Eugene Robinson

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Members of the Wagner Group stand on the balcony of the circus building in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday. (Roman Romokhov/AFP/Getty Images)

Europa, , , , ,

On Wednesday, a plane believed to be carrying Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, crashed in Russia. According to Russia’s Ministry of Emergency, all 10 people on board were killed.

Prigozhin made global headlines in June, when he took over a regional capital in Russia and sent a column of soldiers to Moscow. He called off the apparent coup in the making on the same day, sending his forces back to their barracks. He had seemingly struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin — but, as many commentators pointed out, that did not mean he was safe from reprisal by Russia or efforts to bring him to justice internationally.…  Seguir leyendo »

Supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro storm the country's legislature in Brasilia on Sunday. (Sergio Lima/AFP/Getty Images)

MundoAmérica,

What makes Sunday’s violence and destruction in Brasilia so deeply shocking is that we saw it here first. Instead of serving as a model of democracy, the United States has given the world lessons in denying election results and stoking popular disappointment into nihilistic rage.

It was impossible to witness the trashing of Brazil’s Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court and not immediately think of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Both uprisings followed presidential elections in which far-right populists refused to acknowledge their defeats. Both involved planning and organization. Both saw the desecration of buildings that are sacred symbols of national identity and pride — and vicious, bloody attacks against police officers struggling vainly to keep the peace.…  Seguir leyendo »

Morocco players celebrate after defeating Spain in a penalty shootout at the World Cup on Dec. 6. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

MundoOriente Próximo,

Soccer’s quadrennial World Cup, reaching its climactic stages this week in Qatar, demonstrates an inescapable, regrettable fact: “Sportswashing”, the use of athletic competition to shine up a tarnished image, almost always works.

There are good reasons Qatar should not be staging the planet’s biggest sporting event. According to the Justice Department, officials of soccer’s governing body, FIFA, were bribed to select the Persian Gulf petro-state as host. Qatar has a long record of human rights abuses, including horrific treatment of migrant construction workers, thousands of whom reportedly died building facilities for the tournament and other infrastructure. And holding the World Cup in late fall, when professional leagues are in midseason, instead of the summer — because of Qatar’s punishing heat — poses unnecessary risk of injury to the players.…  Seguir leyendo »

British Prime Minister Liz Truss outside 10 Downing Street in London on Thursday. (Stefan Rousseau/AP)

Europa

“I am a fighter and not a quitter!” British Prime Minister Liz Truss thundered Wednesday in the House of Commons. “I am resigning”, she said Thursday, in a less bombastic tone of voice. Let’s hope conservatives here and around the world learn a lesson about both policy and populism.

Truss’s announced departure after just 45 days apparently marks the shortest residence ever at 10 Downing Street. She made so many mistakes in so little time that it’s hard to list them all. But the most needlessly self-destructive was trying to impose simplistic right-wing economic policies that work only in theory, never in practice.…  Seguir leyendo »

Europa,

Hereditary royalty is a conceit, a fairy-tale illusion. But people in a host of countries still see it as a useful organizing principle, at least for culture and communal ritual. The question now is whether, in Britain, the phrase “modern monarchy” turns out to be an oxymoron.

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At Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in Westminster Abbey on Monday, the front rows were occupied by her fellow royals: The kings and queens of the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, the queen and crown prince of Denmark and other crowned heads most Americans would be hard pressed to recognize.…  Seguir leyendo »

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 »

Queen Elizabeth II sits on the sovereign's throne in the House of Lords chamber during the state opening of Parliament in London in May 2021. (Chris Jackson/AFP via Getty Images)

EuropaReflexionesTestimonios,

She was the last of her kind. It is safe to predict there will never be another monarch quite like Queen Elizabeth II, not in Britain, not anywhere in the world.

Elizabeth Windsor died Thursday just as she had lived throughout her long and eventful life — stoically, dutifully, regally. She passed away at 96, having reigned over the United Kingdom and a shrinking number of its former colonies for an incredible 70 years, longer than any other British king or queen.

She was born into a world where royalty still mattered. Her death, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, comes at a time when other European royals have either been cast out of their palaces or reduced to what British courtiers deride as “bicycle monarchs”, pedaling around Scandinavian capitals like ordinary citizens and trying not to be too much of a bother.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

No importa cuán indignante, irresponsable o traicionero pensaste que podía haber sido el comportamiento del entonces presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, el 6 de enero de 2021. En realidad fue peor. Mucho peor.

