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About twenty minutes into the concert, frontman Mahamadou Souleymane stopped the music. In solemn and simple words, he stated “Africa suffers. We are suffering.” This interlude was a stark reminder that what we, the crowd, had gathered to listen to was not simply music, but a political demonstration. < Back Renowned Tuareg Rock Group Mdou Moctar: Where Politics and Music Collide By Saoirse Aherne April 29, 2022 If you had walked down Avenue de Saint-Ouen this past Saturday, you might have heard a distant cacophony of noise. You would have caught the audible wail of a classic electric guitar, but layered on a rhythm that was not quite rock, not quite funk, not quite blues. The genre bending noise that flooded Paris’ 18th Arrondissement this weekend was all thanks to Mdou Moctar – a four-piece Tuareg musical act that took the stage of “Le Hasard Ludique” by storm, clad in daraa and tagelmusts, armed with electric guitars, and biting political lyrics in Tamasheq. About twenty minutes into the concert, frontman Mahamadou Souleymane stopped the music. In solemn and simple words, he stated “Africa suffers. We are suffering.” He continued, demanding an explanation for the deployment of French and American troops in numerous African nations, stating “it is not the 15th century.” Yet, according to Souleymane, colonial practices prevail. Souleymane described the extraction of resources from his home country of Niger at the hands of French mining companies, underlining how his people had seen no profit from their own nation's riches. Souelymane called on the audience to inform themselves on what the French government was doing in nations across the continent of Africa, and to condemn their leaders for the practice of imperialism. Leaving his words to settle in the humid air of the cramped concert hall, Souleymane stepped back, raised his guitar, and launched into a whining guitar lick. As the rest of the band joined, the song took the form of a typical Mdou Moctar ballad – rife with rhythm and spirit, a soul-catching groove layered with melodic vocals and lively drums. This interlude was a stark reminder that what we, the crowd, had gathered to listen to was not simply music, but a political demonstration. Such has always been the case of desert blues – a genre born in Libyan military training camps in the 1970s, an intricate fusion of rock, blues, and traditional Tuareg sounds. The Tuareg, a historically nomadic sub-group of the Amazigh residing in the Sahara-Sahel region, have long faced subjugation in the nations across which their people reside. There is a strong separatist movement within the Tuareg community, which has acted as a significant source of conflict since the Saharan-Sahel nations gained independence. In the 1980s, Gaddafi opened the Libyan borders to Tuareg refugees fleeing persecution and began recruiting them into his army. Libyan military camps flooded with young Tuareg men, fueling a number of insurrections and rebellions across the Sahara in the 1990s. However, another unexpected outcome emerged from these training camps, a different manifestation of the Tuareg desire for emancipation and autonomy: Desert Blues. It was a band by the name of Tinariwen that pioneered this genre. Front man Ibrahim Ag Alhabib met his bandmates in a guerrilla training camp in Libya. The young men began to write songs about their struggles, the horrors that had forced them to flee their homes, and the subjugation of Tuareg people. They formed a musical group, playing at weddings and parties, speaking to the longing and suffering of their fellow Tuareg exiles. Soon they came to be known as “Kel Tinariwen,” which translates to “The Desert Boys” in Tamasheq. And so began Tinariwen, the first Desert Blues group, which expertly combined traditional Tuareg sounds with bluesy guitar riffs and unfalteringly political lyrics. In 1985, Tinariwen set up a makeshift studio where they wrote and recorded songs. They offered these recordings for free to all who could provide a blank cassette tape. These tapes were exchanged and dispersed across the Sahara by rebel groups fighting for Tuareg independence throughout the 1990s. Tinariwen were the first of many bands from the Sahara-Sahel region to use music as a tool both in support of their own people’s spirit and to draw the eyes of the world to their suffering. Mdou Moctar in many ways is inspired by Tinariwen’s model. Especially with regards to their most recent album, “Afrique Victime,” Mdou Moctar’s lyrics are harshly anti-imperialist. Although distinctly Tuareg in musical style, “Afrique Victime” speaks for the continent of Africa as a whole, using music to condemn its exploitation and violation by Western powers. Mahamadou Souleymane is Tuareg, born in a small village in the mid-80s in Niger. Due to resistance from his parents, Souleymane took up guitar, first by fashioning bike wires to a piece of wood and teaching himself to play in secret on this makeshift instrument. Inspired by music emerging from the neighboring country of Nigeria, Solelymane fused traditional Tuareg sounds with drum machine tracks and autotune. His creations began to circulate, and somehow made their way to American music blogger Chris Kirkley. Awestruck by the musical innovations