Sparsely inhabited by Tayal and Paiwan peoples, the island began to have commercial relations with China starting from the 10th century. VI-VII, but only in the century. XII became the destination of consistent Chinese migratory currents. In the first half of the century. XVII Europeans arrived there and used it as a base for their…
Author: a2zdirectory
Trump vs. TikTok
There has been a storm around TikTok after US President Donald Trump threatened to close the app in the US because he thought it was a threat to national security. The United States is not alone. Other countries are also considering a ban. Are dance videos something to worry about? Why are digital goods so…
G7 at a Glance
SPOTLIGHT: The United Kingdom has assumed the chairmanship of the G7 group of states for 2021. On February 19, 2021, the heads of state and government of the G7 countries met virtually for the first time, including the new President of the USA. The real G7 summit takes place 11. -13. June 2021 in Carbis…
San Marino Overview
(Republic of San Marino). Southern European state, enclave of Italy (61.16 km²). Capital: San Marino. Administrative division: municipality (9). Population: 31,006 (2007 estimate). Language: Italian. Religion: Catholics 88.9%, others 11.1%. Monetary unit: euro (100 cents). Borders: Emilia-Romagna (N), Marche (S). Member of: Council of Europe, UN and OSCE. Small enclave of the Italian state, the ancient Republic…
UN Security Council: Should Norway Have a Seat?
In 2020, Norway will stand for election to the UN Security Council for the period 2021-2022. In connection with the election campaign, both advantages and disadvantages are discussed, but what does it really mean to be an elected member of the UN Security Council? How does the Security Council work? How can a state be…
Britain History
The British Isles have been part of Western European history since the Stone Age. Since the 4th / 3rd Century BC Belonging to the Celtic cultural area, Britain was largely Romanized in the first centuries AD. After the Romans withdrew, Anglo-Saxons established themselves and united their empires until the 9th century. In the 11th century…
Norway – a Global Energy Producer Part I
Most people in Norway hardly seem to have noticed that Norwegian companies are building up as major global players. We see it when it comes to investments and energy production, first and foremost within oil and gas, but also within hydropower and wind power. Several of the companies have become world leaders in the production,…
Norway – a Global Energy Producer Part II
3: Out into the world with Statoil as locomotive Political decisions have thus set a solid framework for the oil business and the use of oil revenues in Norway. These were a particularly important precondition for the Norwegian state to get rid of all foreign debt in the 1990s. The oil business and oil revenues have…
Norway – a Global Energy Producer Part III
5: Angola – painful recent history Angola has a long and painful history. The country was a colony under Portugal for about 400 years. In 1963, a long struggle for liberation began. After Angola became an independent state in 1975, the struggle turned into an extensive and devastating civil war between the Marxist-oriented MPLA government…
Norway – a Global Energy Producer Part IV
Statkraft and SN Power Statkraft is a company with a history dating back to 1895 (predecessors to Statkraft which was established in 1992). The government at the time wanted to secure the state and public ownership of the most important natural resources. At that time it was waterfalls and water power. In our time, Statkraft…
Germany Opts for Europe Part I
When Germany chooses political leadership, the rest of Europe holds its breath. This is also how it looked in the weeks leading up to the Bundestag election on 22 September. Then German voters flocked to the ballot box to decide who would rule the country for the next four years. Why is it so important…
Germany Opts for Europe Part II
If new elections are to be avoided, the CDU will probably have to enter into a government with the SPD in a grand coalition between the traditional main opponents in German politics. In Norway, this would be as if the Conservatives and the Labor Party were to rule together. In Germany, in fact, two thirds…
Germany Opts for Europe Part III
6: Agenda 2010 and German cuts Many Germans realized that the large government deficits could not persist. The country’s budget deficit was largely due to reunification costs . At the same time, competition from low-wage countries in Eastern and Central Europe and Southeast Asia increased. This “double globalization pressure” drained the industrialized country of Germany…
Germany Opts for Europe Part IV
The court guards German democracy and its constitution, and it examines whether individual decisions violate the constitution. So far, all proposals to resolve the euro crisis have passed. The last two and most far-reaching are the establishment of a ” financial pact ” . Euroland’s budgets will then be checked and approved in Brussels before…
Kashmir Conflict: Bad Neighbors since 1947 Part 2
However, much changed in the late 1980s. Local government became more corrupt, Delhi override increased, civil rights were violated. Similar things had happened in other states before, but the threat from Pakistan (which in 1965 had tried to conquer Kashmir) justified the presence of large military forces. In addition, the revolution in Iran, the war…
G-77 at a Glance
