The Guardian (Continuación)

People watching an eruption at the Fagradalsfjall volcano 40km west of Reykjavík, Iceland, March 2021. Photograph: Jeremie Richard/AFP/Getty Images

Europa,

In July 2023, I followed a parade of people to what felt like a carnival on the Reykjanes peninsula, where three eruptions have taken place in the past three years. On the hill overlooking the volcano there was a photoshoot for a skin product, on the other side someone was making a music video and next to them two Chinese women were posing in evening gowns. Another couple had set up a table with a white cloth and were enjoying a romantic dinner. The air was buzzing with drones and helicopters and a leading tourist operator hoped the eruption would last into the autumn so he could offer volcanic northern lights tours.…  Seguir leyendo »

Rubber boots and candles in front of the Brandenburg Gate during a nationwide farmers' strike, in Berlin, Germany, 9 January 2024. Photograph: Clemens Bilan/EPA

EuropaUnión Europea

In my local area in rural Brandenburg, every village signpost offers the same harrowing sight: a pair of wellingtons dangling from the metal frame, often marked with a cross sprayed on to the green rubber. The boots started appearing just before Christmas after the German government, a coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals, announced that tax exemptions for farm vehicles and diesel would be scrapped. The boots are supposed to express the farmers’ current campaign of resistance as well as their longstanding grievances. The raw symbolism of the empty boots gets to me every time, no matter how politically wary I am of the protests.…  Seguir leyendo »

Angela Merkel, Jacques Delors and Helmut Kohl with a piece of the Berlin Wall, 2005. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock

EuropaUnión EuropeaUE a debate

With two wars raging on its borders, a world retreating from free trade and globalisation, strong migratory pressure on its southern shores, rising rightwing populist movements clamouring for national, not European, solutions and Donald Trump looming on the horizon, Europe is facing an extraordinary set of global challenges.

At the start of an election year that could also propel Eurosceptic nationalists into a strong position in the European parliament, the death of Jacques Delors, the most effective president the European Commission has ever had, reminds us of the era when EU integration made its greatest strides, delivering peace and increased prosperity for hundreds of millions of people.…  Seguir leyendo »

Sahra Wagenknecht at the launch of her new party Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Fairness in Berlin, Germany, 8 January 2024. Photograph: Bernd von Jutrczenka/AP

EuropaUnión Europea,

Germany’s favourite “firebrand politician”, Sahra Wagenknecht, has finally launched her long-awaited new party, the awkwardly named Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) – Reason and Fairness. After years of speculation, the German and some of the international media went into overdrive, predicting that the “leftwing conservative” party (Wagenknecht talks about combining job security, higher wages and generous benefits with a restrictive immigration and asylum policy) would “shake up” the German party system and “could eat into the far right’s support”.

But is a party led by Wagenknecht, a former member of the far-left Die Linke (The Left) party, really the “miracle cure” for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD)?…  Seguir leyendo »

Security forces and inmates after regaining control of a prison in Ambato, Ecuador, on 14 January 2024. Photograph: Ecuadorean Armed Forces/AFP/Getty Images

MundoAmérica,

A wave of attacks carried out by criminal organisations last week in Ecuador – epitomised by gunmen storming a television station live on air – has brought international attention to a security crisis that has been building for years. Ecuador has become one of the most murderous countries in what is already the world’s most homicidal region. The murder rate in the South American country has risen from five per 100,000 inhabitants in 2017 to 46 per 100,000 in 2023.

States of emergency, which establish curfews and permit military action in prisons, have been frequent in Ecuador in recent years. Its president, Daniel Noboa, innovated last week with the unprecedented declaration of a state of “internal armed conflict”.…  Seguir leyendo »

‘We will celebrate … peaceful transition of power, with graceful concession speeches, transparent voting, and efficient procedures.’ A DPP rally in Taipei. Photograph: Ng Han Guan/AP

MundoAsia,

On a gorgeous, sunny Saturday, Taiwan held its presidential election: 14 million people, or 72% of eligible voters, turned out to vote – my elderly parents among them. As with many families in Taiwan, ours is politically divided along generational lines, and we’ve had our share of screaming matches. But somehow, on voting day, we were at peace. “I’m proud of you”, I said, snapping a photo. And I meant it. We live in a democracy, and we all appreciate it. Afterwards, we lunched at a spot that had a particularly excellent three-cup chicken – and then, ice-cream.

