Politics

Protesting Armed Forces Day in Liverpool

By Rhianna Louise
Posted on
Posted in Blog, Europe, Politics

Today, on Saturday, June 24th, Liverpool is hosting Armed Forces Day in Britain. Armed Forces Day is a relatively new occasion in the UK; it began as Veterans’ Day, in 2006, and was then renamed Armed Forces Day in 2009 in response to declining public support for the armed forces. Events take place across the UK (this year there are over 350), and local councils bid to host the national event – for which they receive a small amount of government funding and sponsorship, and also spend significant amounts of their own money. (More…)

White Jihad

By Josh White
Posted on
Posted in Europe, Politics

Events in Britain are moving at a dizzying pace. It feels like every week there is a new outrage, a fresh atrocity and an even stranger twist in the body politic. In the space of a week we’ve had the horror of the Grenfell Tower fire and the Finsbury Park attack. (More…)

Israeli troops scan the border with Syria.

Israel’s Quiet Campaign to Gain a Foothold in Southern Syria

By Nour Samaha
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Posted in Near & Middle East, Politics

Despite its official policy of non-intervention, Israel has taken on a very proactive role in Syria, working to establish an Israel-friendly zone in Quneitra, akin to its strategy in southern Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. (More…)

Ulster Calling

By Josh White
Posted on
Posted in Europe, Politics

When I heard the Queen’s speech was being delayed, I wondered what could be behind this. The Conservatives and the Democratic Unionists were still plotting behind closed doors. Suddenly an image appeared to me. (More…)

Arab migrants, with Nakba flyer. Berlin, May 2017.

U.N. Rapporteur: We Need a Long-Term Strategy for Human Migration

By Francois Crepeau
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Posted in Politics

The U.N.special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants decries the “shallow scaremongering” that passes for debate on migration. He proposes eight goals to transform the way states manage migration. (More…)

Coalition of Chaos

By Josh White
Posted on
Posted in Europe, Politics

You’ve no doubt seen the news, the unelectable socialist Jeremy Corbyn has given the Conservatives the thrashing of a lifetime. Of course, Corbyn would not approve of the word ‘thrashing’. But the point is Corbyn’s Labour Party has deprived Theresa May of the super-majority she craved. Finally, the Labour left has won its legitimacy. (More…)

Liverpool St station, 24 May.

Britain in Crisis

By Josh White
Posted on
Posted in Europe, Politics

Walking home the night of the attacks at London Bridge and Borough Market, I came to a pedestrian crossing where a man shouted from his car “Fuck terrorists!” as he passed by. A small befuddled crowd nearby muttered to each other: “Did he just say ‘fuck tourists’?” (More…)

How the Syrian War Changed How War Crimes Are Documented

By Cristina Roca
Posted on
Posted in Near & Middle East, Politics

Seven years of war have transformed Syrian monitoring groups into sophisticated investigation centers. But with few options to hold perpetrators of humanitarian law violations accountable, the number of Syrians supplying evidence of human rights violations is dwindling, along with their hope for justice. (More…)

Split along ethnic lines. Washington, May 2017.

Making America Great Again

By John Foster
Posted on
Posted in Politics, United States

The sociologist Rudolf Goldscheid once wrote, “The budget is the skeleton of the state stripped of all misleading ideologies.” His fellow Austrian, the noted economist Joseph Schumpeter, was so fond of repeating this line that many people thought it was his. (More…)

Jeremy Corbyn as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Shoreditch, May 2017.

Left Keynesianism vs. Social Thatcherism

By Josh White
Posted on
Posted in Europe, Politics

Jeremy Corbyn has played his cards well in challenging Theresa May to take part in the leaders’ debate. If May had accepted the challenge, the sheer dearth of political agility on display will put the incumbent at a huge disadvantage. Even Corbyn, the anti-charismatic politician, is faster on his feet. At last, the UK election looks interesting. (More…)

Intrepid Sisters Reveal How ISIS Depends on Role of Women

By Gaja Pellegrini-Bettoli
Posted on
Posted in Near & Middle East, Politics

Two forensic social workers who visit Lebanon’s notorious Roumieh prison gained a rare insight through inmates into the activity of female ISIS supporters, whose roles go far beyond that of wives. (More…)

May in hijab. Al Madina Mosque, Febrary 2015.

Terror and the Left

By Josh White
Posted on
Posted in Europe, Politics

After the terrible events of Monday night, the British government has suspended the election and the country is left shaken. The army has been deployed to protect “key sites” as the UK goes on ‘critical alert’ fearing an imminent terror attack. (More…)