This year topic of the Valdai Discussion Club was around the theme of “The Polycentric World: Instructions for Use,” aimed to go beyond merely describing a multipolar world and instead explore how to live in and navigate it.
In this episode, my guest is Jash Dholani, the mind behind The Old Books Guy, whose insights have captivated over 100,000 readers.
Europe has faced many kinds of challenges over the decades, of which demographic change is perhaps the most important over the long-term.
The first round of the French elections delivered a powerful victory to Marine Le Pen and a humiliating defeat for French President Emmanual Macron.
Political battles between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and “Brussels” are nothing new. Since the early 2010’s, Hungary’s right wing government faced backlash from EU institutions on issues like the adoption of Hungary’s new Fundamental Law and later amendments, or around the passing of new media laws.
When Linz launched the Ars Electronica Festival in 1979, the city was searching for a new identity. Heavy industry was collapsing, the steel crisis hit hard, and local leaders needed an alternative vision. What began as a bold experiment - inviting pioneers of digital art and technology to Upper Austria - has since grown into a global ecosystem of media art, attracting universities, companies, NGOs, and thousands of visitors every year.
What does it mean to be a “Beauty with Brains”? It is a phrase we often used to describe women who defy long-standing stereotypes. For centuries, women were seen as weaker and given fewer opportunities.
Hungary and Italy, while both having presidential systems, have unique mechanism regarding a premature end of a presidential term. In both, the head of state has mainly ceremonial powers, but the expiry of their term is defined by strict constitutional and legal standards. This examination centers on the reasons, the procedure, and the legal effects of a resignation, underlining the structural congruence and the doctrinal inconsistencies between the two systems.
