Tag: ISIS

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Beirut, Also the Site of Deadly Attacks, Feels Forgotten To be sure, the attacks meant different things in Paris and Beirut. Paris saw it as a bolt from the blue, the worst attack in the city in decades, while to Beirut the bombing was the fulfillment of a never entirely absent fear that another outbreak of violence may come. Undoubtedly, people die in such attacks around the world on a daily basis. It has to happen in some Western metropolis to reach the attention of mainstream media. In people’s minds the Middle East is where such things happen, most of…

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Sunday Smack

Hey everybody, I hope you are all safe this weekend… A lot of things happened this week in terms of world affairs, from the Myanmar elections through the EU’s migration summit in Malta to the Syria peace talks in Vienna, but one sad event tops all of them. Let me just say I was worried from the very first moment that this will add fuel to the extreme opinions regarding the refugee issue, and indeed it did. In my country this is most certainly the case, and I think all over Europe they think they now have a seemingly legit…

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We are not at war with Islam or Muslims. We are at war with violent extremism. We are at war with people who use their religion for purposes of power and oppression. And, yes, we are at war with those people. But I don’t want us to be painting with too broad a brush. Hillary Clinton  /14.11.2015. The CBS Democratic debate/

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Sunday Smack

Happy Sunday, all!  In Hungary we are past a nice long weekend that I have spent in the countryside. I am typing these words on a train back to Budapest, that was delayed 70 (!) minutes (Edit: departure time was delayed 70 minutes, and another 60 minutes was added during the train ride, so I got home more than two hours later than planned, I’m not one to complain, but I wish I could say this is not typical in Hungary…). That means I had more than enough time to catch up with my reading for this post. Hope you’ll…

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Sunday Smack

Happy Sunday, people, I hope everybody is having a great weekend! It is unbelievably gloomy here in Hungary these days, I am so in need of a dose of sunshine now. Perhaps a doze of my favorite TV shows will do until then. This is going to happen tonight, and I can’t wait. I mean I literally have zero time to watch these things anymore, but this one is a must. Even without my idol, Madeleine Albright in it, but with her, even more so! Anyway, Part II. of my UNGA general debate recap is halfway done, I plan to…

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Sunday Smack

Happy weekend, everybody! It was a busy week in world affairs, the general debate of the 70th session of the UNGA ended yesterday, and I know I still owe you a review of UN week, it is in the making. Until it’s done, let’s do some Sunday reading. At the UN, Obama Takes the Long View on ISIS World leaders are still optimistic about winning the war against ISIS and extremism. Nigeria Has Deteriorated into a Major Humanitarian Crisis Another African crisis that doesn’t show no end. Xi On the Global Stage: The Costs of Leadership Indeed, all signs show…

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Sunday Smack

Happy weekend, everybody! Fall has undeniably arrived, according to the calendar and to the weather as well. The past days were incredibly gloomy in Hungary. These are very exciting times in world affairs, though, look! I will do my best to keep you updated on the events of UN week in the coming days, so stay tuned! Now, here is your round up for this week. 5 Big Stories that Will Drive the Agenda During UN Week Next week is UN Week! It has already started actually with the Sustainable Development summit this Friday, but the general debate starts tomorrow…

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Sunday Smack

Happy Sunday everybody, lots of world affairs to blab about these days… As things aren’t getting any better around Hungary, the Office of the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights issued statements on its Facebook page both in Hungarian and in English, emphasizing that seeking asylum cannot be viewed as a crime. Unfortunately, as of 15 September, in Hungary, it is. At courts along the southern borders asylum seekers are now being prosecuted for entering Hungary illegally. Hopeful though, there are plenty of Hungarian lawyers who are ready to protest against the new laws, calling themselves Lawyers for the rule…

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Sunday Smack

Happy weekend, everybody! Summer is just about to return for a few days in Hungary, which I am really happy about – as if there were not enough overly warm days during the past months… Well, what can I say, I love summer! Meanwhile I am working on a few things to shake up my professional profile, online and real time – is there a difference anymore, anyway? While I will have to use my time management skills really hard, there will be some exciting new posts on this platform, too. Here’s this week’s round-up, for a start… Why Does…

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Sunday Smack

Happy last summer weekend, everybody! I just got back from the beach, as there is a heatwave affecting Hungary again, but I hope you are all enjoying every bit of these last summer moments! As always this time of the year, I am half sad – as summer is my favorite season and I love the hot weather, half excited – as things are revving up  after the long weeks of fun and rest and vacation. September is the most exciting time of year, I was actually surprised to find this to be true even when it’s not about school…

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