VOL UM E 7 | ISSU E 2
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W A SH I N G TON , D.C. M ON DA Y N OVEM BER 12, 2018
Thai Exam Scheduled to Coincide With Election Arin Chinnasathian
BBC WORLD SERVICE
The Thai junta announced in August that the country’s first general election in eight years will be on February 24 after four postponements, according to BBC. On October 18, the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS) publicized details for the 2019 round testings, which are the annual college entrance examinations that all prospective Thai college students are required to take. The announcement revealed the entrance examination period to be from February 23 to 26, which overlaps with the recently announced election date. Treerat Sirichantaropas, youth wing leader of the historically dominant Pheu Thai Party, remarked that the overlap could potentially infringe on the constitutional freedom to participate in elections without hin-
Mexican deportees standing at the US-Mexico border.
drance, according to Kom Chad Luek. Other political parties, such as the Future Forward Party which counts on young voters in this election, also called on the government and NIETS to reschedule the test, emphasizing the importance of youth political participation. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha denied the accusation that the overlapping dates are a coordinated attempt to exclude young voters. According to Thai Publica, he confirmed that the election date would remain the same, citing political pressure as a reason and commanding NIETS to “find a solution.” However, it is unlikely that NIETS has deliberately stifled youth participation. An Education Ministry statement said that the examinations are held during February 23 to 26 of every year. See EXAM SCHEDULED on p. 10
Migrant Caravan Approaches U.S. Border Georgian Voters Snub Ruling Party in Presidential Election As multiple caravans of Central American migrants seeking asylum continue to travel through Mexico to reach the United States, Republicans in the White House and Congress have ramped up their rhetoric against migrants in the days leading up to the American midterm elections on November 6. Time reports that violence in the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras has caused migrants to travel in caravans towards the United States for years. President Donald Trump has ratcheted up attacks against these migrants in an effort to appeal to
voters in critical Senate races. Region wide violence in Central American states is fueling increased rates of Central American migration to the United States, which surpassed the rate of undocumented Mexican migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in 2014, according to the Pew Research Center. The Northern Triangle countries rank in the top 10 in the world in homicide, according to the Brookings Institute. In a study done by researchers at Vanderbilt University, around 80 percent of migrants from Honduras and El Salvador have been victims of crime at least once within the last year prior to migrating. This uptick in immigration resulted in a multi-pronged effort by the Obama
administration to discourage migrants from attempting to reach the United States. According to the Vanderbilt University study, the “know-beforeyou-go” media campaigns, which highlighted the difficulties of the journey north, ultimately proved ineffective. According to Vox, U.S. investment in Mexico for border security in the Mexico-Guatemala border region essentially militarized Mexico’s border. This has discouraged immigrants from using welltrodden routes north, making them more vulnerable to abuse by gangs throughout Mexico. This in turn encourages migrants to travel in larger groups for protection.
THE ANCHOR, 2-3
W. EUROPE & CANADA, 6-7
Hoyas Organize for Change, p. 2
European Union to Ban Single-Use Plastics by 2021, p. 6
LATAM & THE CARIBBEAN, 8-9 IMF Approves $56.3 Billion Loan Expansion for Argentina, p. 9
E. EUROPE & RUSSIA, 4-5 Anti-Corruption Wave Forces Albanian Minister to Resign, p. 5
German Nurse Admits to Murdering 100 Patients, p. 7
Oscar Avila
See CARAVAN APPROACHES on p. 8
INDO-ASIA-PACIFIC, 10-11 Political Replacement Sparks Crisis in Sri Lanka, p. 10
Georgia has been a democratic stronghold and a force of pro-Western sentiment in the Caucasus since 2003. On October 28, it held its last direct-ballot presidential election, as future elections will be held using an electoral college. The results reflected disappointment and disillusionment among Georgian voters, who are increasingly frustrated by their country’s sluggish economic growth and weak governance. Recent Georgian politics has been dominated by two powerful men and
their corresponding parties: Mikheil Saakashvili of the United National Movement (UNM) and Bidzina Ivanishvili of the Georgian Dream Party (GD). BBC writes that Saakashvili came to power during the 2003 Rose Revolution, a peaceful pro-Western movement that marked the end of an era of Soviet-influenced leadership. Saakashvili and his party, the UNM, pursued liberalizing reforms that earned him accolades from the West. The GD was launched in 2012 by billionaire Ivanishvili as a platform for his political activities, according to BBC.
MIDDLE EAST & C.ASIA, 12-13
N. & SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, 14-15
Jordan Cancels Land-Sharing Deal With Israel, p. 12
Ethiopia Elects First Female President, p. 14
Istanbul Summit Outlines Peace For Syria, p. 13
Opposition Unites Amid Contested Elections in DRC, p. 15
Morgan Smith
WWW.THECARAVELGU.COM
See VOTERS SNUB on p. 4
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THE ANCHOR
Hoya Hub Addresses Food Insecurity on Campus The Hoya Hub, opened in October 2018, works to provide a safe and sustainable space for Georgetown students to access food resources by running a food pantry stocked with nonperishable food items in the Leavey Center. Its mission states that the organization, which is studentrun, serves to mitigate the physical and psychological effects of food insecurity on Georgetown campus. The Hoya Hub strives to maintain a clean, flexible, and functional system to ensure that every student feels comfortable reaching out. According to the definition provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization, food insecurity is “a situation that exists when people lack stable and secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active healthy life.” In the case of school campuses, some possible causes for food insecurity could be accessibility, location, hours of operation, and cost. A student in need of the Hoya Hub’s services fills out an application
that asks for a brief statement on the applicant’s experience with food insecurity or hunger. The application does not include the disclosure of any financial statements, because the organization believes income does not always tell the whole story. The Hoya Hub wants to use all the information gathered through the application for general research purposes in order to have a better understanding of the root causes of food insecurity on campus and eventually address the systemic cause. For those who are unsure whether they qualify for the service offered, they can send the Hoya Hub an anonymous message to ask further questions. To clarify how the Hoya Hub aims to reduce the stigma associated with food security, Julianne Licamele, Hoya Hub’s director of outreach, explained it was initially very difficult to imagine that Georgetown students could possibly be experiencing food security. She said, “The stigma lies with the idea that a Georgetown student is an affluent student who can afford to live here. This is not reality. Many Georgetown students are just scraping
by and any financial setback can prevent them from affording the food they need.” She also noted that there could be a social stigma for accessing the food pantry itself because it may feel as though an admission to others that an individual is not what people thought him or her to be. The Hoya Hub actively works to reduce this social stigma by keeping all services anonymous. The application process is a self-defined process in that if the student thinks they need the service they can anonymously apply without being told by anyone that such a choice does not fit with the stereotypically affluent university. “We also work to inform people that food insecurity does exists, even when it theoretically should not,” said Julianne. Currently, the Hoya Hub is still in the early stages of supplying the food pantry. So when asked how the organization wants to tackle the issue of the nutritional value of the food provided, Julianne stated that the pantry has canned vegetables, nonperishable fruit items, and other meal alternatives instead of snacks. There are gluten-free options, as well
as canned soup, chicken, and tuna, which are all adequate sources of protein. She said that “perishability restricts [the Hoya Hub] from providing regular fresh vegetable or fruit options.” In some discussions, the prospects of partnering with Vital Vittles to buy food wholesale from their vendors and with Epicurean to receive regular orders have come up. “We are primarily buying food from BJs to get the most food for the lowest prices. In the future as demand rises, we will be running food drives and try to partner with other food vendors for donations or discounts,” Julianne said.
Some other things the Hoya Hub should consider moving forward include communicating with the community garden at Georgetown. The community garden is already well-connected with local farmers and some local food vendors, which could emphasize the environmental sustainability of the Hoya Hub. George Washington University also has a student-run food pantry that supports student living with food insecurity. Potential partnerships between the universities’ initiatives to tackle the fundamental causes of food insecurity could also be a possibility.
BRYCE COUCH (SFS ‘19)
Ga Ram Lee
The Hoya Hub contains non-perishable foods in an effort to combat food insecurity.
Hoyas Organize for Change Tamara Evdokimova Bryce Couch Joshua Haney Christopher Stein Suzie Kim Devanshi Patnaik Andrew Choi Kristina Yarovinsky Chris Rim Janny Zhang Hannah Casey Jia Sheng Christopher Stein Sarah Bothner Ga Ram Lee Tamara Evdokimova Eric Schichlein Emma Oechsner Felipe Lobo Koerich Isabelle Lahaussois Louisa Christen James Gordy Jia Sheng Jackson Gillette Irene Chun Preetham Chippada Michael Abi-Habib Bethania Michael Sarah Mathys
ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD President Editor-in-Chief Director of Digital Operations Executive Director EXECUTIVE BOARD Marketing Analytics and Research Finance Business Development IT and Design Social Events EDITORIAL BOARD Copy Chief Copy Chief The Anchor Editor The Anchor Editor Eastern Europe and Russia Editor Eastern Europe and Russia Editor Western Europe and Canada Editor Western Europe and Canada Editor Latin America and the Caribbean Editor Latin America and the Caribbean Editor Indo-Asia-Pacific Editor Indo-Asia-Pacific Editor Indo-Asia-Pacific Editor Middle East and Central Asia Editor Middle East and Central Asia Editor North and Sub-Saharan Africa Editor North and Sub-Saharan Africa Editor
On November 6, Americans cast their ballots in the 2018 midterm elections, with 35 seats in the Senate, 435 seats in the House of Representatives, and 36 governorships up for grabs. With 2018 heralded by various outlets as the Year of the Woman (in reference to 1992, the official Year of the Woman), many correspondents noted the role of gender in an election that saw historic amounts of women running for office. Here are some of the stories of Hoyas about their efforts campaigning in the 2018 midterm elections. Natalia Campos Vargas (SFS ’19) has been politically active since her freshman year, canvassing for Missouri’s Democratic nominee for governor in 2016 and supporting Missouri’s Senatorial candidate and Hillary Clinton. She currently works at a political organization that mobilizes voters to elect progressive candidates and defends voting rights. “I absolutely think women will have an especially important role in
this election,” she said. “A lot of the issues on the line in this election— health care, reproductive rights, and others—will significantly affect women in the long run. Now more than ever, women hold their power in their vote and should use it to express their interests.” Anya Howko-Johnson (SFS ’22) has followed politics since her childhood love for cult TV show The West Wing. She has been volunteering and interning for Washington state 5th Congressional district candidate Lisa Brown, who is the first real challenger to the incumbent since 2005. “Female participation is more significant this election cycle not only in terms of candidates but also in terms of volunteering and voting,” Howko-Johnson explained. “I have observed women being more outspoken in this election than in any other in my memory.” Varsha Menon (SFS ’21) has done phone banking and canvassing for Texas Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke
and Texas 3rd Congressional district candidate Lorie Burch. A member of the Georgetown College Democrats, she has worked to help other students register to vote and request their absentee ballots this semester. When it comes to the role of gender in the 2018 elections, Menon believes that women are using gender to their advantage, saying, “I think a lot of female candidates are using their status as a female to try to encourage people to vote minorities into the House and the Senate. I know for sure that Lorie Burch is using her identity as a queer woman to help inspire Democrats in my district.” Asked about the level of political awareness and involvement at Georgetown, Menon said, “If you’re part of any minority, whether that be religious, racial, gender- or sexuality-based, you are always politically conscious to ensure that your community isn’t being disempowered.” For the full feature, read the latest edition of Compass Gender.
