Happy Sunday! We hope your day is filled with lots of luck and Guinness. Speaking of the luck of the Irish, Irish PM Leo Varadkar threw some not-so-subtle shade at US Vice-President Mike Pence when he brought his partner to a meeting between the two officials and delivered some pointed remarks about LGBTQ rights: “I stand here, leader of my country, flawed and human, but judged by my political actions, and not by my sexual orientation, my skin tone, gender or religious beliefs.” In more sombre news, New Zealand was devastated by a terrorist attack in the capital city of Christchurch. A gunman open-fired on a mosque, killing 49 Muslims and wounding dozens of others. The horrific act prompted a wave of grief, condolences, and condemnations of Islamophobia and terrorism across the world. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced immediate reforms to gun laws in response to the attack and was photographed grieving with the New Zealand Muslim community in a demonstration of support and leadership.
What’s the Latest?
International Relations
Erin Wen criticizes the International Monetary Fund’s “one-size-fits-all” interventionist model for failing to address country-specific needs.
“As an international organization, the structural adjustment programs recommended do not always suit the recipient country’s needs, but can rather fall under a “one size fits all” model.”
Comparative Politics
We’ve updated our US 2020 candidate tracker with two big names to enter the race: Senator Bernie Sanders and former Congressman and Senate-hopeful Beto O’Rourke. Sanders faces an uphill battle in a new electoral landscape where he’s no longer the only progressive candidate. O’Rourke has garnered nation-wide attention for his widely-publicized Senate race against Ted Cruz, but has yet to make concrete policy proposals. Read about Sanders and O’Rourke, plus all the other candidates, here.
In Hungary, Rebecka Pieder discusses Viktor Orban’s controversial plan to bring up the country’s population levels: give Hungarian women economic incentive to have more babies.
His pro-natalist policies are in active opposition to western European nations, which he claims use immigration to fight population decline. The Prime Minister stated:“Instead of just numbers, we want Hungarian children” and “immigration, for us, is surrender”.
Political Theory
Still with the 2020 Presidential election, Jane Warren examines the appeal of unity for American conservatives and how it poses a challenge to the diverse field of Democratic candidates.
In short, the appeal of restrictive conservative unity will have a potentially dangerous effect on American democracy unless Democratic candidates make a sustained effort to gather support more effectively across minority groups, income brackets, and other potential positions of privilege in society.
What We’re Reading
Articles
La lente agonie, Le Devoir
Design Built to Last: Chess, 1843 Magazine
Opposition is a caricature, CBC
Books
The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris
Last Days at Hot Slit, Andrea Dworkin