SPOTLIGHT: For 2019, the “State of Palestine” is chairing the 77-strong group in New York. The presidency of the G-77 is the highest political body within the organizational structure of the group, is regionally oriented (between Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean) and is held for one year. Background According to WHICHEVERHEALTH.COM, the G-77…
France Economic Sectors
Energy industry Since the mid-1970s, energy policy has been geared towards reducing the country’s dependence on energy imports, particularly on oil. The French generation of primary energy now covers half of the total consumption, which is mainly due to the strong expansion of energy generation from nuclear power. In 2014, nuclear energy accounted for 41.5%…
Internship in Santiago
The breathtaking nature is one of the main reasons why Chile is becoming increasingly popular among travelers. From the desert to glaciers to volcanoes, the safest country in South America has everything to offer. According to microedu, the Chilean capital Santiago lies between the Pacific and the snow-capped Andes, the longest mountain range in the…
Kashmir Conflict: Bad Neighbors since 1947
India and Pakistan have been arguing over Kashmir for over 70 years. This summer, the conflict flared up again. What is the Kashmir conflict about? Who is involved? Why has the conflict lasted so long? Is there a solution? In August 2019, the protracted conflict over Kashmir took a new turn. The Indian parliament repealed…
Thailand History and Education
Thailand, officially Prathet Thai or Muang Thai, German Kingdom of Thailand, until 1939 and 1946–49 Siam (formerly also Sayam), state in Southeast Asia with 69.4 million residents (2018); The capital is Bangkok. Strong position of the military In September 1957, Pibul Songgram was overthrown by a coup by the military leadership and the constitution was…
G7 / G8 at a Glance
Development In 1975 the first “Summit of the Six” took place in Rambouillet (France). This meeting was already based on the idea of a personal exchange of views. At that time, Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing saw the need to coordinate the economic policies of the most important national economies…
Can democracies be hacked? Part III
5: «Fake news» and propaganda in social media The digital challenge for democracy that has received the most attention is the use of social media to promote distorted or false claims. This is often referred to as “fake news”, but it is an imprecise term that is used differently by different groups. Automated accounts (…
Can democracies be hacked? Part II
3: Stealing choices digitally More and more countries are using different types of computers when elections are held. The most common form is to use computers to count votes. Other uses are registration of votes in the polling stations, and in some cases elections over the internet have been tested as an alternative. During the…
Can democracies be hacked? Part I
Prior to the 2016 US election, Hillary Clinton’s emails were stolen by Russian hackers. The Brexit vote in the same year and the French presidential election in 2017 were also attempted to be manipulated through hacking or other digital influence. Is our technological everyday life a threat to free and democratic elections? How can referendums…
Trump’s Customs War Challenges WTO Part III
The conflict over the interpretation of the law started before Trump, but is now at the forefront: Under Trump, the United States has blocked the appointment of judges in the WTO, so that the dispute resolution is threatened (see fact box). If the United States does not give up, there will be too few judges…
Trump’s Customs War Challenges WTO Part II
5: America first – WTO sist? Several of Trump’s tariffs have been introduced with reference to US law and with unclear justification for WTO rules: Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum were introduced with reference to a 1962 US law authorizing the president to impose measures against imports that threaten national security. The GATT agreement…
Trump’s Customs War Challenges WTO Part I
Donald Trump scolds trade agreements, threatens tariffs and has gone to trade war against China. Will the World Trade Organization become the president’s next victim? Is President Trump allowed to impose tariffs on whomever he wants? What will be the effects of US trade policy? Is Trump’s Customs War Crisis in World Trade Organization? Under…
Police Violence and Demonstrations in the United States Part II
The consequences for the police are usually marginal. So far, only one of the three police officers involved in the murder of Taylor has been fired. Such incidents are what have provided fertile ground for the political movement that goes by the name Black Lives Matter. The movement started in 2013 after the murder of…
Police Violence and Demonstrations in the United States Part I
Dramatic demonstrations in the United States have created a global commitment. But what is the core of the protests? What is the background to the protests in the United States? What is the Black Lives Matter movement? What does “defund the police” mean? How can this commitment lead to lasting change? On August 9, 2014,…
A Referendum on Trump Part II
5: Senate Before the Senate election in November 2018, Republicans have 51 senators. The Democrats have 47, while the last two are independent candidates who mostly vote with the Democrats. One of the two independents, the left-wing radical Bernie Sanders from Vermont, was even close to being nominated as the Democrats’ presidential candidate in 2016….