A new plan for Palestine that may just work
BY DAOUD KUTTAB May 28, 2022 Source: Arab News The killing of Palestinian TV journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the appalling Israeli police assault on her funeral appear to have […]
Switzerland just overturned a referendum – there’s no reason we can’t do the same
Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk Letters The Independent Voices Now that the circumstances have changed, we deserve the right to have our say ( Alamy Live News. ) With […]
Swiss criticism: ‘The Brexit vote wasn’t direct democracy – it was drivel’
’ By Sibilla Bondolfi, Thomas Stephens This content was published on May 30, 2018 German subtlety: a Brexit float at a carnival parade in Düsseldorf in February (Reuters) The British referendum in […]
States make war, but war will not make new states
Columns Sinem Cengiz | Published — Saturday 28 October 2017 American political scientist and sociologist Charles Tilly argued that “war made the state, and the state made war.” He was referring to Europe’s violent history and the impact of war on state-formation on the continent. Tilly’s argument has started […]
Why referendums – like with Brexit, Kurdistan and Catalonia – are always doomed to fail
Referendums make public opinion easy to manipulate because what voters are being asked to assent to is most often wishful thinking and what they are opposing is a rag-bag of unrelated grievances Patrick Cockburn @indyworld Friday 6 October 2017 Brexit, Krexit and Crexit: Britain leaves the EU, Kurdistan declares independence […]
Iraqi Kurdish independence poll: How far will Turkey go?
By AFP – Sep 26,2017 – JORDAN TIMES A photographer takes photos as soldiers stand next to tanks bearing Turkish and Iraqi flags during a joint military exercise near the Turkish-Iraqi border on Tuesday (AFP photo) ISTANBUL — Turkey has reacted with unbridled fury to the independence referendum in Iraq’s […]
Turkey referendum: Erdoğan claims victory amid dispute over ballots – live updates
Turks narrowly vote in favour of president’s plan for sweeping constitutional changes, but opposition parties cry foul Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: is he a threat to Turkish democracy? LIVE Updated 2m ago Play Video Play Current Time0:00 / Duration Time2:49 Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% Fullscreen Mute Alexandra Topping Sunday 16 April […]
Switzerland: Controversial poster launched against naturalisation
‘DIRTY CAMPAIGN’ Controversial poster launched against naturalisation JAN 9, 2017 – http://www.swissinfo.ch The new poster appeared in railway stations on Monday (twitter) A rightwing poster campaign has been launched four weeks ahead of a vote on making citizenship easier for immigrants. A poster appearing in railway stations this week features […]
BREXIT EXPOSES THE FLAWS OF REFERENDUM DEMOCRACY
Most voters in most countries are ignorant of even the most basic political facts, let alone the social scientific theories needed to make sense of these facts. BY JASON BRENNAN ON 6/25/16 AT 10:00 AM Britain Votes Brexit: What Happens Now? This article first appeared on the Princeton University Press […]
Crimean crisis: Burkhalter and Putin discuss Ukraine solutions
Russian President Vladimir Putin has his eyes on Crimea (Keystone) swissinfo.ch and agencies March 12, 2014 – 19:49 Swiss President Didier Burkhalter, in his capacity as chairman of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about how to […]
Switzerland: June 9 votes: More stringent asylum rules set to be confirmed
by Urs Geiser, swissinfo.ch June 8, 2013 – 15:10 Voters have the final say this weekend whether a more restrictive asylum law introduced last autumn should be upheld. They also […]
Hollow victory (in Egypt)
Story Summary Although only half way through Egypt’s constitutional “referendum,” it seems that even if only a fraction of the charges against the process turn out to be accurate, the […]