France’s Tale of Two Secularisms

After terrorist attacks rattle France, where will the Republic go from here?

In October, France experienced another spate of terrorist attacks over a span of two weeks. First was the gruesome beheading of an Évreux public-school teacher, Samuel Paty, after he showed a caricature of the prophet Muhammad in his class. The slaying received national attention and the French government responded swiftly, ...
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France’s Tale of Two Secularisms

The Indian Media is Blaming Muslims for the Coronavirus Pandemic

Disease has made a bad situation for India’s ethnic minorities worse

In March of 2020, just before the official coronavirus-related lockdown in India, a Tablighi Jamaat religious gathering took place in the Nizamuddin Markaz Mosque in New Delhi. The event was attended by 8000-9000 followers from India and abroad. Less than a month later, nearly 4,300 participants tested positive for COVID-19.  The ...
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The Indian Media is Blaming Muslims for the Coronavirus Pandemic

Europe Reacts to the 2020 US Presidential Election

The resilience of American democracy gives us reason to hope

Europeans have long awaited the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election with conflicting feelings of fear and hope. In Berlin, Paris, and Brussels, leaders have hoped that a Biden presidency might spur a renewal of transatlantic relations, while in Warsaw and Budapest, populist executives hoped for a second Trump ...
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Europe Reacts to the 2020 US Presidential Election

Why Polls Can’t Satisfy Us

What we want from this troubled industry may be impossible: the ability to know our political future

That wasn’t what the polls were saying – but could the polls be wrong? Outlier Quinnipiac had Gideon up by 14. The poll that came closest to what I was hearing was the Bangor Daily News, which had her in a statistical toss-up that Gideon would win with ranked-choice voting. Most gave ...
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Why Polls Can’t Satisfy Us

After the Election, New Leadership and Old Cronyism

Joe Biden steps up as the Trump administration manufactures lies in an attempt to hold on — and perhaps profit

I had hoped that the days when the news came like a firehose were over, but so far, no luck. On Monday, the stock market jumped 1200 points in its first day of trading after the announcement of Joe Biden’s victory. Over the course of the day it was up as ...
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After the Election, New Leadership and Old Cronyism

Will Women Defeat Poland’s Illiberal Regime?

Protests erupt in Poland over abortion restrictions

After weeks of watching massive peaceful demonstrations against neighboring Belarus's authoritarian regime, Poles have finally taken to the streets to confront their own illiberal government. As in Belarus, Poland's de facto ruler, Jarosław Kaczyński has overplayed his hand – and women have been the first to smack it away. WARSAW – Authoritarian ...
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Will Women Defeat Poland’s Illiberal Regime?

Poland’s Abortion Ban Protests Are a Harbinger of a Wider Social Movement

Channelling the grievances of women and of the LGBTQ community

The pro-choice protests that started on October 22, 2020 are the beginning of a wider social movement channelling the grievances of women and of the LGBTQ community, as well as other marginalized groups in Poland, write Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer and Roch Dunin-Wąsowicz. What’s more, the protests are not only taking place ...
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Poland’s Abortion Ban Protests Are a Harbinger of a Wider Social Movement

Why Google Is Facing Serious Accusations of Monopoly Practices

The tech monopolies are increasingly being acknowledged as a danger to people, other companies, and even to democracy

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Google-Alphabet (Google’s parent company) on October 20 for a range of anti-competitive practices, including its monopoly power in the search market. It is the only major action in the U.S. against tech monopolies in recent years, the last one being the 1998 action against ...
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Why Google Is Facing Serious Accusations of Monopoly Practices

Who Is Disfigured by a Cleft Lip?

When happiness hinges on having a “normal” face, the many possibilities for human life are narrowed

When my mother was pregnant with my youngest sister, she went to consult a cleft jaw and lip expert in London. She lay down on the examining table, lifted her legs up and peered at the doctor as he glared at the black and white image. She had done these ...
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Who Is Disfigured by a Cleft Lip?

Strategies of Protests from Belarus

Dignity, solidarity, and the reclaim of public space

Almost three months have elapsed since the elections, but Belarusians haven’t been deterred from  protesting peacefully. Every Sunday, hundreds of thousands of people march on the streets of Minsk and other cities across the country. The intensity, longevity, and creativity of the protests surprised everyone, including the Belarusians themselves. Yet, ...
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Strategies of Protests from Belarus

Black Lives Matter Gave Joe Biden His Victory

It is the foundation of a truly new electorate

I don’t think I have seen what I saw over the weekend. Americans were dancing in the streets. That’s usually a metaphor, not a literal fact. But after the big news outlets called the race Saturday for Joe Biden, cities around the country spasmed with joy, as if something pent up ...
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Black Lives Matter Gave Joe Biden His Victory

The Day After?

We have much work yet to do

The votes have been counted, and Joe Biden is now the President-elect. On Saturday night, he gave a Victory Speech, following a speech by his running-mate, Kamala Harris. I have been very cautious, very concerned that Trump might obstruct the electoral process and cling to power. I remain concerned, about the ...
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The Day After?