Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
The challenge of Islamic extremism (3)
July 14th, 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 was adamant that terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS should not be called “fundamentalist” because many Muslims hold fundamental beliefs but do not condone violence. Instead he […]
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The challenge of Islamic extremism (2)
July 13th, 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. A major theme of the course was the clash between the historical experience of Islam and the colonial take-over of Muslim societies: Christianity was not a state religion […]
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The challenge of Islamic extremism (1)
July 12th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
As a believer in lifelong learning, I regularly attend short courses at a London further education college called the City Lit. This weekend, I attended a one-day course entitled “Hope And History: A Short Introduction To Contemporary Issues In Muslim Contexts”. Our tutor was Pakistani-born Dr Farid Panjwani, a lecturer at the Institute of Education, who was very […]
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The impossible escape from North Korea of Ji Seong-ho
July 1st, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Ji Seong-ho is a North Korean defector who grew up during the country’s terrible famine in the 1990s. In order to survive, Ji would exchange stolen coal for food on the black market. While taking coal from a train car in 1996, a malnourished Ji lost consciousness and fell onto the tracks, losing his left […]
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Are we moving ever closer to a new cold war or has it actually begun?
June 25th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Tensions between the West and Russia are growing week by week, most notably over the situation in Ukraine, sanctions and troop manoeuvres. So, is the West simply reacting to Putin’s growing aggression? Or is the West unnecessarily provoking Russia? There is a short but interesting piece on the BBC web site which points out: “Russia […]
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Gaza conflict of 2014: both sides condemned for possible war crimes and both sides refuse to accept condemnation
June 22nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
As reported here, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has concluded an inquiry by finding that both Israel and Palestinian militants may have committed war crimes during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict. But neither side accepts this. Israel has dismissed the investigation as “politically motivated and morally flawed”, while Hamas said it wrongly equated “the victim and executioner”. […]
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A short guide to how the European Union works
June 21st, 2015 by Roger Darlington
On my web site, I have short guides to the political systems of 13 countries. These are among the most popular pages on my site and I receive appreciative comments from readers around the world. One of them recently suggested that I do something similar for the European Union although, of course, the EU is […]
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Does trickle-down economics work? Guess who says that it doesn’t.
June 16th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
The idea that increased income inequality makes economies more dynamic has been rejected by an International Monetary Fund study, which shows the widening income gap between rich and poor is bad for growth. A report by five IMF economists dismissed “trickle-down” economics, and said that if governments wanted to increase the pace of growth they […]
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What do the radicals of this generation want when they win power? Not what earlier generations wanted.
June 8th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
“… what do the radicals of this generation want when they win power? The success of Syriza, of Podemos in Spain and even the flood of radicalised young people into the SNP in Scotland makes this no longer an idle question. The most obvious change is that, for the rising generation, identity has replaced ideology. […]
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A moving, and ultimately uplifting, story from the ravages of Afghanistan
May 26th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Virtually all the news we receive from Afghanistan is depressing. So it is heart-warming to hear of the magnificent efforts of musicologist Ahmad Sarmast to create an institute for classical music in Kabul, although tragic to find that the price has been serious damage to his hearing. You can read this moving story here.
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