Akhtar Shirani, My Mother and Me

My mother has left me her love of a Pakistani poet whose poems of love, longing and the belief in a more humane world gave her comfort in difficult times and give me solace and hope today.

open.substack.com

My mother has died and I can mourn her. That makes me one of the fortunate | Shada Islam

For those dying in wars from Gaza to Sudan, there is no shroud, no grave, no funeral, says Shada Islam, a Brussels-based commentator on EU affairs

theguardian.com

The EU’s foreign policy problem isn’t institutions – it’s the quality of its leaders

Europe's standing will not be restored by shifting responsibilities from one building to another, moving competences between commissioners and directorates-general, or publishing yet another security ...

euobserver.com

Lives That Shaped Me: Who Gets to Grieve in Today's World?

After my mother’s death, I began thinking about those who are denied even the dignity of mourning. Grief is universal. The chance to mourn is not.

open.substack.com

The EU is inviting the Taliban to Brussels. Europe’s credibility lies in tatters

As ICE-style deportation rules come into force, the unsavoury circle the EU wants migrant deals with includes the Afghan regime. This is a nadir, says Shada Islam, a Brussels-based commentator on EU a...

theguardian.com

Belfast violence: an uncomfortable reminder of the innocent people ‘burnt out’ during the Troubles

Families fled burning homes as violence flared in the city.

theconversation.com

Why has abuse of flotilla activists drawn more condemnation than the Gaza genocide?

The response reveals white supremacy still dictates whose suffering matters and the perils of individualising responsibility for systemic injustice.

thenewhumanitarian.org

🎈 The European Democracy Shield: defending what?

We commonly hear EU leaders talk about the need to ‘defend democracy’. Yet, as Omran Shroufi shows, their discourse is often more about identifying and naming geopolitical threats than it is about tac...

theloop.ecpr.eu

Europe’s Gaza blindspot is boomeranging home

Once a political system becomes comfortable with the dehumanisation of one people, the logic does not remain neatly contained. It travels, mutates and returns home.

open.substack.com

Kallas-style “diplomacy” isn't helping the EU

Kaja Kallas’ increasingly bewildering interventions on world affairs are rapidly turning into a geopolitical liability for a European Union struggling to convince the world of its relevance.

open.substack.com

How far-right Chega is targeting Asians in Portugal

South Asians have emerged as a convenient target for the political right, most notably supporters of the far-right nationalist Chega party, which is targeting education fairs and Muslim festivals and ...

euobserver.com

Europe’s multiple voices are its unique selling point – not a weakness

Europe’s answer to the 'Who speaks for Europe?' question - allegedly posed by Henry Kissinger - should be that Europe’s diversity of voices and actions are its strategic strength. In a world of fluid...

euobserver.com

His only crime is his surname

Helena Dalli reflects on the shameful reaction to Omar Rababah contesting the upcoming election

timesofmalta.com

France topped EU arms sales to Israel while backing mini-sanctions

Germany, Greece, Romania, the Czechs, and Finland also licensed millions of euros of Israel arms exports in 2024, according to the latest EU data.

euobserver.com

Orbán may be gone, but his prejudices are now baked into the European political mainstream | Shada Islam

EU leaders have normalised once fringe racist narratives in their migration, border control and even foreign policies says Shada Islam, commentator on EU affairs

theguardian.com

Does the EU still care about ending global poverty? Because its Global Gateway has major problems

The EU’s bet is on the Global Gateway, a development model focused on generating 'win-wins', aimed at fostering economic growth and private sector investments in partner countries, while also bringing...

euobserver.com

The EU must not wait till Israel starts executing Palestinians

It must cancel the EU-Israel Association Agreement immediately over Israeli violations of the human rights clause.

aje.news

Enough Talk, It’s Time to Suspend the EU–Israel Agreement

Sign up. Make your voice heard. Stop Europe from being a passive and often complicit bystander in Israel's relentless crimes against humanity.

open.substack.com

Why Viktor Orbán’s defeat in Hungary won’t impact European policy toward Israel

Despite the media narrative that Netanyahu “lost” an ally in Europe, Péter Magyar’s decisive win in Hungary will not shift EU policy on Israel, because it is not being set by neofascists like Viktor O...

mondoweiss.net

Eyal Weizman · All they will find is sand: Gaza’s Yellow Line

Most of the Gaza Strip – cities, refugee camps, schools, universities, mosques, the health infrastructure, agriculture...

lrb.co.uk

Years of evidence and still no admission from EU Commission on Greek pushbacks

Despite years of evidence and verified reports by a senior official within the EU's border agency Frontex, the European Commission still won't acknowledge that Greece pushes back migrants, which is il...

euobserver.com

Suspend EU-Israel Trade Agreement

Both Germany and Italy have the power to sway the decision.

amnesty.org