Ariana Yekrangi

Contributing editor

Any lover of democracy would be justified in feeling a sense of alarm when faced with such statements as “an assault on democracy...” and “a direct political attack against the democratically elected government...”, but as the Bard of Avon put it: “The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.” In this month's Gordian we discuss LGBTQ+ rights. This issue contain more exclusive reports by Alex Liberto, Aryan Yekrangi and Anahita Ahmadi.

Dear Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, I am writing to you on behalf of UN-aligned, an international organisation that laid the foundations for an alternative United Nations, which aims to serve people, before nationstates.

What are the United Nations General Assembly Debates? Every year, in September, all 193 Member States of the United Nations who are represented in the General Assembly come together to discuss a wide array of international issues covered by the Charter of the United Nations, such as development, peace, security and international law. UN-aligned will be watching the developments of this event closely In the live blog from last year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Adrian Liberto and I summarised some of the most important speeches that unfolded during this four-day event.

Picture this: you have five buttons in front of you. They are all linked to a raft full of migrants who are fleeing war and famine. Some may be simply looking for a better life, while a few may be nasty characters out for what they can get. Your buttons are: Destroy, Ignore, Repatriate or Assist. Which would you press? In the September issue of the Gordian we discuss refugees and migration. This issue contains more exclusive reports by Ruby Goldenberg, Aryan Yekrangi, Alex Liberto, Golam Habib and Fazal. Read this issue free of charge by clicking on the link below.

A cathedral first, then a mosque, and later a museum. Last week, Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia became a mosque once again; an insular act for Turkey’s Erdogan to flex his political mussels and to fuel his posture of indignation and grievance.

In 1992, two years before the war between the neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan ended, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), met in Helsinki and decided to chair negotiations towards a peaceful political settlement for the crisis. The body, also known as the Minsk group, is led and co-chaired by the US, Russia and France with Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan as participating member states. During the last OSCE Minsk group summit in 2017, talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan were described as “constructive”.

In this month's Gordian we talk about the Russian referendum and why Putin’s victory is a threat to us all. We also take a closer look at the Armenia and Azerbaijan conflict and offer possible solutions to this century-long problem. This issue contains more exclusive reports by Katha Strophe and Jonna Lappalainen.

All articles in the UN-aligned manifesto are important, but it is only natural that we will feel more attached to some rather than to others. If you are particularly passionate about one of the articles in the manifesto, we would like you to consider becoming a voluntary Ambassador for that specific article.

When is it OK to hit a protestor? Is protesting during a global pandemic a good idea? There has rarely been any positive social changes without some form of protest. Too often the establishment is seen grappling on to power by fostering a dominant discourse from which dissident and minority views are excluded.

When is it ok to hit a protestor? Is protesting during a global pandemic a good idea? Is it time we stopped using tear gas? In this new issue of the Human Rights series we answer all of the above questions and much more. We also introduce you to the new UN-aligned Campaigns. This issue contains exclusive reports by Jonna Lappalainen, Nayry Ignarkea and Anahita Ahmadi.

Ms. Ruby Goldenberg: The new UN-aligned Administrator Ms.

As the Environmental Priorities Series comes to its sixth and last 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.

In the last issue of the Environmental Priority series, we talk about waste and its management. We also give you some ideas on how you can transform waste or avoid it completely. This issue contains more exclusive reports by Jonna Lappalainen, Rahima El-Harak, Nayry Ignarkea and Anahita Ahmadi.

Sea level rise is set to challenge human civilisation for centuries to come. In this issue of the Gordian we discuss various aspects about the rise of sea levels, including: causes, consequences and a potential way out. This issue contains more exclusive reports by Molly Perkins, Alex Liberto and other UN-aligned members.

In this issue of the Gordian we cover various topics about water. We will also take a closer look at a few ways to deal with misbehaving artists and their work. The issue contains more exclusive reports by Jonna Lappalainen and Alex Liberto.

So far The Gordian magazine has been presented in a PDF format sent to your email on a monthly basis. While this may have been perfect for readers who printed our magazine on traditional paper or those who used computer devices with bigger screens, such as laptops or tablets, mobile users often had to pinch and zoom on a specific section of the page in order to see a paragraph of text.

This issue of The Gordian includes some examples of the damage certain high-profile companies have caused to human health and the environment. We also take a closer look at Russian tourist visas and their importance in international relations. This issue contains exclusive reporting by Zhi Wang and Ruby Goldenberg.

On Thursday 27th February, a British appeals court ruled that a planned expansion of Heathrow airport is unconstitutional because the planning process was not in accordance with the government’s own climate policies set out in the Paris Agreement. Lords Justice Lindblom, Singh and Haddon-Cave ruled that when setting out their support for the measures in their National Policy Statement (NPS), the government did not take adequate account of its contribution to the Paris Agreement on climate change.