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ICARUS Director Discusses Geopolitics of Russian Sport In November 2015, the World Anti-Doping Agency banned Russia in an unprecedented move after reports detailed a state-sponsored doping program in Russian athletics. This scheme, which was later found to have spanned nearly all sectors of Russian sport, was uncovered with the help of filmmaker Bryan Fogel in his Netflix documentary ICARUS. On October 30, Bryan Fogel spoke at a Georgetown Lecture Fund event about his experience filming the documentary and how sports serve as a Russian geopolitical tool. When Fogel first conceptualized the project, it was meant to be an exposé on how easy it was for athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs, a practice known as doping, without being caught by the existing safeguards. To get around the tests, Fogel reached out to Grigory Rodchenkov, the thendirector of Russia’s National AntiDoping Agency, for his expertise. At the time, Rodchenkov was in charge of overseeing the anti-doping tests for the Russian Olympic team at the Sochi Olympics in 2014, but agreed to help
Fogel beat the tests. As allegations of a state-sanctioned doping program began to appear, Fogel soon learned that not only was Rodchenkov responsible for helping Russia cheat at the Sochi Olympics, but that the Russian Olympic team had been cheating systematically for the past 20 years. Fogel helped Rodchenkov escape to the United States, where he currently lives in a witness protection program. Fogel’s story is a surreal experience that would fit perfectly in a political spy novel, but the details he gave of what has happened since the release of his documentary are even more fascinating. As with many things in Russia, sport has a political side to it—it is under central control of the Russian government, and for President Vladimir Putin, sport is a way for Russia to illustrate its resurgence in the world. Fogel described how after Russia won the 2007 bid to host the Olympics in Sochi in 2014, the decision was made at the highest level of the Russian government to “win at all costs.” By the time Rodchenkov’s anti-doping laboratory was built, there was already a plan in place to
systematically evade the tests with the help of the FSB, Russia’s intelligence service, the New York Times reports. Rodchenkov quickly became Putin’s public enemy number one when he fled to the U.S. and publicly exposed the program. Fogel recalled how the private text messages and emails that he had sent to Rodchenkov were displayed on Russian state television, and how Rodchenkov’s family in Russia was repeatedly harassed by state security. What’s more, Rodchenkov continues to be a priority for the FSB. According to CNN, U.S. officials have told Fogel that several of the Russian diplomats expelled earlier this year were actually Russian intelligence officers charged with finding Rodchenkov. Given the
poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a Russian defector, it’s possible to imagine an attempt to go after Rodchenkov also, BBC reports. Fogel’s documentary is a fascinating look into how sports and geopolitics collide, especially given the current attention on Russia’s interference in the U.S. According to an intelligence report released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Olympic doping scandal was seen as a “U.S.-directed effort to defame Russia,” which directly led to the decision to influence the elections in the United States. The implications of the doping scandal extend far beyond the Olympics, and its importance to the geopolitical dynamic of Putin’s Russia cannot be underestimated.
NETFLIX
Caleb Yip, Opinion
ICARUS discusses the state-organized Russian doping scandal.
Senators Take Aim at Big Tech, Wall Street Christopher Stein In an Open Markets Institute event on October 11, Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Securities and Exchange Commissioner Rob Jackson grappled with the issue of antitrust law in a dynamic business landscape defined by high-tech firms, disruptive innovation, and globalization. Capito focused her remarks on how the brain drain is affecting rural America, including her home state of West Virginia. The senator argued that new policy tools were needed to foster innovative business ideas and create jobs that will draw back West Virginia’s youth. Senators also praised the Opportunity Zone (OZ) legislation included in the 2017 tax code overhaul. The OZ legislation provides tax incentives for new business development in America’s rural areas and second- and third-tier cities. Several speakers cited the statistic that approximately 85 percent of venture capital investment goes to startups in California, New York, and Massachusetts. Responding to this, Capito told investors not to “give up on rural America,” praising her
state’s hard-working culture, strong institutions of higher education, and low cost of living. Warner, who worked as a telecoms executive before he became governor and then senator of Virginia, took aim at big Silicon Valley tech firms like Facebook, Google, and Twitter. The senator argued that recent statements from technology company CEOs on issues like bias, radicalization, and the spread of misinformation show an industry that is falling out of touch with reality.
“Wall Street needs to be put back in its place.” — Rob Jackson Warner noted that eight of the top ten apps in the Apple App Store were developed by Google and Facebook and called this a troubling sign of brewing oligopoly. The senator urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is partly responsible for antitrust enforcement, to investigate these big tech platforms to ensure that a healthy, competitive market can exist that allows for new entrants and in
which no tech firm becomes too-bigto-fail. Booker, a fierce opponent of the consumer welfare standard of antitrust enforcement used by the FTC and Department of Justice, called for new research to assess the standard’s shortcomings and propose enforcement solutions. This standard is based on the idea that the sole criterion for approval when evaluating a proposed merger is whether that merger will improve outcomes for consumers—either by lowering prices or improving quality, convenience, availability, or variety. European competition regulators, meanwhile, have historically favored the market concentration model of antitrust, which is primarily concerned with ensuring all entrants have a fair shot at competing in the market. Booker argued for a middle-road approach to balance the welfare of consumers with other stakeholders like employees and suppliers. Jackson tended to agree with Booker’s assessment of antitrust policy, arguing that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) must refocus on ensuring competition in the markets it oversees. He called for the creation of an SEC Office of Antitrust
Economics and cited concentration in the investment banking sector as the prime factor in stifling price competition for initial public offerings (IPO) services. Jackson’s research shows that the average price of these services has stayed constant since the 1990s despite massive improvements in technology and efficiency, which should have resulted in fierce price competition and a greatly reduced IPO fee. However, the commissioner claimed that a corresponding fall in the number of investment banks offering these services prevented price competition. The OMI event touched on many different facets of the economy, but the driving force behind all the debate was that healthy and competitive markets have historically been the bedrock of American economic advancement. However, all of the speakers expressed worry that if current economic trends are not reversed, the American economy is on its way toward unhealthy markets that stunt competition, raise prices, lower product quality, and drive inequality by ensuring that established players make a healthy return and new entrants are choked in their infancy. As Jackson said, “Wall Street needs to be put back in its place.”
EDITOR’S COLUMN: Ga Ram Lee
W
ith the launch of Hoya Hub to address food insecurity on campus and the introduction of Compass Gender, it is vital to talk about the prevalence of gender discrimination in the world food production processes. Food security refers to having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable and nutritious food. As the world population grows exponentially, the demand for stable food sources increases and the need to ensure that the production process and the post-harvest management steps are efficiently conducted becomes more dire. Women are at the center of the conversation because they comprise 40 percent of the producers. However, women are systematically stripped of the right to legally hold any property they harvest and have very limited financial power that disables them to expand any production. In the case of agricultural production, women do not receive the training that could equip them with the knowledge to produce food more efficiently. Women are also banned from participating in any decisionmaking processes about how to manage agricultural production, although they still partake in planting seeds and harvesting. Women are forced to juggle the burdensome work of agricultural production and the traditional domestic roles of a caregiver in the household. Yet, their contributions and the value of their work is underappreciated by local communities and policy makers. The world population is expected to pass nine billion by 2020, and the global demand for food will exponentially grow. Will the world produce enough to feed everyone? Maybe not. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN predicts that in developing countries, 80 percent of the necessary production increases would come from increases in yield and cropping intensity. However, the increase in yield will not happen without the empowerment of women and the recognition of their work in the production process. We witness humanitarian crises in Yemen and Syria, especially with the degradation of arable land due to ongoing conflict, yet the world is failing to address the most evident gender issue in food production that could prepare countries to be more resilient and improve the quality of aid provided to areas of conflict.
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EASTERN EUROPE & RUSSIA A
s the United States grapples with its relations with Russia in a changing world order, academics have been giving widely diverging views. Professor Stephen Kotkin of Princeton University addressed guests at the Cato Institute on November 1. His talk was titled “Stalin’s Propaganda and Putin’s Information Wars,” although the actual focus was on present day Russia policy in the United States. Kotkin first laid out his own baseline components of modern authoritarian regimes. He went on to identify Russian President Vladimir Putin’s current regime as notably authoritarian but quickly moved to explain the weakness of Putin’s current position. He pointed to Russia’s lack of technological infrastructure—the center of Russian technoculture is in Tel Aviv, Israel— and their hemorrhaging of intellectual property. He stated that the image of Russia as a great adversary to the United States was an idea propagated by the Democratic Party; whereas, Republicans portray China as the new Cold War adversary. Given Russia’s incompetence, American problems with Russia are purely American: Kotkin explained that the “circus in Washington is the business model of American media now” and that Facebook is at fault for their vast, exploitable vulnerabilities. Kotkin’s tone was not one of deference to Russian power; rather, he painted the Russian state as a bumbling survivor, not an active player on the global stage. With these ideological foundations, Kotkin then put forth policy recommendations for the United States when it comes to Russia. He began by saying that the U.S. should have a measured Russia policy; none currently exists. His two primary policy propositions for the United States were 1) recognizing Crimea as a territory of Russia instead of Ukraine in an effort to appease and bargain with Russia via a renegotiation of the 1991 settlement and 2) shooting down Russian planes that buzz American military vehicles for affirmative deterrence. Kotkin’s policy advice comes out of a Princeton tradition of white, male scholars that do not prioritize human rights in the global order. His Crimea recommendations, in particular, show little regard for past humanitarian results of appeasement. It was a lecture typical of the Cato Institute’s provocative output.
Cooper Vardy
The Sea of Azov, a sizeable offshoot of the northern Black Sea encircled by Ukraine, Russia, and occupied Crimea, could soon become the frontline of the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine. As noted by Radio Free Europe, the Sea of Azov hosts key ports in the region, including Mariupol and Berdiansk, and has been increasingly militarized by both sides of the conflict. As 112Ukraine wrote, the Ukrainian navy dominates the waters, but tensions rose after Moscow deployed nearly 120 ships, writes KTelegram. Radio Free Europe said that the increased friction stems from Moscow’s 2016 construction of a 19-kilometer bridge over the Kerch Strait, which spans the gap from Crimea’s eastern point to Krasnodar Krai, a Russian peninsula. Upon completion of the bridge, Russia increased its inspections of commercial vessels bearing both Ukrainian and thirdparty flags around the bridge. Moscow has detained more than
148 foreign merchant ships since then. According to Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Integration Olean Zerkal, increased militarization stems from fears that Russia will back out of the 2003 Agreement on Cooperation in Use of the Sea of Azov. If pressures continue to mount, UN intervention in the area may be expected in the coming months. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at an October 3 press conference that “the Alliance is concerned over the Sea of Azov following Russia’s activities there” and regards the expansion as an impediment to normal civilian traffic, commercial trade, and Ukrainian naval exercises. Unian wrote that the expansion of Russian aggression follows the illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea and its ports and has been denounced by NATO, which has assisted in modernizing the Ukrainian military. The European Parliament passed a nonbinding resolution on October 25 calling for European
nations to issue a warning to Moscow stating “that the targeted sanctions against Russia will be reinforced” following any further “violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty.” The statement also said that the Russian Federation’s actions in the Sea of Azov are in breach of international maritime law and “Russia’s own international commitments” to the greater European community. The Office of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko commended the European Parliament’s statements.
Russian Ambassador to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov labeled the European Parliament’s statements as “total nonsense.” He went on to affirm that “Russia is in line with the existing agreements on the Sea of Azov” and has complete liberty to continue its militarization of the area. According to TASS, the government has since announced it will reinforce its own forces in the body of water should Kiev persist in its construction of a large scale naval base.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Emma Oechsner
Escalations in Sea of Azov Threaten Uneasy Ceasefire
Ukrainian warships pictured during the country’s 2015 Navy Day celebrations.
Georgian Voters Snub Ruling Party in Presidential Election From p. 1 By promising to increase welfare and work towards pragmatic relations with Russia, it succeeded in ousting the sitting UNM party in the 2012 parliamentary elections, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Saakashvili conceded the loss and committed to a peaceful democratic transition. Since 2012, GD has held a majority in parliament and the presidency. Saakashvili has since left the country, but continues to support UNM from abroad.
