Thailand revisits its policies regarding sex work. Anti-immigrant sentiment rises in Canada. And the Democratic Party of the United States positions itself as the party of "family values," a traditional Republican posture. It's Fiery Tuesday, our weekly segment on political and societal news from around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

Thailand, one of Southeast Asia's largest countries, has a long tradition of appealing to tourists. But that tourism has sometimes had an unseemly reputation, with Thailand gaining infamy over the last century for its prevalent sex trade. Now the Thai government is attempting to crack down on prostitution and other sex services to give the country a more "wholesome" image.

Among many other incendiary comments he's made over the last year, Trump has suggested that the U.S. should repeal the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which grants the full rights and privileges of citizenship to any individual born within the United States' borders. But xenophobia is not unique to Donald Trump or the United States. To the north, Canadian activists are pushing for a similar change to that country's laws.

Donald Trump has said he wants to make "America great again." Much of that his proposed methods for doing so involve restricting immigration and trade but others involve changes to foreign policy that could alienate or endanger U.S. allies. As a result, perhaps it should come as no surprise that most people in allied countries such as Germany or Japan believe Trump represents a threat to the world.

The civil war in Ukraine has gradually become overshadowed in recent years as crises arise elsewhere in the world, but it remains a significant issue for people living in Eastern Europe. Despite several attempts to negotiate a peace settlement, Ukraine and Russia (as well as the Russian-backed militants occupying eastern Ukraine) continue to disagree on basic principles. The Moscow Times covers the story in more detail here.

In 1996, Hillary Clinton's book It Takes A Village attracted substantial criticism from conservative commentators for the suggestion that raising a family effectively involves communal efforts and shared responsibility among people outside of the nuclear family. Twenty years later, however, Clinton's approach has entered the political mainstream and was embraced wholeheartedly by Democrats at their national convention last month.


Top image by z2amiller