Every Monday, the Research Trainees of the CERESE assess the news of the previous week. You can read their opinions below:

I like…

…Donald Trump’s conviction on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. These crimes were committed as part of a scheme involving paying money to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. The verdict was reached after the jury deliberated for less than 12 hours, in the unprecedented first criminal trial against a US president, sitting or former. It marks a dangerous political moment for Trump, the front-runner for the Republican Party nomination for the upcoming November elections, whose ratings have remained unchanged throughout the trial.

...President Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use American arms against Russia. More specifically, Biden permitted Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to strike back at positions inside Russian territory, with the limitation that they are near the Kharkiv region. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, had declared that Russia may take further nuclear deterrence measures if the US deploys medium- and short-range missiles in Europe and Asia. At the same time, the Foreign Ministers of the NATO countries who met in Prague seemed to agree with Biden’s decision and discussed how to strengthen the alliance’s air defense systems.

I dislike…

…the Israeli airstrike on civilians in Rafah. The bombing in Rafah by Israel has drawn international condemnation, as it resulted in the deaths of dozens of people in a camp of displaced civilians. The Israeli airstrike on the town, which is located in the southern Gaza Strip, targeted an area that was home to many civilians displaced by the fighting. This development is particularly negative because the attack caused a great loss of life, with dozens of people killed and many others seriously injured. Among the victims were children, which adds to the tragic toll and the condemnation of the international community. The situation in Rafah is a dramatic reminder of the serious consequences of conflicts in the Middle East region and the need for international intervention to protect civilians and achieve long-term peace.

...the lack of transparency of the majority of European parties. Note that the majority of political parties in member states of the European Union do not publish information about their sponsors. In seven of the 27 countries, parties must inform the public of the identity of their sponsors and donations. However, this is not the case for the other twenty states, where there are over 200 political parties. Although any funding does not necessarily mean the sponsors’ involvement in designing policies, in some countries the agreements are made behind closed doors. In addition, funding can be offered through state taxes.