The election results indicate voter apathy and widespread disillusionment. As the October presidential elections neared, EurasiaNet reported that many expected GD to attain an easy victory. GD-backed candidate
Salome Zurabishvili, a French-born diplomat and former-foreign minister, was widely anticipated to become the first elected female president of Georgia, according to RFE/RL. “If there is a sufficient mobilization of Georgian Dream supporters, Salome Zurabishvili should score a first-round victory,” Ivanishvili said, per RFE/RL. GD planned an election night party replete with celebrities and entertainment to celebrate Zurabishvili’s victory, reported EurasiaNet. Rather than sweeping her UNM opponent Grigol Vashadze, Zurabishvili only managed to secure a meager lead of one percent. Neither candidate came close to clearing the 50 percent threshold required to avoid a runoff; Zurabishvili finished with 38.6 percent of the vote, and Vashadze won 37.7 percent, reported Georgia Today. Above all, the election results indicate voter apathy and widespread disillusionment with the political
establishment. According to RFE/ RL, voter turnout was a paltry 46.7 percent. Neither party ran on a coherent platform; rather, the election was characterized by mudslinging, corruption allegations, secretly-recorded tapes, and personal defamation. Georgian voters were offered few substantive policy proposals. Georgia’s issues are complex.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
EDITOR’S COLUMN:
During GD’s five years of power, it has failed to address the country’s fragile rule of law, lack of institutions, and economic inequality, according to the Foreign Policy Research Institute. In addition, voters are wary of billionaire Ivanishvili’s dominating influence over GD. By casting anti-incumbency votes, Georgians communicated their disenchantment with the party they overwhelmingly supported in 2012.
Georgia Dream Presidential Candidate Salome Zurabishvili in 2013.
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Sienna Siu
Romania’s Constitutional Court announced on October 25 that the 31 changes to the country’s Criminal Code proposed by the ruling Social Democrats are unconstitutional, reports Reuters. These proposed changes include new definitions of “abuse of office” and “influence peddling,” as well as laws regarding murder and lying under oath, reports Romania Insider. The law will be returned to Parliament, and the unconstitutional portions are to be amended in response to the Court’s recommendations. Earlier in the month, the Constitutional Court’s nine judges also unanimously rejected 64 amendments to the Criminal Code, which were heavily criticized by the European Commission, as well as Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, writes France24. The amendments to the Criminal Code are part of a series of changes made by the Social Democrats since they came into power two years ago, Reuters reports. These changes have been perceived as threats to the rule of law and have increased concerns over the decay of democratic values in some of the European Union’s eastern member states. Romania is one of the most
graft-ridden countries within the EU, and while Romanian prosecutors have made progress in combating corruption, the current government has been accusing them of overstepping their power, reports Euractiv. The government has repeatedly attempted to weaken anticorruption legislation but had to stop after this triggered the biggest wave of protests since 1989.
The government has repeatedly attempted to weaken anti-corruption legislation. The European Commission (EC) has expressed concern over the possible unconstitutional changes to Romania’s Criminal Code, according to Euractiv. Frans Timmermans, the commission’s vice president, asked Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila for clarification on the legal amendments in a letter sent in early October, reports France24. “The commission is closely analyzing the conformity of these legislative amendments with EU law, in particular as regards Romania’s obligations to protect the financial interests of the EU and to comply
with the EU criminal law,” wrote Timmermans. Romania is set to take over the EU Council presidency in January 2019, and EC President Jean-Claude Juncker warned the country to respect democratic values before assuming the presidency or risk undermining its bid to join the passport-free Schengen Zone, according to Euractiv. “I hope in Romania there is a consensus for the fight against corruption, otherwise the European Commission will have trouble with its recommendations [for joining the passport-free Schengen Zone] and getting them adopted unanimously,” Juncker said. Earlier this year, twelve Western countries, led by the U.S., issued a joint statement warning that the controversial legal changes could “impede cooperation [with Romania] in international law enforcement,” and asked Romania to “avoid changes that would weaken the rule of law or Romania’s ability to fight crime or corruption,” according to the Romanian embassy’s website. “Romania has shown considerable progress in combating corruption and building effective rule of law,” the statement says, and it urges the country to “continue on this path” and to “safeguard the independence of judges and prosecutors.”
Anti-Corruption Wave Forces Albanian Minister to Resign Ismary Guardarrama Albanian Minister of the Interior Fatmir Xhafaj resigned without explanation on October 27, according to Gazeta Express. Prime Minister Edi Rama has since nominated Aleksander Lleshi, a former-general in the Albanian Army and the current security advisor to the prime minister, to be Xhafaj’s replacement. Though Xhafaj has not provided any explanation for the sudden resignation, Balkan Insight reported earlier in May that the ex-minister allegedly had ties to drug trafficking in Italy through his brother. Xhafaj’s Socialist Party decried the accusations as an attempt to forestall Albania’s integration into the European Union, as these claims were made mostly by the conservative, opposition Democratic Party. Though Xhafaj acknowledged the charges made against his brother for his drug dealing crimes, he denied any involvement in them. The Tirana Times reports that the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha wrote on social media soon after Xhafaj’s resignation, “Fatmir Xhafaj was the
only interior minister in Europe with a drug trafficker brother” and that his resignation “is an important step in our battle to clear up politics from crime.” According to Balkan Insight, Xhafaj claimed that he was “unable to understand what problem can arise for [him] from what [his] brother did 15 years ago.” He further added that his brother had been “in the wrong place, accompanied by the wrong people.”
“Fatmir Xhafaj was the only interior minister in Europe with a drug trafficker brother.” — Lulzim Basha In his short tenure as minister of the interior, since March 2017, Xharaj tackled corruption within the police force and organized crime, according to Balkan Insight. The news outlet, however, also claims that Xhafaj has continued to be a problematic figure
in Albanian politics since the 1980s, when he was repeatedly accused by the Democratic Party of abusing human rights while working beneath the Communist regime as an interrogator and for ties to drug trafficking. Xhafaj, for his part, has continued to deny all of these allegations. Nonetheless, the timing of his resignation comes immediately after the dismantling of four major interlinked groups of drug trafficking. Balkan Insight reports that the criminals involved in these groups were also accused of buying votes for the Socialist Party, which Xhafaj is a member of. According to Freedom House, the minister of the interior who preceded Xhafaj, Saimir Tahiri, was also connected to the Albanian-Italian drug trafficking network. He was given immunity from arrest, which acted as a setback for the parliament’s war on corruption. Freedom House also reports that the Democratic Party fears the Albanian Parliament, which is run by the Socialist Party beneath President Ilir Meta, will see a spike in corruption.
Latvian Coalition Talks Stall, President Moves to Break Impasse Eric Schichlein
Latvians went to the polls on October 6 to choose their representatives in the next Saeima, the country’s parliament. After nearly a month of difficult, fruitless coalition talks, Latvian President Raimonds Vējonis announced in an interview with Latvian Public Radio on November 1 that he would move to end the impasse next week. Vējonis plans to meet once again with the three potential prime ministers before possibly nominating one of them. Latvian Public Radio reports that, out of the 100 seats in the thirteenth Saeima, the center-left, pro-Russia Harmony party controls 23, down one seat from last session. Marking its first entry in the Saeima, the centrist New Conservative Party won 16 seats. Another recently founded party not represented in the prior Saeima, the anti-establishment, anti-corruption To Whom Belongs the State? party (KPV LV) also received 16 seats. The 13 seats won by the nationalist, center-right National Alliance party represent a loss for the party, which controlled 17 seats in the last Saeima. The left-leaning For Development/ For! alliance of parties also won 13 seats, marking its first entry into parliament, Re:Baltica said. The Union of Greens and Farmers, which has formed a part of every government since its founding in 2002, received 11 seats, a notable decline from the last Saeima when the party controlled 21 seats. In last place sits the New Unity alliance of parties with eight seats. Despite the Harmony’s plurality of seats in both the last Saeima and the current one, other parties have consistently ruled out joining a coalition with it. Its base consists
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Romanian Constitutional Court Halts Proposed Criminal Code Reform
Latvian President Raimond Vējonis.
mostly of Latvia’s Russian minority, who make up 26 percent of the population, and the party has struggled to attract ethnic Latvians, according to the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Harmony remains uncomfortably pro-Russian for many Latvians, as it has failed to denounce Russian aggression in Ukraine and supports making Russian the second official language. The three parties who may end up leading the next government include For Development/For! with Artis Pabriks as prime minister, the New Conservative Party with Janis Bordans, and KPV LV with Aldis Gobzems, according to Latvian Public Radio. In addition to the cross-party ban on partnering with Harmony, the New Conservative party has also ruled out any coalition with the Union of Greens and Farmers, which picked both the current prime minister and president. The Foreign Policy Research Institute writes that the shared ban against partnering with Harmony may fall apart, however. The mayor of Ventspils, Aivars Lembergs, an oligarch who holds significant influence in the Union of Farmers and Greens, allegedly remains sympathetic to Russia and Harmony. KPV LV also shares links to oligarchs who remain pro Russian, and the party in its role as an anti-establishment force may be open to breaking the norm against joining a coalition with Harmony. If the new governing coalition includes Harmony, Latvian foreign policy could drastically shift. Currently, the country remains strongly pro-Western and pro-NATO, but with Harmony in the government, Latvia could fall increasingly under Russian influence.
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WESTERN EUROPE & CANADA Isabelle Lahaussois
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lthough the Spanish Civil War ended almost 80 years ago, it is not surprising that Spain is finding it difficult to shake the ghosts of its past. The remains of Francisco Franco lie in the Valley of the Fallen, a memorial site, alongside the remains of victims from both political parties that fought during the Civil War. Not only is this the site of the largest memorial cross in the world, towering at 500 feet high, but it is also the location where Spain’s far-right political group holds its annual commemorations while dressed in fascist uniforms, reports the New York Times. This controversial spot reentered the spotlight in July when, according to BBC, Spain’s new socialist government announced that it would move Franco’s remains to an as-yet undetermined location. While this declaration was made in an effort to remove a divisive symbol, it in effect brought to the forefront the past that Spain has tried to ignore for so long. The Pact of Forgetting became the center of Spanish policy after the death of Franco in 1975. This political decision attempted to erase the horrors committed both during the Civil War and during the dictatorship by denying their existence through “forgetting.” However, this is not an effective way of moving into the future and has instead trapped the country in the past. Artist Enrique Terneiro protested the presence and celebration of Franco in the Valley of the Fallen by painting “For freedom!” in red paint on Franco’s tomb, BBC reports. While security personnel dragged Terneiro away, a bystander recorded him yelling, “For freedom and the reconciliation of all Spaniards!” Even though the Civil War and the dictatorship took place in a different millennium, by refusing to face them, the government has essentially allowed them to continue living on into the present. Spain must learn to remember the events it has “forgotten” in order to reunify the country.
Merkel to Leave CDU Leadership by December Ryan Nowaczyk German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on October 29 that she would step down from the leadership of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the ruling party in Germany, and that she would not seek any future public office after her term ends in 2021. Merkel has been the leader of the CDU since 2000 and Chancellor since 2005. Merkel’s decision came after the results of two elections at the state level, one in Bavaria on October 14 and the other in Hesse on October 28, reflected dissatisfaction with her government among the German electorate. The governing coalition in Germany, known as the grand coalition, consists of the CDU, the Social Democrats (SPD), and the Christian Social Union (CSU), a local party in Bavaria that runs in the CDU’s stead as a sister party. According to the New York Times, the 2017 national election saw the worst electoral results for the three parties in the postwar period. Merkel nevertheless managed
to form the current iteration of the grand coalition, which took office in March 2018. Coalition members saw decreases in their vote shares in the recent state elections. According to the Washington Post, in Bavaria, the CSU polled 37 percent of the vote, down from 48 percent in the 2013 election. The SPD received 10 percent, down from 20.6 percent in 2013. BBC exit polls in Hesse had the CDU at 28 percent, down from 38.3 percent in 2013, and the SPD at 20 percent, down from 31 percent in 2013. Merkel’s response to the 2015 immigration crisis made her the target of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which promotes a nationalist platform focused on stemming migration. However, her peers within the coalition have also pressured her on immigration, including the Interior Minister and CSU party chief Horst Seehöfer. Politico reported the AfD won 10.2 percent of vote share in Bavaria to secure representation in state parliament. After the elections in Hesse, where the AfD won 12 percent
of the vote, the far-right party holds seats in all 16 state parliaments. On the left wing, the decline of the SPD heightened uncertainty about the durability of Merkel’s coalition. Dwindling voter support prompted debate over whether the SPD should remain in the national coalition, with party leader Andrea Nahles declaring after Hesse that the SPD will “check whether this government is still the right place for us,” per the BBC. Meanwhile, the Green Party has prospered, absorbing many SPD voters. In Bavaria, the Green Party
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surpassed the SPD to take second place with 17.5 percent. In Hesse, the Green Party came within half a percentage point of tying with the SPD. With Merkel annoucing her departure as party head, the CDU will hold a conference in Hamburg to elect a new executive board and leader in December. After that, Merkel plans to stay on as chancellor until 2021, although Politico noted that the loss of her party role makes her more vulnerable to attempts to oust her from the chancellorship before the end of her term.
