It’s official : as of Thursday, January 21st 2010, US democracy as we all knew it has ceased to exist. In a highly controversial ruling, the US Supreme Court has done away with the ban on financial contributions by corporations in candidate elections. Thus, the American political system, already antiquated, will drift further away from those of its European [...]

As fewer legal professionals nowadays still take an interest in defending human rights, the city of Toulouse stands out as a shining example to the contrary. The well-known organisations such as Avocats sans frontieres, Cimade, the Institut d’Etudes Politiques and others organise regular events bringing human rights to the top of the political and civic agendas. [...]

From an European perspective, Barack Obama’s first year in office has been less than spectacular as far as results go. His left-of-centre administration includes many of Bill Clinton’s former appointees in vital areas such as economic strategy or foreign affairs. Many of his supporters feel let down with the lack of progress in Iraq, in Afghanistan, on the environment or by [...]

From very large Asian countries to relatively small East African nations, the European economic integration model has followers on every continent. Late last year Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda have signed the birth certificate for the newest - and smallest - trade bloc, the East African Community.
Back in 1999, the leaders of Tanzania, Kenya [...]

While Europeans partied this Christmas, on the Islamic side of the Bosphorus Turkish army personnel were busy undermining their country’s shaky democracy. According to The Economist, two Turkish Special Forces agents were arrested over a plot to assassinate deputy prime minister Bulet Arinc. For the first time in the country’s history, civilian authorities were able [...]