Tag: politics
theatlantic: The Authority to ‘Declare War’: A Power Obama Does Not Have The prime minister of the United Kingdom, armed with the Royal Prerogative, does not need Parliament’s assent to lead Britain into war. The president of the United States, holder of an office designed to keep “prerogative” powers in check, assuredly does. Yet history will apparently write that, in the late summer of 2013, the prime minister sought permission and, when Parliament denied it, receded from the field — and that a president scorned to ask, and went ahead with an act of war. This paradox shows that American intervention…
Cameron loses vote on Syria Prime Minster David Cameron said it was clear Parliament does not want action and “the government will act accordingly”.
breakingnews: Kerry: ‘Must be accountability’ for chemical weapons use in Syria NBC News: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said chemical weapons were used in Syria and that President Barack Obama will be “making an informed decision about how to respond.” In a speech delivered on Monday, Kerry said President Barack Obama believes “there must be accountability” and that the administration is consulting with members of Congress. He spoke hours after a United Nations team investigating claims of a poison-gas attack in a rebel-held suburb of the Syrian capital collected blood samples and interviewed survivors despite being temporarily turned back by sniper fire. UN Secretary…
fotojournalismus: Egypt | August 16, 2013 1. Soldiers take their positions on top of and next to their armoured vehicles while guarding an entrance to Tahrir Square. (Hassan Ammar/AP) 2. Egyptian army soldiers take their positions on top and next to their armored vehicles while guarding an entrance to Tahrir square. (Hassan Ammar/AP) 3. A woman shouts slogans as supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi take part in a protest outside Al-Fath Mosque in Ramses Square, in Cairo. (Youssef Boudlal/Reuters) 4. A supporter of Morsi holding an ordinance, march towards downtown Cairo from the Mohandeseen district of Cairo. (Thomas Hartwell/AP) 5. Egyptian Army soldiers stand…
Caustic Light on White House’s Reaction to a Terrorist Threat The Obama administration’s decision to evacuate so many diplomats on such short notice — however justified by the seriousness of the threat — has upset some of its foreign partners, who say the gesture contributes to a sense of panic and perceived weakness that plays into the hands of the United States’ enemies, and impedes their efforts to engage with people in their countries.
Goodbye, Ahmadinejad: Rouhani takes over as Iran’s president Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani took the oath of office Sunday, replacing controversial President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Well, the new president doesn’t seem to be any less controversial as of yet.
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…
The topic of yesterday’s broadcast of The Kofi Annan Dialogues was Democracy and Elections. While discussing these with special emphasis on young people’s participation, Mr. Annan also reflected on recent issues such as Egypt. The former UN Secretary General once again stressed the importance of citizens, especially young people who can be critics of their leaders, as he likes to put it, “where leaders fail to lead, the people can make them follow”. He said he considers young people’s participation so crucial that he wouldn’t oppose “situations where you have to vote on a compulsory basis”. I have to say…
Believe it or not, China likely allowed Snowden’s exit as a favor to the U.S. “Typically, when the United States and China argue about transferring a high-profile and politically sensitive individual between their custodies, it’s a Chinese dissident whom the U.S. wants to grant asylum. Those cases are often perceived as deeply embarrassing for China, although Beijing has increasingly learned to live with them. Perhaps Chinese authorities saw this as a rare reversal: an American political dissident looking for asylum in Hong Kong, which despite its special status is a part of China. In the Chinese government worldview, granting asylum…
