Happy Sunday! Well, after this week, if you are still not worried about the next four years, then you’d better switch channels because you must be watching some other show by accident. I barely had the time to read everything alarmed bloggers posted this week, let alone report here about all that’s happened. I tried to pick posts on some of the most upsetting issues. Three Ways the Proposed Trump Refugee Ban is TOTALLY Unprecedented Let’s start with the most important, one of the bombshell news of the past few days. It is widely reported that the political staff haven’t…
Hello, Everybody! What a week! After some of the most disappointing and saddening scenes we have ever witnessed in politics we have also seen some of the most inspiring scenes just one day apart! I know there are people (mostly Trump supporters, I assume) who would say I and all non-Americans have no right to form an opinion, since he is not our president. Well, thankfully, he is not, but first, many of his actions will affect us all, and second, we do have our fair share of real-life political satire in Hungary, so when I refer to “them” I mean…
Happy Sunday, all! Before we begin our last week before the first week of whatever is there to come, let’s take a look around the world’s most pressing stories according to some of my favorite world affairs blogs. Legal Bindingness of Security Council Resolutions Generally, and Resolution 2334 on the Israeli Settlements in Particular It is an ongoing debate what – if anything – differentiates Resolution 2334 from previous SC resolutions on Israeli settlement building. This post is a good base for thinking. Tillerson Channels Reagan on South China Sea The South China Sea is one giant portion of international…
Happy Sunday, everybody! Only 51 weeks are left of this year now, so keep being smart with the goals you’ve set for 2017! I have had a busy work and study week, while it is incredibly cold here in Hungary. OK, perhaps nothing compared to Alaska or Canada, but pretty cold for our measures. Perfect for staying in and studying. At least the sun is shining, otherwise it would be really bleak. Here are some of the stories from this first cold week of 2017. A Tale of Two Turkeys 2016 had brought Turkey from being one of the most…
Happy 2017 everybody! I hope this finds you happy and healthy. As is now sort of my habit around the New Year, I present you with a round-up of round-ups in the first Sunday Smack of 2017. Enjoy! UN’s 2016 Year in Review: Challenges and milestones for the international community This is the UN’s video round-up of the most important issues in 2016. 2016 in Review: Another Violent Year, But With Hope of Improved Prevention This one is from the UN’s Department of Political Affairs, a bit longer and in pdf format for easy reading. After reviewing 2016, let’s see…
Considering everything, no-one will miss you… Especially these last days of the year really made people long for those days when you could just turn off the tv and hide away from all the bad news at least for a few days. While we all wish the next year to be the best ever, the undeniable truth is that we are facing it amid seemingly unstoppable wars, the rise of unacceptable political views and at the treshold of four years of who knows what. Still, I want this one to be a happy post. Aside from a sad personal loss…
I wish everybody a peaceful, relaxing holiday filled with love and joy! Whatever religion you follow, I hope you are spending these days surrounded by loved ones, doing things you enjoy. I wish I could present you with some light topics this weekend, but this was actually a pretty eventful week in terms of world affairs. Here’s your reading. Security Council Passes New Aleppo Resolution. Monitors to Be Deployed Hopefully the Security Council can now take real actions to put an end to the bloodshed that’s been going on for too long. Coping With Tragedy in South Sudan Another SC…
Happy Sunday! Christmas is approaching more quickly than I would be comfortable with. At this point, I don’t even know how am I going to finish off everything on my to do list in just six days. In world affairs, this week was mostly about very disturbing news from Aleppo. Clicking here you can find ways to help, if you can, please do. In other news, António Guterres took the oath of office this week to be the 9th Secretary General of the United Nations from January 1. In anticipation of his term we shouldn’t forget about the merits of…
united-nations: “In the end, it comes down to values. We want the world our children inherit to be defined by the values enshrined in the UN Charter: peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance and solidarity. All major religions embrace them, and we strive to reflect them in our daily lives. The threats to these values are most often based on fear. Our duty to the peoples we serve is to work together to move from fear of each other, to trust in each other. Trust in the values that bind us, and trust in the institutions that serve and protect…