Souleymane was creating, Kirkley departed to Niger to attempt to find the mysterious musician behind these haunting tracks. After successfully locating Souleymane, Kirkley’s label, Sahel sounds, helped to produce a number of albums for Souleymane’s band– Mdou Moctar– which have garnered increasing international recognition. But music for Souleymane is merely an accessory to his central mission of bettering the lives of those within his community. Each time Mdou Moctar releases an album, he builds a well, a vital resource in Niger where access to water is a continual issue. Souleymane lives and works for the most part in Tahoua, as do the rest of the band. He knows the community, plays at local weddings, and rents out his car for a small fee – that is, when he’s not touring the world. In recent years, the fame achieved by Mdou Moctar has provided Souleymane with a platform to propagate his message to Western audiences. In an interview with Dazed magazine in 2021, Souleymane stated “[French] companies have extracted all the uranium and gold in Niger but help none of our problems. I’ve seen it since I was a small child. It’s modern slavery, racism, and colonialism combined.” He continued in this interview, proclaiming “I am calling the whole world to stand up and revolt against the conditions we face. We don’t have the technology here in Niger to manufacture weapons, so how are they entering the country? Why are other nations storing tools of war on our land? France, the US, NATO — they’re all complicit. Why are they here? Why?” Souleymane offered a damning final sentiment: “They’re playing with my people.” Mdou Moctar utilizes its music to dissolve the simplistic portrait of the marginalized as weak and miserable. It draws attention to the evils of imperialism through a medium which showcases the beauty of Tuareg culture. Souleymane is shockingly talented, a compelling speaker, and an internationally recognized artist, all the while remaining an integral part of his community. He advocates for his people from within. The music of Mdou Moctar is not only a stunning auditory experience, but also deeply powerful and moving. Such is the nature of political music, for it is from conflict and marginalization that the most compelling art arises. Desert blues have provided the Tuareg with a means to document their unique struggle, to draw the eyes of the world to their needs. And Mdou Moctar, in its embrace of this genre, has extended its political demands to represent all those that suffer beneath the burden of imperialism.

Was the G20 meeting once again superfluous? No. The alternative would be a policy of speechlessness and confrontation. < Back The G20 Summit in Rome: Timid and Vague, but Necessary. By Florian Heydecker November 29, 2021 On October 30 through 31, 2021, the 16th meeting of the Group of 20 was held in Rome, Italy. With an agreement on a global minimum tax, the G20 countries have found a common position. There was no consensus on climate protection, but determination in the fight against tax evasion. In their first in-person meeting since the outbreak of COVID-19, the heads of state and government of the leading industrialized and emerging countries voiced concerns and raised hopes at the G20 summit in Rome. Climate change and Environmental protection The G20 countries want to implement robust actions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. The new stipulation is that governments will target climate neutrality as early as the middle of the century. However, countries such as Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia were unwilling to accept 2050 as a confirmed target date for carbon neutrality. There was also no agreement on phasing out coal-fired power generation. However, they followed the announcement of China to withdraw from international financing of new coal-fired power plants. As for environmental protection, the G20 countries aim to halt biodiversity loss by 2030. At least 30 percent of the land area and no less than 30 percent of the oceans and seas worldwide will be "conserved or protected" by 2030. In addition, there are new measures to end overfishing of the oceans. There will also be an intensification of the fight against illegal deforestation and illicit mining. Coronavirus pandemic and Migration The joint fight against future pandemics will be strengthened and financially secured by establishing a working group of G20 finance and health ministers. At the same time, the G20 countries backed the World Health Organization's (WHO) goal of vaccinating 40 percent of the population worldwide by the end of this year and 70 percent by the middle of next year. There were calls for a general transfer of technology and vaccine production in developing countries. Furthermore, the heads of state and government want to prevent “irregular migration flows and the smuggling of migrants.” What is needed is a comprehensive concept “for safe, orderly and regular migration.” At the same time, they are willing to address the root causes of displacement and strengthen the integration of refugees. Taxes and Trade Leaders confirmed the agreement signed by 136 states in October for a global minimum tax on international corporations. It will come into force by 2023. The main aim of the reform is to prevent the