Dossier articles from the past 3 months
Kyrgyzstan merits to be called a ‘geopolitical pivot’. It is a territory that, due to its geographic characteristics, occupies a central position in super-power rivalry. A landlocked country, it is prevalently mountainous and Tian Shan Range occupies 65% of its territory. To the east it borders on the Chinese province of Xinjiang, a highly strategic…
Read moreTajikistan, situated at the heart of central Asia, was a transit area crossed by caravan trails between Europe and China. The country borders Afghanistan to the south; China to the east (the Xinjiang region); Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to the north and again Uzbekistan to the west. The territory is mostly mountainous, closed between the Turkestan…
Read moreThe region of Central Asia, because of its geographic location, has always been considered a historical place of interest for, and of confrontation between, the great powers, as well as the stage for the famous ‘Great Game’ between the British and Russian Empires. Following the implosion of the Soviet Union that led to the independence…
Read moreUzbekistan, like Kyrgyzstan is one of the five Central Asian republics created in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The country borders to the north-east with Kazakhstan; to the east with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan; to the south with Afghanistan; to the south-west with Turkmenistan. It is mostly desert plains though in the east…
Read moreThe start of the year was characterised by an important series of events for the Indian Catholic Church, which organises 1.5 per cent of the population: 20 million faithful who follow three different rites: Latin (the majority), Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara. On 8 February, the bishops, gathered for their biannual plenary session in the southern city…
Read moreOn 11 October 2017, the Supreme Court of India deliberated that sexual relations with a minor between 15 and 18 years of age within matrimony is yet to be seen as sexual violence and asked the government to promote an initiative accordingly. According to the Court, a sentence of ten years to life imprisonment, as…
Read moreIn the Hindu concept is taken up by its present proponents, connected to the political experience of the Bharatiya Janta Party and the groups of militants that refer to it to carry out their programme of Hinduisation of the country (hiduttva), ought to be that of an integrated society to be found in the complex…
Read moreThe multi-souled India of today has denied none of its souls but struggles to embrace any one of them in particular. It is ‘the largest democracy in the world’ with the three objectives that the founding fathers entrusted to it and that are to be found in the 1950 Constitution (independence, harmony and development). It…
Read moreUnlike the protests of the ‘Arab Spring’, moreover, the recent protests in Iran have a political connection. President Rohani publicly declared they had valid reason to protest and the right to do so. The revolts began in Mashhad, a spiritual centre noted for its sympathies with the conservatives – as well as the shrine of…
Read moreWhatever tensions exist between Israel, the USA and Iran, they will play out in Syria first. The strategy will focus on preventing Iran from deploying of missiles in Syria and Lebanon, aimed against Israel. In effect, Israel will consider any provocation, real or fabricated arising from Syria as being directed from Tehran. In turn, Tel…
Read moreIran does have a domestic and clandestine opposition, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK). The MEK combine Communist and Islamist ideas and they started challenging the Islamic Republic since its early days. They set off a bomb in the Iranian Parliament in 1981, killing at least 70 people. Iraq exploited their services to target the Regime in…
Read moreNobody appears to have any clear plans for Syria. Indeed, the ignorance extends to the entirety of the Middle East. But, it’s clear that the reason why U.S. troops remain in Syria is Iran. The Americans have tried to justify their considerable effort to shape events in the Region since the end of World War…
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“We want to create a federation of international journalistic organisations that collaborate in this effort, starting from the global South,” says Filipino journalist and 2022…
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Once upon a time, there was a leopard. He had a huge walnut tree that was full of nuts. Stingy as he was, however, he forbade…
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Three young Comboni missionaries from three continents share their vocation stories and missionary experiences. Fr Victor Cunanan Parungao from the Philippines reflects on 15 years of…
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