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Questions tagged [western-world]

Western countries like the UK, USA, France and Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_world

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Why didn't Western countries boycott the 2018 World Cup?

According to this article Russian government believes that 2018 World Cup will help Russian economy on the medium term: a survey by the Russian government last week. It said the World Cup's boost ...
Alexei's user avatar
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54 votes
10 answers
6k views

Why and since when did Russia stop integrating itself into the Western community?

After the downfall of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation was on its way to integrating itself into the Western community politically, economically and socially (by Western World I mean the so-...
Orsinus's user avatar
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51 votes
6 answers
17k views

Why do Western countries seem to be less efficient than Asian countries in fighting against COVID-19?

So far it appears that Western countries especially in Europe (e.g. Italy, Spain, UK, France, Germany) struggle to curb the spread of COVID-19. This is in contrast to most Asian countries (China, ...
Erwan's user avatar
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46 votes
11 answers
8k views

Is the prevalence of racial arguments unique to US politics or is it a topic in other Western countries as well?

It seems that in the United States, much of politics is currently focused around the subject of racism. Many issues are rephrased as racism issues - infrastructure, healthcare, policing... Now I'm not ...
Burt's user avatar
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35 votes
10 answers
10k views

Why does the US need to spy on its allies?

Recently, I've read about the NSA (the US National Security Agency) spying on European leaders - Angela Merkel in particular. But this is highly unusual for me. I can understand the US spying on its ...
user2501323's user avatar
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34 votes
5 answers
9k views

Are there oligarchs in Western countries?

Why do I see the term 'oligarch' almost exclusively applied to Eastern European countries? Are there oligarchs in the European Union, the United States? As I understand it, an oligarch is a wealthy ...
Sergey Zolotarev's user avatar
34 votes
6 answers
4k views

Why are Western politicians even bothering to react to Russian claims?

Some examples of claims from Russia which Western politicians recently had to respond to: Ukraine was making nuclear weapons in Chernobyl Ukraine had biolabs working on new biological weapons Ukraine'...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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34 votes
4 answers
7k views

How do Western democracies justify censorship of foreign media outlets?

One of the features of a democracy is freedom of speech and media, but in the last few months Russian media outlets were closed and blocked online. Such censorship happened for example in the EU and ...
user avatar
32 votes
5 answers
6k views

Why hasn't there been a stronger push for a job guarantee program, versus UBI?

Universal basic income as a 'fix' for poverty/unemployment seems to get passed around now and again in the west, but doesn't seem to ever have even a remote chance of being implemented outside of ...
Jack Of All Trades 234's user avatar
30 votes
3 answers
4k views

Why don't Western countries penalize Chinese companies in the same way that China restricts Western companies working on its territory?

Some examples: China bans foreign entities from owning land, currency restrictions make it hard for companies to move funds abroad, Chinese companies are known for violating patents, and finally the ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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29 votes
9 answers
7k views

Why is the lack of seasonal agricultural workers considered a problem given the high unemployment rate in every Western country?

Currently farmers in Western countries are warning governments that without foreign workers their fields will be impossible to harvest: “We are in need of a lot of foreign workers,” Eystein Ruud, a ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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28 votes
7 answers
6k views

Does freedom of speech mean freedom to mock everything? [closed]

It's widely known that in most western countries, it's allowed to mock religion - because of freedom of speech. Does freedom of speech allow one to mock everything, or are there taboo subjects that ...
user2501323's user avatar
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27 votes
5 answers
10k views

Is there any sign "the West" is deliberately trying to prolong fighting in Ukraine for the sake of fighting?

In a recent answer, user kandi made this statement: the war probably could have been ended by now if the West wasn't passionatly supporting the bloodshed by provided just as much arms as to keep ...
O. R. Mapper's user avatar
25 votes
3 answers
10k views

Has the ICC ever ordered to arrest any Western or pro-Western politician?

Referring to this question, it appears as if the ICC is biased in favor of the West, since all the people it has punished were enemies of the West. But since crimes which can be prosecuted by the ICC ...
convert's user avatar
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21 votes
14 answers
8k views

Why is the West concerned about the enforcement of certain attire on women in Afghanistan but unconcerned about similar European policy?

France, Canada and other countries have introduced hijab bans - bans on essential Islamic dress that hijab-practicing Muslim women cannot appear in public without. Adding to this the proposed values ...
Ahmed Tawfik's user avatar
19 votes
8 answers
6k views

Can propaganda be present/produced in democratic countries?

I'm used to hear opinions, that, for example, RT is "Russian propaganda" and "Global Times" is Chinese propaganda. In general, according to this point of view, propaganda is a mark ...
user2501323's user avatar
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15 votes
4 answers
5k views

Is the West hoarding Covid-19 vaccines?

