ELfR Podcast: China, a counterweight to Russia or a threat to the West?
A discussion with China expert Enrico Fode As China tries to maintain a balance between Russia and the west, what are the likely scenarios in…
You may consider adapting to your new home country (and tolerating its inhabitants)
Extreme religious practices tend to attract comments, perhaps sometimes unpleasant – but so do all sorts of behaviours and attires to which society is not used at the moment. It…
Conspiracy theories
When you live in a totalitarian society, you learn to read between the lines and trust nothing at face value. You know that starting with your government all the way…
Boko Haram massacres and the media
Boko Haram has been busy these days, massacring whole villages, with hundreds or even thousands of victims. Some voices on social sites complain that we are dedicating so much time…
Mario Vargas Llosa: Las guerras del fin del mundo
Going back over Peruvian writer’s, Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa opinion piece in El Pais in Sept 2014 about democracy under attack from the new barbarians, I noticed that,…
Charlie: l’umma musulmane n’a pas à s’excuser, mais…
Ce n’est pas juste de demander à l’ensemble de l’umma musulmane de demander pardon ou de se désolidariser – mais s’ils ne participent pas à la lutte contre ces imbéciles…
FP: Je Suis Charlie (Until Je Get Scared)
Micheal Weiss in Foreign Policy: Je Suis Charlie (Until Je Get Scared) Michael Weiss gets it about right, except that he should mention that Charlie Hebdo published regularly much fiercer…
Whitewash these bloodstains, hurry up
Whenever there is an outrage, you can count on this kind of news story, social media post or comment: 1. Whitewashers and conspiracy theorists who claim that the victims shot…
Les Guignols de l’Info: Charlie Hebdo
Les Guignols de l’Info du 07/01/15 – Je suis Charlie