My story is far from unique.…  Seguir leyendo »

A Typhoon takes off from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to to take part in airstrikes against military targets in Yemen. Photograph: Sgt Lee Goddard/MoD/AFP/Getty Images

MundoOriente Próximo,

Early on Friday, the US and Britain launched military strikes against more than a dozen targets in Yemen controlled by the Houthi militia. The strikes were in response to more than 25 attacks by the Houthis on shipping in the Red Sea since November – a campaign instigated by the militia after Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

Western leaders, and especially the US president, Joe Biden, insist that they want to reduce the risk of the war in Gaza spreading to other parts of the Middle East. But the US-led air and naval strikes on Yemen are the most significant expansion of the conflict since Israel launched its devastating assault on Gaza after the 7 October attacks by Hamas.…  Seguir leyendo »

Demonstrators at a ‘#MeToo unless you are a Jew’ protest outside the UN headquarters in New York City last month. Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

MundoOriente Próximo,

During the Hamas attacks of 7 October, Israeli girls and women – ranging from young children to elderly people – were subjected to gang-rape and humiliating sexual assaults. Some of their corpses were violated. Hostages who have been released have reported on sexual violence that they and other captives endured while being held in Gaza. We, as human rights advocates in the fight against gender-based violence and antisemitism, were deeply troubled – and remain so – by the slow response of international organisations, governments and civil society to these horrific occurrences.

Some groups initially hesitated, or posted and then retracted the information, citing the need for further evidence in a situation where obtaining such documentation is inherently challenging.…  Seguir leyendo »

‘Progressive parties today engage with a diverse range of voters.’ A food delivery worker in Rome, Italy. Photograph: Glenstar/Alamy

Europa

Over the past two decades, election results in western Europe have been framed within the narrative of a crisis of the left. Think of the near-implosion of the French Socialist party as a case in point. In 2022 the Socialist presidential candidate received less than 2% of the first-round vote, the worst presidential election result in the party’s history.

Beyond the ups and downs of specific elections, the performance of social democratic parties has, on average, been marked by a tremendous decline across western European democracies, from a vote share of nearly 40% to below 20%.

But fixating on the fate of social democratic parties alone is misleading: it overlooks the broader fate of progressive politics that prioritises the core principles of egalitarianism, inclusion and sustainability.…  Seguir leyendo »

The Galaxy Leader cargo ship, which is partly owned by an Israeli businessman, was hijacked by Houthi militia in November. Photograph: Houthi Military Media/Reuters

MundoOriente Próximo, ,

Since Israel launched its devastating assault and invasion of Gaza after the 7 October attacks by Hamas militants, the world has been anxious about the war spreading into a wider conflict that consumes the Middle East. In recent weeks, the threat of an expanding conflict has centred on an unlikely place: the poorest country in the region, Yemen, which has suffered years of civil war.

In late October, the Houthi militia in Yemen began firing missiles and drones towards Israel and then moved to seize commercial ships sailing in the Red Sea. The Houthis claimed they would prevent Israeli ships – or those registered to Israeli owners – from passing through the channel until Israel stopped its attack on Gaza.…  Seguir leyendo »

The funeral of Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, Lebanon, 4 January 2023. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

MundoOriente Próximo,

In an alarming turn of events, just as Israel revealed its plan to withdraw thousands of troops from northern Gaza for the next phase of its ongoing war, the senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a targeted assassination in Beirut. While Israel did not claim responsibility, Hezbollah held it directly accountable for the killing. The incident marks a significant escalation, as it represents Israel’s deepest incursion into Lebanese territory since 8 October and its most significant attack since July 2006. Moreover, it breaches established red lines and rules of engagement by expanding the war theatre to Beirut, disregarding a warning issued by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in August, when he cautioned Israel against engaging in assassinations on Lebanese soil.…  Seguir leyendo »

DB Fernverkehr marketing director Sophie Buyse, Belgian deputy prime minister George Gilkinet, NMBS-SNCB CEO Sophie Dutordoir and ÖBB-PV board member Klaus Garstenauer welcome the first Nightjet night train from Berlin at Brussels-Midi station, 12 December 2023. Photograph: Shutterstock

Europa

José Manuel Barroso, the former prime minister of Portugal and former head of the European Commission, used to say that Europeans were in love with “the intellectual glamour of pessimism”. When I first heard him say that in 2005, I had just started as a correspondent in Brussels after a few years living in the US, and his words rang especially true. There was a stark contrast between the deeply rooted American cultural belief that things could only get better, and the routinely bleak view that prevailed in many European countries, even the wealthiest and most privileged ones. France, Belgium, Spain and Italy consistently rank high in global surveys of pessimism.…  Seguir leyendo »

Ukrainian servicemen hold position on a frontline near the city of Zaporizhzhia, 18 December 2023. Photograph: Yakiv Liashenko/EPA

EuropaUnión EuropeaPolítica Exterior, , , ,

Here is one fact that sums up the gap between the promises that Kyiv’s European partners have made to Ukraine and the reality. In March 2023, the EU made the historic decision to deliver a million artillery shells to Ukraine within 12 months. But the number that has actually been sent is closer to 300,000. For all the rhetorical commitments to support Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s invasion “for as long as it takes”, Europe has largely failed on this front.

The price of this complacency is already being paid in Ukrainian blood. According to the armed forces of Ukraine, over the summer of 2023, Ukraine was firing up to 7,000 artillery shells a day and managed to degrade Russia’s logistics and artillery to the point where Russia was firing about 5,000 rounds a day.…  Seguir leyendo »

Mourners at the funeral of Alon Shamriz, who was mistakenly killed by the IDF last Friday, at Shefayim kibbutz, Israel, on 17 December 2023. Photograph: Oren Ziv/AFP/Getty Images

MundoOriente Próximo,

From 7 October onward, Israelis have clung to the one hope that unified this normally fractious and now broken society: freeing the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The faces of those stolen people haunt us on every street. Hope soared when nearly half of the hostages were released in a temporary ceasefire deal last month, and Israelis took to the streets demanding more.

