Giovanni Sale, SJ

The Turkish offensive against the Kurds of Rojava The evening of Wednesday, October 9, 2019, saw the beginning of the Turkish offensive in northeastern Syria against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (Yekîneyên Parastina Gel – YPG). The Turkish government in Ankara considers them to be the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which… Read the full article

Japan in the new imperial era April 30 and May 1, 2019, have become part of Japan’s modern history. They will be remembered for the abdication of Emperor Akihito (the only abdication in the last two centuries), the ascent to the Chrysanthemum Throne of his son, Naruhito, and for the beginning of a new “imperial… Read the full article

According to Max Weber the formation of modern legal systems must be read in parallel with the process of secularization of the modern state and of civil and political society, which has separated the religious sphere from the secular, formulating new ethical and political principles to regulate the organization of the state and the coexistence… Read the full article

Mozambique lies on the east coast of Africa and “looks out” toward Madagascar and the Indian Ocean.[1] It is a member of the Southern African Development Community, a group of nations with a combined population of 250 million people. According to demographics experts this will become almost half a billion in the next 20 years.[2]… Read the full article

On Easter morning, April 21, 2019, six almost simultaneous explosions in three major Sri Lankan cities – Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa – killed 253 people (including 30 foreigners) and injured almost 500. The eight suicide bombers hit three Christian churches where Easter celebrations were taking place,[1] and three luxury hotels (the Shangri-La Hotel, the Kingsbury… Read the full article

The specter of xenophobia in Europe For years Europe has been haunted by a specter threatening its political, social and cultural cohesion. This specter is a fear of immigrants, and particularly Muslim immigrants, astutely manipulated through media narratives. In our societies – in those less open and democratic – the refugee is sometimes seen not… Read the full article

The maritime incident that occurred on November 25, 2018, in the Kerch Strait – connecting the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea – is considered by those involved, by all European governments, and others as a very grave incident. Although it may be mistaken for a simple misunderstanding of navigation law between neighboring nations,… Read the full article

The current crisis between Iran and the United States is the worst since the Islamic Revolution of Ayatollah Khomeini[1] and the diplomatic crisis of 1979-81 when young Islamic revolutionaries stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran taking fifty two diplomats and other citizens,  hostage for 444 days. The present situation was triggered by President Donald Trump’s… Read the full article