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    A New Leader in the Wings for Burundi

    Presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections will take place in Burundi on May 20. The previous polls in 2015 brought the country to the brink. After the ruling party CNDD-FDD proposed that President Pierre Nkurunziza run for a third term — which was considered unconstitutional by many — there were street protests, mainly in the capital […] More

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    Uruguay Turns Its Leftist Page

    In November 2019, Luis Lacalle Pou was elected president of Uruguay after defeating the ruling party candidate and former Montevideo mayor, Daniel Martinez, in the second round. President Lacalle Pou’s inauguration in March marked the end of a decade and a half of executive leadership by members of Uruguay’s left-wing Broad Front party, which included […] More

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    The Age of Wonder

    The revolt against the coronavirus lockdown is brewing in the United States. At the heart of US culture is the notion that everyone knows what’s best for themselves and they don’t need a government or even their neighbors to tell them what to do. Chris Cuomo demonstrated that principle on Easter Sunday. The CNN host […] More

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    What Hungary’s Nationalist Famers Have Against Orban

    Balint is a 30-year-old PhD student from northern Hungary, with expertise in organic farming and environmentally friendly agriculture. Well educated and fluent in English, Balint talks with passion about his daily work at an organic farm, hiking and spending time in nature. An expert in the field of soil biology and biochemistry, he conducts weekly […] More

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    The Politics Behind the Coronavirus in Brazil

    As the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 sweeps across the globe, countries are shutting down. Yet Brazil’s ultra-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has emerged among world leaders as a voice of opposition against lockdowns. Trying to weaken the initiatives of the ministry of health and local politicians who are encouraging social distancing measures as a way […] More

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    In an Era of Strongman Politics, Turkey Is Hard to Call

    We are told we live in an era of strongmen. The narrative also runs that these strongmen stick together. From the cozy relationship between China and Russia at the UN Security Council — led by Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin — to the mutual support of the likes of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin […] More

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    How the Middle East Reacts to the Coronavirus Pandemic

    Combating the coronavirus pandemic requires reliable data for projecting infection rates, the effectiveness of mitigation steps and casualties. There are many subsets to consider: where it is spreading, transmission sources, demographic profiles, assessment of mitigation and treatment options, and lessons learned. But all of this is tentative at best given that we are not even […] More

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    Is Saudi Arabia Looking for an Exit from Yemen?

    March 25 marked the fifth anniversary since a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states, with direct support from the US, launched its campaign of airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The air campaign has gone hand-in-hand with an effort by Saudi and Yemeni forces opposing the Houthis to regain territory from the rebels. The Houthi […] More