Kameel Majdali's Road Ahead

  If 2020 were not eventful enough - Covid, lockdown, economic downturn, wild-fires, hurricanes, and a rowdy presidential campaign - the temperature is about to burst out of thermometer. Now there is a vacancy in the US Supreme Court. If you thought that the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings were turbulent … put on your seatbelts for a potentially wild ride.   Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court ( SCOTUS ), Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second female justice, died on the 18th of September. Known affectionately as RBG, she had a sharp mind, steel determination, and was universally respected by leftists and conservatives alike. She successfully fought for women’s right in the workplace. Her philosophy was autonomy for women, equality with men. As a left-of-centre judge, she sided with the liberal wing of the court consistently. Since Trump’s presidency ‘RBG’ became a cultural icon to the Left. What happens next is that the current US President Donald Trum...

A drama has been unfolding at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London that has captured the attention of the world. Eleven month old Charlie Gard has been treated by the hospital for a very rare mitochondrial disease. He has brain damage and cannot breathe by himself. The hospital wants to turn off his life support machine. Charlie’s parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, disagree. They have the opportunity to take Charlie to the United States to undergo experimental treatment which might, just might, prolong or improve his life. They managed to raise over $1 million for this purpose but the hospital said ‘No.’ The case was taken to the UK Supreme Court and they sided with the hospital. The court said there was no benefit to taking the child to the USA and his suffering would only be prolonged. Then Charlie’s case went to the European Court of Human Rights. They also agreed with the hospital and UK Supreme Court. ‘ The domestic courts concluded that it would be law...

We live in a time of populist revolts which, among other things, are the result (or cause) of political instability. There have been ‘shock election results’ in 2015, the unexpected vote for BREXIT in Britain, the rise of Donald Trump in the US and of right-wing parties in Europe. It is our conviction that the erosion of democracy in the western world is part of the reason for these political shakings. In the previous article, we look at the ingredients of a truly democratic society (which includes but goes much further than elections). Again, they are 1.       Regular elections, free and fair; 2.       Rule of Law; 3.       Universally recognised human rights; 4.       Independent, constitutionally-based judiciary; 5.       Free and responsible press; 6.       Separation of powers; 7.     ...