<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The UJ Times]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Uj Times]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/all-news</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 01:13:06 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.ujtimes.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Social Media’s influence on the U.S presidential elections of 2020]]></title><description><![CDATA[Figure 1. Cartoon of Fake news amongst elections of 2020   The 2020 U.S presidential election was one of the most significant events as well as controversial elections in modern American history. The process was held during the COVID-19 pandemic,saw record voter turnout and ended with Democratic candidate Joe Biden defeating former President Donald Trump. The election took place in the atmosphere of political polarization and social chaos. In the modern world, social media platforms have...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/social-media-s-influence-on-the-u-s-presidential-elections-of-2020</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b5d8a85f6a1e874c57ef30</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 21:58:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/649dcb_e4a1b08526584da1a389bfc6f246d96b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Malwina Janaszek</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[European Armaments as a Policy of Deterrence]]></title><description><![CDATA[At the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, member states declared their intention to spend 5% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually on core defence and security-related spending by 2035. This is a huge and much-needed improvement compared to the previously declared 2% that was pledged by the allies in 2014.  What factors have led to this decision, and why has it happened so suddenly, when just a year earlier only 18 out of 32 member states were meeting their previous target? Are leaders...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/european-armaments-as-a-policy-of-deterrence</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b5d49f24df0b96f9d0572b</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 21:43:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/649dcb_342cf97d0f27474eb22b34caf83d6686~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_900,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Wera Staszak</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Judicialized Democracy in Practice: Institutional Guardianship in Brazil]]></title><description><![CDATA[Brazil experiences a form of judicialized democracy in which the political class is increasingly dependent on judicial decisions, and the risk of relapse into dictatorship is fought against through increased control over political dynamics. The influence of Brazilian judicial power on the Brazilian political system, whether positive or negative, and what the potential next steps are  for the protection of democracy,  have been considered. The role the justice system has taken up in Brazil...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/judicialized-democracy-in-practice-institutional-guardianship-in-brazil</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b700d737c549f407999bf4</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:04:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b2ef55_fcbaefb309d541a78d5fc359968eeaca~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_792,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eduard Radulescu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cancel Culture, Politics, and Power: When Artists Push Back Against Political Messaging in North America]]></title><description><![CDATA[In recent months, an unusual cultural conflict has intensified in North America: musicians publicly denouncing political actors for using their songs and images without consent in government messaging. What might seem like celebrity grievance has broader implications for how political communication intersects with culture, free speech, and power. At the heart of this debate is a simple question: when political institutions use popular music or celebrity imagery to amplify messaging, whose...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/cancel-culture-politics-and-power-when-artists-push-back-against-political-messaging-in-north</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b6fba4982a6a9cdc280d97</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:52:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b2ef55_066c8dc551204d9c857f14b675b731a6~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_718,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alina Chernokon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Flight that Never Reached the Horizon: the MH17 Tragedy]]></title><description><![CDATA[On July 17, 2014, the sky over Eastern Ukraine witnessed a tragedy that will forever be remembered as a dark chapter in the history of the 21st century. On that day, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, ended its journey at an altitude where only the serenity of the clouds usually reigns. There were 298 people on board — men and women, children, families, scientists, tourists; all people of different nationalities and from different cultures, united by one...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/the-flight-that-never-reached-the-horizon-the-mh17-tragedy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b84ad2107e0353b75905e7</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:39:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b2ef55_d129219eb504446cb0e9e10b8fa44905~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_707,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Yuliia Novikova</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Young Men and Women Are Heading in Opposite Political Directions]]></title><description><![CDATA[As time goes on, the chasm between the political attitudes of young men and women is rapidly widening. In the past, young voters were more or less united in their liberal-centrist worldview. But now, in most democracies men are becoming increasingly conservative, and women – more liberal. The causes for this divergence may include the growing gender education gap, the rise of postfeminism, and social media echo chambers. ]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/why-young-men-and-women-are-heading-in-opposite-political-directions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b44a10d1b1d9cdf2137312</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:53:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/649dcb_9a6a3a43abd4465da17865d0fd70ca2a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Zoja Kacperczyk</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[UK Prime Minister Under Immense Pressure to Resign]]></title><description><![CDATA[Embattled following the outbreak of a scandal that has shaken the Labour Party’s confidence in him, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has continuously resisted calls to resign, vehemently defending his political position as the Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar in fiery language becomes the highest profile of a series of figures to lambast the Prime Minister’s decision-making and repeat demands that he step down. Peter Mandelson, the former UK Ambassador to the United States, was dismissed from...