August Roundup
Newsletter 012 -- Tigray. Turkiye. Taiwan. Green Capitalism. Privatization. And, Partition.
Hey, friends!
We’re here with another roundup, and this month there’s a lot of analysis we’re excited to discuss with you.
Climate change is the issue of our time and much to everyone’s consternation, the effects of climate change continue to reverberate around the globe, intersecting with so many of society’s issues. Today we’re thinking about all of those affected by the floods in Pakistan and the excruciating heatwave in China. In order to congruously address climate change and stave off any further environmental disasters, multistakeholder governance is going to be key.
The first step in this is to understand how to engage in diplomacy; meaning, how nations build, fortify, and manage working relationships with each other. The first video (below) in the lineup this month will help set the framework for how we might rethink the ways we, as consumers of the news, take in messaging about our global neighbors. I hope you keep those ideas with you as you comb through the rest of the newsletter.
Enjoy!
» How Do We (actually) Do Diplomacy?
The relentless Western narrative that the West is noble while Russia and China are evil is simple-minded and extraordinarily dangerous. It is an attempt to manipulate public opinion, not to deal with very real and pressing diplomacy. (Jeffrey Sachs quote from mentioned article) — Alexis
Traditional Turkish Archery Courses to Start in South Africa Next Month
This past April two South African nationals traveled to Turkiye, where they spent time at the Turkish cultural center learning traditional Turkish archery (which made UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage), calligraphy, cooking, ceramics, and even the language. Upon their return home, they decided to teach this knowledge to others! Since the 1980s, Turkiye has seen South Africa as a key state in the African continent, and South Africa regards its relationship with Turkiye as an essential relationship in the Middle East. Their relationship is characterized by the trade, investment, and cultural and political efforts they partner in. In conjunction with the country’s name change, Turkiye’s cultural Minister, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy is on a mission to return the country to its more traditional values, and away from the secularist characteristics, the country picked up under former Turkish president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s leadership. This rebranding effort will take the cooperation of international allies who will help fortify Turkiye’s new image and role in the international community. This partnership between South Africa and Turkiye is a great example of cultural diplomacy – when countries use their culture as the primary basis for diplomatic relationships. — Arezo
Nancy Pelosi Just Lit a Match at the Dynamite Factory
For decades, the US has had a misanthropic, but necessary working relationship with China, and a laissez-faire approach to the issues under China’s purview (like their treatment and detention of Uyghurs and, Taiwan). Strategic ambiguity characterizes the diplomatic relationship between the US and Taiwan. It allows the US to keep its strategic relationship with China while offering dubiously cryptic nods to Taiwan about the island’s security, and US commitment to it. In my opinion, Nancy Pelosi’s recent trip to the island illuminates where US strategic ambiguity fails: in times of uncertainty, strategic ambiguity leaves all parties involved unable to seek clarity in order to resolve tension because their relationship relies on that lack of clarity. China responded to Pelosi’s visit by crossing the median line and performing more aggressive-than-normal military exercises, heightening tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwanese and US officials considered this the point of inflection that they say effectively created a new status quo in the region. In China’s opinion, Pelosi’s visit (seen as overstepping an established boundary and operating outside of the status quo) was the initial inflection point that necessitated counteraction. The US’s strategic ambiguity has left Taiwan vulnerable. While the Taiwanese wonder what China may do next and what support they can actually count on from their global allies, the US is able to hide behind its ambiguity and avoid blame for the fallout. It’s true that the US-China relationship is a temperamental one, but there has to be more clarity in their ambiguity. — Alexis
» What’s Going on With Our Neighbors?
In Chile, Even Water is Privatized. The New Constitution Would Change That.
