Has Modi Failed in His Promises to India?
Article by William Samir Simpson | Illustration by Niccolò Cedeno In recent months, the Indian farmers’ protest has been covered prominently by both Indian and foreign media outlets, with at least 250 million workers taking part in a nationwide general strike as an objection to a series of...
What it takes to be resilient: the Pandemic, the Parliament and Us
Article by Alessandro Zerbini | Illustration by Matilde Morri Euphemistically speaking, 2020 has been a year of great adaptation. Individually and collectively, we have had to accept and adapt to different rhythms and behaviours, and hardly any realm of our societies has been spared from this revolution. Parliaments are...
Dealing with the ageing of the Old Continent to prevent a European Collapse
Article by Laura Governi | Illustration by Niccolò Cedeno For decades now, Europe has been facing an alarmingly low birth rate and the concurrent aging of its population. Scholars have argued that these trends could provoke the collapse of the economy. Are we equipped to work on the necessary...
No need for successors
Article by Angelachiara Allegretti | Illustration by Tommaso Bisagni On June 25, Russia went to the polls to vote in a national referendum on the controversial amendments to the country’s constitution. The referendum, originally scheduled for April 22, was postponed to June 24 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Voting...
Are Americans running in circles? A glance to Civil-Rights Movements in the United States
Article by Laura Governi | Illustration by Viola Bartoli “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.” (Martin Luther King Jr.) It was December...
Senatores boni viri, senatus mala bestia? Nine simple ways to improve parliamentary ethics
Article by Alessandro Zerbini | Illustration by Chiara Zilioli The Latins had catchy wisdom pills for everything. One of the most bizarre of these sayings went, ‘senatores boni viri, senatus mala bestia’. In modern-day English, this quote roughly translates into a curious clarification: senators are good people, it is...
The nightmare of domestic violence in Russia
Article by Angelachiara Allegretti | Illustration by Matilde Morri These months have been very frustrating for everyone, the lockdown has forced us to change our habits, our lives, and the relationship with the neighbor, staying home was the only way to be safe. However, for many, the lockdown has...
Hong Kong is dying, but has it ever been given a chance to live?
Article by Laura Morazzini | Illustration by Silvia Baccanti “No other concept is as powerful, visceral, emotional, unruly, as steep in creating aspirations and hopes as self-determination.” (Wolfgang Danspeckgruber) It’s official. While the rest of the world was busy fighting covid-19 and while social distancing made protests less likely,...
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...