Ese fue el mensaje recalcado una y otra vez en la audiencia en horario estelar del comité selecto de la Cámara de Representantes del jueves pasado por la noche. Según el testimonio presentado por el comité, durante casi tres largas horas, mientras una turba violenta irrumpía en el Capitolio y perseguía al vicepresidente Mike Pence con intenciones homicidas, el presidente se sentó en su comedor privado de la Casa Blanca y vio como se desarrollaba el caos en un televisor sintonizado en Fox News.…  Seguir leyendo »

Europa, , ,

It’s hard for me to imagine how the war in Ukraine could be going much worse for Russian President Vladimir Putin. But it’s not at all clear that Putin would agree. And as baffling as his perspective sounds, it must be taken seriously.

What looked on paper like potentially a stroll through what was once the Soviet Union’s breadbasket has turned into a hard slog, with Russian advances on the ground now largely stalled, according to U.S. and British intelligence assessments. As the war enters its fourth week, Russia still has not achieved superiority in the air, much less the supremacy that would allow its aircraft to fly at will.…  Seguir leyendo »

Russian President Vladimir Putin during his annual news conference in Moscow on Dec. 23, 2021. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg)

Europa, , ,

Vladimir Putin’s brutal and tragic attack on Ukraine is about more than his own delusions of grandeur. It is also a lesson for the Russian people about what happens to those who insist on seeking Western-style democracy.

Putin has indeed looked like a madman this week, dressing down his national security team like Captain Queeg in search of his strawberries and addressing the world in a rambling, hour-long soliloquy full of made-up history and self-pitying paranoia. He falsely and absurdly accused Ukraine’s democratically elected government of “genocide,” using that canard as justification for the most massive military assault in Europe since World War II.…  Seguir leyendo »

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the House of Commons on Jan. 31. (Jessica Taylor/Uk Parliament/Handout/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Europa,

Not for the first time, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been unmasked and his true identity revealed: BoJo the Clown.

An official report released Monday confirms that while Britons were locked down under severe covid-19 restrictions, largely confined to their homes and prohibited from holding social gatherings, Johnson and his staff at 10 Downing Street were having alcohol-fueled parties. As far as Johnson is concerned, evidently, rules are for suckers.

“Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the Government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify”, said the report, compiled by Sue Gray, a senior civil servant.…  Seguir leyendo »

En esta foto de archivo del 6 de agosto de 2021, un hombre observa cómo los incendios forestales se acercan a la playa de Kochyli en la isla de Evia, al norte de Atenas, Grecia. (AP Photo/Thodoris Nikolaou)

ReflexionesNaturaleza

Se nos acabó el tiempo. Es tan sencillo como eso. Si el mundo tomara de inmediato medidas enérgicas y coordinadas para frenar el cambio climático, igual nos enfrentaríamos a un futuro de duras olas de calor, incendios forestales mortales e inundaciones devastadoras, y ese es el escenario optimista, según un nuevo informe alarmante de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU). Si, por otro lado, seguimos en este camino de medias tintas y negaciones en el que hemos estado estancados desde que los científicos sonaron la alarma por primera vez, el escenario infernal que le dejaremos a nuestros nietos será irreconocible.…  Seguir leyendo »

Coco Gauff hits tennis balls into the stands after winning her qualifying match for the Citi Open against Maegan Manasse at the Rock Creek Tennis Center on July 27, 2019, in Washington. (Marlena Sloss/The Washington Post)

MundoAsia,

The bad news is that the Tokyo Olympics, which history will surely remember as “The Coronavirus Games”, are off to a calamitous start. Worse, the opening ceremonies don’t even take place until the end of the week.

The difficulty — or perhaps the insanity — of bringing thousands of athletes, coaches, trainers and support personnel from around the world into a tight cluster during a global pandemic, in a mostly unvaccinated country, has already become obvious. Those of us who love the Olympics have to worry that things may go downhill from here.

An alternate for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, which is expected to win a chest-ful of medals, tested positive for the coronavirus while training in Inzai City, near Tokyo, organizers announced Monday.…  Seguir leyendo »

Simone Biles durante las pruebas de gimnasia olímpica femenina de Estados Unidos el viernes 25 de junio de 2021 en St. Louis. Tras el retraso por la pandemia de COVID-19, los Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio 2020 comienzan el 23 de julio de 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

MundoAsia, , ,

El famoso lema olímpico, traducido del latín, es “más rápido, más alto, más fuerte”. A los juegos de Tokio, que comenzarán con la ceremonia de inauguración del 23 de julio, deberíamos agregarle una cuarta exhortación: más silencioso.