I read in the news that some organizations/poorer countries have been complaining that western countries are hoarding the Covid 19 vaccines. I have doubts about how true this is. True, some countries ...
Graviton's user avatar
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15 votes
6 answers
981 views

Is opposition to vaccination correlated with other political beliefs?

The article Debate over vaccine requirements forges strange alliance states that opposition to vaccination (or government-mandated vaccination) doesn't seem to be a Democrat versus Republican, or ...
Andrew Grimm's user avatar
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15 votes
2 answers
540 views

Do countries other than the US have politically appointed ambassadors?

I read this question about US ambassadors being appointed without any formal career in the field but because of donations for a campaign. Apparently in the US there are more or less two ways to be ...
chefhose's user avatar
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14 votes
6 answers
2k views

Does the shipment of large amounts of a variety of sophisticated weapons to Ukraine carry a high risk of retaliation or misuse for the senders?

Does the shipment of large amounts of a variety of sophisticated weapons to Ukraine carry a high risk for the senders? A couple of things come to mind: Similarity to Afghanistan. We send weapons to ...
parker's user avatar
  • 570
14 votes
2 answers
505 views

What did the Western Governments expect to happen in Afghanistan?

A number of western leaders, particularly in the US, have said they were surprised by the rapidity of the Taliban's success over the last 2 weeks. For example, the Pentagon's top military officer, ...
Dave's user avatar
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13 votes
5 answers
2k views

Are there any polls explicitly measuring "quarantine fatigue" in Western countries?

There are numerous articles talking about how people are tired of staying in lockdown: As Greece enters its third week since restrictive measures were first imposed to combat the spread of ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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13 votes
4 answers
14k views

Have any current Western politicians expressed concerns about a possible alliance between China and Russia?

We are currently witnessing a new conflict between Russia and the West, which some people have compared to a new Cold War. Additionally, the relations between China and the West are not as good as ...
convert's user avatar
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12 votes
4 answers
5k views

Does/can the West manipulate Russian politics? [closed]

Russia is said to be involved in the manipulation of the elections and politics of various countries in the West. Did the West ever manipulate Russian politics? Is the West able to manipulate Russian ...
user366312's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
2k views

Are there any polls on what those supporting a "no fly zone" think it entails?

Thanks to Ukraine's successful PR campaign, instituting a "no fly zone" is currently a popular talking point in the US. But as explained in What would setting up a no-fly zone by NATO over ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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11 votes
3 answers
1k views

How do Western countries know that Ukrainians massively support the continuation of resistance?

More than 6 million Ukrainians have fled the country The vast majority of Ukrainian males aged 18 to 60 are literally forced to stay in the war-torn country Social pressure probably prevents them from ...
Sante Kyaku's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

Was there another time where a Western country recalled its diplomats from the U.S.?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-17/france-recalls-u-s-australian-ambassadors-over-submarine-row France recalled its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia in a diplomatic slap intended ...
Sayaman's user avatar
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11 votes
4 answers
635 views

What determines whether Western countries (and NATO) recognize separatist movements? (especially when comparing Kosovo and the Donbass)

Consider the following scenario: there is a region in a country inhabited primarily by a different ethnic group than the majority of the rest of the country, and has been living there and composing ...
vsz's user avatar
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11 votes
5 answers
2k views

Why don't Western powers support Bashar al-Assad since it now became clear most of the opposition is not in support of democratic government?

In the beginning of the Syrian Civil War the Western powers supported the Syrian opposition on principles of democracy and self-determination. However 6 years later it's now clear that most of the ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
11k views

Why doesn't Ukraine just buy the heavy/advanced weaponry that it needs

The Ukrainian military is basically starving for more advanced equipments. From what is public information, it is clear that the West hasn't been supplying to the levels that would satisfy the ...
Bendemann's user avatar
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10 votes
4 answers
6k views

Why hadn't the west arrested Russian billionaires for corruption/money laundering prior to the Ukraine war?

According to US law they can arrest people for money laundering even if the money was laundered outside of the US. Here's Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's old statement: The West plays ...
MoroccoPrincess's user avatar
10 votes
4 answers
5k views

In terms of Realpolitik, what does the West gain from supporting Taiwan?

The West has been supporting Taiwan for decades and is constantly worried about China taking over the island. But in practical terms... why do they care? What risks does the West face from allowing ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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10 votes
1 answer
2k views

Did all European countries choose to evacuate their diplomats from Afghanistan?

According to xinhuanet.com: BRUSSELS, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- More European countries said on Monday that they were evacuating embassy staff and nationals from Afghanistan following the latest ...
Sayaman's user avatar
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9 votes
7 answers
4k views

In what Western Countries has any party or coalition been elected gaining a supermajority or such majority permitting constitutional amendments?

