South Korean police have raided the national headquarters of Starbucks over defamation claims surrounding a controversial marketing campaign. Starbucks Korea had in May launched a coffee tumbler promotion called “Tank Day” on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, where hundreds were believed to have been killed by military forces. Many felt the “tank” was…
Western democracies have never been so free. Yet, rarely have citizens expressed such a level of mistrust toward their institutions. This contradiction constitutes one of the great political paradoxes of our time. Everywhere in Europe and North America, the same symptoms are appearing. Electoral turnout fluctuates. Traditional parties are losing ground. Protest movements are advancing….
No subject divides European societies today more than immigration. No other theme influences elections as much, shapes public debate as deeply, or contributes as heavily to the rise of populist parties. More than just a migration issue, immigration has become the true political test facing Europe. For a long time, politicians approached the subject with…
For a long time, social media were presented as a wonderful tool for citizen empowerment. They were supposed to democratize information, give a voice to those who had none, and strengthen democratic participation. Fifteen years later, the reality is much more nuanced. Information has never circulated so quickly. Citizens have never had access to so…
Belgium likes to present itself as the laboratory of European compromise. Yet, behind this reassuring image lies a more worrying reality: never in several decades has the country appeared so politically, socially, and culturally fragmented. Recent developments in the Belgian political landscape reveal a major underlying trend: the multiplication of divides. Flemish versus French-speakers. Regions…
