While the climate is a central focus of the international negotiations, the Arctic is becoming a crucial strategic area. Some of the world’s major powers (the EU, the USA, and Russia, among others,) have gathered to discuss this symbol of a fragile environment threatened by global warming. The issues surrounding the Arctic are numerous, and more and more diplomatic meetings and international summits are taking place there. One such example was the visit of Donald Tusk, President of the European...

Nestled between Austria and Romania, Hungary is the country that marks the fictitious border between Western Europe and Eastern Europe. The streets of Budapest, although situated 250 kilometres from Vienna, reveal an atmosphere which seems to be light-years away from the Austrian capital. Here is an overview of this country, both an imaginary border and a place of concrete inequalities. Hungary joined the European Union on the 1st May 2004. Nevertheless, it is not part of the Eurozone. The...

It is very rare to have to look so far back in time to assess a presidential record. That of Yoweri Museveni, incumbent President and candidate for another term, goes back to 1986, when he seized power through a coup. Thirty years and a few days later, the Ugandan President states that he “cannot leave power now, because everything [he has] planted is starting to bear fruit”. His speech, repeated by his supporters over and over again, is built around one key point: peace. After two decades of a...

A political leader ‘Made in Europe’ would be somebody who promotes a participative democracy, is open to public and political debate, not afraid of a challenge, respectful of his adversaries, all while relying on his rights, without neglecting his duties. This leader would take control during his public appearances, measuring the impact of his actions as well as his words. Is the current Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama, such a man? Edi Rama  came to power in September 2013, after a...

As was the case in the two previous elections open to a multiparty system, the tension is rising as more and more meetings are being held. Provocations and outbursts continue to multiply in both the speeches and actions of this election, as the seven opposition candidates begin to believe that a second round of voting seems increasingly possible. Such a result would be unprecedented in the history of Uganda; a country which has never undergone a non-violent regime change since it gained its...

The Finnish Prime Minister, Juhä Sipilä, was promoting it during his campaign program, and the universal basic income has been acclaimed in the latest legislative elections. In a country strongly affected by unemployment, this measure united Finnish political parties – from the Green party to the Centre – only the Conservatives were opposed to it. Now, a universal basic income will be tested in some areas particularly affected by unemployment. Although it is becoming popular, the idea of a...

We encountered the city of Prague and its inhabitants whom make the capital a cultural hotspot. Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic since gaining independence in 1918, has occupied an important position in the history of Central Europe throughout the 20th century. The city has undergone a wide range of circumstances in contemporary history; from third reich occupation in World War II, rebellion in the Prague Spring in 1968, and most recently the Velvet Revolution of 1990 which forever...

We met with a Turkish teacher who preferred to maintain his anonymity. 45 years old, he lives in Izmit, Kocaeli, 90 kilometers east of Istanbul. When asking him to introduce himself, he describes himself as Turkish and Muslim. He says he tries to educate his students not only by teaching them his subject, which is English, but also by instilling in them how to be ‘a good person’, a great citizen. With them, he sometimes talks about what is happening in the Middle East. ‘What is the aim of the...

Following the terrorist attacks in Istanbul on January 12th 2016, the Journal International decided to cover the facts surrounding these events. With this in mind, we posed a series of questions on the issue to two French students; Loris, a 21-year-old Political Science student of Armenian descent, and Berevan, a 26-year-old of Kurdish origin, studying Literature, Language, Foreign Civilization and English. Both students agreed to an interview, in which they gave us their views on the current...

After a fanatic of Daech launched an attack in Istanbul on January 12th 2016, Le Journal International decided to learn more about Turkey, and particularly about its education system. To do so, we interviewed Çağrı Bozkurt, who is Turkish and studies International Relations. He spent his previous year in the Czech Republic on Erasmus. This is the transcript of our meeting. Le Journal International (JI): Since 2012, Erdoğan’s government has been criticised by a large fringe group of students and...