Merkel addresses a Christian Democratic Union conference in 2017.
European Union to Ban Single-Use Plastics by 2021 Amber Broder The European Parliament issued a press release on October 24 announcing the adoption of a ban on “single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks or cotton buds” by 2021, according to their website. The consumption of other types of singleuse plastic items with no alternatives will be reduced by 25 percent by 2025. Each member state will be responsible for creating its own plan to increase the reuse and recycling of products. This significant move comes in response to rising concerns about ocean pollution and the effects of single plastics on marine life. According to the European Commission’s website, more than 80 percent of marine litter is made of plastic. These new restrictions cover about 70 percent of all marine litter items. In the European Parliament’s press release, Frédérique Ries, a
Belgium MEP, identified the move as the “most ambitious” legislation against single plastics. Regarding the vote on October 24, she said it is “essential in order to protect the marine environment and reduce the costs of environmental damage attributed to plastic pollution in Europe.” The European Parliament’s press release ends with the concession that while plastics are a “convenient” and “economically valuable” material, the negative environmental and economic impact they have needs to be addressed. Frans Timmermans, Vice President of the European Council, told the Guardian that the council’s priority is to clamp down on “single-use plastics that take five seconds to produce. You use it for five minutes and it takes 500 years to break down again.” On October 31, the council announced its acceptance of the draft directive on and plans to bring it to a trilogue meeting on November 6.
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German Nurse Admits to Murdering 100 Patients Heavy Snowstorm A former German nurse confessed to the murder of at least 100 patients on the first day of his trial in the Oldenburg district court, according to the Guardian. The trial, which began on October 30, is the largest serial killing legal proceeding in Germany since the Second World War. MSN reports that authorities first arrested Niels Hoegel, 41 years old, in 2005, when hospital employees in Delmenhorst caught him administering an unprescribed medication to a patient. In 2008, the court convicted Hoegel of attempted murder and sentenced him to seven years in prison, according to the Guardian. At the time, the authorities were still investigating several more suspicious deaths which they suspected were linked to Hoegel. In 2015, under pressure from the families of the alleged victims, the district attorney prosecuted Hoegel again. This proceeding found Hoegel guilty on five counts of murder. Later, during a psychiatric appointment, the former nurse confessed to 30 additional murders committed at the same Delmenhorst hospital at which he was apprehended
in 2005, reports the Guardian. The confession prompted authorities to investigate additional suspicious deaths in a hospital in Oldenburg, where Hoegel previously worked. All told, investigators attribute at least 36 deaths in Oldenburg and about 64 deaths in Delmenhorst to Hoegel, according to the Guardian. Authorities believe the death toll could include over 200 separate murders, but they worry that the cremation of many of the victims will stop them from ever ascertaining the exact number of deaths.
Authorities believe the death toll could include over 200 separate murders. The new case against Hoegel, court officials say, intends to establish the exact scope of the killing spree that the nurse engaged in between the years of 1999 and 2005. Presiding judge Sebastian Buehrmann elaborated on the intentions of the court in a statement, emphasizing that court officials “will do our utmost to learn the truth. It is like a house with dark
rooms – we want to bring light into the darkness,” as reports the the Guardian. On the first day of proceedings, public prosecutor Daniela SchiereckBohlmann read out the names of the 100 victims and the charges against Hoegel. According to the Guardian, Hoegel “listened impassively, his head lowered.” Buehrmann then asked the defendant if he planned to confess to the 100 murders committed in Oldenburg and Delmenhorst. According to the Mirror, Hoegel replied, “What has been admitted, that’s it. Yes.” His quick confession came as a surprise to some. Christian Marbach, one of more than 100 co-plaintiffs in the trial and the relative of a victim, commented, “I didn’t expect it to happen today. We now have the chance to make some real progress.” Hoegel followed the same procedure for each of the murders he committed, the Guardian reports. First, he injected a medication that triggered cardiac arrest. Then, he would attempt to resuscitate the patient. The prosecution argues that Hoegel’s murders stemmed from his desire to “show off ” his life-saving skills in front of his coworkers.
Spain and the Vatican Disagree Over Franco’s Remains Alejandra Rocha Spanish Vice President Carmen Calvo asserted on October 30 that the Spanish government and the Catholic Church agree on impeding the transfer of Francisco Franco’s remains to Madrid’s cathedral. According to El País, Calvo announced that the Spanish government will invoke the Historical Memory Law in order to exhume the dictator’s remains from the Valley of the Fallen, where he has lain since 1975. Moreover, she said that the government is determined to prohibit Franco’s inhumation in Madrid’s cathedral, La Almudena, as asked by his family. A meeting between Calvo and the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on October 29 resulted in debate and confusion as the two sides contest what was discussed. “The cardinal understood that we should look for an alternative in order for Franco’s remains to be buried with dignity but not in a place in which they could object to homage of any kind,” Calvo told El Mundo. “We agreed with the Vatican to work conjunctly to find an alternative which obviously cannot
be the Almudena.” Only hours after Calvo’s declarations, however, Vatican City issued an official communiqué in which it criticized Calvo’s communication and rejected being used as a political puppet in a conflict that it claims should remain exclusively between Franco’s family and the Spanish government. “Regarding the purpose of the meeting that the Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See and the Vice President of the Government of Spain had, I want to make the following clear: Cardinal Pietro Parolin does not oppose the exhumation of Francisco Franco, if that has been the decision of the authorities, but in no moment was an opinion given about the place of the inhumation,” the Vatican’s communiqué clarified, according to El Mundo. According to El País, neither the Spanish government nor the Vatican want to assume the responsibility of making the decision and do not want Franco’s remains to end up in Spain’s principal church in Madrid. Neither side wants a revered sacred space to turn into a pilgrimage site for Francoist members of the far right.
According to the Guardian, the government’s decision to exhume Franco’s body is an attempt to heal the pain that still lingers following the Spanish Civil War. Charges were never brought against those who committed crimes during Franco’s dictatorship, as they were protected by amnesty and a pact of silence in order to facilitate the transition from a dictatorial regime to a democracy. Franco’s tomb at the Valley of the Fallen is considered divisive, as it makes it difficult to reconcile the deaths of the more than 34,000 combatants that are buried in the Valley. “Spain needs a monument that unites rather than divides citizens,” the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, told the Guardian. Franco’s family rejects the suggestion of divisiveness and claims that Franco’s exhumation is nothing more than a left-wing manipulation of history. They assure that if the government refuses to allow his body to be reburied in Almudena, the only alternative they will accept is that the government stop the exhumation and that Franco stays in the Valley of the Fallen.
Hits Central French Provinces Hard Carl Tulevech Over 195,000 homes were left without power on October 30 after heavy snow fell across many central regions of France the previous evening, according to the Local. The storm left hundreds trapped inside of their vehicles. French meteorologists predict the snowstorm will be the first of many this upcoming winter season. According to the Local, the weather mainly affected the departments of Haute-Loire, Lozere, Loire, Puy-deDôme, Cantal, Aveyron, Correze, and the Creuse. Burgundy and the RhoneAlpes were also affected by the heavy snowstorm. The storm hit hardest in the Massif Central region. Many residents were caught by surprise as winter weather settled in early across central France. The Local reported that the heavy snowfall left 950 drivers stranded on roads in the Haute-Loire and Loire departments of the country and initially left about 200,000 homes without electricity. On Corsica, several people were injured, 25,000 houses lost power on the island, and boats toppled over in the Mediterranean Sea. In the department of Haute-Loire, officials closed the roads due to the weather and motorists spent the night inside of their vehicles on the road. Drivers on Route 88 Nationale were evacuated, and hundreds spent the night in emergency accommodations. RFI reported that more than 2,000 vehicles were trapped on the roads overnight into Tuesday morning. Communist Senator Cecile Cukierman occupied one of those vehicles when she was caught in deep snow in Saint Etienne. She accused
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national services of inadequate preparation for the heavy snowfall, RFI reports. She also criticized emergency operations for their “lack of humanity.” President of the Haute-Loire Departmental Council Jean-Pierre Marcon condemned drivers for taking to the roads in such dangerous conditions and strongly advised those who do in the future to ensure their tires are suitable for such inclement weather. One irate driver told France Info, “It’s not normal that they allow lorries to drive when the roads are not suitable.” Many drivers also took to social media, videotaping the conditions and people attempting to push their cars out of the heavy snow. In Aveyron, a 75-year-old woman was killed in her vehicle after the snow caused a pile-up. The same pile-up seriously injured four others. French drivers are still advised not to travel in Haute-Loire, as fallen trees block several roads across the region. Seventeen French departments, located in the central and eastern regions of the country, remained on high alert for further snowfall on the morning of October 30. Meteo France advised the public to remain vigilant across the center of the country, especially in places such as Ardennes, Marne, Aube, Yonne, Côte d’Or, Nièvre and Haute-Loire. France is not the only European nation to be affected by the early snowfall. According to the Sun, more than 38,000 homes were without power when heavy snow fell on the island of Menorca, Spain on Monday, October 29. The island also suffered damages from a tornado which accompanied the snowstorm.
France hit with an early snowstorm—a warning of the winter to come.
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LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN T
he campaign of former army captain and far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro captured regional and international media attention in the past month. While analyses of the new Brazilian president elect’s policies and rhetoric abound, his electoral victory is significant in its contribution to the broader populist trend sweeping Latin America and the world. Though Latin America’s Pink Tide is well known for bringing to power many leftist populist governments in the early twenty-first century— including those of Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Rafael Correa—recent regional trends have seen the same populist techniques employed across the political spectrum. The most recent Brazilian elections demonstrate just how far the practice and appeal of politics have shifted globally. Academics and journalists alike have been pointing to the worldwide rise in populist candidates and antiestablishment sentiment for several years. In countries from France to the Philippines, anti-democratic and xenophobic rhetoric seems to have unlocked repressed anger hidden in all corners of society. The liberal elites of the world have found themselves stunned, and questions like, “How did we get here?” and “Do I even know my country anymore?” have echoed from Poland to the U.S. and now to Brazil. Though introspection is important, these questions reveal how deeply divided societies have become and, in turn, how siloed these groups remain. The dramatic impact of globalization and the repercussions of the greatest refugee crisis in history have been major contributors, but it is also important to consider discontent stemming from domestic sources. In Brazil, this means exasperation at unprecedented corruption, while in the U.S., this means the frustrations of white, working class voters whose concerns have been unheard and unaddressed by politicians for years. Regardless of the specific causes of this populist trend, the future of liberal democracy rests squarely on the ability of governments to adequately address their constituents’ concerns and citizens’ ability to hold their governments accountable.
