Europe
Europe
Fair Observer provides insightful and informed analysis about important European issues, events and trends.
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Atul Singh / Banska Bystrica / China air zone / Dilma Rousseff / filibuster reform / Germany elections / Iran nuclear deal / José Dirceu / JPMorgan Chase fine / Loya Jirga / Maduro rule by decree / Mayor Rob Ford / North America / Politics / Spotify / Tarun Tejpal / Zimbabwe economy / Europe / Focus Article / Middle East & North Africa / Latin America / Africa / Central & South Asia / Asia PacificBy Atul SinghFair Observer's extended report of the week's events. [Note: Click here for the summary version.] There are times when the ground beneath our feet shakes. Events occur and, even as they are unfolding, we realize their historic significance. As the news of the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 breaks, it is clear that this is a seismic shift which will define history. North America Canada, usually lost in shadow of its more powerful neighbor, witnessed three important developments. First, in four by-elections that are seen as a prelude to the 2015 election, everyone is talking about the middle-class. Income inequality is a hot topic and Prime Minister Stephen Harper is facing a...
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Atul Singh / Central African Republic conflict / filibuster reform / Germany elections / infrastructure investment Brazil / Iran nuclear deal / José Dirceu / JPMorgan Chase fine / Kennedy assassination / Loya Jirga / Nicolas Maduro / North America / Politics / Viktor Yanukovych / Europe / Focus Article / Middle East & North Africa / Latin America / Africa / Central & South Asia / Asia PacificBy Atul SinghFair Observer's roundup of the week's events. [Note: Click here for the full report.] There are times when the ground beneath our feet shakes. Events occur and, even as they are unfolding, we realize their historic significance. As the news of the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 breaks, it is clear that this is a seismic shift that will define history. North America In the US, headlines are all about the deal with Iran and this is a staggering development. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have taken a bold gamble in pushing forth the Iran deal. (The best summary of the deal can be found on the White House website.) If this deal works, it will define...
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Chile / Colombia / Fair Observer / Germany / Goa / ICC / India / Libya / Nawaz Sharif / North America / obama / Obamacare / Pakistan / Politics / Qatar and Amnesty International / Syrian Civil War / Tendulkar / Tony Blair / Europe / Focus Article / Middle East & North Africa / Latin America / Africa / Central & South Asia / Asia PacificBy Atul SinghFair Observer's extended report of the week's events. [Note: Click here for the summary version.] This is the second weekly commentary on key developments across the globe titled “Make Sense of the World: Weekly Report.” We will pick out the most important events, trends and issues for the week and explain them to you with clarity and brevity. We are still in the experimental stage and figuring out the right format. Please give us feedback to help us serve you better. You can email this directly to atul.singh@fairobserver.com, and we look forward to hearing from you. This is an extended report and you can click here for the summary version. Asia Pacific The big news in...
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Chile / Colombia / Fair Observer / Germany / Goa / ICC / India / Libya / Nawaz Sharif / North America / obama / Obamacare / Pakistan / Politics / Qatar and Amnesty International / Syrian Civil War / Tendulkar / Tony Blair / Europe / Focus Article / Middle East & North Africa / Latin America / Africa / Central & South Asia / Asia PacificBy Atul SinghFair Observer's roundup of the week's events. [Note: Click here for the full report.] This is the second weekly commentary on key developments across the globe titled “Make Sense of the World: Weekly Roundup.” After much feedback, we are playing around with the format and please continue to send your feedback to atul.singh@fairobserver.com, with “Weekly Roundup” as the subject. As we explained last week, this roundup examines the deeper story behind the most important events, trends and issues for the week. This is a summary version and you can click here for the full report. Asia Pacific The big news in Asia Pacific was the third plenum of the 18th Central...
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360° Analysis / druidry.org / Druids / Glastonbury Tor / Iron Age Britain / Penny Billington / Spirituality / Stonehenge / Europe / CultureDruidry looks for connections with the inspirited world. Ask a hundred Druids the question, “Does God exist?” and you will probably get a hundred different answers. So let’s start with two more practical questions. Firstly, What sort of people become Druids? As our earliest bards ritually replied, “Not hard to answer.” We are those who wish to explore their spirituality through nature. And secondly, Is Druidry a religion? Well, in the sense of belonging to a recognized organization with dogma and a belief system to which members must subscribe – no. But many Druids do indeed embrace Druidry as their religion, so a Druid’s definition of and...
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Atul Singh / Beijing terrorist attack / Employment Non-Discrimination Act / far right in Europe / Hakimullah Mesud / Indian Elections / Iran / Iran nuclear talks / Nicolas Maduro / North America / obama / Politics / student protests Bulgaria / Twitter Shares / Typhoon Haiyan / Zimbabwe Kariba power station / Europe / Focus Article / Middle East & North Africa / Latin America / Africa / Central & South Asia / Asia PacificBy Atul SinghFair Observer's roundup of the week's events. This is the start of our weekly commentary on key developments across the globe titled “Make Sense of the World: Weekly Roundup.” We will pick out the most important events, trends and issues for the week and explain them to you with clarity and brevity. Please give us constant feedback and help us serve you better. Middle East & North Africa Talks between Iran and six major global powers have taken place in Geneva. These powers are referred to as P5+1 because they include the US, the UK, France, Russia and China — the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — along with Germany. Although...
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Albert Camus / Algerian War / Combat / Nazi collaborationists trials France / Nobel Prize for Literature / Europe / Focus Article / Middle East & North Africa / CultureAlbert Camus believed that a true writer is at the service of those who suffer history. “Sooner or later one must get old, agree to be judged, or sentenced … the uninterrupted seeking of truth, the decision to tell it when one sees it, on every level, and to live it, gives a meaning, a direction to one’s march.” Life a trial, acquittal reserved for saints; and all that could be realistically hoped in a world Betwixt and Between, a hung jury. As Albert Camus wrote in the 1958 preface to that reprinted collection of essays (L'envers et l'endroit, sometimes translated as The Wrong Side and the Right Side) that he called a personal “testimony”:...
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360° Analysis / 9/11 / Balkan Wars / Bashar Al-Assad / British Parliament / Chemical Weapons / France / Iran / Kosovo / Mali Intervention / NATO / North America / Russia / Syria / Syrian Civil War / UN Security Council / United States of America / US Foreign Policy / Europe / International Security / Middle East & North AfricaBy Donika EminiWhy does Syria not have Kosovo's "luck"? This is the last of two part series. Read part one here. In contrast to Syria, Kosovo was considered as a relatively “easy task,” as the Balkan countries were more likely to fight each other rather than an external actor. The campaign ended with no boots on the ground. One should not forget the fact that almost every country surrounding Syria is suspected of possessing chemical weapons which makes the situation even more complicated; whereas in the Balkans, this potential threat for the international community did not exist. Russia and the US both have a long history of intervening in Middle Eastern affairs; however,...
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360° Analysis / Bruce Newsome / David Cameron / Edward Snowden / Espionage / Five Eyes / Hollande / Merkel / National Security / North America / NSA / obama / The guardian / The NSA Files / U.S Congress / United Nations / Europe / International SecurityWhile evidence of US spying is clear, the interpretations are full of misconceptions. The evidence is clear; thanks to former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden’s meticulous gathering of largely uncontested documents before his effective defection from his employer and country in June 2013. In that month, The Guardian published evidence for US collection of metadata on telephone and cyber communications passing through America and Britain. Other reports described bugging of the communications used by foreign officials visiting London for the G20 conference in 2009. Recent reports reveal collection of the metadata and sometimes the content of communications...