Martin Ivens, Bloomberg
Six years ago, Scotland voted by a 10-point margin to stay part of the UK. Yet the last nine consecutive opinion polls show the backing for leave as high as 58 percent, and averaging at 53 percent.
This sustained lead for independence spells trouble for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government, which fears that demands for a second referendum could become overwhelming.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) is expected to sweep to victory in local elections in May next year... Читать дальше...
Sarah Waggoner, International Affairs Review
While 2020 has proven to be a tumultuous year across the globe, it has been a particularly turbulent time for Iraq. In what is now known as the October Revolution, thousands of Iraqis first took to the streets in October 2019, demanding an overhaul of Iraq’s corrupt ruling elite and an end to sectarian politics. As the movement continued to strengthen and spread across the country, former Prime Minister Adil...
Bonnie Glaser & Michael Green, CSIS
When they were first introduced in the spring, lockdowns were meant to be a way of controlling the spread of Covid-19. But, in much the same way that viruses themselves sometimes do, they have mutated into something far more sinister and potentially far more dangerous – a way of waging war on every form of normal economic life.
Judy Dempsey, Carnegie Europe
No matter who sits in the White House come January 2021, Europe must grow up and take responsibility to rebuild multilateralism, fix the transatlantic relationship, and revive arms control.
Andrew Devereux, Jamestown
The explosion in the Port of Beirut on August 4 caused domestic reverberations throughout Lebanon. With close to 200 people killed, over 6,000 wounded and damages estimated at over $15 billion, the public outrage toward the ruling elite was immediate and damning (Daily Sabah, August 12). The political classes were already subjected to heavy criticism for an ongoing economic crisis that has left 55 percent of the population living below...
James Holmes, National Interest
Commanders and their civilian masters on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean should think ahead about how to disentangle their forces in a hurry in case a diplomatic crisis looms. They should mix a trifle of skepticism into their enthusiasm for interchangeability and ask: what if?
Mark Scott, Politico EU
LONDON — Europe is taking aim at the lifeblood of firms like Google and Facebook — online ads that track people around the internet.
Victor Cha, Bush Center
Once the public felt confident that it could believe what the government was telling them, this gave rise to a civic obligation to comply with the safety and mitigation measures recommended by the health experts, including the use of contact tracing apps.
Mourad Kamel, W-Crunch
The U.S. killed the ruthless leader last October in Syria at a low point for ISIS. But under his successor, the group is beginning to strike back, in Africa, the Middle East and beyond.
Shadi Hamid, The Atlantic
Andy Mukherjee, Bloomberg
Although one in four of all adult Indians use tobacco, the country’s addiction runs far deeper. The government, too, has a toxic dependence. It’s called ITC Ltd.
Paul Stronski, World Politics Review
Kyrgyzstan is in the midst of historic political upheaval. With the resignation last week of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov amid mass protests, and his replacement by a convicted felon freshly sprung from jail, the country looks set for more volatility, and the Kyrgyz people will pay the price.
Matthew Smith, Oilprice
Venezuela, once Latin America’s largest oil producer and a founding member of OPEC, has seen its economically vital oil industry collapse triggering one of the worst economic and humanitarian crises of the century. The pain is far from over for Venezuela’s people and the country’s failing economy. Before 1920, Venezuela was a poor agricultural country facing many of the developmental issues plaguing Latin America. The country’s journey to becoming a crude oil superpower... Читать дальше...
David Lepeska, The National
Increasingly aggressive and isolated, both countries are backing themselves into the same corner
England, Pitel & Kerr, FT
Tensions between the two leaders — stretching from the Libyan civil war to the boycott of Qatar — threaten to boil over
Brookings