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/uk-prime-minister-under-immense-pressure-to-resign</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b8034a1d5a8875c9f30b50</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:39:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ae14f7_de13536b018449af9b43ecf840fddcc3~mv2.avif/v1/fit/w_853,h_853,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Patryk Rzepczynski</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Turkmenistan: Neutrality and Personal Rule]]></title><description><![CDATA[Introduction Turkménistan’s early independence years produced one of the most tightly managed political systems in the post-Soviet region. Under Saparmurat Niyazov, state power did not rely only on laws and offices; it also relied on public symbols, repeated rituals, and a controlled national story. Independence in 1991 did not lead to open political competition. Instead, the presidency became the main center of authority, and public life became closely organized around the leader’s image and...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/turkmenistan-neutrality-and-personal-rule</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b95aa9fb188211e4743dda</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:54:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b2ef55_6e73ed363915475dad7504499423d4eb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_664,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Leith EL Euch</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The New Middle East: Strategic Integration over Perpetual Conflict]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Vision of Regional Transformation For decades, the Middle East has been described in global discourse through instability, warfare, and fragile governance (Ullah, Rahman and Chattoraj, 2023). Yet historical records from the early twentieth century show something different. Cross-border trade was more fluid. Intellectual exchange moved more freely. Cities such as Beirut, Jerusalem, Baghdad, and Cairo were not isolated capitals but active regional hubs (Beiruti, 2024). Figure 1:  Map of the...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/the-new-middle-east-strategic-integration-over-perpetual-conflict</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b70a1a4d09eddaa30ae8bc</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:34:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b2ef55_afd60b7a27854fb888795e0d6c5dbf19~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jury Ajlouni</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[U.S.–African Relations in the Era of Strategic Competition and the future of the AGOA]]></title><description><![CDATA[Introduction to the AGOA The African Growth and Opportunity Act, also known as AGOA, was introduced by Congressman Jim McDermott, who is associated with the Democratic Party, and Congressman Ed Royce, who is a member of the Republican Party (Congressional Research Service, 2024) making it a rare bipartisan plan. The African Growth and Opportunity Act is a system that offers Sub-Saharan African Countries a chance for economic development on a regional and international scale along with better...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/u-s-african-relations-in-the-era-of-strategic-competition-part-i-the-structure-impact-and-uncert</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b6c76a30db5401f4efc608</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:03:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/649dcb_8d520cb5be5a4901af9a2ab2f0f53e8d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Samantha Hicks</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Other Side of the Coin: When Globalization Threatens Human and Environmental Connections]]></title><description><![CDATA[People’s hands together, representing the ability of all humans to counteract processes that further disconnect society. Photo credit: PickPik Marshall McLuhan coined the term ‘Global Village’  in the 1960s. Sixty years later, it should be considered that perhaps the idea of reliable, swift transport of people, commodities, and communication technologies is not all for the good of the people. Corporations are arguably the most positively influenced by this concept brought to life, with these...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/the-other-side-of-the-coin-when-globalization-threatens-human-and-environmental-connections</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b95197a240abd0682e69ca</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:38:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b2ef55_62275f1c1adc450ca4a2cc0ec2002dfc~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_802,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Freya Misiuna</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Kremlin on the Chessboard: Russia’s Soft Power Through Chess]]></title><description><![CDATA[Chess is one of the oldest and most beloved games in the world. It is an exciting and engaging game of strategy, mental prowess, and efficient planning, which is why, for centuries, it has been considered a pinnacle of intelligence and genius. Since the beginning of the 20th century, competitive matters of chess have been institutionalized and formalized by the World Chess Federation (FIDE). Established in 1924, FIDE has governed all the official aspects of the game since its founding in...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/the-kremlin-on-the-chessboard-russia-s-soft-power-through-chess</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69baa355078d6c2e1e0dc5f7</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:16:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/649dcb_b37a1a7632cf418c86853aef5099f727~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_824,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Giorgi Vachandze</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[China’s Silent Grip: How Beijing Fuels Myanmar’s Conflict to Secure Power and Profit]]></title><description><![CDATA[Myanmar is a country that has been beset by years of military conflict having lived through military rule from 1962 to 2011. As a pariah state, it was sanctioned by the international community, however, the nation began to liberalize and move to democracy. A nominally civilian government was established in 2011 after elections — it was the National League for Democracy (NLD). This was the opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi who won the election by a landslide, which is widely considered by...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/china-s-silent-grip-how-beijing-fuels-myanmar-s-conflict-to-secure-power-and-profit</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b84f9dbae3e800161af036</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:02:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b2ef55_0b6f43db94904382b830b4d2c15e9664~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_834,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rio Narag</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The MV Tampa and How It Shaped Australian Asylum Policy ]]></title><description><![CDATA[The MV Tampa case showcases a clash between a nation's right to sovereign control over its borders and the humanitarian obligations to protect human rights and the dignity of those who seek asylum. When the Norwegian ship full of asylum seekers was denied entry to Australian waters in 2001, the standoff did more than dominate headlines; it reshaped the nation’s asylum system to this day. More than twenty years later, the legal architecture and political narratives created during the Tampa...