Then on Friday, three hostages who had survived 70 days in violent, wartime captivity in Gaza somehow got loose, only for Israeli forces to mistake them as a threat – and shoot them dead. They were shirtless and holding a white flag.…  Seguir leyendo »

A small boat being rescued at La Restinga in El Hierro, Canary Islands, 23 October 2023. Photograph: Gelmert Finol/EPA

EspañaPolítica Inmigración

In the first 10 months of 2023, more than 43,000 migrants and refugees landed on the Spanish coasts. Most of them reached the Canary Islands in small boats known as pateras. The number far exceeds arrivals to the UK, whose shores have been reached by about 27,000 people in the same period. The disparity is even more striking considering Spain has a population of 48 million, in contrast with the 68 million in the UK.

People arriving by small boats are a minority in the immigration flow, and are not necessarily the ones who stay in Spain. About 15% of the Spanish population is foreign-born – the population is actually growing due to waves of new immigrants, mostly from Colombia, Morocco and Venezuela.…  Seguir leyendo »

‘Viktor Orbán is likely to repeat this tactic, again and again, as he leverages Ukraine to unblock more money for his regime.’ Orbán in Brussels, 14 December. Photograph: Jean Catuffe/Getty

EuropaUnión EuropeaAmpliación,

The decision by European leaders to open formal EU membership negotiations with Ukraine is historic – it offers hope to a people who are courageously fighting Russian aggression and sacrificing their lives for a European future. The agreement marks a historic new chapter for the EU. But legally, it required the unanimity of all 27 leaders, and it only became possible because Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán – who had threatened to block the opening of talks with Ukraine – left the room, in effect abstaining rather than wielding his veto.

The fact that 26 EU leaders, including Orbán’s supposed allies, signed up despite his opposition underscores the importance of this historic step.…  Seguir leyendo »

Traffic on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, December 2023. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

EuropaUnión Europea,

The United States is in the midst of a full-blown size crisis. No, I’m not talking about the mad rush for Wegovy, which is selling so swiftly that Denmark has to remove data relating to manufacturers Novo Nordisk to measure (the rest of) its economy properly. And no, I’m not talking about … something else. I’m talking about the enormous monstrosities filling up its roads. (Yeah, I see you on the streets of downtown Cleveland alone in your $85,000, 7,000lb Dodge Ram and I can tell you’re not a farmer … maybe that actually says something about the “something else”.)

There are lots of trends, ideas, music and films that cross the Atlantic.…  Seguir leyendo »

A Slovenian police officer with people on their way to a refugee camp near Rigonce, Slovenia, October 2015. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

EuropaUnión Europea

One weekend in July 1993, when independent Slovenia was two years old, my father announced over breakfast: “Ana, our life will change soon”.

I immediately thought of poverty, which I was obsessed with at the time, and began listing items we could sell.

“Don’t worry”, my mother said, “we will just be hosting another family for a while”.

I was excited. With another family added to ours, I could get siblings – finally! “How many are they? Who are they?” I gleefully asked.

“Well”, my father answered, “we don’t exactly know them. We know their names – the mother is U, the father is H and their teenage daughter is M.…  Seguir leyendo »

Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline in Zaporizhzhia on 5 December. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Europa, , ,

Ivan has been give the name Decent Man by his fellow soldiers, for being a decent man. As a 40-year-old teacher from central Ukraine and the father of three children, he would have been exempt from fighting at the beginning of the war. But he wanted to fight for his country. He has now spent 18 months on the battlefield and desperately misses his family. He might dream of returning home, but so far doesn’t consider being discharged an option. “The country has already spent money and resources on me. How can I leave?” he asks. Another soldier, who used to be a construction worker in a village in eastern Ukraine, speaks about his motivation to continue serving: “I’ve learned how to become a better and more helpful soldier for my colleagues”.…  Seguir leyendo »

Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Photograph: Amr Alfiky/Reuters

MundoOriente Próximo

One of the lesser noted aspects of the weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas, which collapsed at the beginning of this month, was the country that made it possible: not the US, nor the EU, but Qatar. Even though the ceasefire faltered and the Israeli military has resumed its devastating attack on Gaza, the negotiations helped cement Qatar’s role as a global mediator. But why Qatar – and what do its rulers really want?

A tiny emirate in the Persian Gulf that is rich in natural gas, Qatar seems an unlikely centre for high-stakes geopolitical negotiations. Yet the country’s leaders have built a muscular foreign policy based on keeping channels open between enemies: in recent years, Qatar has hosted peace negotiations between the US and Taliban leaders, and indirect talks that led to a prisoner exchange between Iran and Washington.…  Seguir leyendo »