Portal:Politics

Politics are the process and method of gaining or maintaining support for public or common action, the conduct of decision-making for groups. Although it is usually applied to governments, political behavior is also observed in corporate, academic, religious, and other institutions. Political science is the field devoted to studying political behavior and examining the acquisition and application of power, or the ability to impose one's will on another. Its practitioners are known as political scientists. Political scientists look at elections, public opinion, institutional activities (how legislatures act, the relative importance of various sources of political power), the ideologies behind various politicians and interest groups, how politicians achieve and wield their influence, and so on.

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The European Union is an international organization of 27 European states, established in 1992. It originates from the Coal and Steel Community, founded in 1951 by Germany, France, Italy and the Benelux countries. However, the French-German politician Robert Schuman presented his proposal of a united Europe, known as the Schuman declaration, already in 1950, which is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union. The Union has many activities, the most important being a common single market, consisting of a customs union, a single currency, a Common Agricultural Policy and a Common Fisheries Policy.

An 1880 political cartoon depicts Senator Roscoe Conkling over a "presidential puzzle" consisting of some of the potential Republican nominees as pieces of a newly invented sliding puzzle. Conkling held significant influence over the party during the 1880 Republican National Convention and attempted to use that to nominate Ulysses S. Grant, only to lose out to "dark horse" candidate James A. Garfield.

• ...that the Japanese Farmer-Labour Party was banned just a few hours after its foundation in 1925?
• ...that Glenn Beck introduced a "Black-Robed Regiment" of pastors from various denominations during his Restoring Honor rally in 2010, and launched a news website called The Blaze three days later?
• ...that the book Targeted Killing in International Law argues support in the Western world for targeted killing increased following the September 11 attacks?

• ...that the 1968 pamphlet Is the School House the Proper Place to Teach Raw Sex? claimed that sex education was a Communist conspiracy?
• ...that the American Society of Magazine Editors book The Best American Magazine Writing 2007 features investigative journalism about the Beslan school hostage crisis and survivors of Agent Orange?
• ...that the Libyan opposition has embraced "Zenga Zenga", an Israeli-created auto-tuned song and viral YouTube video that parodies Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi (pictured)?

• ...that just before the invasion of Poland, members of the German minority from Deutscher Volksverband were trained in sabotage by the Abwehr agents arriving in Poland from Germany?

• ...that the 2013 United States federal budget may impose a 23% cut on the defense budget due to the Budget Control Act of 2011, according to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta?

José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco (1819–1880) was a politician, monarchist, diplomat, teacher and journalist of the Empire of Brazil. In 1871, Rio Branco became the President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) for the first time. He would become the Council's longest-serving president, and his cabinet the second longest, in Brazilian history. His government was marked by a time of economic prosperity and the enactment of several necessary reforms—though they proved to be seriously flawed. The most important of these initiatives was the Law of Free Birth, which granted freeborn status to children born to slave women. Rio Branco led the government that enacted this law, and its passage increased his popularity. However, his government was plagued by a long crisis with the Catholic Church that had resulted from the expulsion of Freemasons from its lay brotherhoods. After more than four years heading the Cabinet, Rio Branco resigned in 1875. Following a long vacation in Europe, his health swiftly declined and he was diagnosed with oral cancer. Rio Branco died in 1880 and was widely mourned throughout the country. He is regarded by most historians as one of Brazil's greatest statesmen.

Wikinews on Politics and conflicts

• May 25: Victorian premier apologises for history of criminalisation of homosexuality
• May 21: Lord Howard and Alistair Darling address Confederation of British Industry on EU referendum
• May 19: Besieged Syrian city of Deir Ezzour suffers multi-day attack
• May 17: Telegraph publishes letter from 300 business leaders who back UK leaving EU
• May 16: Wikinews interviews Augustus Sol Invictus, Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate
• May 15: Islamic State claims attack which killed 25 police recruits in Yemen
• May 13: IMF says UK leaving the EU will lead to negative economic consequences
• May 12: Brazilian Senate vote to suspend President Rousseff
• May 12: Italian parliament votes to back same-sex civil unions
• May 10: Political columnist apologises after mocking disabled broadcaster Andrew Marr

Other current events:

• Iran's nuclear program
• United States debt-ceiling crisis
• European sovereign-debt crisis

	70x45px
Anarchism	Barack Obama	British politics	Canadian politics

Communism	Conservatism	Criminal justice	European Union

Freedom of speech	Genocide	Government of India	Government of Pakistan

Government of the United States	Human rights	Law	Liberalism

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Libertarianism	NATO	Political science	Presidency of the Philippines

SAARC	Social and political philosophy	Socialism	United Nations

War	Geert Wilders	Right-wing populism

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