He was prime minister from 2003 to 2014 before initiating a constitutional referendum, creating a presidential system for him in 2014. Ball slapping happened 4 years into his prime minister government.

When fascism gains ground and democrats adjust their rhetoric, how much value does democracy and human rights have in our world?

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It’s begun. Elon Musk(ovitch) has already disseminated anti-Semitic and false information to his followers in a now-deleted Twitter post.

Right-wing ideologies have a pattern of shifting narratives, moving from targeting migrants to trans individuals and, historically, escalating to scapegoating Jews. It’s a repetition of history, infiltrating our tolerant societies with intolerance.

Stop supporting these ideologies at the polls. Speak out online. Don’t stay silent. The right appears stronger than it is when a few vocal individuals and bots freely spread their views online.

The political shift India has undergone under Modi is quite concerning. If the reports regarding the murder of the Sikh leader on Canadian soil are accurate, it’s reminiscent of actions one might associate with leaders like Putin.

Autocrats seem to use the same playbook…

Only valid answer. If there’s a valid document stating charity status, no other discussion is needed.

It certainly does in today’s global political landscape. Regrettably, we’ve reverted to a more conservative and pragmatic scenario where autocratic regimes are somewhat constrained by power dynamics.

As you may have observed, actors like Russia are disregarding international norms. Instead of pursuing diplomatic de-escalation, they’re spreading misinformation to exacerbate conflicts and disrupt international relations, particularly in Western regions, bro.

You are aware that China is currently the aggressor, and the US and Canada are showing symbolic strength with these maneuvers to support Taiwan?

I wouldn’t be surprise if Russias FSB is using money to create a bigger migration crisis to divide Europe in this matter.

I understand your point, but I respectfully disagree. An internal strife alone doesn’t necessarily lead to military action.

A military conflict involving Taiwan would have global implications, affecting regional stability and the world economy. Xi is fully aware of that and knows that his political power extends only as far as his economy remains stable. Looking at the last BRICS meeting, we see that China is eager to compensate for any economic embargoes with a stable structure and demand from its partners – which, as of today, is still a work in progress.

Furthermore, the Ukrainian war has shown, the West can swiftly mitigate major impacts on its economy (see Germany moving completely away from gas exports from Russia). China is aware of that too and knows that while devastating, the west will work closely together to compensate such an economic distaster and cut ties with China completly.

While the current situation requires vigilance and preparation for the worst, we can at least see that China remains in absolute need of its Western allies, and a military intervention would be a complete disaster, even for Xi.

That’s likely why he’s consolidating power by eliminating political opponents and critics, but history has shown that being blinded by power, as Putin is in the case of Ukraine, leads to devastation.

We can assume that Italy’s fascist party’s strategy of deterrence on its borders is not working. I hope that Italian voters can now see that the tough and cruel approach of Italy’s far-right and fascist parties is not effective.

This is a global issue that the entire EU needs to address, instead of relying on inhuman rhetoric and policies.

China still fears economic and military repercussions in the event of an invasion of Taiwan.

As long as its economy is ill due to current factors like inflation, banking instability, and the inflated real estate market, we can assume that a war would be an economic and political shock right now that even Xi might struggle to navigate.

Edit: for everyone disagreeing, every foreign expert is expecting a war, and even the current US deterrence (criticized here as escalation) is not enough for most experts.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/08/us-military-deterrence-china-taiwan-war-east-asia/

Not only that, they’ve capitalized on past crises to bolster their profits and jack up prices, playing a significant role in the artificial inflation we’re experiencing.

Absolutely, targeting activism towards the lifestyles of the rich is a crucial step in addressing the issue of higher CO2 emissions and climate change. It’s not about vilifying individuals, but rather recognizing that certain lifestyles contribute significantly to environmental harm.

Focusing solely on the lower and middle class isn’t the solution, as they are the ones who often bear the brunt of climate change impacts and economic adjustments. What might be considered “luxury” for them is often just basic necessities, and their livelihoods are directly affected by climate-related changes.

On the other hand, the elite and super elites can afford to make substantial changes to their lifestyles without sacrificing their basic needs. Cutting back on private flights, yachts, and excessive consumption won’t significantly impact their quality of life. Their choices to reduce their environmental footprint can send a powerful message and create a domino effect, encouraging positive change on a larger scale.

This doesn’t mean demonizing anyone; it’s about promoting awareness and responsibility. We need systemic changes, and these should start from the top down. By targeting the source of excessive consumption and promoting sustainable choices among the rich, we can create a more equitable and sustainable future for everyone.

Fortunately for Glukhovsky, he is not actually in Russia, and was sentenced in absentia. His current whereabouts are unknown.

I hate clickbait.

Interestingly, it’s still debated if it was necessary to drop not one but two awful bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

More left-wing positions argue Japan was already on the brink of surrendering. Here is one publication summing it up pretty well m:

As General Dwight Eisenhower said, Japan was at that moment seeking some way to surrender with minimum loss of face, and “it wasn’t necessary to hit them with that awful thing.”

Saving face meant for one part of the Japanese military to keep the Emporer untouched. On the other hand, the Japanese military, contrary to the Japanese government:

[…]wanted to keep not just the emperor but to avoid an Allied occupation, disarmament, and war crimes trials.[…] They were determined to fight a final, all-out “decisive battle” to bleed the United States invaders until the Americans sued for peace.

We can at least say, whether you agree with the necessity of the use of atomic bombs on Japan, that humankind never again should make use of an atomic bomb.

Here is a GIF to remember (and look up the NSFW version of it…

https://gfycat.com/flusteredartisticjanenschia

We are over the edge of no return.

We should stop begging for change and act now. Politics must hurt them with reforms, taxes, and the rule of law.

We cannot stop climate change now, but we can try to de-accelerate by fighting against big oil, corrupt politics, and billionaire newspapers supporting them.

We are somehow still not panicking and see that as a point of no return for climate change. These temperatures are still the lowest ones we will experience from now on.

Hopefully, some ignorant people or even climate change deniers will switch their positions and actually support green policies now.