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1500 questions
28
votes
6 answers
Why run for president if you have no chance to be elected?
Jim Gilmore and George Pataki are currently running for president but have virtually no chance of winning the primary. I doubt most voters would even be able to pick them in a lineup.
They are not really campaigning, they don't have any…
ventsyv
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28
votes
3 answers
Why has the United States not signed and ratified the International Criminal Court?
The International Criminal Court (ICC) treaty has been signed by 121 countries. A number of countries are not parties; China, Russia, United States. From the countries that are not parties to the ICC, the United States is one that often tends to…
gerrit
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28
votes
6 answers
How easy would it be to distinguish between Hamas fighters and non combatants?
I remember this discussion that it was practically impossible to distinguish between Taliban fighters and non-combatant civilians because they were not organized like a traditional army - the groups of fighters would just "dissolve" into villagers…
wi2ard
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28
votes
8 answers
Why does Russia see NATO as an aggressor when the Istanbul document signed by Russia grants each participant the right to chose its allies separately?
The Istanbul document was a declaration signed in 1999 by Russia and Ukraine. Its legal character is similar to that of the Declaration of Human rights.
It contains the following paragraph:
We reaffirm the inherent right
of each and every…
CuriousIndeed
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28
votes
5 answers
Why don't signatories of Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances (except Russia) protect Ukraine with force?
The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances is a political agreement providing security assurances by its signatories relating to Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The Memorandum was originally signed…
Alex Velickiy
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28
votes
9 answers
Why do many governments incentivize / subsidize (personal) home ownership?
In many countries, home ownership (meaning owning one's primary residence, instead of living in rented accomodation) is subsidized or otherwise incentivized or supported by the government.
For example (not an exhaustive list, obviously):
in Germany…
sleske
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28
votes
8 answers
Why do some European governments still consider price capping despite the fact that price caps lead to shortages?
Context
Due to multiple causes such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, most European countries have faced soaring prices for essential products. In some cases, the governments decided to impose price caps. The last such case that caught my…
Alexei
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28
votes
13 answers
Why don't countries welcome high energy prices to fight climate change?
There're lots of people who believe climate change is happening and think governments should take action to curb emissions.
Given that, it seems natural to welcome high fossil fuel prices - in fact, the higher the better. That's because high prices…
Allure
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28
votes
5 answers
What has China gained by doing military drills after Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan?
What has China gained by doing military drills after Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan? A lot of people who know nothing about geopolitics are saying that China is throwing a tantrum, but is this really the case, or is it just some geopolitical move where…
Sayaman
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28
votes
1 answer
What is the biggest monarchy where the monarch has real power in modern day?
The best known monarchy is no doubt the various Commonwealth realms ruled over by Queen Elizabeth. However, she is generally seen as mostly a figurehead, with elected officials being the ones that do the actual ruling.
I'm interested in monarchies…
dsollen
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28
votes
5 answers
How could the past NATO expansions in Eastern Europe be seen as justification of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022?
Rumors are that in Italy parts of the public opinion are accepting the view that the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was justified by a previous NATO expansion.
What are the (given) arguments (with references) for and against this view?
MayoDancer
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28
votes
4 answers
What exactly is China's "whole-process people's democracy"? In what ways does it function "democratically" based on traditional definitions?
CNN's China claims its authoritarian one-party system is a democracy -- and one that works better than the US says:
In his keynote speech, Huang Kunming, the ruling Communist Party's propaganda tsar, extolled China's so-called "whole-process…
uhoh
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28
votes
6 answers
What do those Iranians who say "Death to America!" mean by it?
I was watching an old Anthony Bourdain show and I saw local Iranians in Tehran chanting "Death to America!" and then in the next scene saying "We need one day to be friends".
Do Iranians mean and intend the destruction and conquest of America or…
WOPR
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28
votes
3 answers
Has there been any country that successfully reversed a demographic decline in recent history?
I've seen many news items about how some countries are experiencing demographic decline and have implemented so-and-so policies to counteract the decline, such as:
Latvia
China
Russia
Singapore
Japan
South Korea
However these policies don't seem…
Allure
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28
votes
2 answers
What arguments have been made to support the Texas abortion law's private enforcement provisions, beyond evading review?
Texas Senate Bill 8, which practically bars abortions in the state, has an unusual* provision whereby civil claims against abortion providers can be asserted by private plaintiffs not involved in or directly impacted by the abortion. In fact, the…
Sneftel
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