Posts
2022
Linguistics
The Hidden Curse of Babel: The Drawbacks of Language for Communication and Thought
This article highlights the drawbacks of language, not only in its cursed post-Babel scattered metamorphosis, but also in itself, as a means to communication and thought.
Social Media
Social Media in an Era of Invasion
In a time of uncertainty and fear, Ukrainians are using social media to stay in the world.
Diaries From Refugee Camps
A Day in Almoallem Refugee Camp
An armed attack on our camp shakes our security and frightens us, but what can we do but return to our tents and accept what happened as par of the course?
Literature
Doris Lessing: Subjecting a Divided Civilisation to Scrutiny
Doris Lessing, a female writer who weighed in on the feminist front and who wrote about persecution, intolerance and injustice.
At School In 70S England
"All of the anger poured out of me like a volcano and I saw red"
Noor is sharing her experience as an immigrant child who came to England in the 70s from Morocco. At the time, Noor was still grappling with the English language and finding her place in High School. This is the third and final part of Noor's story.
Environment Report
How to Make Transportation Green? 3 Alternatives to Internal Combustion Engines
Internal combustion engines may be at the heart of the pollution caused by our daily transportation vehicles. But how can we avoid them and are there any alternatives?
Global Justice
Appeasement: Forfeiting somebody else’s justice
Appeasement is giving the school bully your lunch money in order to avoid being beaten up. In politics, however, it is more like giving the school bully someone else’s lunch money, to stop them from being picked on.
United Nations
WHO? Yes, Tedros Again!
Tedros Ghebreyesus gets re-elected by the World Health Assembly (WHA) to a second term despite his affiliation with the repressive regime that has been accused of torture, repression, and electoral fraud.
China
Michelle Bachelet's visit to China: "Unacceptable" is a missing word from the UN's arsenal
Sadly, “concerns” is one of the strongest words in the United Nations’ arsenal, only a notch or two below “unacceptable”- its primary weapon – which, to no one’s surprise, was not used during this visit.
Appeasement: Is history repeating itself so soon?
Welcome to this issue of The Gordian Magazine. Appeasement is like giving the school bully your lunch money to avoid being beaten up. In political terms, however, it is more like giving the school bully someone else’s lunch money, to stop them from being picked on, because we just cannot be bothered to deal with the confrontation. The term often brings to mind the prelude to WWII, a time when, in the name of peace, Hitler was being allowed to threaten, intimidate and torment. We all know how that story ended. However, is history repeating itself so soon again? This issue offers the usual mix of politics, interviews, culture, and galleries by our UN-aligneders across the world, including Ruby Goldenberg, Carla Pietrobattista, Katharina Wüstnienhaus, Atika Harba, Kaitlyn Rivera, Partho Pratim Chatterjee and Eston McKeague. The editors are Adrian Liberto and Ariana Yekrangi.
Monthly Recap
Crazy Musk, new Nato members and the most expensive 20th-century art: May 2022 Recap
Africa 08.05.22: Western Sahara. About 44 migrants trying to reach the Canary Islands have drowned off the coast of Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara after their boat capsized.
Art
The last judgement of Michelangelo Buonarroti
How Michelangelo created the last judgement.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women in India are not Behind
In the late 20th century, women in other parts of the industrialised world had also experienced what is popularly known as the 'glass ceiling' phenomenon, which meant that women found they could only rise to a certain level in corporations and no further. This raises two immediate questions. What were the reasons that could have led to such a thought? And, were men keeping women away from the top?
Literature
Edward Morgan Forster: Life and works
Edward Morgan Forster: his life and his works.
At School In 70S England
“No, I wasn’t somebody just to be picked on”
This is the second part of Noor’s story. Noor is sharing her experience as an immigrant child who came to England in the 70s from Morocco. At the time, Noor was still grappling with the English language and finding her place in High School.
European Union
The Council of Europe and the struggle to uphold human rights
Human rights have been under attack in one way or another at nearly every single point in human history, so what has changed?
Diaries From Refugee Camps
“I entered the university and my heart is leaping with joy!” — An extracts from a refugee’s journal
During the days of the war in Syria, we lost our safety. We used to sleep to the sound of cannons and wake up to the sound of planes.
Environment Report
Making environment and development go hand in hand
In the backdrop of global warming, habitat loss and outbreak of zoonotic diseases merely ecosystem conservation would not prove sufficient unless bolstered by environmental remediation and restoration.
Global Justice
The three UN conventions on the laws of the sea and how they are failing to secure it
In this article, we will explore the three UN conventions that are designed to protect the laws of our seas: the UNCLOS, the ITLOS and ISA.
Linguistics
Why Russian and Ukrainian are not the same language
As the Ukrainian invasion enters its third month, we explore the difference between Russian and Ukrainian language, which are often mistaken as the same.
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