Category: Uncategorized
Happy International Women’s Day Everybody! I have to admit I don’t like the way this day is celebrated where I come from, in Hungary. Here “Women’s Day” preserved its old socialist holiday feature when men present women with flowers or chocolate. Now, it’s not that I don’t like flowers and chocolate, but I would much rather be treated equally and fairly every single day of the year than being celebrated on this one for something I am not even responsible for achieving (being a woman, that is). Via The Economist You can see Hungary is not even close to the…
inothernews: “Iran is bad.” “Iran is bad.” “Iran is bad.” “Iran is bad.” “Iran is bad.” “I mean no disrespect to President Obama. But I know the Republicans do, so please allow me to serve as a tool towards that end.” “Iran is bad.” “Iran is bad.” “Oh, did I undermine ongoing talks to disrupt Iran’s nuclear capabilities? I am so, so sorry. Carry on, John Kerry.” “Iran is bad.” So, no surprise at the Netanyahu speech… 🙂
Photo from Pinterest Happy Sunday and happy March everybody! I know spring might still be a couple of weeks away, but I cannot wait already. In the meantime, everybody I follow seems to be watching House of Cards this weekend. I did not get around to it yet, but no wonder why we are in the same circles, right? How about you all? And no spoilers, please! 🙂 Should you want to take a few minutes in between two episodes, check out these posts. Mediation Fail in the Central African Republic This happens when there is good will, but only…
un-dpa: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 23 February at the Security Council’s open debate on international peace and security. The debate commemorated the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. It provided an opportunity for Member States to reaffirm their commitments to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and to discuss ways to more effectively maintain peace and security. Seated behind and to the right of Mr. Ban is Taye-Brook Zerihoun, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs. UN Photo/Devra Berkowitz The Secretary-General opened the debate in which more than 80 Member States made statements. He…
It’s been a long time since the last time when I could not manage to post anything between two Sunday Smacks, sorry about that. Amazingly enough, although I have even failed to mark yesterday’s International Mother Language Day, this post of mine from two years ago got very popular yesterday. Thanks to everybody for still keeping it in circulation! Now let’s see a couple of interesting posts from not so far back. The Budapest Memorandum and Beyond: Have the Western Parties Breached a Legal Obligation? The Ukrainian crisis looks even more troublesome when international treaty interpretation comes into play. The…
Happy Sunshiny Sunday Everybody! I hope you all have had a relaxing weekend so far. Happy long weekend to those in the US too! Check out this week’s posts below! How the Cease-Fire With Russia Might Save Ukraine The cease-fire effective from today will have to be abided by first to have any long term effect. So far, everything is possible. Can the UN Put the Financial Squeeze on ISIL? As usual, the fate of this Security Council resolution will depend on the member states’ willing to act on it. To what extent can it weaken ISIL is another question….
Ukraine crisis: what is in the Minsk ceasefire agreement? The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France agreed on a deal in Minsk aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine. Click for details of the agreement, translated from a Russian-language document that was handed to reporters.
UNICEF and Hungary announce agreement in principle to establish new UNICEF Global Services Centre in Budapest NEW YORK/BUDAPEST, 10 February 2015 – The Government of Hungary and UNICEF announced today that they have agreed in principle to establish UNICEF’s first-ever Global Shared Services Centre in Budapest. The new centre will conduct a broad range of UNICEF’s financial and human resources operations worldwide, enabling the children’s organization to realize greater efficiencies and cost savings.
Happy Weekend Everybody! How about a little Sunday reading? Croatia v. Serbia: Genocide and the Dolus Specialis Question A long awaited judgement of the International Court of Justice in consistence with its (and those of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia) previous decisions. The Aristrikes against Islamic State in Iraq and the Alleged Prohibition on Military Assistance to Governments in Civil Wars This great and detailed post is solely about the airstrikes in Iraq, but this same question of military assistance to governments in civil wars might soon be current regarding Ukraine as well. Is Jordan Attacking ISIS…
UN News – International Court of Justice dismisses genocide claims by Croatia and Serbia The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the main judicial body of the United Nations, today rejected claims made by Croatia and Serbia accusing each other of committing genocide during the Balkan wars of the 1990s, a decision that is “without appeal” and binding.