For the sake of the argument, the "Western" countries should include all Member States of the EU, and countries conventionally understood to be part of the "West". Any time after ...
Silvassy Petrirov's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
918 views

Plans on ban cryptocurrencies because of energy crisis

The Swiss government has issued a set of recommendations to deal with the current energy crisis, including a ban on heated swimming pools and saunas (which completely undermines the concept of a sauna)...
Danubian Sailor's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
346 views

Was the West supporting certain sides in the two Chechen wars?

There were two wars in Chechnya after the end of the Cold War, in 1994-96 and in 1999-2009. Was there any evidence, or even claims, of Western support to certain Chechen fighters via the provision ...
Schwarz Kugelblitz's user avatar
9 votes
5 answers
837 views

Can a Western democracy prevent private groups from using the country’s name/purporting to represent that country e.g. at the World Cup?

In this question about countries boycotting the World Cup, it was pointed out in several answers, quite correctly, that the national football leagues in question aren’t government agencies and the ...
KRyan's user avatar
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8 votes
5 answers
2k views

How did Russia end up becoming an opposing power of the West?

I am talking about pre-Ukraine War situation. Especially from 1990 to 2021. At present there are only two major powers that are posing themselves as an opposing force to the US leadership. I admit ...
user366312's user avatar
8 votes
4 answers
784 views

Did the sanctions against Russia take into account that oil price might neutralise their effect?

Western countries imposed some sanctions on the Russian Federation and some Russian individuals since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. But Russia can still sell oil on the international markets ...
FluidCode's user avatar
  • 6,919
8 votes
5 answers
941 views

What measures short of war are still available to the West to pressure Russia?

The US and the EU have introduced numerous sanctions recently but its not very clear what options are still on the table, short of an actual invasion. One option that's commonly discussed in the media ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
  • 50.1k
8 votes
2 answers
252 views

Are temporary economic impacts a relevant political factor that prevents assisted-suicide rights?

Question Are temporary economic impacts a relevant political factor that prevents assisted-suicide rights ? Originally the question was - "Assisted-suicide rights - A little known but huge ...
infomtn's user avatar
  • 477
7 votes
5 answers
1k views

Terrorist vs Lone wolf

There is a recurring narrative in the Muslim majority countries which essentially says this: When some non-Muslims are actors of a terror attack, the attacker(s) is mostly not called a terrorist ...
user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
436 views

Have fake-news regulations in the Western world lead to the backfire effect?

To my knowledge, anti-fake news laws being implemented in France, Germany and Singapore in the Western world. Many studies like this one mention the psychological studies which acknowledge the ...
Probably's user avatar
  • 1,501
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why are most Islamic countries less democratic/more corrupt than most Western countries? [closed]

Why are most Islamic governments, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, less democratic and more corrupt than most Christian-aligned countries particularly in the West?
Paraney's user avatar
  • 2,875
6 votes
4 answers
1k views

Are Kurds hostile to the west?

Compared to other ethnic groups in the middle east, are Kurds hostile towards the west (Australia in particular)? I don't mean annoyed or disappointed or exasperated by the west's betrayal or lack of ...
Andrew Grimm's user avatar
  • 13.3k
6 votes
2 answers
487 views

Yemen - why isn't the West distancing itself from the blockade?

This question really isn't about the airstrikes and civilian casualties. Nor it is about the arms sales to Saudi Arabia. These are real concerns, but similar to those found in many other conflicts. ...
Italian Philosophers 4 Monica's user avatar
5 votes
8 answers
744 views

How to differentiate propaganda from actual news in a democratic country?

As I've understood, propaganda can still be produced in democratic countries, and potentially can be used to target a domestic audience. But I presume that being able to differentiate propaganda from ...
user2501323's user avatar
  • 11.8k
5 votes
7 answers
661 views

What is the practical benefit to a country in having multiculturalism?

Multicultural cities in countries of high ethnic diversity celebrate multiculturalism. Institutes, organisations and general mainstream culture push this notion that multiculturalism brings benefits ...
G-8's user avatar
  • 85
5 votes
2 answers
134 views

Does public spending involving religious organizations (i.e. the Church) follow the same transparency rules as for other public spending?

Several months ago, a Romanian NGO's investigation (Recorder - The Clan of the Great White) revealed that the public spending involving the Romanian Orthodox Church seems to be very opaque. I am ...
Alexei's user avatar
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4 votes
5 answers
598 views

Are there any restrictions to the claims politicians can make?

So I saw this morning that Donald Trump (US president) claimed the US would be at war with North Korea by now if he hadn't been elected. This made me wonder if there are any restrictions on what a ...
Lio Elbammalf's user avatar