Author: M Barbu

Special Analysises

Why is there a war in Syria?

A peaceful uprising against the president of Syria almost eight years ago turned into a full-scale civil war. The conflict has left more than 360,000 people dead, devastated cities and drawn in other countries. Even before the conflict began, many Syrians were complaining about high unemployment, corruption and a lack of political freedom under President Bashar al-Assad, who succeeded his father, Hafez, after he died in 2001. In March 2012, pro-democracy demonstrations erupted in the southern city of Deraa, inspired by the “Arab Spring” in neighbouring countries. When the government used deadly force to crush the dissent, protests demanding the president’s resignation erupted nationwide. The unrest spread and the crackdown intensified. Opposition supporters took up arms, first to defend themselves and later to rid their areas of security forces. Mr Assad vowed to crush what he called “foreign-backed terrorism”. The violence rapidly escalated and the country descended into civil war.

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Kevin Rudd on ‘an Infinitely More Assertive China’ Under Xi Jinping

“What we’ve seen is an infinitely more assertive China,” says Kevin Rudd, president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and former prime minister of Australia, in assessing the country’s evolution under Xi Jinping. As a result, Mr. Rudd is not surprised by how rapidly the consensus view of China has shifted, with strategic competition having replaced win-win cooperation as the buzzword in the capitals of Western and Asian democracies.

După modelul lui Putin, Erdogan şi-a făcut armată privată de mercenari pentru a reînvia gloria apusă a Imperiului Otoman şi pentru a se menţine la putere

Grupul militar privat Sadat, compus din mercenari şi format după modelul armatei private a liderului de la Kremlin, Wagner, este folosit de preşedintele Turciei în războaiele din Siria şi Libia, duse spun unii pentru restabilirea gloriei de altă dată a Imperilului Otoman.

Mali: vers une transition de deux ans sous la conduite des militaires?

La question est posée après l’avis donné par des experts nommés par les colonels. Leur proposition de deux ans figurerait dans la « charte de la transition » actuellement en discussion.

Qui va diriger la transition ? Cette question est au centre de la réflexion d’une centaine de responsables réunis à Bamako. La proposition qui leur a été faite ? Une transition de deux ans sous la conduite d’un président désigné par la junte, avant un retour des civils au pouvoir.

Le Mali est-il notre Afghanistan ?

En 2013, Paris intervenait militairement dans ce pays ébranlé par un putsch, en partie occupé par des djihadistes et miné par la corruption. Sept ans plus tard, un coup d’Etat vient de renverser le président, les terroristes sont encore actifs, et la corruption règne toujours en maître.

La France peut-elle quitter le Mali?

Quarante-cinq soldats ont été tués dans le cadre des opérations militaires françaises au Mali depuis 2013. Lourd bilan. Après le coup d’Etat du 18 août, l’armée française doit-elle rester ? Dans quelles conditions ?

Emergencies Make Awful Law: Why are Casinos Treated More Favorably than Churches During a Pandemic?

[T]he government may not discriminate against religion in general or any particular religion in particular. It need not exempt religious institutions or practitioners from rules that are generally applicable to similarly situated institutions or citizens, but it may not impose especially onerous rules on religion that limit its free exercise.