Section: The Conversation (USA)
Despite scepticism, Europe has high vaccination rates – but it shouldn’t be complacent
Luiscar74/ShutterstockIf news stories are anything to go by, Europe is performing poorly when it comes to vaccination – and the “anti-vaxxer” is to blame. In Britain, public memory still persists of the infamous measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) controversy, arising from a now debunked 1998 Lancet article about a link to autism. MMR vaccine uptake...
The fate of Europe will depend on the winner of the French presidential election
The results of one of the most divisive and unpredictable presidential contests in recent French history, which saw early frontrunner, the conservative François Fillon, laid low by a corruption scandal and judicial investigation; a late surge by Jean-Luc Mélenchon the far-left firebrand who wants to take France out of the European Union and NATO;...
Friday essay: King, Queen and country – will Anzac thwart republicanism?
Queen Elizabeth II meets with Australian Defence Force personnel and veterans at the Australian War Memorial in 2011. Graham Tidy/AAPOn the morning of 16 February 1954, Charles Bean and his wife Effie drove along Canberra’s Anzac Parade towards the Australian War Memorial. As their official car approached the building, crowds of onlookers...
Trump’s foreign policy is looking more traditional than he promised
UO Donald Trump campaigned to be a radical and disruptive president, and not just on the domestic front. His views on America’s role in the world suggested he would drastically re-orient the country’s global economic and political priorities, turning away from the US’s traditional superpower role. Many observers expected his...
The Kremlin has its watchful eyes set on the French elections
Vladimir Putin, here with French President Francois Hollande, has big plans for Europe. Kremlin Press Office, CC BY-SAThe Ukrainian crisis, from the Maidan protests and the annexation of Crimea to the violent conflict in Donbass, has led to an unprecedented deterioration of relations between Russia and the West. As early as 2014, the West imposed...
Why Putin is shy about celebrating the centenary of the Russian revolution
Celebrating 100 years. ShutterstockThis year marks the 100th anniversary of the Russian revolution. It began in February 1917 and reached a climax eight months later in October when the Bolsheviks seized power. A year of enormous significance in the nation’s history, it has so far received little attention in 2017. It seems to be proving...
What does Russia want from Donald Trump?
There are several explanations for why relations between Russia and the United States having been in decline since 2010, from Russia’s increasingly aggressive postures (especially regarding Ukraine) to US support of regime-changing revolutions (especially during the Arab Spring). The fact is, we are quite far today from the the “reset...
French election: where the candidates stand on foreign policy
The first round of the French presidential elections will take place on April 23. Foreign policy has traditionally played a central role during presidential campaigns, but this has not been the case this time around. This can partly be explained by the unusually high number of candidates (11 in total), the fact that what matters to the French...
Reshaping NAFTA could be good for Mexico’s economy (and Brazil’s and Argentina’s, too)
Among other threats targeting Mexico during his election campaign, US President Donald Trump harshly criticised the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a 23-year-old tripartite deal that removed tariffs and significantly increased commerce between Canada, the United States and Mexico. Renegotiation of the deal is likely to start late...
Cold War II? What history can tell us about the present
shutterstock/Everett Historicalk/Russia’s relationship with the West is on a knife edge, with multiple allegations of Russian involvement in the affairs of other countries. But are these the beginnings of “Cold War II”? And can Cold War history provide potential lessons for today’s politicians? As US secretary of state Rex Tillerson...
