The Politics of War as Global Geostrategy and World War
The usual focus, in the way the war in Ukraine is made known, is polarized in a very sharp way. Two geostrategic fields are defined, the Russian Federation, which invaded Ukraine, and the “West”, North America and a large part of Europe, united in the Transatlantic Military Alliance, enlarged after the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the USSR. But there are exceptions to this rule, which should not be ignored. Hungary has exhibited a posture of strong withdrawal in support of the Ukrainian Government, with economic and political arguments, basically distancing itself from the objectives of the western alliance. In turn, Austria, which does not actually belong to NATO, remains detached from the purposes of this military pact. It is curious that these two countries, plus Serbia, which was driven to sacrifice Kosovo, are central protagonists of the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire died at the end of the Great War. And the anschluss would victimize Austria again, in World War II. The most important thing, here and now, is the prevention of a new global tragedy, with no winners. Pax bona et honest est mellior mille victoria praecarismotto of Niels Bohr, great atomic physicist.
Jose Manuel Jara, Lisbon
Still within the framework of the More Housing debate
Still within the framework of the More Housing debate and on the interaction of municipalities with the State’s assets, I believe that it would be important for: (i) municipalities to identify vacant buildings and unused land with constructive capacity belonging to the “State” or bodies and State entities; (ii) the municipal councils will notify the state-owned entities (with a copy to the Directorate-General for State Heritage) so that, within the same period determined for private individuals, they indicate whether they intend to use them (other than selling them) immediate; (iii) if nothing is answered within that period, or if, within the same period stipulated for individuals, nothing is done in those buildings or land, the city council is authorized to take administrative possession for a period of 80 years, in a notarial act without the need for any authorizations from any State bodies or other formalities; (iv) it will be incumbent upon the municipal council to give the public destination it deems most convenient in terms of affordable housing or culture, being able to demolish and rebuild or adapt.
Ricardo Charters-d’Azevedo, Sao Pedro do Estoril
there is respect
If Social Security has homes that it supervises, if the Santa Casa also has them, as well as other institutions that have them in charge, they should monitor their activity as necessary and this so that, at any time, anyone could, when least expect it, be visited by inspectors and have to prove your organization and smoothness of processes. It doesn’t seem to happen that way. By system, whenever problems occur, there is always the part whose function is to apply the rules, which does not know. React, yes, but a posteriori with all the inconvenience caused by the fact that the object of the complaint(s) has already happened, that is, the harm has already been done. Of course, these homes, accused of poor hygiene and mistreatment, may end up being closed down, but the idea persists that, otherwise, no one would know anything, which points to a situation of letting go, of failure of monitoring, which is important to correct once and for all.
Concern for the social can only be understood as a way of being on top of everything that moves you, in this case respecting elderly people who do not deserve to be treated as useless things at the end of their lives. At the very least, respect!
Eduardo Fidalgo, Linda-a-Velha
New routine
Skipping meals, staying at home with the children because school is closed, living with the practical elimination of the school year, this is the new routine of thousands of parents. The country was hostage to teachers’ strikes. They managed to make their fight the only focus whose epilogue is not predictable given the monstrosity to which the Minister of Education and the unions surrendered, in the form of slow slowness in negotiating. Students haven’t known what it’s like to have a normal school year for three years. It was the pandemic and now this rigid, unalterable and relentless posture of the unions, which in a few days demand corrections of wages and careers with decades of injustice. This new routine is unacceptable in the light of citizenship, the educational cardinal point.
Aristides Teixeira, Almada