Ariana Yekrangi

Contributing editor

Humanity has created a biased, self-serving 'doppelgänger' of true justice through flawed laws, a concept explored here in relation to institutions like the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

This series will expose the hypocrisies of self-serving members of the UN and will bring peace, human rights, solidarity and the environment once again to the top of the UN agenda

We believe the flexible roadmap of UN-aligned’s manifesto presents a safe trajectory for a united world, so as UN-aligned grows we are always seeking to refine, clarify and improve our goals and missions. The following changes have been made to the UN-aligned manifesto as of May 2021.

Justice is not a relative term, but for much of our history we have manipulated it to such an extent that we have created a parallel sort of justice. More often than not, human justice is just a sinister doppelgänger of justice in its purest form. Human justice depends on laws, and as we all know, laws are biased. In this issue of The Gordian, we discuss the differences between the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court and test their fairness, validity and integrity. We will also introduce you to a new series within magazine titled "UN in Focus". This issue contains exclusive reports by Jonna Lappalainen, Ayten Aydin and Carla Pietrobattista.

Economist Kate Raworth's 'Doughnut' model provides a visual framework for a healthy economy, outlining a safe and just space for humanity to thrive between its social and planetary boundaries.

GDP is not a suitable measurement for happiness or welfare. It sucks.

Over the last few centuries, economics has been dominated by a doctrine of perpetual growth. The prevailing idea was that there were no limits to how much we could exploit the earth and its resources. Today we know better, but sadly, we still behave as though we did not. In this issue of The Gordian, we present to you the basics of modern economic theory including topics like, the Doughnut Economy, the dilemma of growth and the relationship between GDP and happiness. This issue contains exclusive reports by our literary editor, Alex Liberto and other contributors namely, Carla Pietrobattista and Ruby Goldenberg.

"Yesterday, upon the stair; I met a man who wasn't there! He wasn't there again today; Oh how I wish he'd go away!" The following quote from Hughes Mearns’ poem, Antigonish, could so easily allude to sanctions. They are full of sound and fury, and yet, they signify nothing concrete, but rather an absence of something. In this issue of The Gordian we talk about sanctions, what they aim to achieve and whether they are successful or not. This issue contains exclusive reports by Alex Liberto, Anahita Ahmadi and Ayten Aydin. To read this issue free of charge, click on the link below.

Under the former communist regime, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) was suppressed, its properties confiscated and its followers harassed and imprisoned. This was until a Messiah came along.

As the Human Right Series of the Gordian comes to its eighth issue, we sincerely thank all of our readers and authors for their generous support and contributions. It is because of you that The Gordian Magazine has developed into its current form and has become a platform for members to express their thoughts and ideas.

Anwar Sadat Swaka declared as the winner of the 2020 UN-aligned photo competition.

People with bigotted or selfish agendas have always tried to hijack religion. Many of them claim a monopoly on truth relating to the divine and the moral. Today however, we know that religion cannot be used as an excuse for indifference, oppression or injustice of any kind, whether it be to fellow humans, to animals or to the planet itself. In this issue of The Gordian we highlight why it is important to put human rights before religious rights. This issue contains exclusive reports by Alex Liberto, Jonna Lappalainen and Aryan Yekrangi.

Cultivated meat will present a futuristic alternative to the callous, unwieldy and unnecessarily wasteful way animals are farmed today.

Factory farming causes animals to live and die in great pain each year. So far, our response has been almost total indifference and inaction. For this reason, we have decided to dedicate this issue to animal rights and animal welfare. In the spirit of Veganuary, we have a number of articles dedicated to the topic, including: reports, interviews, poetry and even food recipes. We will also discuss UN-aligned's achievements in 2020 and how we plan to take the leap to 2021. This issue contains exclusive reports by Animal Equality Italia, Andrea Piccinelli, Anahita Ahmadi, Jonna Lappalainen and other UN-aligned members.

Winston Churchill once said: “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all others.” But was he right? This article about democracy vs anarchy offers different perspective. Throughout the years, democracy has become a defining characteristic of the West and its politics.

People rave about democracy, but democracy is not the panacea it is made out to be. It has been described as “two wolves and a sheep deciding what to have for dinner” and in many cases it appears to be just that: a dictatorship of the majority. In this issue of the Gordian we take closer look at serious weaknesses of the US democratic system. This issue also contains a peep into the life of Samuel Pepys, a photo gallery from Uzbekistan and a dangerously hot quiz that should challenge everything you know about democracy.

In a recent publication, UN-aligned joined the voices of organisations, like Oxfam and the WFP, in warning against a hunger catastrophe already targeting millions of children and adults in the world’s most vulnerable places. The good earth is rich and can provide for everyone and in our world of plenty, no one should have to suffer hunger or malnutrition. The solid frame-work the sustainable development goals provided during the last decade is threatened by an awful melange of disasters, such as Covid-19 and climate change.

UN-aligned is excited to announce a new opportunity for its readers to nominate any individual or organisation whom they believe deserves more attention for championing their cause. Although the prize can go to literally anyone, we encourage you to think twice before nominating dictators, fascists or possibly your grandmother. After we have received the final results, we will shortlist your submitted names.

Many will face horrific hunger if relief efforts are not stepped up in a world heated by coal, infected with Covid-19 and separated by nationalists. Five years ago, 193 countries lined up behind a comprehensive and ambitious set of targets – also known as the Sustainable Development Goals – to transform life and the planet by 2030.

This year the World Food Programme was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. But should branches of the United Nations be beneficiaries of such awards for simply doing their job? Wasn't this a missed opportunity? "This was a coward and political move" argues Adrian Liberto in his piece: Five Reasons why this Year’s Nobel Peace Prize was Misplaced. In this publication, author Ariana Yekrangi also takes a closer look at a looming food crisis predicted to be unlike anything we've seen before. This issue also contains an exclusive photo reportage by UN-aligned Administrator, Ruby Goldenberg.