In 2015, the European Union faced rising figures of people seeking refuge in Europe in an attempt to escape war, poverty and persecution. Images and accounts of families and children fleeing their homes in cramped and dangerous conditions across the Mediterranean put an increasing amount of pressure on governments and the EU to act fast […]
Angela Merkel
The 2017 German Election Results – The Majority for Merkel?
Whilst Brexit negotiations, snap General Elections and Trump’s latest blunder have been dominating British headlines in recent months, Germany’s media focus has been on its September federal election. With each lamppost, billboard and potential poster spot across German cities and rural villages alike pasted with multiple party adverts each attempting to sway the electorate, Germany […]
Germany’s burqa ban: Merkel securitises her re-election platform
It is undeniable that the intermittent terror attacks that have plagued Europe last summer have had a lasting impact on Europe’s political dynamics, namely that it has established a tense and somewhat sombre climate throughout Europe. Amidst this turbulent time, Germany has stood as a beacon. Angela Merkel’s open-door policy allowed nearly 2 million refugees into […]
All hail 2017?
The end of 2016 was welcomed with open arms across the globe. Defined by the unexpected victories of Donald Trump and Brexit, the world witnessed an unprecedented growth of populism. 2017 holds its own set of unknown possibilities. Elections across some of the most influential European countries all have the potential to continue and expand […]
The Pen from Penryn: Women In Power
Traditionally the discussion of gender and power has been fairly limited – patriarchy has been at the centre of global politics for over two thousand years. Fortunately though, it appears that this male-dominated sphere is finally beginning to change: Theresa May, Nicola Sturgeon, Angela Merkel, Hilary Clinton. In the west, women are winning the votes. […]
Second Thoughts: world leaders
By the end of the year, the four wealthiest countries in the Western World could all boast women as their leaders. The significance of this cannot be underestimated. We remain in a world where the patriarchal bravado of world leaders continues to flaunt itself. Long-time chauvinistic plutocrats like Russia’s Putin and Turkey’s Erdogan have, in […]
Why I owe it all to: Angela Merkel
With the release of Time’s ‘People of the Year’ earlier this month, there emerged the usual controversies. Many readers condemned the decision to place ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in second position, arguing that it demonstrated crass insensitivity to the extremist violence he has advocated. Meanwhile, Donald Trump demonstrated characteristic modesty at being runner up, […]
Can Angela Merkel pull this one off?
From inspirational stories of Germans helping those in need to terrifying reports of attacks by right-wing extremists, Germany’s response to the refugee crisis has ignited debate across Europe. But, how is the country really navigating the crisis? Helping hands across Germany In September 2015, 160,000 refugees were registered in Germany. For some, the figure was […]