World Refugee Day seems to have a more significant meaning each year. There are more refugees in the world today than ever before since World War II. While for a long time for most of us in Europe refugees were thought to be one of the abstract phenomena that is taken care of by international organizations, this past year this phenomenon came knocking on our doors asking for shelter. Even those of us who didn’t meet them face to face on the streets on a daily basis could easily understand what it means to see their faces among the news…
Happy Sunday! The world of politics and world affairs were full of unhappy news this past week. Here’s some of the best reads from my favorite blogs… Just Six Years Ago at the UN, These Five Countries Refused to Even Mention Violence Against LGBT Communities. They Have Evolved. This one’s about the UN Security Council’s statement to condemn the Orlando massacre, and I am not sure I would also draw long term consequences from it. Wolves and Wolf Packs And still on the sideline of Orlando, a few wise words about the organization of perpetrators of such hienous acts. Belgium’s…
Happy Sunday and greetings from rainy London! At least they predict it to be rainy during this weekend, but at the time I am writing this (scheduled post alert) I am still hoping they are wrong! Anyway, we are going to attend, uhm… we have attended The Queen’s Birthday Parade on Saturday, and then spend a pleasant weekend strolling around in my favorite city ever. Come rain or come shine. So here’s what I’ve been reading while preparing for the trip… To Really Improve the Lives of Syrian Refugees, Turkey and the World Must Cooperate Better Turkey will unchangeably remain…
Happy Sunday, people! After a busy early summer week, here’s some reading for you all… In Mali, peacekeepers have become the target of an insurgency. This is unprecedented The deadliest UN peacekeeping mission so far provides (urges, actually) the opportunity to rethink the concept of peacekeeping. Should the U.S. Military Receive the Benefit of the Doubt When Investigating Itself for Alleged War Crimes? Perhaps they should. But it is still annoying that that is exactly what the international community set up the whole system of international jurisdiction for all those years ago, and they still cannot make themselves to comply…
Happy Sunday and happy long weekend for those who are having a long weekend due to Memorial Day tomorrow! Here is your weekly reading… Greece is Emptying It’s Largest Refugee Camp. The Timing Could Not Be Worse This is a great post not just about Greece emptying the camp at Idomeni, but about the actions behind politicians’ words. All on occasion of the World Humanitarian Summit. The WHO just started counting attacks against health workers. There is a trend. The fact that there is a reason to count in the first place is bad enough. The fact that there is…
united-nations: We are here to shape a different future. Today we declare: We are one humanity, with a shared responsibility. Let us resolve here and now not only to keep people alive, but to give people a chance at life in dignity. – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey. Follow the action as the Summit continues on Tuesday at: http://webtv.un.org/
Happy Sunday everybody! Seems like the weather finally got the memo that it’s almost summer already (at least in Hungary). I hope you are having a great weekend too. Here’s some reading to add to it… The World Humanitarian Summit: A Preview It was about time for a summit like this. As I often like to emphasize, I am a firm believer that the majority of the world’s problems could be solved with the financial resources we do have. All it would take is proper coordination and transparency of the utilization of these resources. I hope that the summit can…
The election of the next Secretary General of the United Nations is under way. This year, for the first time in the history of the UN, it starts out as a very transparent process, the candidates go public, and all citizens of the world can follow along, even ask them questions. This is indeed a very positive change and raises hope that after all the UN is capable of renewing and adapting to the new circumstances of the 21st century. The UN General Assembly has already held a public hearing of the then nine candidates this April in New York…
Happy Sunday everybody! How about last night’s ESC results? I did not like either of these songs in particular, but the announcement of the results was something. When it came down to Russia versus Ukraine, Ukraine must have taken the win, even though I am pretty sure the results were manipulated, in Russia for sure. There was also a collective sigh of relief heard over the winner remaining in Europe after all, although nobody really understood how Australia got in the picture in the first place. Then again, the Eurovision Song Contest is still very much like geopolitics, only the…
Happy Sunday! After a week of accomplishments and some entertainment during the weekend, I am having a giant headache today that barely lets me function at all. So I am going to keep this short this time, hope you will like this week’s posts. A “Hybrid” Tribunal for Daesh? At the moment the creation of such a court is highly unlikely, nevertheless this is a great hypothetical. Israel Imperiled: An Overview of Threats to the Jewish State Regardless of Israel, this is a great geopolitical overview of the Middle East currently. A Summit Underway in DC is the Future of…