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/the-mv-tampa-and-how-it-shaped-australian-asylum-policy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ba9f4fe4e2e7d7756c95f1</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:59:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b2ef55_236fda858f9646c6b603b9ccf6f19b15~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_882,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Magdalena Kotwica</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Patrimonialism in the Trump and PiS Administrations]]></title><description><![CDATA[It’s no secret that President Donald Trump has profited from his time in office – up to $3.4 billion in profit, by some accounts. His financial entanglements, business ventures, and post-presidential commitments have blurred the lines between the public and private aspects of the Presidency. This, along with his history, public policy, and consolidation of power in the Capitol, cannot help but be compared to the former coalition leaders in Poland. Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS) has been led by...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/pis-and-trump</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ba9b8f5f7f71faa4b23718</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:44:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b2ef55_6e3b4519af7045f8ae661d735767fe8f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_636,h_424,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John Wheeler</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nicolas Sarkozy, the First French President in Prison: Part 2]]></title><description><![CDATA[In my previous article, I introduced Nicolas Sarkozy, his debut in politics, and the beginnings of the friendship between Sarkozy and Muammar Gaddafi. It left off in 2007, following Sarkozy’s visit to Libya in 2005 and the French Presidential elections. To summarize, the last article showed the promises and secret plans; this part will focus on fulfilling them, and how this relationship eventually broke down, culminating in war—the end of Gaddafi’s life and the political turning point for...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/nicolas-sarkozy-the-first-french-president-in-prison-part-2</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b5d72724df0b96f9d05c28</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:50:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/649dcb_bd87c4d4161b4e8a9313e6a47aa732af~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_718,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mateusz Lovera</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Introduction to the UJ Times]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’m sure we all remember our first few days in Poland, filled with uncertainty as we tried to gain footing in what, for most of us, is unfamiliar territory – unfamiliar language, unfamiliar culture, and even unfamiliar weather. For most of us, we get a sense of being the ‘other’ in our day-to-day lives. In many ways, however, being different is what bonds us together. In IRAS and GLAD, being different is something that comes naturally. If you’ve spent even one class with us, you’d know that...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/introduction-to-the-uj-times</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6956f8213049016ee54328c9</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:42:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/649dcb_3943650ccec04276b0beabf901056c81~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_645,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rio Narag</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Zealand Emigration Soars, Attitudes Sour]]></title><description><![CDATA[Continuing a multi-year decline, Statistics NZ —the public service department of the New Zealand Government charged with the collection of national statistics— published a net migration rate of 13,700 individuals in the Jan-Jun 2025 period, a growth rate of just 0.7%, far below the recent 2023 peak of 108,400 individuals, or a growth rate of 2.3%. In the months since, no rebound has been noted, with a further decline to only 12,400 net migrants through September 2025. Furthermore, as...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/new-zealand-emigration-soars-attitudes-sour</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6956f61dac028de75570d103</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:39:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/649dcb_b32c92bf8cb8446293ffc46494f710fb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Patryk Rzepczynski</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[EU Enlargement and Development in the Western Balkans]]></title><description><![CDATA[The EU has made one of its aims the gradual development of the Western Balkan countries as a way of reducing the differences in living standards between EU member states and EU candidates. One of the main ways the EU has influenced the region and its governance has been through trade. The Union accounts for 67% of total trade in every WB6 state’s economy (European Commission, 2025a; European Commission, 2025b), and as the dominant commercial partner, it has been able to impose standards upon...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/eu-enlargement-and-development-in-the-western-balkans</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6956f32c068210d64beadbe7</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:28:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/649dcb_f194d6dc26e1440e8eba6a54cbc43546~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eduard Radulescu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dick Cheney and His Impact on American Military Involvement]]></title><description><![CDATA[Richard Bruce Cheney, forty-sixth Vice President and briefly acting President of the United States of America, died on the third of November this year. A complicated man, described rather reservedly by the Associated Press as “polarising,” he leaves behind a complicated legacy, especially regarding his long history of foreign military involvement, which is seen by some as warmongering and by others as a stabilising force on the global stage. Dick Cheney is, primarily by those on the right,...]]></description><link>https://www.ujtimes.com/post/dick-cheney-and-his-impact-on-american-military-involvement</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6956f135dd9c59302c37800e</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:16:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/649dcb_16bbe8fff9964d21a93a866aea62a1c1~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John Wheeler</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>