democratic and secular values which they took pride in are eroding rapidly.
Russian anti-war protests are unlikely to force the government to change its course. But still, it is important to speak out and build solidarity networks. Even in an atmosphere of constant fear and uncertainty, there are various ways to show dissent. The goal of these actions is not necessarily to go viral but to notice each other and draw attention to the ongoing war. People undertaking actions on a smaller scale do not deserve less respect than others and they should receive more attention.
2023 is going to be a significant year for Japan, as it is holding the Presidency of G7 and additionally joining the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member. Japan’s recently announced new security policy demonstrates the realisation that geopolitics is changing, and that it needs to be prepared to face the realities of a changing region.
Against the backdrop of historical great power competition, Africa can today create a tremendous impact on the global arena. While China is currently gaining foothold on the continent with its increased investments, infrastructure projects and trade, also Russia has an interest in maintaining good relationships with African states, leaving the EU and the U.S. struggling for their space in the equation. In the end, a Cold War-like rivalry over Africa between the West and the China-Russia strategic alliance could ensue.
30 years ago, federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives serving search and arrest warrants for a fundamentalist Christian cult known as the Branch Davidians became involved in a firefight which developed into a nearly two-month-long siege with the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the helm. The changing of the conservative movement in the U.S. into one largely dominated and controlled by extremist parties who do not have an interest in making medially or statistically informed policy, but rather in appealing to their own base and ideology, remains the legacy of the siege until today.
