Europe – Catalyst

Brexit: An Accident Waiting to Happen?

February 23, 2021February 23, 20216 min read Misbah Lalani

However, it is hard to paint a complete picture at the moment, as Brexit is still new. The prospect of new opportunities may eventually compensate for the present difficulties. It is possible that the Pacific trade bloc will provide opportunities to firms that have been affected in the short run by Brexit, and may even help industries grow. Britain’s efforts to improve their external relations provides hope that Brexit may turn out to be a good call after all.

Fado, Dictatorship, and Nostalgia: The Centenary of the Life of Amália Rodrigues

January 26, 2021February 9, 20217 min read Adriana Gabriela Franco

Fado has become a national symbol for many Portuguese people, and Amália herself has become the face of this iconic genre.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité?

December 22, 2020February 24, 20216 min read Misbah Lalani

Reports of terrorist acts often plant biased rhetoric and paint the Muslim population as a whole in a violent and ruthless light. There is no undermining the severity of these attacks, however it is not uncommon for them to serve as a contribution to the common narrative depicting the Islamic religion as one with savage inclinations. Rather than painting the attacks as isolated anomalies, media outlets often use them to feed into an ever present mentality of bigotry, something that the Muslim community has had to work in one way or another, to prove themselves separate from.

The Violence of Silence: How the West Ignored the Armenian Diaspora

December 17, 2020December 29, 20207 min read Adriana Gabriela Franco

The right to self determination is a founding principle of international law and the United Nations, but as Mariam Grigoryan points out, the case of Arsakh demonstrates that “in the world where oil money costs more than human lives, there’s not much hope for international law and human rights”.

Reparative Conversations: Transitional Justice in Albania, an Interview with Kristale Ivezaj Rama

December 16, 2020December 29, 20206 min read Adriana Gabriela Franco

Rama believes this project is a “tiny seed” in the greater movement towards transitional justice, something those living in Albania need to be able to move forward. Limitations on free speech and an unstable economy are just some of the lasting effects of this period in Albania, and as Rama so eloquently put, the “people can’t think about the past if they are too preoccupied with the present and worry about their future”.

Collaboration vs. Isolation: The Coronavirus Vaccine

November 17, 2020December 29, 20206 min read Misbah Lalani

The picture of positive cooperation between nations takes on quite a different character in the United States. US decisions regarding international distribution and development of the vaccine have been extremely unclear. Although President Trump claims that the US is open to partnership, many of his actions directly contradict these seemingly inclusive claims.

Challenging the International Response to the Refugee Crisis

November 11, 2020December 29, 20207 min read Melanie Baume

Thus far, the global response of most developed countries has been to funnel money into the international refugee support system, which provides humanitarian aid relief through the establishment of refugee camps. As these camps are short-term solutions, in most host countries, refugees lack the right to work or move freely. This might not have been a problem if the duration of their stay were short, however the conflicts from which refugees flee usually last indefinitely.

Armenia: The Story of an Unattainable Peace

October 20, 2020December 29, 20206 min read Santhindu Wijesooriya

Armenia has been through a lot in the past 150 years, and continues to endure more. From petty dispute to mass genocide, the people of Armenia have been forced to watch their nation fall under constant fire from the world around them.

David Malpass at McGill: An Uncertain Future For the World Bank?

November 12, 2019February 27, 20216 min read Ariana Castillon

Nonetheless, while the World Bank does contribute to some important projects and initiatives, there is still pervasive institutional bias that values the desires of its Western donors over the needs of the developing nations it seeks to assist.

Interview with Olivia Bizot

April 10, 2019March 2, 20212 min read The Catalyst Editorial Board

Catalyst contacted Olivia Bizot to discuss her upcoming article “The Victims, the Villains, the Voiceless: An Examination of the British Media’s shifting Representations of Refugees During the 2015 Refugee Crisis” in the Spring 2019 edition of Chrysalis. Her article discusses the ways in which British media portrayed refugees during the refugee crisis.