Ramon Giralt

Poland and Israel are a team now?

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While threats regarding a possible civil war in Israel abound (Ukraine and Taiwan were not apocalyptic enough) as military reserves have threatened to desert, while fundamentalist commentators accuse the deep state of organizing anarchist protests against Netanyahu and his reforms, I thought now was the perfect time too actually provide an in-depth comparative analysis of the judicial reforms, what their results will be and whether the criticisms are legally sound.

Lessons from Weimar Part II

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The previously mentioned bad elements of the post-WWII (West-)German political system were the weak presidency and the electoral threshold keeping small (and new) parties out and a very weak symbolic presidency. The president is not elected by popular vote and has little executive power. Executive power rests almost entirely in the government which relies on parliament (legislative power).

Two possibilities for Brazil

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Brazilians are currently waiting to see what happens. One twitter poster said they’d see the fate of their country in the next few hours. Others believe a (counter)coup will occur on the day of Lula’s inauguration. The Riotimes has been suggesting a coup may very well still happen any moment.

Calling it regarding Brazil

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There has been quite a bit of talk about an imminent coup in Brazil in Far Right corners. The mainstream media is still almost entirely silent. Skynews had a short article dismissing some claims, but you know the saying about stopped clocks being right twice a day don’t you? Well…

They have rightfully commented on the massive protests going on every day for more than a month now, which have received little mainstream media coverage. Certain Far Right figures have actually gone to Brazil and are witnessing events unfold first hand.

9 days?

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Bolsonaro has been quite since the election… too quiet. No but honesty, he didn’t concede, and his supporters have been protesting for more than a month. Every day. Ten of millions of people. Asking the military to interfere. More than 170 officers wrote to military high command criticizing the election.

Lessons from Weimar Part I

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The Weimar republic ended with the machtergreifung by the Nazis. This has obviously led to Weimar democracy being bot much derided and debated. Where exactly did it go wrong. Ironically, the Nazis themselves hated Weimar democracy, but virtually everybody now seems to agree that their alternative was worse.

In a way the Weimar republic got off to a bad start. The Allied powers had forced the German government to kick out the Kaiser and then to except the Treaty of Versailles. They created a republican government which immediately had to discredit itself.

A disappointment for Poland?

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The missile in Poland apparently wasn’t Russia’s fault. It was the result of a Ukrainian counterattack against Russia missile escalation. Ukraine is facing a cold winter and Russia Vietnam style draft dodging.

The war in Ukraine has become a true war of attrition. Neither Putin nor President Zelensky can afford to lose face. Neither wants to appear too unreasonable. But both have taken very clear positions, with justification. Irreconcilable narratives. Both have invested so much that they cannot afford to look weak. If Putin compromises too much he’d give the opposition hope of overthrowing him and tempt hawks to do the same.

Defining Fascism Part VII

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While the original Italian described the twentieth century, the century of Fascism as a century of the Right, the official approved English translation described it as the century of the Left. Guess to Mussolini both were valid? Another version described it as a century that tends towards the Right. Doesn’t this just perfectly sum up Fascism.