Tag: USA
An Historic Day at the UN 165 member states signed the Paris Agreement on Friday, the first day it was open for signing, which is indeed a new high in the history of multilateral agreements. The EU-Turkey Statement: A Treaty That Violates Democracy (Part 1 of 2) and (Part 2 of 2) We knew that this agreement is wrong on so many levels. Here is another great publication about it. What Does it Mean to Sponsor Terrorism? I think the list of states that directly or indirectly “sponsor” terrorism is too long, and this article only scratches the surface.
Happy Sunday and happy reading! The USA Sets Sights on Stopping UN Peacekeeper Sexual Abuse It’s about time to make this a priority. Hopefully the next Secretary General in alliance with the most powerful veto-holding member state can show some results. The Surprising Success of Syria’s Quasi-Ceasefire This is just one of the positive signs we see today, but the end is still nowhere in sight. Refugees in ISIS’ Shadow This great New York Times op-ed (complete with a video) was written by Bono, who by the way, also testified to the US Congress this week about his experiences visiting…
Happy Sunday, everybody! In Hungary, we are on day 2 of a 4 day weekend, so things are great! Well, the weather could be better, but hey… Hope the weekends of all of you are going great as well! Here’s what I recommend to read… Boots on the Ground in Somalia: Acting “By, With, and Through” a Local Partner to Minimize Friction This was not the first US military action in Somalia, and most certainly not the last of its kind. Salami Slicing Human Rights Accountability: How the European Border and Coast Guard Agency may inherit Frontex’ genetic defect The…
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…
Happy last Sunday of February! As one-sixth of 2016 is gone and spring is approaching I am looking forward to welcome changes. Here on the blog and in life as well. I do hope there will be even more than I expect at this time. Happy reading! Getting Serious About Syria: What to do When Containment Doesn’t Work and Is Syria Obama’s Fault? Although many believe that the new developments on the Syria front will be short lived if they materialize at all. The first post outlines a solution which would lead to results in years. The other is worth reading…
I hope you all had a great weekend! This one is a short Sunday Smack… Can the Government Compel Apple to Speak? This is a though one, right? I mean the “should” and not the “can”. Is one party “righter” than the other? Probably not. It will be tremendously exciting to see how courts would decide it solely on the grounds of law. And even then, how to “compel” a company like Apple to come up with something they don’t want to come up with? Boutros Boutros-Ghali and the 2016 Presidential Elections This is about how much US politics matter when electing a UN…
You might have noticed that despite my promises there was no update on the blog this week. I have several unfinished posts and a bunch of excuses that I will not bother you with. So, no promises this time. Let’s all just accept whatever might come. Like these readings now to finish off your Sundays. ISIS Was Born In An American Detention Facility (And It Wasn’t Gitmo) This is equal parts interesting and disturbing. Julian Assange and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention This was pretty big news this week, with people speculating whether it has any implications for…
Happy weekend, people! I hope everybody is safe, whether you are affected by severe weather or other dangerous conditions wherever you are. As you might have noticed, this blog might as well be dead if it wasn’t for these Sunday round-ups. But I am bringing it back, I promise, I have at least two posts scheduled for this next week, which according to my favorite boss is going to be “an important week”… So, stay tuned. And thank you for sticking with me through this long hiatus, I hope at least you enjoyed the weekly readings. Let’s see what we…
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…
Happy New Year, everybody! A photo posted by Katalin Tarjan (@katalintarjan) on Jan 1, 2016 at 9:55am PST I hope you are content with how you have spent your holidays and ready to get back in the saddle for a fresh new start. For me, it was more work and less rest than planned, but in all, I have spent a pleasant one and a half weeks “holidaying”. I know I have promised a separate look-back post which never happened, so I incorporated the half done pieces of it to this post (after I finished them, of course), you will find…
