Nearly a century after the Lateran Pacts, the crisis in voter turnout and the new premiership law could turn Italy into a low-representation democracy. The Vatican, bound to Rome’s political destiny, is also concerned.

The new electoral law that Parliament just passed raises delicate questions for the Holy See. In 1929, with the signing of the Lateran Pacts, Italy reached an agreement with the Holy See to coexist, sharing its capital with the seat of the world’s largest unified religion. In many ways, it tied its destiny to this exceptional relationship. Nearly half a century of Christian Democrat rule (the Italian Catholic party), with its particular and direct connection to the throne of Peter, was the plainest proof of this.

In recent decades, non-Italian popes have increasingly looked to the world, and less to Italy, at an accelerating pace. But that does not mean they can afford to be indifferent to Italian affairs. If Italy heads in the “wrong” direction, one that diverges from the Church’s interests, its geographic proximity creates a problem. The Church has to pay more attention to.

The dollar is the global centerpiece; even the RMB is pegged to it. Despite everything, few people trust another world currency. The prices for China’s trilemma and its strategies.

The Summer Palace Yiheyuan in Beijing was completed by the last empress, Ci Xi, shortly before the dynasty’s end, a little over a hundred years ago. It is an immense endeavor, with pavilions, gardens, hills, and a lake that covers three-quarters of the area. Inspired by the scenery of southern China, it was built on the foundations of earlier work accumulated over centuries and is almost entirely artificial.

It is a masterpiece of Chinese architecture, one that seeks to remake nature according to a plan devised by man. It aligns auspicious geomantic points–the mountain behind the lake positioned in front of the main audience hall. It was meant to bring the emperor good fortune, longevity, power, and wealth. It is natural yet artificial. It rebuilds the geographic environment, bends the cosmos to the sovereign’s will. It clearly didn’t work its magic because the dynasty fell shortly after its completion.