The war the Mexican government is waging against drug cartels has dragged along for years and resulted in nothing but more instability and civilian casualties. The government simply doesn’t seems to be able to get a grip on these huge organizations. As a reaction to this, a new ‘force’ entered the game and already has one of the major cartels, ... Read More »
Major technological inventions occur in extracting gas from unconventional sources. Nowadays natural gas is the new gold. Substantial amounts of natural gas are ready to be extracted from sedimentary rocks, so called shales. According to Forbes, the US could become the world’s largest producer of fracked energy by 2017. This energy revolution could be the solution for European countries like ... Read More »
As the Central Intelligence Agency indicates, the fertility rate in Brazil over the last five decades has dropped from six children per women to approximately fewer than two. This substantial shift in the Brazilian demographical records is often compared to the China’s one child policy which has produced similar results. However, if in China the responsibility over declining birth rates ... Read More »
On the 17th of October 2013, the USA could advert the bankruptcy of the state but the ideological raptures remain. By Derya Bischoff A few hours after insolvency, President Obama warned the 535 members of Congress that the way how Washington is doing business has to change. But this is wishful thinking. The polarization of society and the political elite ... Read More »
Festival season has kicked off. Many of you associate the word ‘festival’ with big dance events like Sziget or Lowlands and with people wearing oversized sunglasses, light summer dresses or trendy shorts, dancing in the hot summer sun. But festivals come in many different ways: they are celebrated throughout the world, with different purposes and are indeed a phenomenon of ... Read More »
Oh no, you have not misread the title. This specialized office has the remarkable duty of, for example, fining restaurants that inaccurately call their pasta ‘pasta’ or those who give away plastic spoons with only English writing on it. Where on earth, you might ask yourself, does the police involve itself with such surreal and seemingly trivial practices? Dictating the ... Read More »
With the academic year nearly at an end, is it possible that you over-satisfied your yearly reading needs? Apart from some well-deserved relaxation, the decade’s worth of documentaries that is freely dispersed over the internet can provide you with sufficient food for thought. In the field of IR, The Fog of War is often considered as a standard work among ... Read More »
About two years ago, when I was living in Mexico, I visited the town Chamula in Southern Mexico. This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I entered a world I never knew existed, a mixture of modernity and ancient Maya culture. The town is inhabited exclusively by Tzotzil people – direct descendants from the Mayans. It ... Read More »
What would prove to be the United States’ longest war started in 1971, when Richard Nixon declared war on America’s public enemy No. 1: drugs. Since then, the budget invested in the drug war has multiplied by 30, which amounts to $15 billion dollars being invested under the Obama administration. The total direct and indirect costs are even greater and ... Read More »
In the United States, Joseph Patrick ‘’Joe’’ Kennedy started what would become one of the modern world’s most powerful dynasties. Even today the surname seems to go hand in hand with power and success. However, a shadow follows the Kennedy family wherever they go. The original Kennedy family consisted of the nine children of Joe and Rose Kennedy, descendants of ... Read More »
Checks&Balances Checks and Balances is the magazine of the Study Association Clio from the program "International Relations and International Organization" at the University of Groningen. Topics include international politics, ethics, conflict and development