Sean Fulmer Brazilians elected politician Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency on October 28. The election was the culmination of a stunning rise from political punchline to head of state for Bolsonaro. He defeated Francisco Haddad in the second round of the Brazilian elections with a comfortable margin of between 55 percent and 45 percent. As a formerly elected Federal Deputy in the Chamber of Deputies, Jair Bolsonaro is affiliated with the Social Liberal Party, a nationalist and conservative party, according to the Independent. His campaign revolved around dissatisfaction with the political establishment in Brazil, governed by the Workers’ Party since 2003, and a return to conservative social values. The Workers’ Party is the party of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, two disgraced former presidents. In 2014, the Guardian reported that the Senate impeached Rousseff for allegations of corruption related to the state-run oil company, Petrobras. The Supreme Federal Court barred Lula, widely considered the front runner leading up to the election, from running in the 2018 election
due to a conviction for corruption, according to Reuters. Bolsonaro repeatedly voiced support for the former military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985, according to the Guardian. In addition to casting his vote in favor of Dilma Rousseff ’s impeachment, Bolsonaro also praised an infamous torturer during the dictatorship, an individual that tortured Dilma herself following her arrest for pro-democracy actions in the 1970s, according to the Guardian. TeleSur reported on the homophobic, sexist, and racist remarks Bolsonaro has frequently made throughout his time in office. Large protests, led by the #EleNao campaign, organized to try to stop Bolsonaro’s victory. BBC noted that tens of thousands marched in the streets of Brazil’s largest cities to draw attention to his inflammatory rhetoric. In August, Bolsonaro survived a stabbing attack during a campaign event in Minas Gerais. According to Al Jazeera, many political analysts in Brazil believe that this attack is directly linked to his dramatic surge in the polls in the lead-up to the election. One factor that led to his victory is the spread of fake news by backers of Bolsonaro through
Whatsapp, a major social media network in the country. Folha de Sao Paulo published allegations just before the election that a group of Brazilian entrepreneurs embarked on an illegal multi-million dollar campaign to attack the Workers’ Party. In Brazil, it is illegal for corporations to give campaign donations. However, it appears that this campaign was able to send hundreds of millions of messages to Brazilian voters through Whatsapp. International reactions to Jair Bolsonaro’s election have been mixed. Many media organizations like the New York Times and the Washington Post have denounced
Bolsonaro and discussed the potential ramifications for marginalized groups in Brazil that may be targeted by the new administration. Meanwhile, international investors and financial media, such as the Wall Street Journal, preferred Bolsonaro over his leftist opponent, Haddad, due to his promises of economic privatization and deregulation. Jair Bolsonaro will be sworn into office on January 1. Some Brazilians are hopeful for an end to the extensive corruption associated with the previous presidencies, while others are fearful of human rights erosion under Bolsonaro.
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Louisa Christen
Brazil Elects Far-Right President Bolsonaro
Bolsonaro discusses violence against women in a Congressional meeting in 2016.
Migrant Caravan Approaches U.S. Border From p. 1 The original caravan began as an organized group of less than 200 Hondurans leaving San Pedro Sula in northern Honduras aiming to receive asylum in the United States on October 12, and by Atlantic Council’s estimates, has grown to encompass over 7000 migrants by October 24. According to the Washington Post, the caravan reached Juchitán, Oaxaca and attempted to negotiate with the Mexican government to receive bus transportation hundreds of miles north to Mexico City. Two more caravans have begun their journey to the U.S., the larger of the two consisting of 2000 to 3000 people, according to estimates by USA Today. In an effort to slow immigration, bus services were denied to the first group of migrants. According to Time, President Enrique Peña Nieto unveiled the You Are Home project aimed at incentivizing remaining in Mexico’s southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca with the promise of food, shelter, education, and jobs for migrants. According to the Mexican Interior Secretary Alonso Navarrete Prida, 2300
migrants have already applied for this plan and hundreds more have applied for repatriation. According to the Washington Post, the initiative received an overwhelmingly warm response from the Trump administration, with Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stating on October 31 that “Mexico has stepped up in an unprecedented way… [to] keep [migrants] from moving as aggressively towards the U.S.” After President Trump threatened to cut off aid to the Northern Triangle countries, the presidents of those countries set a meeting on November 3 to discuss the repatriation of their citizens and how to curb violence in the region, reported BBC. The caravans have become the focus of renewed anti-immigration rhetoric by the Trump administration in the days winding up to the U.S. midterm elections. According to USA Today, President Trump has, through the Pentagon, mobilized 5200 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. He vowed to deploy “between 10 and 15,000 military personnel on top of Border Control, ICE and everybody else at the border,”
as reported by the Washington Post. Trump has also declared his intention to sign an executive action that will, according to CNN, restrict asylum seekers from requesting asylum outside of legal ports of entry. President Trump has recently declared his intention to get rid of birthright citizenship to disincentivize illegal immigration and claimed that troops will shoot at migrants who throw rocks. Several high-ranking Republicans have disavowed these comments, with Governor John Kasich
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of Ohio telling CNN that “there are ethical lines that can’t be crossed” and Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin telling NBC that “President Trump cannot end birthright citizenship with an executive order.” Despite the aggressive stance taken by Trump, the migrants do not seem discouraged. Orbelina Orellana from San Pedro Sula, Honduras summed up the outlook of the majority of these migrants in her statement to Time, “Our destiny is to get to the border.”
Citizens in Minneapolis rally in support of immigrants and refugees.
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Cuba Strengthens Relations With Russia IMF Approves Following a meeting on November 2, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to strengthen strategic ties between the two nations and called for an end to the embargo imposed by the United States. Díaz-Canel arrived in Russia on November 1 to discuss increased economic and military ties. Díaz-Canel’s meeting with Putin was to discuss a number of issues, including military and technical cooperation. According to the Washington Post, the meeting covered potential Russian investment in the modernization of Cuban railways, in addition to contracts for energy companies and military cooperation. Díaz-Canel and Putin criticized the use of sanctions as a destabilizing factor in international affairs, likely referencing both the U.S. embargo against Cuba and the sanctions placed on Russia by the U.S. and the EU in response to the annexation of Crimea. The statement issued by the two presidents comes just days after the Russian government extended a $50 million loan to Cuba for the purchase of military equipment. According to
the Miami Herald, the loan will be used to buy Russian arms, including armored vehicles, helicopters, and replacement parts for tanks. The Cuban Defense Minister Leopoldo Cintra Frias intends to visit Moscow in November to outline more specific plans for military cooperation.
Many are concerned about the possibility of a Russian military base in Cuba. The talks also coincided with the Russia-Latin America and the Caribbean Business Forum, which began in Havana on October 29. According to Cuban News Agency, Yury Borisov, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, said at the forum that economic relations between Cuba and Russia must now focus on joint development instead of the subsidization that was common in the Cold War era. According to ABC News, Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov, a Russian official who heads the Defense
Committee of the State Duma, stated that the Russian Federation is seriously considering opening a military base in Cuba and possibly reopening a former intelligence facility in Lourdes, near Havana. Many news organizations in the United States have reacted to the possibility of a Russian base in Cuba by drawing similarities to the Cold War. According to Brookings, the comparisons have been heightened by President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the IntermediateRange Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, in which the United States and Russia bilaterally agreed to eliminate landbased cruise and ballistic missiles from their arsenals. In a report by Newsweek, Former Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, who signed the INF along with Ronald Reagan, warned that withdrawal could lead to a new arms race, citing the Cuban Missile Crisis as an example of a failure between the U.S. and Russia to cooperate. With the relationship between Cuba and Russia improving, it is yet to be seen how the United States will respond to new deals between its two historical Cold War adversaries.
Nicaraguan Refugees Flee to Costa Rica Mary Mei Although the worst of the street violence has abated in Nicaragua, the tense and repressive political environment remains far from being resolved. According to Al-Jazeera, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that around 23,000 Nicaraguan citizens have fled their homes and sought asylum in the neighboring country of Costa Rica. The UNHCR estimates that 200 applications for asylum are filed each day. This continuous movement of Nicaraguan refugees reflects the chaos and repression of the Ortega Administration, which has violently cracked down on political demonstrations since April. According to BBC, international observers are accusing Ortega and his government of maintaining control of the country through a systematic program of state retribution. One such indication of these measures was a ban by the Health Ministry on Public Hospitals for treating patients with gunshot wounds received during the crisis. In
a conversation with BBC, Nicaraguan doctor Jose Luis Borgen estimated that 300 healthcare professionals, most of them doctors, have been fired by the government.
23,000 Nicaraguan citizens fleeing their homes have sought asylum in Costa Rica. Many families are left with little choice but to leave their homes for the safety of Costa Rica. The border between the two countries is marked by short barbed-wire fences or nothing at all. According to the Tico Times, around 100,000 Nicaraguan families lived in Costa Rica prior to the political crisis, and many refugees are moving in with friends or families. According to Q Costa Rica, refugees with the resources to travel to San José are able to file applications for asylum, while others able to stay in shelters constructed by the Costa Rican government. Politically, Costa Rica is responding
to the influx of refugees with open arms. Denouncing xenophobia, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada issued a statement on Twitter encouraging Costa Rican citizens not to fall for provocations or calls of hate. Quesada affirmed his country’s position, saying, “Faced with the migration situation from Nicaragua, we have worked to guarantee security and well-being and will continue to do so.” Though generally welcomed, the Nicaraguan refugees have not been met with ubiquitous support in Costa Rica. According to the Tico Times, there have been a number of protests against the refugees, the most notable of which occurred in mid-August when 40 people were arrested when the demonstrations became violent. The majority of Nicaraguan refugees remain in a state of limbo, their future dependent on a political situation unlikely to change in the near future. However, the overall sentiment of Nicaraguan refugees seems to be a desire to return to their homeland with the chance and supplies to fight against the Ortega government, reported the Tico Times.
$56.3 Billion Loan Expansion for Argentina Catherine Liu
The International Monetary Fund approved a $56.3 billion loan expansion to Argentina on October 26. According to MarketWatch, President Mauricio Macri agreed to a $50 billion financing package from the IMF in June, which had the stated aim of keeping the peso from falling in value. However, the continued drop in the currency forced President Macri to renegotiate the agreement. Argentina’s economy is the second largest in South America, but AlJazeera reports that the country has recently had to grapple with a falling currency, rapid inflation, and a recession triggered by a drought in early 2018. In a letter to the IMF, the government wrote that they expect inflation in 2019 to reach upwards of 40 percent in January before falling quickly, and added that they are anticipating a decrease in GDP between two and three percent, reported Reuters. According to Bloomberg, the deal with the IMF is a three-year lending agreement that intends to help stabilize the Argentinian economy by reassuring investors and granting the government more flexibility. Argentina received $15 billion in June and will receive another $35.8 billion through the rest of 2018 and 2019, with remaining funds slated for receipt in 2020 and 2021. As reported by Reuters, an IMF official explained, “We expect the recession to continue for the rest of 2018 and into the first quarter of 2019, with a recovery to begin in the second quarter of next year.” In exchange, the government has promised to balance the budget in
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2019, a year earlier than planned. Analysts say this move could cost President Macri his re-election. Since the recession, Macri has instituted a number of economic stabilization measures, such as reducing the number of government ministries and increasing export taxes. He has also outlined a series of spending cuts totaling about $10 billion across a number of sectors. The new IMF loan was announced the day after Argentina’s lower house of Congress passed a widely unpopular austerity proposal, which is now headed to the Senate where it is also expected to pass. Argentinians have protested these measures, and many view the government’s involvement with the IMF as problematic. A poll conducted by the firm D’Alessio IROL/ Berensztein in early May showed that 75 percent of respondents did not support the government seeking assistance from the IMF, according to Reuters. In Argentina, the IMF is still widely associated with the 20012002 financial crisis, which many attribute to IMF policy prescriptions enacted by the government. When the agreement was first announced in May, Representative Agustin Rossi said, “Every time Argentina turns to the International Monetary Fund it has been followed by very bad news for Argentina.” The peso has held steady since the announcement of the deal, but it is still much weaker than it was earlier this year. IMF director Christine Lagarde is optimistic that the agreement, as well as the proposed budget, will “be key to restoring confidence.”
Mounted police try to suppress the riots in Argentina’s 2001 crisis.
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INDO-ASIA-PACIFIC Jackson Gillette
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memorandum of understanding (MoU) was announced on October 26 between the Chinese government and the Australian state of Victoria over Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The MoU was specifically signed between Victoria’s state government and China’s chief macroeconomic planning authority, the National Development and Reform Commission, according to the Global Times. ABC notes that Victoria is the first state or territory within Australia to sign onto the project. In fact, by signing onto the agreement, officials in Melbourne put themselves at odds with the national government in Canberra. To date, the official stance of the national government has been to abstain from the BRI, with officials citing “strategic” consequences. Officials in Melbourne should take note of the national government’s position because signing onto the BRI has been historically problematic for other countries and gives little in the way of economic benefit. South China Morning Post points out that numerous contracts for construction projects under the BRI have been procured by Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOE) using bribery, which results in local governments being littered with corruption cases. Furthermore, the Nikkei Asian Review compiled a report evaluating BRI construction projects in eight different countries and discovered considerable delays of completion, botched projects, lack of participation by local workers, and insurmountable debt hangovers. The report also points out sovereignty concerns surrounding the inevitable debt traps. In fact, the Times of India reports that the loans backing the construction of a port in the Sri Lankan city of Hambantota were unable to be paid off by the national government, which culminated in a 99-year lease of the port to Chinese merchants. Nevertheless, the government in Victoria has chosen to look past the various concerns surrounding the BRI. Instead, officials in Melbourne now can only hope to find gold at the end of the BRI rainbow. That is, if they can build the rainbow in the first place.
