Two years after the “Arab Spring”, it may look as if Egypt is now back at the start. The military is left in power, protesters are shot in greater numbers than under the old regime, and opposition figures are imprisoned. Who are the actors in the Egyptian power struggle? What do the actors stand for? …
Politics In order for Berlin to become the capital of Germany again by law, a vote had to be held in the Bundestag in June 1991, where it was decided to transfer the institutions from Bonn to Berlin. The transfer of the Federal Government and the Chancellery took place in 1999. Following German reunification, several enthusiasts have …
In April 2015, the Norwegian government sent 120 soldiers to Iraq . There, they were to “help train Iraqi security forces.” Some of the soldiers were stationed in the Kurdish provincial capital of Erbil under the security forces of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq (KRG). Other Norwegian soldiers were stationed in the capital …
When unrest or armed conflict breaks out in a country, there is always a danger of spreading, or spillover effect, to neighboring countries. The danger becomes extra great where the ties between the countries are many, when one state is weak and there is political disagreement about how to deal with the conflict in the …
Will Benjamin Nethanyahu go down in history as the Israeli prime minister who allowed Iran to build an existential threat to the Jewish state? This is how he and others read the development. In January, Defense Minister Barak said they had nine months to stop the Iranian nuclear program. Then it would be too late. …
The wave of insurgency in the Middle East continues. In Tunisia and Egypt, major upheavals have taken place with relatively little use of violence. But not in Libya. The country is on fire, marked by a civil war between Gaddafi’s government forces in the west and rebel forces in the east. “Five to twelve” – …
After two quick victories in Tunisia and Egypt, the “Arab Spring” entered a difficult period. The revolution in Bahrain was crushed by force, Libya experienced civil war, the Syrian protest movement suffered heavy losses, and neither the opposition nor the regime managed to win in Yemen. Then spring became summer and summer into autumn. Only …
The Arab Spring is almost two years old, and it is still going on. Most striking is what is happening in Syria. In a situation where the news picture is characterized by ongoing fighting and abuse, it can quickly evoke demands for foreign involvement, but will it always be helpful? There are also news from …
Few states in the world are as widely covered in the international media as Israel. But in the big political drama, Israel is often portrayed as something one-dimensional, like a homogeneous mastodon with a powerful army and strong leaders. This picture reflects to a small extent the Israeli society, which is rather very heterogeneous, and …
Gorbachev’s reforms and the extinction of the USSR After the death of Leonid Brezhnev and after the rapid succession of Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko, Mikhail Gorbachev was appointed leader of the USSR. Gorbachev began to implement significant changes in the economy, Perestroikaand Glásnost politics, unleashing opportunistic forces that with the encouragement of the West worked to disintegrate the USSR and the return of its members – …
In a referendum on June 7, 2001 (in which only 33.7% of those eligible to vote took part), the Irish surprisingly rejected the Treaty of Nice, adopted by the EU states in December 2000, with 54%. In a new referendum on October 19, 2002, however, the Irish people approved the agreement with 63% of the …
Before 1945: Based on historicism, and subsequently also committed to the Secession style, O. Wagner became a pioneer as an architect, urban planner (Viennese Stadtbahn with station buildings, 1894–1900) and furniture designer of a functional aesthetic that incorporated new materials. His opponent C. Sitte provided essential knowledge about modern urban planning. O. Wagner’s students, JM …
The state of Florida is home to Biscayne National Park. This extends over an area of 700 km². Almost 540,000 people visit this national park every year. Biscayne National Park has existed as a national park since June 28, 1980. The history of Biscayne National Park It was the Spaniards who were the first Europeans …
Pure nature experience with wide landscapes, high peaks and a coastline of around 17,000 kilometers can be found in the Atlantic provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador. The impressive landscape makes it possible to see moose grazing on open marshes or, for example, whales that swim in various sea bays. Occasionally you can also see icebergs …
One of Canadian National Park is the Elk Island National Park. It is located about 45 kilometers east of Edmonton in the province of Alberta. The park has a large population of aspen forests in the entire area.The area is made even more attractive by the embedded lakes. A stay in this park is really …
Founding of the state On the Arabian Peninsula existed in the first millennium. V. Independent empires. The political unification of the Arab tribes in the 7th century under the sign of Islam was short-lived. It was not until the 18th century that Mohammed Ibn Saud († 1765) and his son Abd al-Asis I († 1803), …
One of such marine national parks is the Mingan Archipelago National Park. It is located in the east of the province of Québec. The park covers an area of 151 square kilometers and consists of a total of 40 more or less large islands. The year of foundation is 1984. Country and people The Mingan …
The Congo Basin is one of the largest inland basins on earth. The largest part of the basin belongs to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, the northern part is in the Republic of the Congo. At a height of 300 to 400 m, the basin lies between the Asandeschwelle …
With around 9 million km², the Sahara is the largest desert on earth. It is located in North Africa and stretches from the Atlantic for more than 6000 km to the Red Sea in the east. From the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlas it extends from north to south over 2000 km with the transition …
African elephants The African elephant (Fig. 10) lives in the grass and bush savannas as well as in the open tree savannahs and forests. It can weigh up to six tons. Characteristic features are a long trunk, two curved tusks (upper incisors, each weighing over 20 kg) and large ears (in contrast to the Indian …