Tag: Russia

Sunday Smack

Happy Spring everybody! After a busy week I am having a busy weekend, so this is one of those brief Sunday Smacks. Believe it or not, I am writing this on a tram, that is how hasty it is. Let’s get to it right away…  Now that Palmyra Has Been Liberated, A Pathway to Stop ISIS? I wish it was time already to assess all the damage ISIS had done (in a past tense) and start restoring them. The Nuclear Zero Lawsuits On the sidenotes of the Nuclear Securtiy Summit this week, this one is a fascinating read. Karadzic’s Genocidal…

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Sunday Smack

Happy Sunday, everybody! I hope you all had a wonderful week. Mine was especially great and exciting. Check out my Instagram for a clue. 🙂 Let’s see what I have been reading, mostly during my travels this week… Putin’s Announcement on Russia: Unexpected but not Surprising The Russian announcement about them leaving the Syrian war scene met as much astonishment as the one about them entering it. The important question though is what will happen in Geneva now? First Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy to the Human Rights Council I posted several times last…

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Sunday Smack

Happy Sunday, all! The end of the year is quickly approaching, I honestly have no idea where did all those days and weeks go… I had a crazy week again, I fell behind with all the reading (note: this is a very last minute post!) and studies, and what is worse, I am literally nowhere with the Christmas preparations. I’ll have lots of catching up to do this coming week in more than one areas. BUT, we have a Climate Agreement, people!! This is surely the news of the week, see details below. Now, let’s all hope it can really…

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Sunday Smack

Happy first Sunday of Advent! How can it be Advent already, when I feel like I have just returned from summer vacation, is beyond me. But it is. There is only one month left for our 2015 goals, and time to think about new ones for the new year! The year in world affairs is far from being over yet, though. One of the most important diplomatic events of 2015 kicks off tomorrow in Paris. UN member states will gather in Paris in the next two weeks for the UN conference on climate change. Long negotiations are to be expected,…

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Iran joins talks in Vienna about the Syrian civil war

Iran joins talks in Vienna about the Syrian civil war IT COULD have been worse. That was more or less the read-out after talks on Syria in Vienna on October 30th between allies and foes of President Bashar al-Assad including America, Saudi Arabia, Russia and, for the first time, Iran. No one walked out, even though Iran backs Mr Assad and Saudi Arabia is one of the main backers of anti-Assad rebel groups, as well as Iran’s chief rival in the region. Click the title to read more.

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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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#UNGA70 General Debate digest Part I.

A promise, now overdue, but better late than never. I will post my review of the general debate in two parts and of miscellaneous events of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly so far in a third. This year I followed more speeches than in previous years, as the refugee crisis in Europe puts many countries in the spotlight that otherwise would not be of interest in terms of world affairs. The theme of the general debate of the 70th session was „The United Nations at 70 – a new commitment to action”, but besides the theme, the…

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Sunday Smack

Happy weekend everybody, and happy labor day weekend to all my US readers, who – according to Google Analytics – make up the third largest crowd among my overall readership. BTW, I am still in the process of figuring out why the first place goes to Russia, but then, shoutout to my Russian readers too, anyway! I have never thought I would ever be writing these words, but seriously, I wish my country wouldn’t be on international news that much! Even the daily news roll of my favorite global affairs blog came out one day with the title “Seriously, Hungary?”. And…

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Sunday Smack

Happy weekend, everybody! I am just after the final exam of The Changing Global Order on Coursera (more about it later in my MOOC series), let’s just say the last few days felt like exam season all over again, but in the end I have earned a certificate. (Also, note to self: summer is NOT for learning!) Today was all about catching up on my reading that got quite neglected besides learning, meaning I had to read several hundred posts in a day. Here’s the few of them that made it to my weekly round-up. Why the “Snap Back” Provision…

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