Politics
Politics
Fair Observer's analysis of political issues, events and trends and their national, regional and international consequences.
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Kurdish / Kurdistan / Kurds / Politics / 360° Context / Middle EastThe Kurds are a historically oppressed people without a state, whose grievances and aspirations for independence have recently drawn international attention largely because of the Kurdish role in the Syrian conflict. Background As the largest ethnic group in the world without a state, the Kurdish people have endured a history marked largely by rebellion, repression, and marginalization. Approximately 25 to 30 million Kurds live in the Middle East, primarily in a mountainous region known as Kurdistan, which encompasses parts of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. The Kurdish people possess many attributes typical of a nation: their own language, traditions, and in some cases, government and...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Gaza / Hamas / Israel / Politics / Middle East / AfricaWith the rise of Qatar and Turkey as international players, Egypt is eager to re-establish its role at the forefront of regional affairs. As Mohammed Morsi grapples with an unsurprising domestic backlash following a highly controversial presidential decree in which he unilaterally granted himself additional powers, last week Egypt was thrust under the regional spotlight with the recent Gaza conflict. Regional Powers Traditionally, the regional balance of power in the Middle East and North Africa lies with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iran, who represents the Shi'a crescent. In recent years and especially as a result of the Arab Uprisings, this regional power balance has begun to shift. No...
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360° Analysis / Communist party / Leadership change / Politics / Reform / Society gap / Xi Jinping / AsiaBy Peter MorganFacing a divided and unequal society, Xi Jinping and the other new leaders have to embrace serious reforms. On November 15th the world changed. A little. Or maybe a lot. Not just because the US general election results were known, but because arguably the most important superpower changed its leader. Hu Jintao steps down and Vice-President Xi Jinping took over the position of what might be called Commander in Chief across the 4 municipalities, 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions and 2 special districts that make up the Chinese mainland. He governs the approximately 1.3 billion people spread across 56 ethnic groups around the more than nine and a half million square kilometres in a country...
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360° Analysis / Balkans / crisis / EU / Euro / Eurozone / Politics / West Balkans / EuropeRegional stability in South East Europe, as the main concern of the EU enlargement policy, needs to be supported further. Dušan Reljic thinks it is necessary to publicly strengthen the spirit of Europe to achieve this goal. For the first time since the ‘Euro-barometer’ came into existence, the majority of the respondents from the EU member states oppose the admission of additional countries to the EU. Right now 53% are against further EU enlargement. Germany has the most reservations: only 20% would welcome the admission of additional states to the EU. Only in Poland there is still a clear majority of 62% in favor of further enlargement. It seems that in the light of the...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Morsi / Politics / Middle East / AfricaMorsi's presidential decree appears necessary by virtue of an increasingly politicized and non-elected judiciary that appears intent on frustrating the Egyptian president's ambitious reform plans. In August 2012, less than two months after the newly elected Egyptian president was inaugurated, I wrote an article dubbed, “President Morsi’s Huge Task: The Cleansing of the Old Guard”. The piece briefly highlighted the fact that Mohammed Morsi was inheriting the old system of the defunct Hosni Mubarak regime. At the end of the article, I wrote: “Sometimes decadent and deeply infested systems are in need of surgical cleansing to launch a departure into effective...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Gaza / Hamas / Israel / Palestine / Politics / Middle EastDespite the human disaster the Gaza conflict has caused, the recent events might have a positive impact for Palestinians in the territory. The recent conflict between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip — its most violent phase having been ignited by Israel's assassination of Ahmed Jabari on November 14 — undoubtedly caused significant destruction: 166 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed with many more wounded. Widespread damage has been inflicted upon Gaza's infrastructure which had already suffered in 2008/09 when Israel invaded the Palestinian territory as part of “Operation Cast Lead”. Nevertheless, there might be a glimmer of hope...
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360° Analysis / Gaza / Hamas / Israel / Palestine / Politics / Middle EastBy Daniel IslerAnother round of violence in Gaza is over. Daniel Isler examines what keeps this vicious cycle turning and what could solve the deadly routine – if at all possible. Like in a classic boxing match, the international media is announcing the end of another "round" of violence between Israel and Hamas. The bell is ringing, and the opponents are asked by the referee, this time by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, to take their places in the corners of the ring, and to get ready for the next round of fighting. The boxing ring is still stained with blood, and the crowd – a surprisingly big one for such a small fight – is cheering with enthusiasm for one of the...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Morsi / Politics / Soccer / Middle East / AfricaThe renewed clashes in Egypt are as much a protest against Morsi’s power grab, as they are with the failure to reform the police and security forces. A pledge by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to re-open all cases against those responsible for attacks on anti-Mubarak and anti-military protesters in the last 21 months did little to prevent militant soccer fans clamoring for justice for hundreds of dead protesters, including 74 of their own. The soccer fans joined the outpour of anger against the president’s unilateral decision to grab wide-ranging powers. Morsi had hoped that the re-opening of cases, which largely failed to condemn those responsible for repeated crackdowns on...
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360° Analysis / crisis / EU / Euro / Euro crisis / France / Germany / greece / Politics / Spain / UK / EuropeBy John BrutonThe former Prime Minister of Ireland discusses the possibility of the UK leaving the EU, and the questions it raises about the political structure of the union. This is the final part. Click here to read part one. ............ And Meanwhile in the United Kingdom As if Europe did not have enough problems, one important EU country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is preparing to renegotiate the terms of its membership of the EU and hold a referendum on the outcome, which would potentially decide whether the UK would stay in the EU or leave. The first thing to say is that the UK is entirely free to do this. Unlike other unions, like the United States or the...