French diplomacy “yo-yo” effect explained by Galia Ackerman. French diplomacy has difficulty adapting to the new Europe where the tone is set by countries that know Russia well and don’t want it to win in Ukraine: the Baltic States, Poland, Scandinavian countries & Great Britain. https://desk-russie.info/2024/06/03/how-to-explain-the-yo-yos-of-french-diplomacy.html

In the past few weeks, protests which initially focused on price hikes have quickly turned into anti-regime protests against the religious autocracy. While the govt. crackdown has been quite brutal and the Iranian Govt. speculating the hands of US & its western allies behind the protests, one thing is clear : The people of Iran( esp. the youth) have got fed up with the Ayatollah-backed religious restrictions and the rigid religio-social order that the regime protects in the country. People in Iran are becoming more vocal in support of more progressive environment, in support of more women rights, and in support of a large water-downing of numerous regressive rules that the regime imposes.

In this context, this recent article by a leading Iranian Academic currently based in India is worth reading. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/behind-the-rage-iranians-dream-of-democracy/article30195517.ece?homepage=true

Hence, while the protests goes on, we may wonder when and how can the unrest become strong enough to shake the foundations of the Theocratic Regime itself. Since Iran is a large nation with a strong and loyal security forces to defend the regime & crackdown on the unrest, the current wave might get suppressed, but soon another wave might emerge.

So the question is, can we expect a 2nd Iranian Revolution within 10 years, that can actually topple the entire theocratic regime & pave the way for secular democratic forces to come up & form govt. as per people's will? How likely can this scenario be?

Would like to have the views of Iranian Citizens and Iranian Diaspora also in this matter, as they will have a better, connected understanding of the whole issue.

An escalating conflict is going on between South Korea and Japan. It started with a South Korean Supreme Court ruling demanding Japan make reparations for slave workers during World War II and escalated to Japan slowing trade with Korea, South Korea pulling out of a bilateral intelligence sharing agreement with Japan, and South Korea engaging in military exercises in disputed territories. Here’s what’s happening!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZEU6CXy9pM

When it comes to politics, size matters. After six weeks of negotiating Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition came up short by one seat triggering a second election on September 17th. Here’s what’s happening!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMnaRjns9NU

With global warming and the melting of the ice caps, new waterways and land are opening up in the Arctic. This week Pompeo is going on a tour of Arctic countries to try to convince them to mobilize against Chinese and Russian influence in the Arctic region. Here is what’s happening between the major players in this coming “Cold War”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9HS-MmGKXQ

In an effort to further hurt Iran, Trump on the 22nd canceled waivers for countries to purchase Iranian oil. Seventy two percent of Iran's exports are Oil, so this will be another major blow to their country. Several problems have recently emerged from China’s refusal to comply to Saudia Arabia’s conflict of interest over changing oil price incentives. Here’s what’s going on with Iranian Sanctions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2XVoZUTIJM

The recent Israel election led to a major victory for Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party. Here’s what his election means for Israeli politics as well as foreign policy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIGDsAO5Tls

Xi Jinping is currently in Italy looking for their official support regarding his Belt and Road Initiative. This would be the first G7 member to endorse the program. None of the other G7 members are thrilled about this. Here’s what’s going on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UQoig1eAU0&feature=youtu.be

Every year thousands of Chinese politicians get together to discuss the future of the economy. This year the main focuses were a slowdown in GDP growth, a two trillion yuan tax cut, a new foreign investment law, China’s “Hidden Debt” problem, and of course the trade war. Here’s what happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MdP-lHeRmE&feature=youtu.be

After the fateful meeting in Hanoi everyone’s wondering what’s next. Problem is, our Secretary of State and National Security Advisors have opposing answers to that question. This video looks at what both of them think the future of North Korean Sanctions should look like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEouabSMlpk&feature=youtu.be

Firstly, I'd like the thank the /r/StrictlyWorldPolitics mods for allowing me to post here.

I'm MaTh, the head moderator for AmericanGovSim (AGS), a US government simulation that takes place entirely in Discord. I'm here to explain what the simulation is about and, hopefully, convince some of you to come join the community. If you're interested in such a simulation, here's what we have to offer:

Once someone enters the server, they'll immediately be given the option to join a political party or remain an independent. There are five current political parties: the Constitutionalist Party, Green-Democratic Party, Libertarian Party, Monarchist Party, and Radical Leftist Party. Users also have the option to create their own political party if they can gather enough members to do so.

Once they've chosen a party, they're allowed into the various text channels of the main server and the party's individual server. Once that's done, they can begin to participate in the simulation. You can get involved with party politics by running for a leadership position or obtaining one of they various jobs that each party has open. You can also apply for a federal cabinet position or even begin working for a press organization that covers events within the simulation.

Also, elections are coming up, so members will have the ability to run for office, participate in debates, create a platform, and, eventually, vote. If elected to Congress, you'll be assigned to two committees and will be able to write and vote on legislation. We actually recently had a government shutdown scenario where Congress had to pass a budget by a specific deadline to avoid a shutdown that would have implemented negative vote modifiers for the upcoming federal election. You can even work in the private sector. For example, you could create your own non-governmental organization or join SpaceX, which exists in this simulation.

As you can see, there's quite a bit going on in this simulation. We're an ever-growing simulation that will only continue to grow and become more active as time goes on. If you're interested, here's a link: https://discord.gg/zKQ5v3y

If you have any questions about AGS, feel free to ask in the comments or through private message.

What is something you find wrong with the world today? And how do you think it could be solved? Conducting a social experiment.