China’s paradox: can increased authoritarianism be paired with economic liberalization?

During his speech at the China International Import Expo on the 5th of November, President Xi Jinping further urged global leaders to resist protectionism and make concerted efforts towards greater

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From a wind of change to a whiff of disappointment – The implications of the elections in East Germany 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall

If in 1989, one were to ask the people of East or West Germany what separates the one from the other, the answer would have been robust and straightforward: The

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Educators on Strike in Chicago: Demanding Changes that Extend to Broader Social Issues

In October 2019, Chicago teachers went on strike for 11 days. Unique about this strike was the attention given to social issues extending beyond school ones, such as affordable housing and homelessness under students. So next to more funding for public education, the teachers want more support staff in schools, to help students that do not have a home or have experienced trauma. Even though the teachers did not get everything they wanted regarding the demands that extended beyond school issues, they achieved more than they ever did before.

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Beyond the Tax Intifada: Understanding the Meaning of the Lebanon Protests

After eight days of persistent protests, which brought Lebanon to a standstill, it was about time that the country’s president finally addressed the demonstrators in a televised broadcast. Yesterday, Michel

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Power of the People: Ecuadoran Indigenous Movement Strikes Deal to Cancel Austerity Package

It is after almost two weeks of protests filled with smoke from teargas, streets piled high with tires, and clashes between police and protesters, that the Ecuadoran president Lenín Moreno

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The Hard Reality of a Hard Border: Significance of a No-deal Brexit for Northern Ireland

Following the June 2016 referendum, rarely a day has passed when Brexit has not been of central discussion in the news. The referendum was predominately fueled by concerns about immigration,

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From declassification to decriminalization: the long road to LGBT equality in India

In September 2018, LGBT people in India celebrated after the country’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down a colonial-era ban on gay intimacy. This judgment legalized the sex lives of an

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What is happening in Sudan?

Recently, social media has blown up with support for Sudanese protesters. Many have been sharing information about the crisis and urging people to inform themselves. Online, Western media has faced

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Poland and the LGBT Movement: A Clash

Over the past weeks, a clash between freedom of speech and laws banning hostility against religious beliefs has become evident in Poland. Being a predominantly Catholic country, the actions of

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Bastion of Meritocracy or Symbol of Elitism – The Issue of France’s ‘Grandes Écoles’

On 25 April, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a series of reforms as the product of national debates held with French citizens. In a response to the yellow vest movement,

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