shifting of corporate profits to tax havens. Large, internationally active companies will pay at least 15 percent tax, regardless of their headquarter. If a company pays less tax with its subsidiary abroad, the home state can claim the difference. The G20 countries also committed themselves to an “open, fair, equitable, sustainable, non-discriminatory and inclusive rules-based multilateral trading system.” This action, they said, is crucial for recovery. The World Trade Organization (WTO) will become the centerpiece of this trading system. On the fringes of the summit, the EU and the US also agreed on a provisional settlement of their years-long dispute over special US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Energy and Nuclear weapons The G20 countries pointed out the need for a secure energy supply concerning the current high energy prices. "We stress the importance of maintaining uninterrupted energy supplies from different sources, suppliers and through different routes, exploring pathways to improved energy security and market stability, while promoting open, competitive and free international energy markets," they said. They agreed that secure supply chains are also crucial to transforming energy systems. Finally, the US, France, the UK, and Germany called on Iran during the G20 summit to return to its commitments under the Vienna nuclear agreement. The different leaders said that, without a swift return to the agreement, “a dangerous escalation” could loom. At the same time, the US declared its willingness to return to and fully comply with the accord. Hence, discussions in such a round are laborious and complicated — in the end, they produce compromises that are often highly woolly. Yet, some of the agreements reached in Rome also show that the G20 can reach a common ground and deliver concrete actions against global issues. If some perceive the summit as outdated and ineffective, they should remind themselves that the alternative would be a policy of speechlessness and pure confrontation.

April 12, 2026 Eulogy to Joy In March 2025, the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, revealed to the world that American national-security officers discussed highly classified information in a group chat in which he was accidentally included. While American media focused on whether the leak risked American lives, European leaders got the chance to see how America’s most powerful talked about Europe behind closed doors. Read More December 10, 2025 Iraq at the Ballots On Nov. 11 Iraqis went to the parliamentary election ballots to determine who gets the 329 seats on Iraq’s Council of Representatives. Read More October 31, 2025 What Happened to Freedom of Speech? Kirk’s murder came as a shock to many across the United States, sparking a wide range of reactions. Fellow right-wing activists and conservative politicians publicly grieved the loss of their friend and colleague, while left-wing politicians openly condemned the act of political violence, reiterating the need for gun reform in America. Online, however, the general reaction was much less mournful. People flocked online to criticize politicians for “martyring” Kirk, who spouted many racist, sexist and discriminatory views throughout his career. Many questioned whether this was a man who deserved to be honored. Read More October 23, 2025 General Debate in the UN Assembly Annalena Baerbock of Germany, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs until 2025, served as the President of the General Assembly and declared the theme of this year's debate as “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.” Baerbock began her remarks by highlighting the plight of children in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, and gang violence in Haiti. Moving on, she stated that cynics of the United Nations needed to realize that the “the [United Nations] Charter, our Charter, is only as strong as Member States’ willingness to uphold it,” encouraging the rest of the delegates to “act when action is needed.” Read More October 21, 2025 Le néolibéralisme à la française «La France est un enfer fiscal.» Cette expression fréquemment reprise dans certains médias appuie la critique d’un État où les charges et impôts étoufferaient l’initiative privée. Derrière cette formule se devine le cœur du discours néolibéral : réduire les fonctions sociales de l'État pour laisser libre cours au fonctionnement ‘naturel’ du marché. Read More October 21, 2025 ‘Will this recognition bring back my family?’ The recognition of the State of Palestine by France is not a sudden decision, influenced by other nations; rather, it is one that the state has been working towards since July. Read More September 30, 2025 3 Ans Après le Meurtre de Mahsa Amini, un Bilan sur la Situation des Femmes en Iran Le 16 septembre 2025 marque le troisième anniversaire du décès de Mahsa Amini aux mains du régime iranien. La politique répressive envers les femmes perdure. Cependant, l’Iran a connu d'importants bouleversements à la suite de cet outrage, notamment portés par le mouvement international Femme, vie, liberté. Ces mobilisations ont-elles réellement amélioré la condition des femmes ? Trois ans après, faisons le point sur la société iranienne depuis le soulèvement Femme, vie, liberté. Read More September 30, 2025 L'OCS ou la Peur a L'Occident Le 1er septembre 2025, lors du sommet annuel de l’Organisation de Coopération de Shanghai (OCS), Xi Jinping dénonçait une « mentalité de guerre froide » et des « actes d’intimidation » visant implicitement l’administration américaine. Ces propos, repris dans de nombreux médias occidentaux, renforcent une certaine inquiétude quant à la montée en puissance de la Chine. Read More April 30, 2025 Protests in Türkiye: The Fight for “Hak, Hukuk, Adalet!” The question emerged: if a regime could erase a diploma, why wouldn't it also erase an election? After İmamoğlu was detained, hundreds of protesters took to the streets. The first act came from Istanbul University, where students gathered in front of the main gates with banners that read “Diplomamı değil, geleceğimi çaldınız!” (“You didn’t just steal my diploma, you stole my future!”). Read More April 30, 2025 Change in the Republic of Moldova Whether the new governance delivered all they had promised is of secondary importance; what matters most is that in the last four years, the country has been more open to the West than ever before.; Let us hope it will continue like this and one day, they will be a part of the greater European family. Read More March 31, 2025 Recentering the Fight Against Climate Change from Innovation to Tradition Developed across millennia and passed down through generations, Indigenous knowledge carries “ancient and intergenerational wisdom that is flexible, fluid, and adaptive.” Read More March 31, 2025 The 51st State? Trump, Absorbing Canada, Sovereignty and American Foreign Policy Trump carried strict economic goals into his second term, imposing trade tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico to help stunt immigration into the U.S. While his economic nationalism persists, Trump’s threats of annexation peel back a new layer of his foreign policy plan. Read More February 28, 2025 Tug-of-War: Chinese and American Shared Interest in Greenland Greenland has become a focal point of strategic competition between the U.S. and China, with a mutual struggle risking triggering a new arena for great power rivalry. As China grapples with economic challenges and the U.S. seeks to reinforce its Arctic presence, it has become clear that Greenland could play a crucial role in shaping the future of international dynamics. Read More February 28, 2025 “Mom I arrived”: Two Years Since the Tragedy of Tempi I cannot help but be haunted by the thought that this could have been us—the idea that my family, my friends and even myself could have been the ones inside this train. Ever since then, every train that leaves the station bears with it a weight of terror, darkness, and silence… Read More February 28, 2025 The Implications of the Piraeus Port As Part Of The Belt and Road Initiative Although we cannot predict the outcomes of the significant Chinese ownership of Piraeus, the fact that Greece’s biggest port is owned by a foreign power will have an important impact on its future policies, as well as its relations with other countries. Whether Greece will be able to successfully balance in between, without completely becoming dependent on either power, is to be determined. Read More February 28, 2025 Introduction to the Cyprus Problem: History and Attempts at Solution President Christodoulides of the Republic of Cyprus and President Tatar of the TRNC agreed to meet in May of this year under the aegis of the UN to kickstart another round of talks for the reunification of the island. What has created what the leaders in both communities, despite their sizeable ideological gaps, see as an opportunity for reconciliation? Read More January 31, 2025 Can We Cope with COP? The first COP was held in Berlin, Germany in 1995; under a framework of international cooperation, with various required reduction targets for “developed country Parties,” COP stands as the singular format for climate negotiations in the global space. But it’s not enough anymore—if it ever was in the first place. Read More January 31, 2025 Is South Korean Democracy Threatened? Polarization of society and the rise of far-right rhetoric can very well be found in many other democracies, but South Korea is an example of two things in particular: an extreme attempt at suppressing the opposition and functioning democratic institutions. Read More January 31, 2025 The Syrian Question We all heard that the Assad regime toppled after 50 years of dictatorship. However, recent history taught us that such overthrows and their subsequent reforms are illusory in the end, seductive at first and inevitably and ultimately evanescent. Will this be the case for Syria? Will it repeat the history of its neighbors? And if not, will it become an Islamic republic, as the actual leaders seem to desire? Read More January 31, 2025 Embedding Sustainability Constitutionally What is a government saying to its people by enshrining the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment? It marks this right as one that it will prioritize, as “the protection of the natural environment is an obligation of the state.” The difference this amendment brings, alongside pioneering cases in Europe, is that citizens can hold their governments accountable with regard to their actions or inaction. Read More