Tag: Security Council

Sunday Smack

I wish everybody a peaceful, relaxing holiday filled with love and joy! Whatever religion you follow, I hope you are spending these days surrounded by loved ones, doing things you enjoy. I wish I could present you with some light topics this weekend, but this was actually a pretty eventful week in terms of world affairs. Here’s your reading. Security Council Passes New Aleppo Resolution. Monitors to Be Deployed Hopefully the Security Council can now take real actions to put an end to the bloodshed that’s been going on for too long. Coping With Tragedy in South Sudan Another SC…

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Sunday Smack

Happy Sunday! Antonio Guterres was officially appointed by the General Assembly as the 9th Secretary General of the UN this week. I honestly think he is well suited for the role and great things can be expected in his tenure. On a completely different note, Bob Dylan got a Nobel Prize in Literature and although I am only slightly aquainted with his work, I am not at all one of those literature snobs who can’t understand this one. I have always considered song lyrics in the league of poetry (well, the better ones anyway), so congrats is definitely in order…

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Sunday Smack

Happy Fall, everybody! Summer is undeniably over now. As much as I love the summer weather, there are a lot of things to be excited about during autumn too. And I said autumn, let’s not jump ahead, believe it or not, yesterday I heard Christmas music playing in a drugstore! Isn’t it way too early for that?! Anyway, I  hope you are having a great time with your choices of fall activities, and cut out some time to do our weekly reading too. Colombia’s Brexit Vote Very interesting, particularly comparing this vote to some others. I shall add that I…

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Sunday Smack

Happy Sunday, everybody! This is the last Sunday Smack of this August and this summer, actually. In terms of the calendar, at least, I hope the weather stays warm for a while. I have spent this last weekend (made it a long weekend, actually) at home in Nagykálló with some well needed rest. September is going to be all work, no stops for me. As always, at this time of the year, I am half sad – for my favorite season to end, half excited – for things to get twirling again. And twirling, they are, this year. I have…

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Sunday Smack

Happy Sunday, everybody! As of today, I am off to vacation, so this is a pre-scheduled post. I had an unexpectedly busy week with lots of work to do and so little time remaining for other important things. Among the latter: taking the final exam of the International Law in Action: A Guide to the International Courts and Tribunals in The Hague course I participated in recently on Coursera. I managed to finish the course Saturday night. Midnight, to be exact, after a tiresome day of touristing around (with a real tourist) in Budapest, and, uhm, also a glass of wine….

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Update on the election of the new UN Secretary General

When I last posted about the selection of the next UN Secretary General, there were nine candidates for the post, now there is twelve. Thanks to an NGO initiative, there were already several public hearings and debates of the candidates. All these seemed – and it still does! – really hopeful compared to the regular procedure of the election when the result is decided solely through diplomatic channels and behind closed doors. Read more about the appointment process here. Since a candidate can be appointed up to one month prior to the end of the current term (which is December…

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Sunday Smack

Happy Sunday! Hoping everybody’s summer is going well, here’s your Sunday reading. Brexit: Is everything going to change in law, so that very little would change in fact? The British are trying to collect themselves after the appalling results of the referendum, but there is still not much we know for sure. This is one good collection of guesses. The UN is electing new members of the Security Council today. This is a big deal This indeed happened this week at the UN General Assembly with some unusual results. One Year after Sousse, It’s the Economy – Not Security –…

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Sunday Smack

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…

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Sunday Smack

Happy Sunday! I hope March i.e. the first month of Spring started well for you all. How about House of Cards Season 4? I cant wait to start it already. But first, it’s time to do some weekend reading… United Nations Security Council Resolution 2270 Indeed this is the most unique and harshest sanctions regime yet, but – at least for now – it doesn’t seem to stop the DPRK from pursuing a nuclear bomb. In my opinion, the man is insane and no SC resolution can cure that. Election fallout: What Iran’s Vote Means for Hope and Change (and…

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Sunday Smack

Hey everybody! How was you first workweek of 2016? I hope it was better than mine. This is now officially the longest time with no posts at all on the blog, except for all the Sunday Smacks. Which obviously is a must, missing a week would feel like breaking a circle or something – this is now the 143th Sunday Smack and this is really saying something. Even though I had lots of plans for 2016 (with the blog and a lot else), I am just not there right now. Actually, if there ever was a time when I would…

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