Trump’s imperial ambitions are forcing the EU to rethink its global position. And European far-right parties, swollen on fears of diminishing world power, are paradoxically flogging the ethnic nation as a place of shelter. But finding unity in scapegoating migrants blatantly fails to recognize the need for a common purpose in times of worldwide uncertainty.
Momentous news for Gaza: a ceasefire agreement between the Israeli government and Hamas. Palestinian war artists speak about their creative responses to documenting loss; their digital artwork reaching out beyond the confines of war, received by those who support their resilience.
While China moves into its fifth decade of extracting rare earths and raw materials, Europe remains stuck between nationalistic industry priorities and democratic principles.
The race for green transition supplies is on. But where’s the thrill in metals, discreet and hidden yet widespread? Mining, intensive due to low concentrations, throws up waste elements like arsenic. Space cowboys and deep-sea dredgers contest environmental stability more than China’s monopoly, based on 40-years of involved processing. Health and recycling regulations are a must.
Once again, the age-old prejudice is rising in Europe and producing new mutations. In this episode of Standard Time, we discuss how to tell criticism from hate.
Plans to exploit Serbia’s lithium, seemingly shelved two years ago, are back on the table. Germany and the EU appear willing to overlook president Aleksandar Vučić’s abuses of power to access the precious metal. Will their double-standards collaboration with Serbia’s right-wing government undermine citizen trust in EU accession?
The Danube Delta is a remarkable ecosystem on the border of Ukraine and Romania. The Russian invasion against Ukraine, and the subsequent increase in naval traffic threaten this nature reserve, but people on both sides of the border are working to protect the area.
Literary expressions of grief across the ages use representations of nature as soothing metaphors. But rarely does the death of non-human life merit a thanatography. Could literature that finds a non-anthropomorphic means to grieve for other sentiment beings provide our desperately needed resensitization to the natural world?
Protest is one of the public’s foremost political tools in a democracy. Taking to the street can change laws, bring down a president and transform the fate of a nation. But it tends to come at a price.
The political cover-up – a lethal mixture of disinformation, false arrests, smear campaigns and mysterious deaths – is a well-honed means of suppression. When communities of German-speaking origin spoke out about Soviet regulation causing starvation across Ukraine during the Second World War, human rights advocate, Ewald Ammende, also suffered the consequences.
Our choice of Eurozine articles and talk show episodes from 2024 reflects, both analytically and personally, on shifting cultural landscapes: from escalations of violence, invasive technologies and media sustainability to gut feelings and life-changing moments.
From carbon absorber to emitter: monoculture, fires, disease and storms are reversing the European forest’s natural role as a Co2 sink. Read about the forests that threaten climate neutrality.
Property development pushed on green space in Bucharest has become comparable with the drugs market for profitability. Investigating the trail of questionable ownership rights since post-communist retrocession reveals acts of corruption and intimidation. Can parkland – a prerequisite for urban health and well-being, climate-change reduction and biodiversity – be saved from more illegal fires?
Although incoming migrants are demonized in political discourse, many European countries are struggling with a loss of population. In this episode of Standard Time, Eurozine’s colleagues talk about the idea of ethnic purity, outmigration, and finding a sense of belonging.
Trying to predict Donald Trump’s second-round presidential moves can be nerve racking. Media, having already backed out of supporting the Democrats, look set to hedge their bets further. Surviving the roller coaster once might be reassuring, but progressives are reflecting on historical grassroots action for overcoming internal attacks on democracy.
Slovakia’s right-wing nationalist minister Martina Šimkovičová is waging an ideological war on the country’s independent arts and media sector, targeting cultural institutions, discriminating against LGBTQIA+ organizations. Though fearing for their safety, cultural workers are fighting back via collective action, supporting those on strike.