El Salvador's president is criticized for cyber espionage and currency change

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has been controversial during his tenure, and the introduction of Bitcoin as the official currency in the country has diluted this. Photo: PresidenciaSV. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Of: Hanne Karlsson

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele is facing massive criticism and is increasingly mentioned as a dictator. This after the development during the past year that has been fraught with the removal of judges from the Supreme Court, changes to the country's constitution and the introduction of Bitcoin as the official currency.

May 5, 2022, Analysis

Invasion is always wrong - even in Western Sahara

Image from the documentary 3 Stolen Cameras, secretly filmed in occupied Western Sahara by Equipe Media in collaboration with RåFilm.

Of: Lena Thunberg

Russia's invasion of Ukraine rightly takes a large place in the media. But it must not make us completely forget about other wars and conflicts. One of them is Morocco's invasion and occupation of Western Sahara - which was blessed by former US President Donald Trump. This is what Lena Thunberg, editor of Tidskriften Västsahara, writes in a guest analysis.

April 19, 2022, Guest analysis

Five lessons from Russia's war in Ukraine on aid and development policy

In March, the Social Democratic government announced that costs for Swedish refugee reception would be deducted from development assistance. Magnus Walan, senior policy adviser at Diakonia, thinks the opposite - more aid to, among other things, promote democracy in the world, not less. He writes this in a guest analysis on Utvecklingsmagasinet. Photo: The Social Democrats. Source: Flickr.

Of: Magnus Walan

There is a debate going on about what lessons we can learn from Russia's war in Ukraine. Much of the debate is about NATO, but there are also lessons for Swedish foreign, development and development policy. How can politics become better at preventing conflicts and wars? Magnus Walan, senior policy advisor at Diakonia, lists five lessons.

April 11, 2022, Guest analysis

The world is divided over economic sanctions against Russia

Sanctions against Russia can hit other countries' economies and populations hard. Photo: DimitroSevastopol / 35 images. Source: Pixabay.

Of: Sigrid Wernersson

Raging commodity prices, economic crises and unexpected winners. These are some of the possible effects of economic sanctions against Russia, but far from all countries choose to support the sanctions. Whatever the purpose, sanctions risk being more globally destabilizing than many realize.

April 8, 2022, Analysis

The UN criticizes Guatemala's and Sweden's racial discrimination against indigenous peoples

An investment in hydropower in Guatemala has a negative effect on indigenous culture, says indigenous leader Mario López. In the picture, he is standing in front of the river Chixoy, which as a result of a power plant is now half as wide. Photo: Sori Lundqvist, Source: The Latin American groups.

Of: Lina Kallio

56 years ago, the UN General Assembly decided on the abolition of racial discrimination. Despite this, there is widespread and structural discrimination against indigenous peoples both in Guatemala and in Sweden.

March 24, 2022, Analysis

Violence against women in Bolivia - the second pandemic

Hundreds of people in La Paz participated in a flash mob in La Paz in 2015 to draw attention to gender-based violence - which is a widespread problem in Bolivia. Photo: UN Women. Source: Flickr.

Of: Beata Sjödahl

In Bolivia, seven out of ten women state that they have been subjected to violence in a close relationship and since 2013, one woman has been murdered every three days in the country. The pandemic, and the restrictions it has brought, have further aggravated the situation for women as many women have been quarantined with their perpetrators.

March 8, 2022, Analysis

Desmond Tutu has passed away - but the work against segregation in South Africa continues

Desmond Tutu was one of South Africa's foremost freedom fighters in the fight against Apartheid. He died in December 2021, aged 90 years. Photo: Cymru dros Heddwch. Source: Flickr.

Of: Linnea Ljungar

It was in the 1980s that Desmond Tutu played an important role in drawing national and international attention to the apartheid system in South Africa. But even today, South Africa is a country with a large gap between rich and poor, largely due to the legacy of colonialism and the apartheid system.

March 2, 2022, Analysis

Girls' schooling - a key to sustainable development

Afghan schoolgirls on their way to school in the village of Gardon e-Bola just west of Kabul. The school, which is run by the Swedish Afghanistan Committee, is one of the few schools in the country that will be kept open after the Taliban took power earlier this year. Photo: Paul Hansen. Source: DN.

Of: Hanne Karlsson

Last week was International Education Day. This year, the spotlight was on the universal right to education as a cog in achieving global sustainable development. At the same time as school development is going in the right direction on many levels, a special group has fallen behind - the girls.

February 1, 2022, Analysis

The Peace Wall divides the people of Belfast

The so-called Peace Wall divides western Belfast, with the mountain Black Mountain in the background. Photo: Wilma Sörman Ivarzon.

Of: Wilma Sörman Ivarzon

Although Northern Ireland has been peaceful on paper for 23 years, the parties to the conflict have remained divided. Some argue that it is because of the so-called peace wall, which divides Republican and loyalist areas and thus prevents meetings and integration. Others say that the wall is a vital protection against aggression from the other side, and that if it is torn down, Belfast may once again be marked by violence, death and terror.

January 21, 2022, Analysis, FUF-correspondents