The 2012 animated film, The Lorax, may be closer to reality than we think. In the film, a private company capitalizes on the polluted air, and bottles fresh air to sell to the residents. Now, replace air with natural water supply – this is the reality for the people living in Chile. The privatization of public resources means that everyday people are unable to access what nature provides for free and, instead, a for-profit company seizes the natural resource, and sells it back for a high price. This is what it looks like in Chile where their natural water supply has been privatized, with much of it used to grow large crops for profit, while the rest is sold back to citizens. Now for the last, sinister layer of this story - Chileans are currently experiencing a drought. Although Chile’s new constitution could put water back into the hands of the people - depending on how the voting turns out - this is not the case for others in countries across the Global South. There are no policies to protect them and guarantee them the use of their own natural resources. If private corporations can profit off of the ocean, rivers, and lakes, what’s to stop them from trying to find a way to profit from the air we breathe? — Sarah
Lack of Help for Tigray Crisis Due to Skin Colour, Says WHO Chief
There is a long history of racism and neo-colonialism in humanitarian aid work, however, it is uncommon to hear a World Health Organization (WHO) official admit this to an international audience. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is himself from Tigray, spoke about how Ethiopia’s Tigray region has been cut off from basic services for almost two years and is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), this armed conflict between the government forces and regional forces started back in 2020 with no ceasefire in sight. It is the people who are suffering due to this violent power struggle and today 9.4 million people are in need of essential aid and over 2.5 million people have been displaced. Some basic services have resumed, but Ghebreyesus points out that Black and white lives in emergencies worldwide are not given equal attention and says that Tigray is not garnering the same attention as Ukraine. History has shown us that in order for social justice issues to become understood by the western masses, it takes one catalytic event. The war in Ukraine may have been the catalyst for the West at large to see the inequity of humanitarian aid, based on racial identity. I hope more international officials use their platform to speak about racism in the humanitarian aid sector, hopefully, that will lead to more equitable processes for the division of aid and resources in the future. — Sarah
» Historical & Cultural Events That Took Place This Month
The Beautiful Stories Behind 8 of Oaxaca’s Traditional Outfits
Why the Partition of India and Pakistan Still Casts a Long Shadow Over the Region
This month marked the 75th anniversary of Partition. Partition sparked “the largest human migration in history and one of humanity’s most brutal episodes” when the British colonial power split India into two self-governing nations – Pakistan and India. This instance in history is one of many painful examples of the arbitrary and violent nature of border creation in the post-World War II period when much of the modern world map was created. In the colonial context, border creation was the final solution to quelling animosity and solving problems manufactured by colonial powers during their rule (discussed in detail in the article). Violence was inherent in the creation of these colonial borders then, and violence remains inherent in their maintenance today. This is why, decades later, these regions are hotbeds for border tension and disputes as illustrated in the many pieces of Indian legislation that have tried to expel Kashmiri people from India since the 50s. Borders operate as a tool used by governments to expeditiously solve problems, or as an excuse to justify violence. But, borders have been created and they have a functional use in modern society today. So, how can governments more ethically engage with their borders? And, how do we address, or counteract the inherent violence of their existence? — Alexis
» In Climate News
Adrienne Buller, author of The Value of a Whale: On the Illusions of Green Capitalism, explains green capitalism as the methods with which global capitalism might confront the climate crisis without threatening the things that capital cares about (such as profitability and financial stability), and without disrupting systems of power, the distribution of wealth and control as little as possible. — Alexis
Determination and Focus Needed for Successful COP27 Says Imperial Climate Expert
According to activist and climate envoy Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner, activists attending COP 27 this year are preparing to make the case for widespread climate data sharing between nations in the Global North and Global South in order to prevent further global and economic catastrophes. Climate data sharing allows nations to share forecasting data about global damage from floods, changes in CO2 levels around the world, and even what kind of mass deforestation has been done by companies. This kind of data can facilitate accountability, and lead to better-informed decision-making. Farmers in India and South America use climate data to select what types of crops to grow during each season. This data allows them to anticipate potential growing conditions, which then helps them spend their money and time efficiently. In order for data sharing to be effective, there needs to be global policies that encourage more nations to adopt the practice. Data sharing could also help nations provide humanitarian resources in conflict situations, like in Tigray, Ethiopia where there’s no access to international aid, food, medicine, and other necessities. Nations offering financial and other material support have the infrastructure to manage humanitarian aid initiatives among multiple stakeholders. COP 27 is being held at an important juncture in time when previously promised funds are being siphoned away from a number of emergency initiatives in the Global South, and redirected to Ukraine. — Arezo
Discussed in this episode are the ways the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) addresses climate change. The conversation focuses on how provisions in the IRA will impact climate resilience well into the future. This is a historic commitment on the part of the US — the second largest contributor to global environmental degradation. — Alexis
» Updates
NASA Scientist Arrested After Chaining Himself to a Bank to Protest Inaction
‘Scream for me, Africa!’: How the Continent is Reinventing Heavy Metal Music
Monkeypox has resurfaced, and misinformation about this virus is spreading fast and harming our communities. In this episode, The Intercept interviews Joseph Osmundson, a molecular microbiologist, writer, and clinical assistant professor at New York University and helps us reframe how this virus actually affects all of us, how the U.S medical infrastructure has failed us, and where resources needed to be allocated to mitigate risk. — Sarah
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In Solidarity,
The 823 Team