At a time when many would’ve said that the dark times of Fascism and Racism where long gone, and it was inconceivable that they might ever return, there are ominous signs that a very dark dawn may be in the offing. The signs are many: in Europe there is everywhere the rise of an anti-immigrant […]
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2016: Taking stock
As the present year draws to an end, we feel bound to fulfill the usual ritual of taking stock of the main events of the past 12 months. 2016 is filled, no doubt, would meaningful events, some expected at one point or another, like Fidel Castro’s death. Some unexpected and for many people scary, like […]
African solutions to global problems? South Africa’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court
During last October of 2016, Burundi became the first country of the 124 members of the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC) to announce its withdrawal from the treaty. Shortly after, Gambia and South Africa followed suit. The latter has stated that the obligations set forth in the Rome Statute regarding the arrest […]
Peace In Colombia
After 52 years of armed conflict between the government of Colombia and the FARC (the Spanish language acronym for Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces) and following protracted negotiations, the Colombian government and the insurgents have reached a detailed agreement to reach a peaceful solution to the longest lasting armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere. The conversations […]
Fog in Channel – History cut off
It is said that in the 1930s an English newspaper published once the following headline: “Fog in Channel – Continent Cut Off”. Ever since, it has been considered a token of the British national character and as an evidence of the British longstanding attitude vis-à-vis the continent. And no wonder, as the island has been […]
More than 20,000 students in our online courses
We are pleased to report that we have now more than 20,000 students registered in our free online courses, counting together the 2014 course of human rights (in English and Spanish) and the 2015 course on anticorruption (in English, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese). These students come from 133 different countries, including places such as Afghanistan, […]
Patricio Aylwin, the first democratic president of Chile (1990-1994) after the military dictatorship of 1973-1990 passed away
It has been said, rightly, that Patricio Aylwin will be remembered, on many accounts, as a great President of Chile, but that his human rights legacy was perhaps his foremost contribution. At the time of his inauguration, in March of 1990, there were not many precedents of what is today called transitional justice and at […]
ISIS delenda est
The news of yet another terrorist attack by ISIS on European soil in a few years confirms for Europe what has been a reality for some time now in other parts of the world: Armed groups willing to resort to terrorist tactics are a real and continuous threat for international security. The historian Plutarch narrates […]
International Women’s Day
On March 8 the International Women’s Day was commemorated. The deep skepticism of many vis-avis this kind of commemorations is understandable. In recent times they have multiplied, spurred by United Nations or by shopping malls. However, both International Women’s Day and Human Rights Day (celebrated every December 10) are not the object of such scorn. […]