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: Human Rights
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…
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…
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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…
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…
What our Colonial Past Teaches us about Privilege
This article is probably one of the most challenging ones I have ever written. The killing of George Floyd at the end of May made me speechless. Seeing pictures of a man, desperately begging for help, fighting for his life,…
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Behind Black Lives Matter Sits the Ghosts of Apartheid
More than sixty years ago, the Selma Race Riots in Alabama shone a spotlight on appalling racial inequality across the US and in other Western countries. It is a damning indictment of our times that, more than six decades later,…
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Ready, Willing, and Able? Living in an Ableist Society
We all dream of perfect health, eternal youth, and endless strength. But while none of us can live up to that ideal — at least not for very long — such a dream is further away for some than for…
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On Brussels: Europe Reopens, and Agonises over Israel
Find Luke‘s other articless On Brussels here. Europe is reopening. The world’s largest common market and borderless travel area is starting to return to pre-Covid times. There are hopes that the summer tourist trade could yet recover, kick-starting the economic…
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‘Where are you really from?’ – The Impact of Racism on Mental Health
While the social, economic and political effects of racism have been studied broadly, the psychological impact of racism has received less attention. In this article, I would like to raise awareness of the impact of racism on mental health. A…
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