“Not guilty by reason of insanity.” Such a ruling in a modern court-of-law makes complete sense, even if some would argue that the bar for measuring insanity is rather unclear. It carries with it an understanding that we are not always responsible for our actions. In modern thought, we consider that […]
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Russia Respects International Law, But Won’t Let It Be Exploited For Lawfare
The recent amendments to the Russian Constitution confirm that domestic document’s precedence over international law, and while Russia still respects the latter, it won’t ever let it be exploited for “lawfare” like in the Yukos case. The Russian people overwhelmingly voted over the summer for a series of amendments to […]
Arbitrariness And Censorship Are Back In The West
When we founded the Voltaire Network in 1994, our first concern was to defend freedom of expression in France, and then around the world. Today, however, this concept is, in our view, distorted and fought against. We will therefore try to define this ideal further. The circulation of ideas experienced […]
China’s Mission To Nepal Gains Traction
There can be no two opinions that China has huge stakes in Nepal’s stability. The leitmotif of the visit to Kathmandu by the delegation from the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee led by the vice-minister of the international department of the Central Committee Guo Yenzhou needs no explanation. Historically, external […]
Who Gains From Misportraying Russia As A Rogue Regime?
The push by Western forces and those sympathetic to them to misportray Russia as a “rogue regime” after this summer’s Navalny incident is meant to pave the way for a more comprehensive sanctions policy against the Eurasian Great Power and intensify multilateral efforts to “contain” it. The Western press has […]
The Spanish Conquistadors And The First Genocide In Modern History (I)
The Portuguese and Spanish overseas voyages of discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries heralded a new era in global history. At the end of the 15th century, the main seafaring peoples of the globe have been separated not only by great expanses of the uncharted sea but as well […]
The Julian Assange Pardon Drive
The odds are stacked against Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks publisher who faces the grimmest of prospects come January 4. On that day, the unsympathetic judicial head of District Judge Vanessa Baraitser will reveal her decision on the Old Bailey proceedings that took place between September and October this year. Despite […]
The NDAA, Trump And Vetoing The Military Industrial Complex
For decades, the National Defense Authorization Act has been the lifeblood of the US imperium, guaranteeing a flow of money across the military. A better term for such a bill would use the word offence in it, but lawmakers and industry lobbyists find that granting reserves of cash is better […]
Russian & Iranian Experts Finally Discussed Their Differences Over Syria
The Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Institute for Iran-Eurasia Studies (IRAS) published a joint report addressing their nations’ differences over Syria which finally breaks the taboo about openly discussing them and will hopefully inspire more regular expert interactions on these important issues. Breaking The Taboo It had hitherto […]
US Risks Confrontation With Russia
The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov remarked last week that Moscow expects nothing good in relations with a “deeply hostile” US under the incoming administration of Joe Biden. He further said in an interview with the Interfax published Wednesday, “We are heading from bad to worse. The next US […]
Never Belonging: George Blake’s Spy Exploits
Filling the espionage ranks with legions of the non-belonging comes with its share of risk. The process is counter-intuitive, putting stock in skill and aptitude above the potential compromise of loyalty and divergence. Eventually, such a recruit might find a set of closely guarded principles. The son of a Sephardic […]
Christmas And The Humility Of Yahweh
To really appreciate and understand the Old Testament, one needs to place it in the religious and cultural context of the Ancient Near East. Having done this, one can then see how much the Old Testament shares with that world and also how much it differs. Take, for example, the […]
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