Posts byIztok Potokar

Common Humanitarian Fund: a path to a more efficient funding?

The Common Humanitarian Funds (CHFs), pools of un-earmarked funds made available at the country level for UN agencies and NGOs, were established in 2006 as a new tool to improve the already existing Consolidated Appeal Process, which lacked strategic planning when allocating funds. 5 years later the third evaluation report of the CHFs has been released. Which are the main findings of this report?
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Lessons to be learnt from the massacre in Norway

Immediately after the attack in Oslo everyone began speculating of Islamic terrorism and started analyzing Norwegian foreign policy to find possible reasons for another al Qaeda-related attack. It turned out, however, that this brutal crime was the work of a Muslim-hating native Norwegian. Perhaps the time has come to reflect on the western understanding of terrorism, so closely related to Islam in the last decade.
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What does the new constitution of Morocco bring?

Last week the King of Morroco announced a draft of the new Constitution which will be voted on the referendum on July 1. The new text introduces some notable democratic advances but still leaves many Moroccans, particularly the young, unsatisfied, which already led to yesterday’s demonstrations. Let’s see what foes the new Constitution brings and why it is being criticized.
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What drives Islamic suicide bombers?

From a Westerner’s point of view it seems nearly incomprehensible how someone can commit suicide in order to kill others. When planning suicide attacks, Islamic terrorists use religion to motivate volunteers by promising them Paradise filled with pleasure. The preparation of the volunteers is a carefully scrutinised process.
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EU democratization policy: less is more

The EU’s democratization policies in the southern Mediterranean and particularly in Egypt during the dictatorship have been severely criticized. However, this article aims to show that the political change achieved by the people of Egypt has many more possibilities to evolve into a democracy than it would have if the EU had been actively pursuing full democratic reforms.
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