By Pauline Bock & Jasmine Horsey
One of our roles as assistant editors at News-Decoder is to consider emerging themes around the world, to connect the dots between seemingly disparate events.
Here are some of our thoughts at the start of the week about events and trends that are shaping the world around us.
The Middle East:
- It’s been a year since the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict. What lessons have been learned? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced the Iran nuclear deal and warned that it raises the possibility of future war in the Middle East. Will the deal clear the U.S. Congress?
Women in politics:
- With two female candidates for the January 2016 presidential election in Taiwan, Hillary Clinton in the United States and two female MPs, Liz Kendall and Yvette Cooper, running for the leadership of the Labour Party in Britain, it is an interesting time to think about the role of women in global politics.
Obama’s legacy:
- U.S. President Barack Obama has 18 months left in office. Will recent achievements such as the Iran nuclear deal and the Supreme Court’s upholding of Obamacare help cement a favorable legacy?
Latin America:
- Pope Francis just concluded a tour to Latin America and is set to make his first visit to the United States in September. What is role of the Catholic Church in the Americas?
- What does the escape of Mexican drug lord “El Chapo” say about the fight against drugs? Is it another reminder that the U.S. war on drugs is doomed to failure? Will it have an impact on U.S. relations with Mexico and other drug producers in Latin America?
Gay rights:
- The European Court of Human Rights condemned Italy last week for failing to recognize gay marriage. Italy is the only major western European country not to provide legal recognition to same-sex couples. With the U.S. Supreme Court upholding gay marriage last month, gay rights have expanded greatly in the West in the past five years. Where will the next battlegrounds be?
Trump and U.S. Politics:
- Donald Trump is at the top of GOP polls and has generated a good deal of media coverage over the past few weeks. What does Trump’s popularity say about the political climate in the United States? Does he have a realistic shot at the presidency? What role has the media played?
Those are our thoughts for the week.
We’d be interested in your input. What do you think? What trends and influences do you think News-Decoder should be addressing?
We urge you to comment on this post or to send us your thoughts at info@news-decoder.com.
.