Political Replacement Sparks Crisis in Sri Lanka Karan Chauhan Sri Lanka’s national government plunged into turmoil when President Maithripala Sirisena replaced incumbent Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe with former-president and political rival Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 26. According to the New York Times, Wickremesinghe has refused to step down, instead calling for a confidence vote from Parliament, saying, “I am confident that I am the only one who can get a majority. If someone else can show a majority, I will give way.” The Hindustan Times reports that Sirisena suspended Parliament on October 27 as he moved to appoint a new 30-member cabinet with Rajapaksa. The Indian Express recounts how, during the 2014 elections, Sirisena broke ties with Rajapaksa, splitting the United People’s Freedom Alliance and allying himself with Wickremesinghe’s United National Party. Both leaders committed to investigating Rajapaksa’s alleged war crimes during Sri Lanka’s prolonged civil war and corruption as well as reducing Sri Lanka’s dependency on the predatory Chinese loans that Rajapaksa welcomed. However, Rajapaksa’s party’s success in local elections and the coalition government’s
failure to investigate his war crimes created a political rift in between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe. The New York Times quoted Sirisena as saying that the former-prime minister stalled reforms and is “arrogant, stubborn, and inflexible,” making it necessary for him to appoint Rajapaksa “for the sake of the motherland.” Wickremesinghe has, according to the Indian Express, pointed out that his deposition is “unconstitutional,” as Sri Lanka’s 19th Amendment outlines that the president cannot dismiss the prime minister and that he can only be replaced if he signs a letter of resignation or ceases to be a member of Parliament. Parliament is scheduled to reconvene on November 16. Political analyst Kusal Perera has said that, although Wickremesinghe’s party has the majority in Parliament, Rajapaksa and Sirisena are probably using the time to put together a two-thirds majority in order to dissolve the legislature. According to the Hindustan Times, the deputy minister for Wickremesinghe, Ranjan Ramanayake, has also accused China of bribing legislators on Rajapaksa’s behalf, a claim that China has flatly denied. Political unrest has spread to the streets, with the New York Times
Thai Exam Scheduled to Coincide With Election From p. 1 The assistant director of NIETS clarified that the institute has submitted an inquiry to the Election Commission of Thailand and has learned that the announced election date is only the soonest possible date on which the election can be held and could be subject to future changes. He assured the public that the entrance exam period could also be adjusted, stressing the importance of youth participation in the democratic process. During a visit to the White House, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha pledged to President Donald Trump that the country would hold an election in 2018. However, the date has been moved several times, due to uncertainty about the royal coronation ceremony. According to BBC, the election was originally supposed to be held in 2014, but legislative delays have caused the government to fall back on the election promise three times since 2014.
If held, the general election in 2019 will be the first valid election of representatives in eight years. Approximately 6.5 million new voters will be able to elect over 12 percent of the house of representatives. According to the National Statistic Office of Thailand, about 77,000 of the new voters are in their last year of high school. Should the issue remain unresolved, over 12 percent of the 6.5 million voters will be at risk of having some political rights forever compromised. According to Section 35 of the Constitutional Act on the Election of Representatives, voters who fail to participate in an election may lose the right to run for representative positions in the future. Regardless of the outcome of the election, the military will remain present in Thai politics through the country’s 20-year National Strategy Committee, which is currently headed by the deputy prime minister, one of the 2014 coup leaders.
reporting on the eruption of violence on October 28 when Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga allegedly ordered his bodyguard to open fire when confronted by a crowd loyal to Rajapaksa, killing one and injuring two more. Rajapaksa’s supporters also stopped TV broadcasts that were supportive of Wickremesinghe. On October 30, around 25,000 protesters gathered in Colombo to burn effigies of Sirisena in support of Wickremesinghe. Parliament’s speaker, Karu Jayasuriya, has warned that the crisis could lead to a “bloodbath” on the streets if the assembly does not hold a vote, according to the Hindustan Times.
PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA
EDITOR’S NOTE:
In light of China’s acquisition of a submarine port in Hambantota in 2017, political scientist Brahma Chellaney explained to the New York Times that “the political turmoil, more than Rajapaksa’s return to power, works to China’s advantage. In country after country, China has exploited internal disarray to advance its objectives.” The Economic Times reports that India, however, has remained largely silent on Rajapaksa’s appointment despite being a longtime ally of China. The developing situation will likely have significant consequences in the IndoSino competition for influence in the island country.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena at a meeting in Russia in 2017.
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India Slams Sino-Pakistani Bus Service Earthquake Rocks India spoke strongly on October 31 against the China-Pakistan bus service that will cross through the highly disputed Kashmir-Jammu region, according to Times of India. India has raised serious concerns over the service’s reliance on what India refers to as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for the transit routes. The spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Raveesh Kumar, stated that the “so-called ChinaPakistan ‘Boundary Agreement’ of 1963 is illegal and invalid and has never been recognised by the government of India,” according to the Times of India. The Sino-Pakistani provision referenced by Kumar was a bilateral treaty, which handed over a region of northern Kashmir-Jammu, known as the Trans-Karakoram Tract, to China. India not only rejects this agreement but also claims sovereignty over parts of Kashmir-Jammu that the bus service plans to travel across. Chinese and Pakistani sources, including Muhammad Anwar, a Pakistani businessman, frame this development as a benefit to growing “friendship,” report CanIndia and
NDTV. The new bus project is part of the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), itself part of China’s larger Belt and Road Initiative. This bus service is said to contribute to connecting “resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Balochistan’s Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea,” according to NDTV. China plans to use its Belt and Road Initiative to expand both its economic and geopolitical competitiveness.
India, however, has stood firmly against the Belt and Road Initiative since its inception. India, however, has stood firmly against the Belt and Road Initiative since its inception, claiming that China’s expansionary plans demonstrate a lack of respect for “countries’ territorial integrity” and allegedly leaves partners in “debt traps,” reports CanIndia. In May 2017, India refused to attend the Belt and Road Forum, according to Carnegie India. Kumar conveyed these sentiments when he said, “any
such bus service through Pakistanoccupied Jammu and Kashmir will be a violation of India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” reported Times of India. The Kashmir-Jammu region has been subject to conflict and various territorial disputes between India, Pakistan, and China since the end of the British Raj in 1947. After a UN Commission failed to enact an effective resolution, India and Pakistan have attempted to improve relations with varying success. The bus service, which is set to begin operating as soon as November 13, will run four days a week between the Chinese city of Kashgar and the Pakistani city of Lahore, reported the state-run Radio Pakistan. The same broadcast said that the “luxurious buses” would include WiFi and food at all times of the day. It also reported that tickets, which have began to sell, cost between $97 and $172, depending on distance and point of purchase. It is important to note that there are currently bus services running between Delhi, Lahore, Srinagar in India-administered Kashmir-Jammu, and Muzaffarabad in Pakistanadministered Kashmir-Jammu.
Inter-Korean Projects Gain Steam Suzie Kim Stephen E. Biegun, the United States special representative for North Korea, met with Lee Do-hoon, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, in Seoul on October 29 to discuss North Korea’s uncooperative attitude toward denuclearization amid its pursuit of joint economic projects with South Korea. There are signs of rising discord between the U.S. and South Korea as nuclear talks with the North have stalled. According to CNBC, Biegun told Lee that both countries have a shared goal “to bring an end to 70 years war and hositilites on the Korean Peninsula.” However, the U.S. sees denuclearization of North Korea as a precondition for such peace. Washington remains critical of South Korea’s decision to pursue a number of inter-Korean economic cooperation projects because North Korea has not complied to complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CIVD). The Washington Post reports that the shutdown of several test sites earlier this year was reported by foreign journalists but not examined by
experts. The two Koreas agreed to initiate a joint field survey of a cross-border railway. However, the effort was halted in August by the U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC), which oversees the border. The UNC claimed that it could not authorize South Korea to operate a test train through the demilitarized zone (DMZ) because the government did not abide by the procedure.
The U.S. remains adamant in delaying joint ventures between North and South Korea. The UNC’s action is unusual given that it has been flexible with the prior notification rule that Korea did not follow. The U.S. remains adamant in delaying the joint ventures between North and South Korea until North Korea takes further measures in the denuclearization process. According to Bloomberg, the UN economic sanctions and the U.S. financial embargo imposed on North Korea remain, and the U.S. refuses to
offer economic aid to North Korea until there are signs of further progress. Some of the annual joint military drills between the U.S. and South Korea were suspended; Yonhap News reports that Secretary of Defense James Mattis has suggested to continue these military exercises. Experts suggest that such action could provoke Kim Jongun and ruin the sense of optimism that prevailed in early 2018. North Korea and the U.S.- led UN forces are in fact still at war because the Korean War did not end in a treaty but an armistice in 1953. South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon responded positively that the U.S. is not entirely opposed to inter-Korean projects. Despite public support in America for such efforts, Bruce Klingner of the Heritage Foundation stated that Washington is extremely concerned and upset over President Moon Jaein’s rush to foster economic projects in spite of the United States’ warning to slow down, according to the Choson Ilbo. South China Morning Post reports that Biegun will also visit Japan and China this week to continue diplomatic efforts to achieve complete denuclearization in North Korea.
North Island in New Zealand Seth Young
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand on October 30. The report from the New Zealand Geological Society said the tremor originated 207 kilometers deep and about 25 kilometers southwest of Taumaranui, a town of about 5,500 located in the central part of the North Island. There were no reports of significant damage or injuries, according to New Zealand Civil Defense Minister Kris Faafoi. New Zealand is no stranger to earthquakes. It lies at the intersection of the Australian and Pacific Plates. This meeting of tectonic plates results in numerous faults, or places where the friction between two plates leads to occasional large displacements of rock. As a result of these faults, New Zealand experiences thousands of earthquakes each year, with only around 200 able to be felt by humans, reports the New Zealand Geological Society. Those that are felt, like the one on October 30, are usually harmless. However, that is not always the case. The government-sponsored encyclopedia on New Zealand history recounts the various impactful earthquakes that the island country has experienced. In 1848, an 8.2-magnitude earthquake shook the southern part of the North Island. Although many buildings were damaged across New Zealand, there were only nine recorded fatalities. The next noteworthy quake waited until 1929 to strike. At around 10:00 AM, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the South Island, causing massive landslides that took the lives of 14 people. Two years later, and another
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Nareg Kuyumjian
7.8-magnitude earthquake would unfold in the Hawke’s Bay region, leaving 256 dead and thousands injured. This increase in mortality relative to previous quakes was because the earthquake hit relatively close to the populated cities of Napier and Hastings. For the next 60 years or so, earthquakes in New Zealand were quite tame, resulting in minimal death and insignificant damage. That, however, changed on February 22, 2011. In the mid-afternoon, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck with an epicenter just 10 kilometers southeast of Christchurch, New Zealand’s third-most-populous city, and 185 were killed. Luckily, the October 30 earthquake ended up being harmless. Although no one was hurt and no property damage occurred, the quake left its mark on New Zealand’s history. The country’s parliament was in session when the earthquake happened in the late afternoon. According to the New Zealand Herald, the session was immediately suspended over safety concerns. Coincidentally, Prince Harry and Meghan, duchess of Sussex, who had already been in New Zealand for the past two weeks, were in Auckland strolling along the Viaduct Harbor. There was immediate concern surrounding the royal couple’s safety, but it was reported by the New Zealand news outlet Stuff that they didn’t feel the earthquake. Although this 6.2-magnitude earthquake was relatively small, it serves as a reminder that New Zealand just happens to rest in a particularly restless region. Despite finding itself unharmed on October 30, it has not always been so fortunate.
