The world is watching on agog as China removes Hong Kong’s special status bit by bit, quashing any dissent as it does so. China is a superpower. It is one of the world’s foremost economic and military powers. It is also an expansionist power, with its influence being felt ever more keenly the world over. But how did Hong Kong get here? Why is Beijing behaving as it is? What, if anything, can the world do to help Hong Kong? The answers to these questions lie, not in Hong Kong, but in Beijing.
Category: Continent
The Ten Most Liberal Countries in Asia
In our previous articles, we at Libel have presented top ten lists of different regions around the world, such as Africa and Latin America. Now it’s Asia’s turn. The biggest continent by both landmass and population is home to various…
Cancel Culture in Economics?
In the rise of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests all over the globe, a great number of statues have been torn down or destroyed. From Edward Colston over Christopher Columbus to Winston Churchill, a wide range of historical figures have…
Putin: President for Life?
A controversial referendum was held in Russia from 25 June to 1 July 2020 that brings sweeping changes to the constitution, including an amendment that allows Vladimir Putin to run for two more presidential terms – which could keep him…
Democracy in Turkey – After all this time? Always…
Upon the municipal re-election of Istanbul, in which the main opposition candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu won a landslide victory following the cancellation of the first one, following absurd allegations over the legitimacy of the first election in Istanbul by Erdogan’s Justice…
Continue reading Democracy in Turkey – After all this time? Always…
On Brussels: All Eyes on Poland
Find Luke‘s other articles On Brussels here. On 28 June, the EU got to enjoy a rare moment of optimism. Poland’s ultra-conservative head of state Andrzej Duda failed to secure an outright win in the first round of the country’s…
America, Continent, Democracy, Interviews, Interviews with liberal and democratic youth organisations, Series, Topics
Interview with Sebastián Crespo Postigo, President of Casa de la Juventud in Bolivia
Find our other interviews with liberal and democratic youth organisations here. Can you tell me a little about how Casa de la Juventud operates? How is it structured? What kind of people are active in it? And what kind of…
Corona Cancelled Exchange
“It’s not possible to return to the summer when you are 17. Celebrating graduation cannot be played on repeat.”, the Norwegian health minister said in a widely shared speech to our youth during corona, a speech in which he thanks…
Learning about Civic Spaces — Online?!
Usually, Shrinking Civic Spaces seem like the perfect seminar topic to discuss on the ground — to visit said spaces and meet people in person. IFLRY was all set to do that, but then Covid-19 hit. The pandemic forced the…
Young People and Corona
”I’m a positive person always looking forward towards a brighter future.” – A student from Lebanon – The corona pandemic is not yet over and its effects will continue to be felt long after the number of cases has declined.…