Happy Sunday everyone, there is another major heat wave in Hungary these days, records are expected to break again. Things don’t stop moving for the summer though, I came across quite a few great reads this week. Check them out!
On world affairs:
US Military: No Good Military Solution to the Syrian Conflict
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey (and many others) thinks so. But is there any other solution?
Our shared responsibility to protect
An unlikely couple, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and President Bush’s envoy to Sudan Richard S. Williamson shared this opinion piece on Politico.com. They cite grave examples of the past as well as success stories to show how the responsibility to protect principle should (and should not) work in practice.
On the legal side:
Cultural Disconnect in Trade Negotiations
Great summary of what the EU-US trade agreement might bring on both sides of the Atlantic.
This actually comes from a domestic law issue in the US, dealing with American citizens who were born in Jerusalem, and how this should be displayed in their documents while the US tries to stay neutral on the status of Jerusalem. Interesting.
Facebook Stiff-Arms UN Investigators
So, Facebook only gives out information when there is a valid subpoena except that there are different rules for intelligent agencies. But who decides and on what grounds that international crime investigations authorized by the UN Security Council are not serious enough?
Injustice of the week (of our time really):
No Justice for Rape Victims in Afghanistan
Just days after the world have learned about the harrassment of one Norwegian woman in the UAE, this article paints a grave picture of those societies where being raped is a bigger shame than raping and often implies serious punishment too.
Political move of the week:
So, you are the leader of a country with a huge civil war, your people are dying by the thousands month by month and once the international community finally makes up its mind you are probably facing many counts of major human rights violation charges. What do you do? Create an Instagram account! Like Bashar Al Assad just did.
Now you can check out the syrianpresidency on Instagram.
Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand the motive behind it, these pictures just show how everything is fine and normal in Syria. I just don’t understand whom they are hoping to convince this way.
Remarkable gesture of the week:
George H. W. Bush shaves head in solidarity with leukemia victim
Apparently, the former president found out that some in his security detail shaved their heads in support of this little boy, and did not hesitate to join. How cool is that?! And of course shout out to the secret service agents too, who did this in the first place!
