When I turned 45, my daughter, Daria, gave me the book “The Hooligan’s Return” as a birthday present in Brussels, just a few days after the French translation was published. That’s how I discovered Norman Manea and became his friend without him knowing. Norman Manea lived through the horrors of Nazism and Communism, survived the Holocaust and the concentration camp to which he was deported as a child, and knew the dramatic experience of exile. In fact, the theme of exile is a

Photo by Dirk Pothen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/apostolic-palace-and-colonnade-in-vatican-city-31741852/ By: Nino Kalos New York, NY — At a time when the language of politics seems increasingly dominated by the logic of force, a different voice emerges — one that speaks an ancient and yet strikingly modern lexicon: the language of disarmed peace. It is the voice of Pope Leone XIV, a pontiff who surprises with his evangelical radicalism and his deeply American biography. Bo

Photo by Balázs Gábor: https://www.pexels.com/photo/aerial-view-of-naples-with-mount-vesuvius-35504405/ By: Nino Kalos The problem is not between Trump and Italy. The problem is between Trump and Europe. In his view — and not only his — Europeans still live under the illusion that the United States must protect them by historical right, as in the postwar era. But that world no longer exists. The United States now deals directly with Russia, China, North Korea, and the Gulf st

By: Nino Kalos As I took part in the event organized by Montenegro at the American Balkan Global Chamber of Commerce & the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, I felt compelled to reflect on the ancient and profound relationship between my country, Italy, and the State of Montenegro.A relationship rooted in centuries of shared history, cultural exchange, and maritime destiny — a relationship that found its most luminous symbol in one extraordinary woman: Elena of Montenegro, Que

Motto: “If Europe were once united in the sharing of its common inheritance there would be no limit to the happiness, prosperity and glory which its people would enjoy”. Sir Winston Churchill, University of Zurich, 19 September 1946. Photo by Petrit Nikolli: https://www.pexels.com/photo/flag-of-european-columns-between-columns-22046935/ Ancient Greek historian Thucydides left us the following aphorism: “The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage”

PC: COLON FRELD “The islands were, in fact, so to speak, experiments of nature, places which, by blessing or curse, were compelled by their geographical singularity to harbour unique forms of life. All singular species or genera which, in their isolated habitats, had embarked upon separate evolutionary trajectories.” Neurologist Oliver Sacks’s warning (in “The Island of the Colourblind”, Adelphi) regarding the Micronesian atoll of Pingelap also serves as a cautionary tale for

Photo Credit by: newyorker.com The geopolitical landscape of the Middle East, a region long defined by a delicate and often volatile balance of power, underwent a fundamental and likely irreversible transformation on February 28, 2026. What began as a lightning joint military operation by the United States and Israel has rapidly devolved into a multi-front regional conflict that has eƯectively dismantled the central authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran. As of ear

By: Khaled A. BaRahma Southern Yemen has a long history of being overlooked until it suddenly becomes impossible to ignore. For years, attention drifted between ceasefires, humanitarian appeals, and diplomatic fatigue. Yet once again, air strikes, naval movements, and international statements have pushed the region back into the global spotlight. What is unfolding is not a sudden eruption, nor is it the result of one isolated decision. It is the outcome of layered pressures,

Motto: "No Freeman shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or sent others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals. To no-one will we sell, to no-one deny or delay right to justice." (Magna Carta) According to Oxford English Dictionary, “Freedom is the state or fact of being free from servitude, constraint, inhibition

PC: Tara Winstead We’re leaning on AI more than ever: helping us make decisions, giving us advice at work, even offering emotional support when things get rough. It's everywhere now, quietly shaping what we say, how we write, and how we think. But we have to ask ourselves: When AI grows smarter than all of us combined, will it run our governments too? Democracy has proven through history to be far from optimal in its execution. Humans, both collectively and individually, carr