Bolivia: military coup or democratic triumph? Bolivia’s Morales steps down, seeks asylum in Mexico
Bolivia’s president Evo Morales stepped down on Sunday over protests against his increasingly autocratic rule. The military of Bolivia had issued an ultimatum for Mr Morales to withdraw from office. He has since accepted a Mexican asylum offer and left Bolivia for that country. Mr Morales had been running in [...]
On the other side of the Atlantic: Brexit, Flextension and Elections
This week we've been reading even more about Brexit, as the drama goes into the next round. On Tuesday, the UK parliament supported a law that makes it possible to hold an election on Dec 12, the first December election since 1923. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked parliament to [...]
Recently in the News: Violence over fuel subsidies in Ecuador quiet down after deal
Ecuador has been shaken by violent protests after the government announced that it would cut fuel subsidies as part of a larger austerity package negotiated with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, to secure a $ 4.2 billion loan. Prices for diesel fuel more than doubled, with gas prices rising as [...]
New CUNY scholarship on far-right strategies in France
How does the far-right French party Front National (FN) frame terrorist attacks in their attempt to justify its anti-immigrant agenda? In a new paper, published in the journal Nations and Nationalism, CUNY political scientist Rachel D. Hutchins and Daphne Halikiopoulou from the University of Reading (UK) show that the FN [...]
Presidential Elections in Afghanistan – disappointment or a sign of hope?
9.7 million registered voters were called to elect the new Afghan president on Sunday, September 29. Against the backdrop of massive threats from the Taliban, turnout reached a historic low, with only 2 million voters participating in the elections. Despite the Taliban’s threat, violence was mostly small-scale, with the death-toll [...]
Crisis in Peru – Standoff between President and Parliament
Peru has been plunged into its deepest political crisis in three decades after the country’s President, Martín Vizcarra, dissolved Congress, the legislative assembly, on Monday, Sep 30. Congress then moved to suspend the president. In an unexpected turn of events, the Vice-President of Peru, Mercedes Aráoz, who had been sworn [...]