Pandemics and conspiracy theories: what can we learn?
Article by Laura Morazzini | Illustration by Francesco Moretti -”See here? It says it’s a virus created by China in a lab” – ”It’s rather Northern upheavals’ fault”. ‘’In times of social stress in general, and in the throes of a devastating epidemic in particular, conspiratorial explanations of events...
Why COVID-19 and social discriminations are killing minorities in the US
Article by Matilde Monteleone | Illustration by Francesco Moretti At the end of March, the Governor of the State of New York defined COVID-19 as “the great equalizer”. But is that really so? Although the virus transcends national borders, not everyone is vulnerable in the same way. In particular,...
Abuse of emergency clauses: a Swiss perspective
Article by Nadine Boss | Illustration by Armadilly Comics In a vast majority of countries severely affected by Covid-19, the executive currently enjoys almost infinite power. National constitutions normally contain a so-called “state of emergency clause”, that allows the government to temporarily suspend its obligations in a time...
Goodbye, Bernie: what now?
Article by Matilde Monteleone | Illustration by Guido Brualdi After the defeats in Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, and especially in Michigan and Washington, and the decisive ones in Florida (22.8%), Illinois (36.12%) and Arizona (32.9%); on April 8, Senator Bernie Sanders announced the withdrawal of his Democratic nomination...
The importance of the lesser evil: why world politics still needs Kim Jong-un
Article by Laura Morazzini | Illustration by Guido Brualdi For two weeks, the world held its breath. On April 15 Kim Jong-un’s absence at the celebration for his grandfather’s birthday didn’t go unnoticed and sparked rumours about Kim’s possible demise. His reappearance on May 2 relieved some observers...
Two steps forward, one step back: stocktaking from the last Eurogroup meeting
Article by Alessandro Zerbini | Illustration by Silvia Baccanti “Too early to say”, Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai is quoted saying in a conversation with US President Richard Nixon when asked about the impact of the French Revolution. One of history’s most appreciated misunderstandings –the Chinese politician was...