Martes, 13 de septiembre de 2022 (Continuación)

Europa,

There’s a line from Shakespeare for any situation. “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” from his “Henry IV, Part II” is appropriate for King Charles III, as he takes up his long-awaited crown, and in exchange sets down his lifelong passions and causes. There’s a real pathos to that transition, especially on subjects such as climate change and the environment, where Charles has been not merely correct but a generation ahead of the curve.

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Long derided by critics as “the meddling prince” for his outspoken advocacy on matters of government policy, Charles now occupies a position in which — under the terms of Britain’s unwritten constitution — he is expected to express no opinions at all.…  Seguir leyendo »

Iraqi populist leader Muqtada al-Sadr delivering a speech in Najaf, Iraq, August 2022. Alaa Al-Marjani / Reuters

MundoOriente Próximo

On August 29, the Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced that he would withdraw from politics after months of failed attempts to form a new government. Thousands of supporters of the nationalist leader, who has emerged as a staunch opponent of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, surged into the streets in anger, clashing with Iraqi security forces, breaching concrete barriers around Baghdad’s Green Zone, and storming the seat of government. After dozens of people were killed, Sadr went on television and instructed his supporters to go home, easing—for the moment, at least—a political crisis that has paralyzed Iraq’s caretaker government for months.…  Seguir leyendo »

Taliban supporters celebrating the first anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 2022. Ali Khara / Reuters

MundoOriente Próximo

One year ago, the democratic government of Afghanistan collapsed. The humiliating evacuation of U.S. military forces and civilians as well as roughly 100,000 Afghans remains a sore spot for Washington and its allies. The Taliban regime has ruled the country ever since. Levels of violence throughout the country have been dramatically reduced—but so, too, have the rights of women, the freedom of the media, and the safety of those who supported the overthrown democratic government. Questions about the new state of affairs abound. Should the international community recognize the Taliban? Will the Taliban moderate themselves? Can diplomacy or sanctions compel them to do so?…  Seguir leyendo »

LONDON - FEBRUARY 29: Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she opens the refurbished East Wing of Somerset House, on February 29, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Eddie Mulholland - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

EuropaReflexionesTestimonios,

Just six words in the brief, bald statement from Buckingham Palace really brought the news home. "The King and The Queen Consort", it announced, would be spending the night at Balmoral before journeying to London. Even more than the key statement of Elizabeth II's death on Thursday, these six words told the world that an era had ended.

For 70 years, the British people have grown used to singing "God Save the Queen". To sing "God Save the King" will catch in the throat for some time to come. Flags, coins, banknotes and stamps across the UK will soon look different and senior lawyers who were honored to be appointed "Queen's Counsel" are rushing to order new stationery -- they are "King's Counsel" now.…  Seguir leyendo »

ReflexionesNaturaleza,

Will our species still exist in a thousand years? Humans have been pootling around on this planet for a tiny slice of its existence, so it stands to reason that at some point in the future, it will be game over for our descendants.

If our time is up long before 3022, then it would be reasonable to assume that the world would not look so very different from today. The atmosphere would be cleaner, of course, in the absence of fossil fuels being burned. The landscape would be a lot greener too, with forests, flowers and weeds reclaiming cities and towns—nature takes back its territory once people disperse or disappear.…  Seguir leyendo »

The Radical Constitutional Change Britain Needs

Europa

Just over a century ago, Lytton Strachey, a literary lion of the Bloomsbury Group, tried to sum up the impact of Queen Victoria’s death. She had succeeded in her 63-year reign in becoming profoundly “familiar”, he wrote, occupying “with satisfying ease a distinct and memorable place”. Consequently, when Victoria died in 1901, Strachey went on, it seemed to many — and not just in the United Kingdom — a “monstrous reversal of the course of nature”, a breach in the “whole scheme of things”.

Much the same might be said of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Both women came to the British throne young, though Elizabeth beat Victoria in the longevity stakes, reigning for over 70 years.…  Seguir leyendo »

Un tramo seco del río Jialing, un importante afluente del río Yangtsé, en Chongqing, China. Stringer/EPA vía Shutterstock

MundoAsiaReflexionesNaturaleza, ,

El mes pasado viajé con mi esposa y mi hija de cinco años para ir a acampar desde nuestra casa en el suroeste de China.

Nuestro destino era una región de la provincia de Sichuan en la que ríos de agua clara bajan de los Himalayas por entre valles estrechos antes de irrigar las fértiles tierras bajas que ayudan a alimentar al país más poblado del mundo. Mi hija, Evelyn, aprendió a nadar el año pasado y estábamos deseosos de zambullirnos en las frescas y espectaculares pozas de las montañas.

Lo que pasó más bien fue que nos encontramos con una prueba atroz de las consecuencias del cambio climático causadas por la histórica ola de calor en China este verano: paisajes devastados, ciudades paralizadas y poblaciones llevadas al extremo.…  Seguir leyendo »