While the closing of borders to refugees in Europe and West Asia could be interpreted as proof that national borders are more important now than ever, the sheer numbers of refugees make strengthening borders a severely inadequate solution.
Elections in Denmark in June have brought a right-wing coalition to power. These poll results reflect a trend across Europe of the rise of right-wing parties that are tapping into anti-immigrant sentiment and Islamophobia, both portrayed as responsible for a declining economy. It is time for Europe to stop blaming the victims and introspect
In the exceptionally divisive general election on May 7 in the UK, no party is expected to win a majority. Smaller parties like the SNP are fragmenting votes and another coalition may emerge, or the Conservatives-Liberal Democrats or Labour may seek outside support. With the Scotland issue adding to the divisiveness, the post-poll scenario is precarious
The year 2014 will witness elections in some of the biggest countries including India, Brazil and Indonesia. Like in India, the participation of youth voters is likely to be an important determinant in the outcome of the elections. Gateway House examines the presence of issues common to India and the major countries going to the polls in early 2014
R. Viswanathan, Distinguished Fellow, Latin America Studies, Gateway House, has been following the movements in Ukraine and Venezuela closely. In this interview, he explains the parallels and the impact on Venezuela
The recent elections in the Czech Republic resulted in no party winning a majority. However, two newly-formed parties have been elected to the lower house. As the parties try to form coalitions, Ambassador Jaromir Novotný blogs about the voting pattern and the significance of this election for the country
The debut of the Aam Aadmi Party must not cloud the reality that even after a movement transitions into a party, it still has to play the game of hard politics. Anti-party parties such as the AAP make coalition-building more difficult, as was recently evident in Germany and Italy, and is now the scenario in Delhi
At a time when China has invested substantially in its space projects and Russia is invigorating its space exploration, India too must develop a strategically-designed programme. The successful launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission should give New Delhi enough reason to increase India’s space footprint
The recent UNSC Resolution, which mandates the complete destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons, demonstrates that after more than a year, a degree of international agreement on the Syrian issue has been possible. In the evolving situation, Russia will now emerge as a major player
It may take Chancellor Angela Merkel weeks to negotiate a new coalition, but the vote for stability means that change will only be at the margins of current domestic and foreign policy. Still, the fallout of the election in the EU and beyond, including in India, should not be underestimated