Mucho más silencioso. De hecho, los organizadores anunciaron el jueves 8 de julio que ningún espectador podrá acceder a los eventos a realizarse en la capital japonesa y sus alrededores. La decisión se tomó tras el anuncio del primer ministro japonés, Yoshihide Suga, de decretar a Tokio en estado de emergencia debido al aumento de las infecciones de COVID-19 provocadas por la peligrosa variante delta.…  Seguir leyendo »

Un grupo de migrantes se detiene cerca del Río Grande antes de cruzarlo, cerca de El Paso, Texas, el 5 de febrero de 2021. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)

MundoAmérica,

El anteproyecto del gobierno del presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, para la reforma migratoria ya está recibiendo críticas por ser considerado demasiado ambicioso como para tener alguna posibilidad de ser aprobado en el Congreso. Pero el audaz plan tiene algo enorme a su favor: en verdad intenta abordar la realidad.

El presidente Biden propone un camino hacia la ciudadanía para las aproximadamente 11 millones de personas migrantes indocumentadas que se encuentran en la actualidad en el país, que siguen las leyes y no se meten en problemas. En lugar de darle vueltas al asunto, Biden pide una solución integral, similar a la amplia amnistía que el presidente Ronald Reagan diseñó en 1986.…  Seguir leyendo »

Una explosión causada por una munición policial mientras los partidarios del presidente de los Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, se reúnen frente al edificio del Capitolio en Washington, el 6 de enero de 2021. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

MundoAmérica, ,

Seamos claros: lo que sucedió el miércoles 6 por la tarde en el Capitolio de Estados Unidos fue un intento de golpe de Estado, incitado por un presidente sin ley que intenta desesperadamente aferrarse al poder y alentado por sus cínicos facilitadores republicanos en el Congreso.

Quizás era inevitable que el mandato caótico e incompetente del presidente Donald Trump terminara entre disturbios y gases lacrimógenos. Desde que el general británico Robert Ross le prendió fuego a la residencia del presidente y al edificio del Capitolio, en 1814, no habíamos visto una escena así en la ciudadela sagrada de nuestra democracia: una multitud enojada y desilusionada, llevada al frenesí por el propio Trump, que forzó su entrada hacia el Capitolio para interrumpir la certificación oficial de la derrota electoral de Trump.…  Seguir leyendo »

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, habla en la Casa Blanca el miércoles 4 de noviembre de 2020. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

MundoAmérica,

Si el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, termina perdiendo la elección —como parece que sucederá—, la pregunta es qué tanto más daño puede hacer antes de que lo saquen a rastras de la Casa Blanca entre pataletas (o aspavientos). A juzgar por su comportamiento este jueves, me temo que deberíamos esperar lo peor.

Primero tuiteó “¡PAREN EL CONTEO!”, luego “¡PAREN EL FRAUDE!”. Sus demandas fueron tan antidemocráticas como contraproducentes: en ese momento Joe Biden, el candidato demócrata, iba a la delantera en suficientes estados como para obtener los 270 votos del Colegio Electoral y, por lo tanto, la presidencia.

Simpatizantes rabiosos de Trump se reunieron obedientemente afuera de edificios donde se estaban contando votos en Filadelfia, Phoenix, Las Vegas y otras ciudades, exigiendo que se detuviera el proceso electoral.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

Al parecer, el presidente de los Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, pensó que podía evitar el juicio político usando mentiras y bravuconadas, pero estaba equivocado. Su lugar de deshonra en la historia ahora está casi asegurado.

El anuncio de la presidenta de la Cámara de Representantes, Nancy Pelosi, sobre el avance con artículos del juicio político era inevitable, y Trump no tiene a nadie a quien culpar más que a él mismo. Nadie lo obligó a intimidar a un gobierno extranjero para que lo ayudara en su intento de reelección. Nadie lo obligó a abusar del poder de la presidencia para beneficio personal.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica, ,

El presidente Obama debe de estar tentado de responder a sus críticos progresistas con una cita del rapero de la vieja escuela Kool Moe Dee: «¿Ya no soy tan molón?».

La derogación, tras una histórica votación en el Senado, de la intolerante y anacrónica política militar don't ask, don't tell relativa a los homosexuales en el ejército -una promesa de campaña que parecía escapársele de su alcance- no enmienda la relación entre Obama y el ala de izquierdas del Partido Demócrata. Pero es un estupendo punto de partida. Los progresistas necesitaban una victoria clara y contundente con la que aliviar el prurito de aquellas bajadas tributarias ampliadas a las rentas altas.…  Seguir leyendo »

ReflexionesTestimonios

Many performers can impress or delight, but only a few can astonish. Michael Jackson did it twice. The first time was October 1969, when the hit single "I Want You Back" introduced a cherubic 11-year-old boy who sang with unbelievable maturity, soulfulness and swing. The second was March 1983, when the prodigy -- now grown tall, thin and angular -- moonwalked through an electrifying "Billie Jean," leaving a national television audience slack-jawed at how effortlessly he defied the laws of physics.

Jackson's personal trajectory, though, was excruciating to watch. I've never put much stock in the idea that genius always devours those whom it favors.…  Seguir leyendo »