104
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Why are American elections and politics receiving so much coverage in Canadian and European media?
From a European perspective:
The U.S. has a great deal of influence in the world, so the presidency of the U.S. is quite likely to affect your own country in some way.
For example: In the last 20 ...
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99
votes
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Why hasn't the U.S. government paid war reparations to any country it attacked?
The answer is right in the Wikipedia page you cited (emphasis added):
War reparations are compensation payments made after a war by the vanquished to the victors.
The United States has not been ...
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88
votes
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What was the political motive behind United States Osama Bin Laden's killing? Why not capture him?
Kill versus capture
If they had captured Osama bin Laden, what would they have done with him? Barack Obama opposed the Guantanamo Bay facility, so they would have had to keep him on United States ...
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84
votes
Why is Russia still welcome on the ISS despite geopolitical tensions?
In addition to RedGrittyBrick's correct answer, also do not forget that between 2011 and 2020, russian Soyuz rockets were how to get to and from the ISS. If tensions between the US and Russia had ...
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82
votes
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Why is Russia still welcome on the ISS despite geopolitical tensions?
Ownership
Russia owns a significant part of the ISS
Treaty
Access to the ISS is governed by an international treaty, the Space Station Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA)
Article 9 (Utilization) Clause ...
- 9,051
80
votes
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Why do many countries ban the sale of one's own blood?
Many countries are seeking to move to a system of 100% voluntary (unpaid) blood donations, and many others already have; according to the World Health Organization's Global Status Report on Blood ...
CDJB♦
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67
votes
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What is the rationale behind delaying the imposition of more radical Covid-19 countermeasures?
Specifically with reference to the UK, an article in the Guardian reports that
Experts have warned about the risk that if tough measures are taken too soon, “fatigue” may set in, prompting the ...
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64
votes
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Can European countries bypass the EU and make their own individual trade deal with the U.S.?
They cannot. It's an exclusive competence of the EU. So much so that the point played a major role in the Brexit negotiations. The reason there are two phases in the Brexit deal (leave first, then ...
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58
votes
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Is a naval blockade considered a de jure, or a de facto declaration of war?
Blockades are an act of war.
blockade, an act of war whereby one party blocks entry to or departure from a defined part of an enemy’s territory ...
As for whether the "diplomacy community" ...
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55
votes
Why are American elections and politics receiving so much coverage in Canadian and European media?
I am Canadian. I would challenge your opinion that American Politics "don't have much of an effect on day-to-day life in Canada".
Canada and the United States enjoy the largest trading ...
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54
votes
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Can a country avoid prosecution for crimes against humanity by denying it happened?
Your question is slightly at odds with reality.
First off, with the important exception of the US government, nobody sensible is quibbling over the mounting amount of evidence that Agent Orange had ...
- 30.5k
54
votes
What is the largest political entity that lacks legislative power?
What is the largest political entity that lacks legislative power?
The United Nations. It comprises of 193 states with two additional observer states - Vatican City and Palestine. Whilst it has a ...
- 8,249
53
votes
Why should nations that stand to benefit from climate change have to contribute to the fight against it?
This quite a good question, considering that it is one often asked by detractors of climate change concerns.
Frame shift: Benefits? What benefits? From the POV of Canada, a cold country which is ...
53
votes
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Which country has the highest number of diplomatic missions in a single other country?
Based on the 2021 data from the Lowy Institute, the answer appears to be Mexico's fifty-two diplomatic missions within the USA, consisting of:
One embassy in Washington, D.C.;
Twenty-two consulates-...
CDJB♦
- 105k
51
votes
Why hasn't the U.S. government paid war reparations to any country it attacked?
The agreement to pay war reparations is usually part of a peace treaty. It is usually a demand the superior party makes from the inferior party in exchange for peace.
In any wars where the United ...
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50
votes
What is the largest political entity that lacks legislative power?
So the borough of Manhattan (pop. 1.6m) does not have its own separate authority with legislative powers. Are there even bigger fully dependent political entities like this?
There are at least two ...
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46
votes
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What prevents a government from taxing its citizens living abroad?
What prevents this in general is the practical ability to collect. The US can collect on its citizens living abroad in part because (even foreign) banks really don't want to end up on the bad side of ...
- 144k
46
votes
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What does the West have to gain by not allowing Russia to pay its debt?
By not allowing Russia to pay its debt, the West adds further financial costs to Putin's regime as a punishment for its invasion of Ukraine. This is consistent with economic sanctions against Russia ...
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44
votes
What are the benefits of not using private military companies (PMCs) as China did?
If you don't use PMCs, they don't march on your capitol and threaten to depose your government, as the Wagner Group did last week in Russia.
This is the most recent example of a PMC doing something of ...
- 73k
42
votes
Why have some governments banned outbound international flights in response to COVID-19?
Another possibility, ignoring fears of infection, is that the country doesn't want their citizens to become stranded in another country if flights are suspended at a later date. For example, on Monday,...
CDJB♦
- 105k
42
votes
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What's the purpose of sending diplomats to the Olympic games?
The Olympics is and always has been — even back to the ancient Greeks — a political event, meant to pit the prowess of one nation against another in something other than warfare. Hosting the Olympics ...
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41
votes
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Why are non-Western countries siding with China in the UN?
It shouldn't be that surprising - non-western states don't really have that high of a regard about the west's "moral authority on human rights" given their own sordid history (e.g. slavery, ...
- 6,680
40
votes
Are countries other than the US concerned about pronouns and how they relate to gender?
There are movements for gender-inclusive language in almost every language that has grammatical gender, though the extent and favored solutions differ in each.
Wikipedia has a long document discussing ...
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40
votes
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What are the pros and cons of demanding 1.3 trillion in reparation from Germany for the Polish government?
Pro:
For domestic purposes, they are seen as standing up for Polish interests. (See this Politico article and this CNN article on the domestic angle).
It puts Germany on the defensive regarding the ...
- 106k
40
votes
Why would the government invest in creating skilled labor, and then send them to work overseas?
India is among the leading recipients of remittances, that is money sent home from workers abroad.
A diaspora of highly-skilled, well-integrated emigrants might give India a good reputation in some of ...
- 106k
37
votes
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What are the pros and cons of having so many state-owned companies?
Not sure this is entirely balanced, but here are some pros and cons. Many of my cases come from France, where I used to live and which has long had a Colbert-inspired love affair with state ownership....
37
votes
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How does the World Economic Forum seem to have so much influence?
The Forum itself doesn't have any significant power, per se, nor any real specific agenda.
The people who attend the forum have power, and are induced to do so to be around other powerful people for ...
- 73k
36
votes
What is the rationale behind delaying the imposition of more radical Covid-19 countermeasures?
Shutting down schools, banning large gatherings and pushing people to do home office has a massive economic cost. Of course you never get the exact numbers on either death or cost but essentially you ...
- 6,867
36
votes
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Why won't China or Russia modernize North Korea's army by selling them modern military equipment?
Maybe this is a bit of circular reasoning, but UN sanctions prohibit countries from supplying North Korea with such weapons (and much more). You might say this reasoning is circular because China or ...
JJJ♦
- 38.9k
36
votes
Why won't China or Russia modernize North Korea's army by selling them modern military equipment?
Why would both China and Russia want to modernize North Korean army in the first place?
They both (mainly China) derive some benefits from the NK behavior, but they don't completely control NK (that's ...
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