Posts tagged : "European Union"

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The French cultural center shuttered: What does cultural isolation mean for Iranians?

The French cultural center shuttered: What does cultural isolation mean for Iranians?

Kourosh Ziabari - Middle East Institute: At the start of January, Iran found itself embroiled in a new diplomatic spat. This time, the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo’s publication of cartoons pouring scorn on the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruffled feathers in Tehran, and the foreign ministry vowed decisive action to prevent future affronts to “religious authority.” Unlike in Iran, media in the West are not supposed to take orders from the state, and the Iranian foreign ministry’s rage directed at the French government was obviously misplaced. Nonetheless, the Islamic Republic was quick to launch its first retaliatory measure, announcing the closure of a...

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The Iranian passport is the biggest obstacle to citizens’ travel freedoms

The Iranian passport is the biggest obstacle to citizens’ travel freedoms

Kourosh Ziabari - The New Arab: In today's irreversibly globalised world, international travelling and mobility are not merely deemed a privilege, but a fundamental entitlement the informed and probing citizens of the 21st century assertively expect the governments to provide. To a large extent, the power of the passports people hold illustrates the standing of their countries in the community of nations, the shades of respectful treatment they receive while away from home, and in many cases, the boundaries of their freedoms and prerogatives. Last October, the London-headquartered global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners published its quarterly repertoire of the most desirable passports in terms of their...

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Iran’s hardliners working hard to revive the JCPOA

Iran’s hardliners working hard to revive the JCPOA

Kourosh Ziabari - Asia Times: Negotiations to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), popularly known as the Iran nuclear deal, which had come to a halt in June pending a power transition in Tehran, resumed in Vienna on November 29 for the first time in the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi, but after two rounds of intense haggling, the prospects for a breakthrough seem dim. Talks recommenced this week after a brief respite requested by Iran on Friday, December 24. Interlocutors involved in the delicate horse-trading have bluntly blamed the Islamic Republic for the current gridlock, unimpressed that the new negotiating team appointed by President Raisi has been making demands that breach the scope of the JCPOA...

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The European Union’s treatment of minorities is inept and inconsistent: Raymond Taras

The European Union’s treatment of minorities is inept and inconsistent: Raymond Taras

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: Although France has recouped some composure after the maelstrom ignited by the murder of Samuel Paty, a popular middle school teacher who had shown cartoons of Prophet Muhammad in his class on freedom of thought, the republic is still finding itself in the middle of an uncomfortable debate about the compatibility of secular values and Islam. The comments of President Emmanuel Macron who defended the reprinting of the controversial cartoons by the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, and his tongue-lashing of Islamic “separatism” and “radical Islam” sent shockwaves across the Muslim world and infuriated leaders and the general public in Islamic countries where huge crowds turned up for street protests and a...

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Major greenhouse gas emitters should address climate change: Jonathan Verschuuren

Major greenhouse gas emitters should address climate change: Jonathan Verschuuren

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: Facts about climate change are frightening enough to prod conscientious citizens of the 21st century into taking swift action to avert the tragedy which now looms large over their lives and survival. According to NASA data, the average global temperatures in 2019 were warmer than the entire 20th century average. Eleven percent of the world’s population, namely 800 million people, is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Global warming and extreme weather conditions are responsible for as many as 150,000 deaths annually. And despite the abundance of figures and studies pointing to the acuteness of the situation, there are leaders who irresponsibly call climate change a hoax and deny climate science...

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Impunity in the Yemen crisis is endemic, systematic and widespread: Ardi Imseis

Impunity in the Yemen crisis is endemic, systematic and widespread: Ardi Imseis

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: A convoluted conflict that has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the war in Yemen is now in its seventh year, with a staggering death toll of more than 100,000 and dire economic repercussions that have made life in the most impoverished Arab nation additionally painful. International efforts to extinguish the conflict have so far made little success and humanitarian assistance is supplied with great difficulty. Nearly 24 million Yemenis, constituting four fifths of the entire population, require urgent humanitarian aid. A child dies every 10 minutes due to malnutrition or disease, and the country’s health sector, reeling from a massive loss of human capital and demolition of infrastructure,...

