A potential “Grexit”. Terrorism. Security threats. The specter of uncertainty continues to loom over the European Union as the migrant crisis increases tensions between member nations. And yet, each pressing issue presents an opportunity—a critical window for change. Tragic events and adversity tend to reveal themselves as key players in relationships, possibly strengthening ties, possibly … Read more
Of late, newspapers have been saturated with heart-breaking images of the plight of African and Middle Eastern refugees stumbling ashore several Greek islands under the banner “The Refugee Crisis.” Yet while recent events have obviously represented a humanitarian disaster for the desperate migrants, the crisis to which many Europeans refer is in fact how they … Read more
Le Front National. United Russia. Jobbik Hungary. Golden Dawn. These are the names of just a few of the active and increasingly popular nationalist parties in Europe. Once considered unpopular and offensive remnants of the continent’s troubled past, these political groups have reemerged as the voice of a growing population in Europe. Their policies rely … Read more
The European Union is currently embroiled in a refugee crisis poised to test its member states’ commitments to internationalism and liberal democracy. According to Frontex, the agency in charge of guarding the EU border, to date in 2015 over 340,000 migrants have attempted to cross into Europe, triple the number who attempted migration in 2014. … Read more
This is not the first time in history that Europe has been forced to come to grips with an urgent and overwhelming refugee crisis. Nor, as it turns out, is it the first time that refugees have been slandered with xenophobic hate speech and broadly stroked suspicion. In 1933, T.S. Eliot proclaimed to an audience … Read more
On July 23, Turkey formally entered the American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, granting the United States and its allies access to strategic airbases within its border with Syria and initiating its own air and artillery strikes to secure its southern border. While some have hailed the agreement as a milestone in the effort against … Read more
November 24, 2014: Kurdish Peshmerga loyal to the Kurdish Democratic Party advance upon ISIS militants lying in wait in Kharabarut, Iraq. They manage to take the city—temporarily. The KDP forces soon face an aggressive ISIS counterattack and decide to retreat to avoid any losses. Meanwhile, a nearby unit of Kurdish fighters loyal to the Patriotic … Read more