Political polarization

It has been about a year since the passing of Henry Kissinger, but Thomas Alan Schwartz, American foreign relations historian, has not lost his interest in the life and especially the actions of the controversial former US secretary of state. Besides, he wrote about it in his book "Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography" (published by Hill and Wang, 2020).

The results of the 2024 US presidential election rattled the country and sent shockwaves across the world - or were cause for celebration, depending on who you ask. Is it any surprise then that the Merriam-Webster word of the year is "polarization"?

They live, work, and prosper far from Greece, but as they have consistently emphasized, our country is the biggest part of their hearts. Apart from the “cuteness”, they have a dream to be able to help our country in a meaningful way and also to give a new dimension to the term “homogeneity.”

2024 is set to be the largest election year in history, with 60 countries representing half of the world's population holding national elections. Yet, all eyes are on the US, where this November, the world's most consequential democracy will choose between two diametrically different candidates amid an ongoing economic, social and technological change. 

On his CNN show, he has hosted figures like Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, and even Vladimir Putin. His books consistently become bestsellers, and his Washington Post column is a cornerstone of American journalism. Fareed Zakaria is one of the most recognizable voices in international media.

A recent nationally representative survey conducted by "Gallup International Balkan" on behalf of BNT shows that Bulgarians are divided over the issue of potential LGBTQ+ propaganda in schools, with a significant portion of the population unaware or uninformed about the topic.

Europe urgently needs leadership. It has leaders but they cannot pull the European Union in the direction of progress. Italy's Giorgia Meloni can't do it, nor can various leaders in the north who want to push events to the extremes vis-a-vis Russia. 

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a message of unity on Thursday on the occasion of the national holiday celebrating the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, saying the country should move away from polarization and toxicity.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis gave the assurance in his statement from Chania, where he is for the Feast of the Dormition, that “the state will act swiftly” to compensate the “fortunately few” people affected by the fire in Attica.

Calling the forthcoming United States election as consequential may be an understatement. Some European leaders prefer the term existential, noting that what's at stake is no less than the future of the West. At the very least, the 2024 presidential election is a major geopolitical risk due to its projected impact not just on the future direction of the US, but on the international order too.