The collapsed Pyne Gould building after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
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MIDDLE EAST & CENTRAL ASIA Michael Abi-Habib
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he murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey has caused international outrage. Questions have been raised as to the future of Saudi Arabian foreign relations as well as the issue of freedom of press. According to Al-Monitor, King Salman of Saudi Arabia and the Turkish President Erdogan have been in contact over the matter. Turkey refuses to share all the evidence surrounding the murder. Despite this, Erdogan stated that it is very important to find out who sent the assassins, according to AlMonitor. In an attempt to maintain ties with Saudi Arabia and retain political leverage, Turkey is giving the Saudis time to figure out the matter internally. The Khashoggi murder further tarnished the human rights record of the Saudi regime. According to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has committed acts that could be considered war crimes. Saudi airstrikes and involvement in the Yemen crisis have contributed to one of the worst humanitarian crises in history with an estimated 14 million people on the brink of famine, according to BBC. The U.S. has now called for a swift cessation of hostilities in Yemen, reported BBC. From a humanitarian standpoint, the call for a ceasefire is long overdue, but the Khashoggi incident provides the U.S. and the international community with an opportunity to pressure Saudi Arabia on its human rights record. While the incident is an unprecedented violation of human rights, the U.S. has been reluctant to put too much pressure on Saudi Arabia. U.S.-Saudi ties run very deep, especially in the trade of weapons and fossil fuels. Too much pressure on Saudi Arabia could push them to strengthen their ties with Russia and the East. The current situation regarding Saudi Arabian foreign relations is very complex and will develop further in the coming weeks.
Jordan Cancels Land-Sharing Deal With Israel
Advait Arun At a security conference on October 27, Jordanian King Abdullah II announced that Jordan will exit two domestically unpopular land-sharing agreements codified in the annexes to its 1994 peace treaty with Israel. The annexes to the peace treaty, signed by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the late Jordanian King Hussein, stipulate that Israel is allowed the use of two pieces of Jordanian territory known as al-Baqoura and al-Ghamr in Arabic and as Naharayim and Zofar in Hebrew. The annexes of the 24-year peace treaty make it known that, provided a one-year termination notice, either nation can exit from the annexes, or else they will renew automatically every 25 years. Jordan is acting within the terms of the treaty annexes by providing a formal notice of withdrawal a year before their automatic renewal, according to the New York Times. King Abdullah said in a royal court statement, “Baqoura and Ghumar are Jordanian lands and will remain Jordanian, and we will exercise full
sovereignty over our territory,” as reported by the Washington Post. It was also noted that the peace treaty with Israel is unpopular with the Jordanian public, due to purported Israeli failures to live up to watersharing agreements between the two nations in the midst of an economic crisis. The Israeli treatment of Palestinians and the movement of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem also factors into the animosity Jordanians have towards Israel. So far, 87 Jordanian lawmakers have signed a petition asking King Abdullah not to renew the annexes, and public protests in Amman, Jordan’s capital, have called for a reclaiming of the territories, according to Haaretz. While the move is seen by some as a snub to Israel over mounting regional tensions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed willingness to negotiate to preserve Israeli use of the land, according to al-Monitor. However, both Israel and Jordan emphasized that the treaty as a whole is vital for regional security and cooperation, according to the Times of Israel. The King’s decision not to renew
the annexes has received widespread praise throughout Jordan and is widely expected to boost the current government’s popularity during a time of crisis, reported al-Monitor. For months, Jordan has been struggling to reform its economy, and its last government was toppled over the summer due to resentment over its economic policies. The current government, headed by Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz, is attempting to pass a controversial tax reform bill backed by the IMF. Razzaz warns that delay or rejection
of the new bill would further hurt the Jordanian economy which is already struggling to manage its foreign debt, according to Reuters. Jordanian citizens, however, want to see decreases in expenditure and corruption before the government interferes further with personal incomes, according to the Arab Weekly. Meanwhile, any boost in public euphoria could help divert attention from the government’s attempts to enact the economic reforms it wants, according to alMonitor.
PIKIWIKI: ELLA FAUST
EDITOR’S COLUMN:
Remains of the power station at Jordan River Peace Park in Nahayarim/al-Baqoura.
Oman Recognizes State of Israel Jaime Moore-Carrillo Oman publicly recognized the state of Israel on October 27, warming relations between the two states. In an address given at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue security conference, Yousuf bin Alawi, Oman’s foreign minister, declared, “Israel is a state present in the region, and we all understand this[...] Maybe it is time for Israel to be treated the same [as others states] and also bear the same obligations,” J Post reported. Alawi’s remarks followed a private meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said in Muscat, according to Al-Jazeera. In a joint statement published after the gathering, both sides voiced a commitment “to achieving peace and stability in the Middle East.” Oman stressed its dedication to resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict but refrained from casting itself as a mediator,
reported Reuters. Israel-Oman relations fluctuate between cordiality and disaffection. Oman, unlike many of its Arab peers, has never engaged in armed conflict with Israel. Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin visited the Sultanate in 1994. Two years later, Sultan Qaboos and Rabin’s successor, Shimon Peres, established formal trade relations. However, these official ties crumbled in 2000 after the eruption of the Second Intifada in Palestine. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Sultan Qaboos now seem intentional about reviving their relationship. The meeting and subsequent declaration marked a pivot towards cooperation between Israel and the Gulf States. Bahrani and Saudi delegations at the conference lauded Oman’s renewed dialogue with Israel, according to Al-Jazeera. Analysts suggest this resumed cordiality derives from an effort by Israel and the Gulf states to curb the geopolitical influence of Iran, their mutual enemy.
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Middle East Strategic Alliance to Launch in 2019 Jordanian Prime Minister the Trump administration may be forced to distance itself from Saudi Arabia as a result of the scandal. If the U.S. withdraws support from the MESA, this could lead to a lack of funding for the project. An Egyptian military spokesman released a statement on Facebook saying that Egypt is planning to hold joint military exercises this November with many of the MESA nations. This may indicate that nations are already doubling down on their commitments to the rapidly developing alliance.
U.S. and Egyptian armed forces members attend Bright Star 2017.
Istanbul Summit Outlines Peace for Syria Amanda Feldman The Syrian Civil War has raged on for the last seven years, claiming an estimated 460,000 lives and displacing millions, according to the Syrian Center for Policy Research. In an effort to end the sustained violence in the region, France, Germany, Russia, and Turkey met in Istanbul on October 27 to lay the foundations for a Syrian peace plan. According to Al-Monitor, Russia, advocating for the interests of the Syrian government, supported the return of refugees and an increase in foreign investments to bolster the Syrian economy. Turkey pushed to shift the financial burden for the war away from itself and advocated for greater power for opposition groups. Al Jazeera reports that both countries hoped their European counterparts would pledge to help bear the financial burdens of rebuilding Syria, though no such promises were made. While all countries present agreed that the solution should be “an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-
owned political process,” they have not been successful in getting other important groups, namely the various rebel groups and Damascus, to agree. According to Al-Jazeera, rebel groups rejected the idea of a constitutional convention and boycotted a previous summit held in Sochi, while the Assad government has quashed any hopes of a new UN-backed constitution. Al-Monitor reports that a UN constitutional committee would be comprised of 150 members, 50 proposed by the Assad regime, 50 by the opposition, and 50 by the United Nations. Damascus, however, has rejected any UN role, seeking to deal with the conflict as an internal matter. The conflict in Idlib remained one of the most important topics of the summit. According to Al Arabiya English, the city is one of the last rebel strongholds and is home to more than three million civilians. The deaths of seven civilians in airstrikes the day before the summit highlighted the need for ceasefire and stability. Al-Jazeera reports that all four countries present agreed on the
importance of continuing the ceasefire established by Turkey and Russia at a previous meeting, though Russia and Syrian representative Bashar alJaafari stressed that this is a temporary measure and that Idlib must be returned to the Syrian government soon or fighting will resume. France and Germany contributed by stressing the need for free and fair elections by the Syrian people, refugees included, reports Al-Jazeera. European powers and Turkey hope such elections will result in the democratic election of opposition forces. While Europe remains optimistic about democratic success in the region, Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East studies at the University of Oklahoma, said, “Assad fought this war brutally in order to stop [opposition power]... I don’t think these peace negotiations are going to end up winning the war that the militaries could not do in the country,” reported Al-Jazeera. The promises made at the summit may become the first steps toward the end of regional violence.
Reshuffles Cabinet Noah Clarke
Prime Minister Omar Al Razzaz of Jordan reorganized his cabinet on October 8 in response to the protests that have roiled the country since June. Although Al Razzaz fired the health and higher education ministers, some individuals in key minister positions in departments, such as finance, the interior, and foreign affairs, have kept their places, reported Gulf News. According to Gulf News, nepotism and corruption were the main factors at play in this reshuffle, with Prime Minister Al Razzaz taking these steps in order to restore public faith in the government. Opposition members and experts have criticized the changes undertaken by Al Razzaz as inadequate, especially since he installed a number of old-guard figures from previous administrations into his original cabinet, says AlJazeera. Officials worry that these wellknown figures have engaged in previous corruption activities. According to Al-Jazeera, Al Razzaz has not taken active steps to curb corruption and has only introduced a bill in September that mirrors the IMF bill that former Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki previously introduced. Mass protests regarding corruption began to form in June after multiple regimes with issues with corruption. According to Arab News, the protests initially began in response to the IMFbacked austerity measures and price increases, as well as the controversial tax bill. The IMF elected to loan Jordan $723 million in 2016 as long as it enacted a number of economic reforms, reports Arab News. Jordan, unlike many of its neighboring countries, has few natural resources capable of garnering much revenue, reports France24. This fact, combined with a current
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
At a security conference on October 27 in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, the country’s foreign minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa announced that a Middle Eastern Strategic Alliance (MESA) will be created next year. The security pact, dubbed the Arab NATO, has the support of the White House and is set to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Reuters reported that a White House spokesperson said that the initiative intends to “serve as a bulwark against Iranian aggression, terrorism, extremism, and bring stability to the Middle East.” Saudi Arabia and Bahrain described Iran’s “vision of darkness,” as a reason for their desire to be involved in the scheme, according to Al-Jazeera. Although the Trump administration has high hopes for the project, some publications have expressed their doubts concerning the alliance, pointing to the fact that Arab coalitions tend to be unsuccessful. Earlier this month, The Economist noted that tension between Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar often undermines cooperation
and leads to failure. Furthermore, Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian government official and current Middle East security expert at Princeton University, recently penned an article for Newsweek, saying that the initiative will fail as it excludes notable countries like Egypt and Iraq. In light of the recent Saudi scandal surrounding the death of dissident Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia’s Arab neighbors expressed immediate support for Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the incident. However,
U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND
Ali Taha Brown
unemployment rate of 18.5 percent, has forced Jordan to rely heavily on foreign aid, according to Arab News. In need of an IMF loan, Jordan accepted austerity measures and price increases that proved unfavorable to the people, evoking protests. As the protests continued, corruption evolved into a central issue. Prior to the cabinet reshuffling, the street protests forced then-Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki to resign after just one week. This led to the appointment of Al Razzaz, Al Jazeera reports. At roughly the same time, the parliament scrapped the controversial income tax bill, a decision the protesters agreed with, according to Arab News. Even with these two major concessions, the protests continued, newly targeting corruption. These protests have caught the attention of Jordan’s monarch, King Abdullah II. According to the Jordan Times, King Abdullah declared in a series of statements that he knows there is a corruption problem in Jordan,and that the issues of corruption, waste, and nepotism are rampant within his country. He said that no one, regardless of their position in the government, is above the law and that any person found to be corrupt will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. King Abdullah II also referred to issues of government transparency and called for a clearer demarcation of political parties so that the people can fully understand the issues and platforms of any given political party, reports the Jordan Times. As of now, the effect of King Abdullah’s statements or the moves made by the government on the continuation of the protests is undetermined. Due to the rampant corruption that exists within Jordanian society, questions remain on the effectiveness of any anticorruption laws.
Jordanians protest government corruption in June 2018.
