Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
Bibi or not Bibi? That is the question (for Israelis)
March 2nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
If you think British political opinion is very fluid at the present time and that the result of the General Election in two months is impossible to forecast, spare a thought for Israeli voters who go to the polls in less than three weeks time. Incumbent Prime Minister and leader of the Likud Party Binyamin […]
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What does the Syriza victory in Greece really mean?
January 27th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Maria Kyriakidou is a Greek academic working in Cultural Politics, Communications and Media at the University of East Anglia and has written a thoughtful analysis of the election result in a blog posting which concludes: “As the world, therefore, either celebrates or condemns Syriza’s win, Greeks are once more confused. The political powers of the […]
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North Korea’s family of three dictators
January 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
In the global community, no nation is as closed and inscrutable and unpredictable as North Korea, officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). This is why I am currently reading “North Korea” State Of Paranoia” by Paul French. Throughout its life-time, the DPRK has been ruled with utter totalitarianism by a succession of three […]
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Remembering the earthquake in Haiti five years ago today
January 12th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Exactly five years ago today, the people of Haiti suffered a terrible earthquake that registered a catastrophic 7.0 on the moment magnitude scale. What was the result and what has happened since? The death toll will never be known but estimates vary between 90,000-300,000. The number of people displaced was around 1.5 million. A cholera epidemic […]
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#jesuischarlie – remembering the Paris victims
January 8th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Charlie Hebdo editor and cartoonist Stephane “Charb” Charbonnier, 47 Cartoonists Jean “Cabu” Cabut, 76, Bernard “Tignous” Verlhac, 57, Georges Wolinski, 80 and Philippe Honore, 73 Economist and regular magazine columnist Bernard Maris, 68, known to readers as Uncle Bernard Mustapha Ourrad, proof-reader Elsa Cayat, psychoanalyst and columnist, the only woman killed Michel Renaud, who was visiting from the […]
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How concerned should the world be about North Korea?
January 7th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
There is a tendency – perhaps encouraged by the recent comedy movie “The Interview” – to treat North Korea as a bit of a joke. But it poses a serious threat to South Korea and the wider world, as underlined by today’s item in the “Guardian” newspaper: “South Korea has claimed that North Korea has […]
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A satellite picture of North Korea by night – notice anything?
January 5th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Except for the capital Pyongyang, the nation is in darkness – a total contrast to South Korea below or China to the left or Japan to the rightI’ve just started to read a book I was given for Christmas: “North Korea” State Of Paranoia” by Paul French. I’m hoping I’ll learn more about why North […]
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A short guide to the Chinese political system
December 24th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Over the past three months, I have lectured to no less than five visiting delegations from China, explaining the nature of the British political system. I have emphasised the uniqueness of the British model and compared it with other democratic systems, pointing out that I have guides to the political systems of 12 nations on […]
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Cuba comes in from the cold – at last
December 18th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
As a friend of and visitor to both the United States and Cuba, I am really pleased that, after 54 years, we have the news of a planned normalisation of relations between the two countries. When I had a holiday in Cuba almost seven years ago [my account of the trip here], Fidel Castro had […]
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What now for Russia? Three possible scenarios to resolve the current crisis. None of them is attractive, some are dangerous.
December 17th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Commenting on the sharp rise in interest rates in Russia, Anastasia Nesvetailova, Professor of International Political Economy at City University London, says: “In the middle of last night, the Russian Central Bank made a desperate attempt to shore up support for the rouble, a move that is unlikely to save the currency or the economy […]
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