Libya Does Not Come to Rest – Announced Elections in 2018 Will Not Solve the Crisis

For decades, Libya’s politics only had one face: that of Muammar al-Gaddafi, a military colonel, who had seized power in the late 60s and had since then clung onto that

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Nice, new and smart missiles?

Three weeks ago, we watched as Trump, May and Macron announced their plan to attack Syria in a response to an apparent chemical attack. They each made passionate speeches where

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Extraordinary Times: A New Era for Ethiopia

On February 16, 2018, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn stepped down from office. Desalegn will go down into history as the first Ethiopian Prime Minister to voluntarily resign. The resignation

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Death of a Dynasty: Change vs. continuity in Cuba

For the first time in almost six decades, Cuba is headed by a man whose last name isn’t Castro: former vice-president Miguel Díaz-Canel succeeded 86-year-old Raúl Castro on Thursday as

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Satire – A Humorous Means to Enhance Political Participation?

Satire has long been a tradition in many European countries. Historians describe caricature drawings of King Louis XVI of France having an impact on the French population on the eve

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Will These Bullets Alter Brazil’s Future?

Cars were driving on one of Rio de Janeiro’s busy main streets. It was a regular day until one car pulled up to another. Nine shots rang. Four found their

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Putin’s Power Politics – Why Putin Will Win This Sunday’s Election. And The One That Follows. And The One After That.

Tomorrow, the people of Russia will cast their votes in the Russian presidential election. Most observers agree that it is not doubtful whether Vladimir Putin will be reelected, but rather

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Can politics still be poetic?

This article was inspired by a discussion organised by SIB Groningen, on the 12th March 2018, called “Poetry and Politics in Iran: The Power of Verse”. It was led by

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Conditions, Challenges and Consequences of Korean Unification

Last week has witnessed a dramatic shift in the relationship between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea: after years of increasing tensions North Korean dictator

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Egyptian Election 2018: Rubber-stamping the strongman?

The Egyptian election is due to be held at the end of this month. Ostensibly a “democratic” contest, the incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely expected to win a

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