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NORTH & SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Sarah Mathys
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bianuju Ekeocha, founder of Culture of Life Africa, spoke in Gaston Hall on October 23 about the current state of Western aid to Africa. Born and raised in Nigeria, Ekeocha founded her pro-life organization to combat what she terms the “Western ideological neocolonialism” of the aid sector. She described an email exchange between the president of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding Kenya’s rewriting of its constitution to include anti-abortion language. The correspondence, which can be found on WikiLeaks, encouraged Clinton to draw attention to the issue, saying that “if Kenya knows the world is watching they may be more careful in how they proceed.” Citing these emails and a perceived focus on “population control” over other development needs, Ekeocha argued that the West inappropriately pressures African countries to accept artificial contraception and abortion, withholding aid and ultimately violating the sovereignty of any country that refuses. Although liberal Westerners might dismiss these arguments, to do so is to adopt a dangerously paternalistic mentality. My own research in Uganda demonstrated the widespread applicability of these claims: several Kusabiny elders I interviewed asked me why Americans wanted their ethnic group and culture to die out, as they believed would happen if they adopted artificial family planning. The implications of ignoring this controversy are already visible—one must look no further than Ashanee Kottage’s coverage of Tanzania’s anti-contraception campaigns in this edition of the Caravel. Rather than dismiss these trends, Western aid and development organizations must listen closely to the complaints of African nations and take into consideration cultural and generational priorities. Failing to do so will damage our relationships with those we aim to help and may lead to further backlash like that in Tanzania.
Sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco Face Crackdown Kate Fin In the latest case of anti-migrant expulsions in Morocco, officials announced on October 29 that 141 sub-Saharan African immigrants would be deported after attempting to cross a border fence surrounding the Spanish enclave of Melilla in the north of the country on October 28, Reuters reports. One migrant is dead, and 12 others were injured after the attempt. Morocco has instigated a severe crackdown on sub-Saharan immigrants in recent months, especially in late July after 800 migrants stormed the border of the Spanish territory of Ceuta, said the Local. This came just as Spain surpassed Italy as the number one destination for migrants reaching Europe by boat, and resources in many southern Spanish towns were stretched thin, reported News24. After the incident—the largest-scale attempt to cross the heavily-guarded Melilla border since February— Moroccan authorities vowed to crack down on the waves of sub-Saharan immigrants that were attempting to reach Spain through its Moroccan enclaves, the only European land borders in Africa, reported the Week.
The move was described as an attempt to combat the influence of “trafficking gangs,” which were allegedly emboldened by the mass storming of Ceuta in July. Since then, Amnesty International estimates that 5,000 immigrants have been rounded up in raids and forced onto buses that carry them to the Algerian border or the country’s desertous southern border, where they are abandoned. The human rights group called the practice “cruel and unlawful.” Other human rights groups heavily criticized the transfer policy in September, when it was discovered that two Malian migrants had died en route, one of whom was just 16 years old, said InfoMigrants. The circumstances of their deaths remain unclear. According to Africanews, many of the deported migrants return, hiding out in forest camps near Tangier and planning further attempts to get to Spain. Even these makeshift camps are not safe: Amnesty International has accused officials of setting them on fire, burning migrants’ belongings, and stealing their mobile phones. Morocco’s radical tactics appear to be a troubling lapse in the country’s
movement towards more liberal immigration policy. King Mohammed VI enacted new laws in 2013 that allowed for the regularization of unlawful African immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute. On November 1, Morocco responded to increased migratory outflows from sub-Saharan Africa by instituting an online entry permit rule, Reuters reports. Travelers must fill out the form at least 96 hours before leaving their home countries. Morocco’s embassy in Mali issued a statement
about the new policy, stating that it “aims to facilitate passenger traffic…It will help Moroccan authorities know in advance the identity of travelers before boarding [planes].” According to Reuters, the North African country’s new approach directly affects Congolese, Malian, and Guinean nationals. The Moroccan government’s recent directive is part of its larger strategy to halt an influx of migrants trying to get to Europe. Whether the country will continue with its policy of raids and deportation, or revert back to its 2013 standard remains to be seen.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
EDITOR’S COLUMN:
The Melilla border, pictured in 2008.
Ethiopia Elects First Female President Nana Ofori-Atta Ethiopia leads the pack in Africa’s collective strive for gender equality through the appointment of SahleWork Zewde as its new president. Following the premature resignation of former President Mulatu Teshome on October 24, President Zewde was elected by the Parliament of Ethiopia on October 26 and has since reported for her first mission at the G20 Compact with Africa meeting in Berlin. Given her previous post as Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union, as well as her past experience as a representative of Ethiopia in Djibouti, President Zewde has established herself as a renowned diplomat whose appointment has renewed discussions about gender parity on the African continent and international arena. Fellow Ethiopian politicians have rallied behind her, including Ethiopian Chief of Staff Fitsum Arega, who celebrated her appointment as “setting
the standard for the future but also normalizing women as decision makers in public life” in a Tweet on October 25. Zewde’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment in the country’s trajectory, as the reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has made Ethiopia the third African country to have a cabinet with gender parity, the BBC reported. In her first speech as president, Zewde asserted that she would “emphasize women’s roles in ensuring peace and the dividends of peace for women,” explaining that women are the first to experience “the absence of peace,” as reported by Al-Jazeera. Although the role of president is largely ceremonial, with the prime minister retaining executive power, according to the Ethiopian constitution, CNN commentators have noted that Zewde has “set new standards for women in the East African region” and may be able to elevate the position of president.
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Emma Bradley
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) incumbent president Joseph Kabila has remained in office since his father’s assassination in 2001. The largely unpopular president refused to step down when his constitutional term ended in 2016, infuriating many in the country, reported the New York Times. Groups such as the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the primary Congolese opposition party, and the African Union successfully pressured Kabila to uphold term limits and step down. The international community, including the UN and the U.S., support these efforts. Kabila announced in August that he will not seek reelection. The December elections will mark the first democratic transfer of power in the DRC, per Africanews. Candidates for the presidency include ruling party candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, backed by Kabila, per VOA. According to September polls, his main rivals in the opposition party are its president, Felix Tshisekedi, and Vital Kamerhe, who placed third in the 2011 election. There will be 21 candidates on the
ballot in total, including other notable members of the opposition party. The quantity of candidates could split the opposition vote, boosting Shadary’s chances of winning and keeping the ruling party in power. In the country’s most recent election, which took place in 2011, Kabila won with 49 percent of the vote as the opposition party struggled to unite behind a single candidate, reported VOA.
Kabila announced in August that he would not seek re-election.
The election, set to occur on December 23, will be conducted using electronic voting machines, according to a report by VOA. Opposition party leaders have expressed concerns that these machines will compromise the integrity of the vote. According to Al-Jazeera, party leaders said that the machines are not secure and are at risk of being tampered with, and
skewing the results of the election. They are hoping for traditional paper ballots instead to preserve the integrity of the vote. This, in addition to the electoral commission excluding some opposition candidates, has led to opposition rallies in protest. One protester stated that the opposition is hopeful that this show of unity at the rallies and commitment to voting integrity will contribute to a victory at the polls and overall change for the country, Al-Jazeera reported. Africanews wrote that CENI, the election body for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, released a statement on October 29 saying that the government had contributed 150 trucks, nine planes, and five helicopters for the distribution of voting machines, facilitating the electoral process across the country. Augustin Kabuya, spokesman for UDPS, told Eyewitness News that he is not confident that this will be enough transportation to reach the entire country, whose infrastructure is poor. The Democratic Republic of Congo is nearly two-thirds the size of Western Europe, at 890,000 square miles, making it the largest subsaharan African country by area.
Boko Haram Kills 15 in Northern Nigeria Bethania Michael Suspected members of the jihadist group Boko Haram killed at least 15 people in an attack on villages in northeast Nigeria on October 31, where much of the government’s efforts against the militants have taken place. After the attacks, the Nigerian military announced that “one civilian was found dead” after the jihadists “ransacked” a market and set fire to multiple buildings, Reuters reported. According to Al-Jazeera, Boko Haram attacked two different villages as well as a camp housing internally displaced persons (IDP). In an interview with the AFP news agency, militia leader Babakura Kolo stated that “the terrorists attacked and completely burned Bulaburin and Kofa villages and burned half the Dalori 2 IDP [internally displaced persons] camp.” Kolo explained that nine people died in the town of Bulaburin, two in Dalori, and one in Jofa. The conflict between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram is long-standing and largely centralized in country’s northern region and Borno state. The same week, protests erupted
in the capital city in which 400 people were arrested by Nigerian security forces, according to BBC. The protesters were affiliated with the Pro-Iran Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), whose members insisted that IMN leader Ibraheem Zakzaky be released from prison.
“The entire environment there [Borno State] is highly militarized.” — Jens Laerke Over 12,000 displaced persons live in the Dalori 2 camp, where a skirmish between the militants and the camp’s security forces and troops ultimately resulted in the militants’ takeover of the makeshift facility, reported AlJazeera. Solomon Adamu, a member of the civilian militia camp, stated that “soldiers and civilian [militia] at the gate engaged them in gunfight but were forced to withdraw into the camp because we were outgunned.”
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) responded to the attacks by proposing that the Nigerian government increase its security for displaced persons in camps. In an interview with Voice of America, OCHA representative Jens Laerke said that the conditions in Borno state were unsafe: “The entire environment there is highly militarized… that goes both for the government forces and, of course, the armed groups which are there.” According to a report by Voice of America, there are nine IDP camps in Dalori which were established in 2015 and currently house 47,500 people. According to the United Nations, more than 27,000 people have died since the conflict between militants and the Nigerian military began in 2009. Research published by the UN Refugee Agency sheds light on migration and refugee issues in the country. As of September 30, there were a combined 230,381 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. There are a total of 1,918,508 internally displaced persons, 94 percent of which have been “displaced [as a result of] the insurgency in northeastern Nigeria.”
Tanzanian President Pushes Against Family Planning Ashanee Kottage Tanzanian President John Magufuli voiced his opposition to contraception on Septmber 25 and suspended family planning advertisements until further review. This move marked a deviation from Tanzania’s history of promoting family planning. In his diatribe against birth control users, Magufuli called those who use family planning methods “lazy,” claiming that “they do not want to work hard to feed a large family.” The core of the president’s directive is his belief that the suspension will benefit the Tanzanian economy. In response to the suspension, Ahmad Makuwani, director of reproductive and child health in the ministry, denied that the president gave the order to pull the advertisements, CNN reports. He said that the president’s comments sparked the “momentum” to revisit family planning policies in the country and that they “are reviewing these [outdated] adverts.” The move against family planning represents what appears to be an emerging trend in the region. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has also expressed his belief that population growth could be a boon to Africa and global markets. President Magufuli hopes to redirect the $10 million earmarked for family planning in 2019 to pay for education, health care, and other social programs. After the launch of free primary and secondary education, he said in the Independent: “Women can now throw away their contraceptives. Education is now free.” The recent developments in Tanzania came as a surprise to many, as Tanzania’s first president,
U.S. AIR FORCE SSGT STEPHEN LINCH
Opposition Unites Amid Contested Elections in DRC
Julius Nyerere, urged citizens to “put emphasis on caring for children and the ability to look after them properly, rather than thinking only about the numbers.” Furthermore, Tanzania ratified the Maputo Protocol, an African charter of women’s rights which guarantees the right of women to control their fertility and choose any method of contraception. Despite these commitments and the nearly universal government support for family planning programs, only a third of women in Tanzania use family planning, with access most limited in rural areas. The average Tanzanian woman has five children, double the global average. The implications of Magufuli’s statements on the country’s global reputation is dire as Amnesty International denounced the stance as an attack on the rights of Tanzanian women. The country is now seen as having violated several agreements signed in the past, including the Maputo Protocol and the International Conference on Population and Development. An estimated 214 million women in developing countries are at risk of unintended pregnancy because of an unmet need for family planning. Tanzania’s population has grown from around 10 million in 1961 to almost 60 million today; 49 percent live on less than $2 a day. On the continent, the United Nations has documented that high fertility can exacerbate poverty and strain resource-strapped governments’ ability to provide public services like education.
The implications of the pushback against family planning may be dire.
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TRAVEL
The exterior of Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal.
EMMA OECHSNER (COL ‘21)
The view of Amman, Jordan from the city’s famous Citadel.
APRIL ARTRIP (SFS ‘20)
SARAH MATHYS (COL ‘19)
APRIL ARTRIP (SFS ‘20)
Check out the photos below to follow fellow Hoyas on their adventures!
The view of Loket Castle in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.
The coast of the Red Sea in Aqaba, Jordan.