Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
Word of the day: deconfliction
October 1st, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I did not know there was such a word but it was used in a comment by a US defence official on the Russian air strikes in Syria.
Posted in Cultural issues, World current affairs | Comments (0)
How much do you know (and care) about world poverty?
September 23rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
One billion people across the world live in extreme poverty, struggling to survive on the equivalent of about $1 a day. The United Nations aims to lift every single one of them out of this category within 15 years. It’s an ambitious target, and this weekend 150 world leaders will meet to work out how […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
The good news: your chance of a violent death has never been less in the whole course of human history
September 12th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
For all the tragedy in the world, we need to remind ourselves constantly that we live in the most peaceful period of human history in terms of the chance of facing a violent death. This was demonstrated by American psychologist Steven Pinker in his 2011 book “The Better Angels Of Our Nature” and he has […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
10 ways to manage the migration crisis
September 5th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
1) Establish a standard asylum procedure across Europe 2) Provide a safe and swift alternative to a meaningful number of refugees 3) End the war in Syria 4) Give Syrians employment rights in Turkey 5) Persuade Gulf countries to take in more Syrians 6) Provide economic alternatives in smuggling communities 7) End the war in […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
We are all migrants
September 3rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Originally the only humans resided in the Rift Valley in East Africa. Now there are people in every corner of the globe. How did they get there? Migration. So, in a sense, we are all migrants. Some may argue that this was a long time ago, but most of us only have to go back […]
Posted in My life & thoughts, World current affairs | Comments (3)
Is the ageing of those who can and do vote killing social democracy?
August 27th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
This is an (edited) extract from a blog posting this week by Nick Pearce, Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). “Most people are familiar with the inequality in turnout between the social classes. No less egregious is the inequality in turnout between the generations. This is now a major political cleavage, with […]
Posted in American current affairs, British current affairs, World current affairs | Comments (0)
At last, the United States has an embassy in Cuba once more
August 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
When Vee and I visited Cuba seven years ago for a wonderful holiday, I hoped – and expected – that the thaw in relations between the USA and Cuba and the introduction of political reforms in Cuba itself would move more quickly. But there has been real progress under Barack Obama’s leadership and with support […]
Posted in American current affairs, World current affairs | Comments (0)
Is it time for some facts about those migrants?
August 7th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
One of the hottest topics in the British media at the moment is the issue of migrants into Europe and especially the numbers at Calais seeking entry to the UK. The debate is an emotional one and it’s useful to have some relevant facts
Posted in British current affairs, World current affairs | Comments (0)
What kind of a country is Iran?
July 16th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I am very pleased that a deal has been done on Iran’s nuclear programme. As I explained in this blog posting, more than eight years ago some observers were insisting that Iran’s nuclear programme had reached “a point of no return” and Israel was contemplating bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities. The assessment was wrong and, had […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
The challenge of Islamic extremism (4)
July 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
This weekend, I attended a one-day course entitled “Hope And History: A Short Introduction To Contemporary Issues In Muslim Contexts” run by a lecturer called Dr Farid Panjwani. He explained that most post-colonial leaders of Muslim countries were modern and secular but were dictators and did not provide welfare systems or prosperous societies. In the […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)