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Glimmer of hope, compromise in Iran nuclear talks

Glimmer of hope, compromise in Iran nuclear talks

Kourosh Ziabari - Asia Times: After dragging their feet on how to kick off the elusive process of resurrecting the moribund Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iranian government and the Biden administration are now involved in a fresh round of diplomatic efforts to sew up the full compliance of all parties with the deal terms. The Austrian capital Vienna is hosting delegations from Iran and six world powers, moderated by the European Union, where shuttle diplomacy and painstaking negotiations to revive the debilitated Iran deal started on Tuesday and are expected to continue until Friday. Iran, the trio of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as China and Russia, meet at the Grand Hotel Vienna. The US...

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Brexit was a symptom of post-imperial melancholy in Britain: Anthony Reddie

Brexit was a symptom of post-imperial melancholy in Britain: Anthony Reddie

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: The celebrated anti-colonial nationalist and leader of the independence movement of India Mahatma Gandhi is credited with the famous quote “our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” Diversity is cherished as a universal value, and a wealth of academic studies have been carried out substantiating this conviction that proselytizing multiculturalism and inclusion yield astounding results in different political, social, cultural and economic endeavors. United Kingdom is a nation that has historically benefited from its demographic diversity, getting strength from the cultures and races that go to make up the modern Britain. In 2018, around 13.8 percent of...

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There is a legal vacuum when it comes to combatting Islamophobia in France

There is a legal vacuum when it comes to combatting Islamophobia in France

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: Racial and religious minorities account for a significant portion of the population of France. Owing to a long history of welcoming immigrants of different descents, it is one of the most cosmopolitan European nations. The first article of the Constitution of French adopted in 1958 unambiguously sets out the nation’s founding principle of universalism that promises protection and safety for all citizens regardless of their origin, race or religion. Reflecting the country’s time-hallowed tradition of secularism, collecting information about the citizens’ ethnicity and religious beliefs in national census has been prohibited since 1872, as it is believed to imply stigmatization. Therefore, there are...

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Brexit normalized xenophobia toward non-white, non-British people: Prof. David Gillborn

Brexit normalized xenophobia toward non-white, non-British people: Prof. David Gillborn

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: Multiculturalism is a treasured British asset, and people of diverse national, ethnic and religious backgrounds have historically contributed to the British society at the same time as benefiting from the economic, social and educational opportunities it has been offering to its residents equally. Some scholars assert that British multiculturalism has retreated, blaming the divisive Brexit debate for the regression of diversity in the United Kingdom; however, the country is still a conglomerate of citizens representing nearly every nation, racial group and faith in the world, living in harmony despite their differences. Some sources argue that the first wave of migrants to the contemporary British Isles...

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In Norway, Negative Attitudes Toward Muslims Are Still Widespread: Cora Alexa Doving

In Norway, Negative Attitudes Toward Muslims Are Still Widespread: Cora Alexa Doving

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: The World Happiness Report published by the United Nations in March this year identified Norway as the world’s third happiest country. The Scandinavian nation is doing remarkably well when it comes to key variables that influence well-being, such as income, freedom, trust, life expectancy, social support and generosity. One of the wealthiest nations in the world, Norway offers free education, public pensions and universal health care to its residents and has made exemplary accomplishments in tackling inequality, unemployment and illiteracy. Norway is seen as a model in the developing world, including in Western Europe and North America, given the remarkable strides it has made in becoming an...

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What Happens in Africa Matters in Europe: Interview with Amb. Ranieri Sabatucci

What Happens in Africa Matters in Europe: Interview with Amb. Ranieri Sabatucci

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: The African continent is home to 54 countries, more than 1.2 billion people and around 2,000 languages. Its challenges and success stories are as diverse as the breadth of its landmass. In terms of GDP growth, Africa is the world’s second fastest-developing region. A 2018 report by the Overseas Development Institute projected the continent’s real GDP growth at 3.9% annually until 2022. In 2010, Rwanda was named by the World Bank as the top reformer for business, and Mauritius ranked as the most prosperous African country in the 2018 Legatum Prosperity Index, ahead of economic giants like Nigeria and South Africa. Botswana, an emerging economy that has gained a reputation for transparency, holds...

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