Human Rights
Moi Aussi: French Literature and Culture in the Age of #MeToo
The criminal charges leveled against Gabriel Matzneff seem long overdue.
Europe
Europe
Ignoring a Baby’s Cries: Building a Better Naval Mission in the Mediterranean
On August 24, 2015 at 4:15 am, aboard a small German ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, a baby named Sophia was born. Her Somali mother had been rescued as part of the EU’s ENUAFOR MED Task Force [https://www.operationsophia.eu/about-us], primarily intended to
Europe
France’s Yellow Vest Movement and the Global Debate on Climate Change
On November 17, 2018, 290,000 demonstrators from around France began [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/yellow_vests] what would be the first of many protests against French President Emmanuel Macron’s carbon tax hike. Known as the “Yellow Vests,” these demonstrators took the world’s center
Law & Diplomacy
Russia & Democratic Backsliding: The Future of Putinism
During the 20th century, capitalism and communism engaged in a global, existential face-off. The Cold War [https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8qnsbk/revision/3] saw these two systems pitted against each other in an effort to establish an international order. Ultimately, a liberal order emerged in the post-Cold
Law & Diplomacy
Upholding the Rule of Law: Will Poland Survive the Siege on its Judiciary?
After the fall of communism in Europe, many scholars and political analysts thought Poland had the best chances for a successful democratic transition. However, the Polish government of the modern era has taken a different path. The right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS), which assumed power after the 2015 elections,
Europe
Hypezig: Leipzig as the New Place to be?
Thirty years ago, Leipzig was in a sorry state. In stark contrast to what the German Democratic Republic (GDR) regime pushed through propaganda, a documentary [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_Ks_epzmRY] broadcasted on television depicting a derelict city crumbling to pieces shocked both Germans and the world.
Europe
The Death of the European Center-Left
Europe's center left faces a double threat from both the left and the right. How can the one-time stabilizing force of European politics avoid dying out?
Energy & Environment
Evolving Markets: LNG and Energy Security in Europe
LNG is reshaping European natural gas and energy relations — along with Transatlantic relations and the European balance of power.
Europe
Corruption in Western Balkan "Democracies"
On February 15, 2019, thousands of demonstrators marched in the streets of Belgrade, Serbia, calling for President Aleksandar Vucic’s resignation. “#1od5miliona” (1 in 5 million) decorated banners that spanned the crowd. The slogan was a snide counterattack against Vucic, who had once said that he would never give in
Interviews
On the Past, Present, and Future of Athens: Interview with Kostas Bakoyannis
Kostas Bakoyannis is the mayor of Athens, Greece. He also served as Governor of Central Greece (2014-2019) and mayor of his hometown of Karpenisi (2011-2014). Max Bahdanovich and Ben Roy of the HIR sat down with him after his keynote address at the Harvard Center for European Studies’ 50th anniversary
Education
We've Had ENAugh: The Decline of France's Political Finishing School
Emmanuel Macron. François Hollande. Jacques Chirac. What do three of the past four French presidents, a centrist, a leftist and a conservative, have in common? They were all educated at the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA), a French postgraduate school widely considered a pathway to the upper echelons [https://en.
Transportation
From Sea to Shining Sea: A Transcontinental Railroad for Eurasia
150 years ago, the American transcontinental railroad was completed, connecting the United States from sea to shining sea and ushering in a new era of connectivity and economic growth. Among other things, the railroad enabled rapid and relatively efficient commerce across the country, and allowed information to flow more freely,