In the sphere of international aid and development assistance, Turkey is a rising star. Tackling the Syrian refugee crisis with unsurpassed dedication, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has simultaneously continued to deliver aid everywhere from Africa to Latin America. In 2010, Turkey delivered $1 million in disaster relief to Haiti in the wake of the
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As big development agencies and national governments continue to fund development projects around the world, one of the main obstacles they face is how best to meet the needs of local populations. In many cases, the problems faced by rural populations are overlooked due to a lack of communication and accessibility.
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“Globalization” by Frederic Poirot, on Flickr What is globalization? The effects of globalization influence our everyday life. This is already a fact, meaning the concept is nowadays not used the way it was ten or fifteen years ago. It has fully integrated into our lives. But how well do we know or understand the concept of
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When the flames of war die down, one often wonders “what needs to be done first: building houses or building peace?” It is a difficult question. But it is important to remember that the houses were there when it all began, but they were destroyed nevertheless.
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The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the highest court of criminal cases in international law. Its constraints are numerous and its ability to act depends on state cooperation. What recently happened in South Africa highlights once again the importance of said cooperation between states and the ICC.
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Russia’s former Deputy Prime Minister turned opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, was gunned down in Moscow with four shots to the back on Friday February 27. He was in sight of the Kremlin and the famous Saint Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square, an area that is heavily monitored by security cameras. Since his death, numerous theories
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The Islamic Republic of Iran is committing several violations, specifically the discrimination of Arab minorities, Afghan refugees and migrants, the transgender community, and other gender-related discrimation. This article will focus on the prosecution of Arab minorities – the Ahwazi community.
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In late May, an Iranian court sentenced eight people to 123 years in prison for administrating Facebook pages that the judiciary claims spread anti-government propaganda and insulted the country’s leaders. In Iran, Facebook and other social media sites were officially banned in 2009 after opposition members used them to organize protest rallies following the disputed
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1989. Poles vote in their first since World War II, clearing the path for the Eastern Bloc states to abolish communism and join the free world.
2015. Less than two months after the parliamentary election and barely six months after the presidential one, tens of thousands flood the streets of major Polish cities. All chanting with one voice: “Freedom, equality, democracy!”
Poland leaves the Western world wondering: How could this have happened? What went wrong?
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There is much evidence supporting the idea that certain countries, which today can be called ‘clean of corruption’, had widespread and systemic corruption in the past. If we take corruption to be one of the main barriers impeding economic development and redistribution of wealth, we may start by asking ourselves how some countries like Norway, Australia or Singapore managed to reduce their levels of corruption so significantly, to the extent that corruption is now a rare occurrence. What can be done to reduce corruption levels?
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Last two elections in Spain have shown that citizens are eager to break the traditional model of “doing politics”. The society, heir of the 15M movement, demand active participation in the country’s political processes. Building politics “from below”, municipalism and libertarian ideologies may be the answer.
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In 1986, we started talking about the common market, later known as the single market. In 1999, we started talking about the common currency, later single currency too. The fact that the Eurozone did not meet any of the Optimal Currency Area criteria was no secret back then and is no secret now. That Greece
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In late May, an Iranian court sentenced eight people to 123 years in prison for administrating Facebook pages that the judiciary claims spread anti-government propaganda and insulted the country’s leaders. In Iran, Facebook and other social media sites were officially banned in 2009 after opposition members used them to organize protest rallies following the disputed
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Image from the documentary Samsara, by the director of Baraka. At United Explanations we are passionate about documentaries, and as far as we can tell, so are our readers. We began our adventure with a compilation of documentaries over a year ago; it contained 25 documentaries. Nine months later we included up to 50 films
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We tend to associate politics with two extremes: a ridiculous and tacky public performance or an office where behind closed doors shady characters decide on their advantage the fate of the rest of the mortals. Cinema, in some curious cases, has been able to lucidly interpret both aspects. Today we introduce you our selection of 25 films that will raise your political consciousness.
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The Central African Republic (CAR) remains a quite unknown republic for many out there. With their historical and cultural enchantment, the CAR’s traditional dances have found a way of shedding a new light on the prevailing views of this country. Culture has the power to bring knowledge, and dance is a marvelous way of giving a joyful and power-charged view of culture of the CAR.
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