The signing of a deal to halt the violence in the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus may have brought a six-week breathing space to the troubled region. But there is already evidence that the ceasefire, while warmly greeted by Azerbaijanis, has been roundly rejected in Armenia, whichContinue Reading
As soon as the major American broadcast networks announced Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as winners of the US election on November 7, congratulations poured in from around the world. In the ensuing days, the new president-elect began speaking on the phone with leaders of some of America’s most traditionalContinue Reading
“Make America great again” and “taking back control” shared both principles and principals. “I am increasingly admiring of Donald Trump,” Boris Johnson said; Trump said of Johnson: “They call him ‘Britain Trump’.” It followed, for Donald, that “this is the right time for Boris”. The time was right in thatContinue Reading
There was a collective sigh of relief across the world as President-elect Joe Biden made his victory speech. In Ireland, that relief was accentuated both by Biden’s Irish ancestry and, more importantly, by his position on Brexit. Biden is adamant that any post-Brexit trade deal must not compromise peace inContinue Reading
As in much of the developed world, the US media is in an existential crisis. For more than a decade, dwindling advertising revenue and threats to the authority and legitimacy exacerbated by the rise of digital and social platforms is putting relentless pressure on mainstream news organisations. As president, DonaldContinue Reading
Motortion Films/Shutterstock Try to imagine for a moment, if you can, how it must feel to be so scared for your life that you are forced to flee your home and seek asylum in another country. Now imagine you are pregnant while doing this. You might hope that when youContinue Reading
Shutterstock/rafapress In both the lead up to and the immediate aftermath of the US presidential election, President Donald Trump made claims of voter fraud and a rigged election, using all channels available to him, including Twitter. Despite the apparent lack of evidence for these accusations, they have arguably influenced theContinue Reading
Inspiring/Shutterstock For over two decades programmes like The Daily Show, a political news satire production, have positioned themselves as the antidote to a cable news landscape favouring partisan theatrics and politics served as entertainment. While their content isn’t news in the traditional sense, TV satire shows have had the freedomContinue Reading
If crises bring with them new opportunities to think afresh, then the combined impact of Brexit and COVID has been to focus attention on the capacity and structure of the British state. This rethinking is increasingly framed in terms of “smart government”. Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s chief adviser, isContinue Reading
Such has been the drama of the 2020 US election and its aftermath that opportunities for reflection have been in short supply. The BBC’s Today programme tried gamely to fill the gap providing two minutes of space for James Naughtie to ruminate on the election. But how would veteran BBCContinue Reading
