Alejandro Ramirez – The Diplomatic Envoy

April 25, 2022April 23, 2022 Alejandro Ramirez

Viktor Orban Wins Fourth Term as Hungarian PM

On April 6, Viktor Orban, already serving out his third consecutive term, won the Hungarian parliamentary election in a landslide, a victory that will put Hungary on uncertain footing with the EU and other allies, Reuters reports. The mercurial leader of Hungary’s center-right populist party Fidesz, Orban has previously drawn the ire of European heads of state and EU commissioners alike for his abrasive rhetoric on gender and immigration issues.

Eastern Europe 2022 Conflict and Security

February 28, 2022February 27, 2022 Alejandro Ramirez

In Ukraine, an Invasion and its Consequences

Weeks of escalating tensions in Europe reached their breaking point on February 24, when Russia officially launched its first attacks against Ukraine. As the ominous buildup of over 100,000 Russian troops on Ukraine’s border showed no signs of slowing down in the days leading up to the attack, many nations expressed concern that President Vladimir Putin was formulating plans for military operations against Ukraine, reports The New York Times.

2021 Analysis Asia

December 19, 2021December 19, 2021 Alejandro Ramirez

Russia’s “Hybrid Warfare”: A Fallacy of Terms?

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, competing world orders and clashing national interests increasingly sparked fears of new conflicts erupting. The concept of ‘hybrid warfare’, or military actions existing in the liminal space between peace and war through various non-military strategies, has been consistently identified as a cause for tension since 2014.

2021 November 2021 International News Europe

November 24, 2021November 24, 2021 Alejandro Ramirez

Belarus Accused of Inciting Border Crisis

Belarus has come under fire from the European community for what is seen as an orchestrated attempt to destabilize Poland and Lithuania and pressure the EU to relax sanctions on President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus. These tensions stem from an ongoing border crisis, in which migrants are being systematically pressured, in part by Belarusian officials, to enter Europe through Belarus’s border with Poland and Lithuania.

International News

October 12, 2021October 11, 2021 Alejandro Ramirez

‘Pandora Papers’ Leak Exposes Corruption among World Leaders

On Sunday, reporters affiliated with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) unearthed one of the largest leaks of offshore data ever seen, bringing to the forefront the secret financial schemes of many of the most powerful people in the world. The Guardian reports that the sheer size of the leak, which encompasses more than 2.98 Terabytes of data, required a team of over 600 journalists to sift through and organize the myriad of documents.

International News Europe

October 5, 2021October 11, 2021 Alejandro Ramirez

EU Braces for a Winter of Energy Instability

Across the European Union, natural gas prices are peaking at levels not seen in the past twenty years, causing growing concern by energy policy experts for the implications across Europe. With COVID-19 lockdowns drawing to a close across Scandinavia and Western Europe, the imminent surge in demand for natural gas as winter nears is placing many EU states in a precarious domestic and strategic position, reports The New York Times.

September 2021 International News

September 30, 2021October 11, 2021 Alejandro Ramirez

Calls for Impeachment Spark Populist Backlash in Brazil

The presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, the conservative populist who has been president of Brazil since 2016, is under challenge, as opposition protests held across the country this week are calling for his impeachment. According to MercoPress, reports indicate that his support nationwide is dwindling, with national opinion polling placing him in the 22 to 30 percent approval range, with elections being scheduled for next year.