May Roundup: How's Everyone Doing?
Newsletter 021 -- Iraq? Hong Kong? Peru? France? Who wants to go first?
Hi everyone!
Sarah has, per usual, stayed expertly on topic and brought relevant foreign policy news — in a clear and direct voice — again this month! Thank you for your service. *salute*
Meanwhile, I (Alexis, here!) fell down an existential rabbit hole. After reviewing articles for this month’s newsletter, it struck me how much life, politics, and the world order had changed in the last few years. We’re in uncharted territory when it comes to American standing and the American public’s view of global politics. So this month, I tried to understand how people were responding to this change and assess what impact this is having on us all. What I found refreshing was how much of the news related to the lives of the youth. This is a population I don’t believe we consider deeply enough when it comes to foreign policy.
I mention below how the two areas America has destabilized the most — the Middle East and Africa — are also home to the majority of the world’s youth population. In a matter of a few years, the children living in these places will become our global workforce and intellectual assets. What are we doing to prepare them? To secure our global future, by ensuring a prosperous one for them?
Enjoy!
» History Has Come Home To Roost
“A tribe without children, eventually, doesn’t exist anymore. It’s sinister, it’s hard to kind of wrap your head around. But, when you understand history, using the children of Native nations to attack tribal sovereignty is sadly something the US has been doing for generations. ” – Rebecca Nagle
A survey taken in the 70s found that about ⅓ of native kids had been nefariously stolen, or taken from their family or tribes over the course of a number of decades. This survey set in motion the passing of the Indian Child Welfare Act (more on ICWA here and in our previous newsletter) by Congress in 1978. Over the last couple of years, the Haaland v. Brackeen case has made its way through the Federal Courts in Texas and was submitted to the Supreme Court where a decision on its constitutionality will be made this Spring. Gibson Dunn is the high-profile law firm representing the Brackeens pro bono and had reached out to them when their case was still in local Texas courts. Gibson Dunn has a large gaming and casino portfolio and many see their desire to take on this case as a strategy to bring down tribal sovereignty in these other areas (gaming and casinos). ICWA requires that Native children, who are up for adoption, be placed with a native family – first, a next of kin if that’s not possible, then someone in their tribe, and lastly, someone who is native. The Brackeen family (who are white) say that ICWA is unconstitutional because it discriminates against them based on their race. Depending on how the Supreme Court rules on this case, it could unravel Indian Law which is a body of law that has been established in relation to the U.S. Federal government since the 1700s, and which regards native people as a political group, not a racial group. Unraveling ICWA would unravel tribal sovereignty for native folks in all areas of life.
Bonus: This Rebecca Nagle quote that aptly describes America’s ethos — an amalgamation of capitalism and white moral superiority: “Throughout history the people harming Native Americans have been motivated by two things: greed and charity. The greedy simply want what Native people have. But the charitable believe they know what Native people need, better than Native people ourselves. You might think that the greedy and the charitable couldnt work together. But when you study history, you find that they always do. Its almost as if they need eachother. The greedy have the resources and power to get things done. And the charitable? Well, the charitable help excuse unspeakable harm.”
— Alexis
“The excuses that Kissinger has given for the five-year-long bombing campaign that caused enormous damage, that included bringing to power the most eliminationist, extremist, cadre within the Khmer Rouge, leading to the genocide – was that it was to eliminate safe havens – it was an act of self-defense. This is now taken as a common practice. This is fundamentally what the war on terror is authorized to do.” – Greg Grandin
Henry Kissinger is the architect of the modern American foreign policy outlook – the father of the multi-fronted, never-ending wars, and our military-industrial complex. They mention how in many cases Kissinger has been called a war criminal or asked to answer for the things he’s done, and each time it is said that he meets these comments with irritation and often storms off. As mentioned in the video, the number of lives he is responsible for harming is still on the rise each day as there are lasting and ongoing effects of the violence he perpetuated. Kissinger calls into question why American war criminals aren’t tried on the international stage. We’re seeing the ramifications of the destruction we have wrought upon other countries (I’m thinking of Afghanistan, Libya, and Iraq), and the international community is calling upon American leaders to take responsibility. Our global popularity is waning as our global community becomes disillusioned with the fact that the US is not the moral authority and trustworthy global leader it claimed to be. One way we can start to gain back our moral authority is if we hold people like Kissinger accountable and bring him to justice. — Alexis
The American invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq as an example of how our “intervention” has birthed an insurgency, and destabilized a nation for decades to come, is the strongest one we have to date (outside of Cambodia, Afghanistan, etc.). The youth population across the middle east is the second largest (after the continent of Africa) youth population in the world – this means they’re the world’s future global workforce and intellectual asset. Quite literally the future of humanity on this planet. And we have set them back by generations – economically, politically, and adaptively. The cognitive dissonance of Americans to label an entire group of people radically violent while not acknowledging how we have radicalized them is truly astounding. In the future, when we are called to atone for what we have done in these countries (and I hope we are called), what will we say? How can we atone? And, why haven’t we tried to address this already? — Alexis
There has been much debate around the topic of stolen artifacts (a recent and thoughtful moderated debate on the topic here), but this case about Prince Alemayehu being stolen from his home, and how the British crown is unwilling to return his body to his homeland now, is heartwrenching. This is not a recent request: the Prince’s family and home country have been asking the British crown to return the body for years. This is yet another example of children as the collateral of war, colonization, and occupation. The recently discovered mass graves at Native boarding schools and the mass grave sites in Iraq, full of young people who died during our occupation, are contemporary instances where we are having to own up to what we’ve done to children around the world and how we have targeted them specifically because they’re the most vulnerable. And we can say that they’re collateral damage, but how many children are we going to count as collateral damage before we admit that they’re just as much a target as any adult? — Alexis
» Election Season
Why Turkey's Election is Being Closely Followed in Africa
China isn’t the only country that has invested in developing relationships throughout Africa. Since President Erdogan’s time as Prime Minister in 2003, Turkiye has been very active in nurturing partnerships throughout Africa and has been vocal about the growth and the diverse markets he has seen on the continent. Turkiye’s vested interest in Africa isn’t just focused on business opportunities, but also on Turkiye’s foreign policy objectives. Turkiye seeks to enhance its soft power and influence on the global stage. Engaging with African countries allows Turkiye to project itself as a relevant player in international affairs and strengthen its diplomatic ties. Additionally, Turkiye claims to have counterterrorism expertise which can contribute to stability in the region, but this is a double-edged sword. They also stand to profit off the conflicts throughout the African continent, supplying affordable drones and other military hardware. Lastly, by cultivating relationships with African countries, Turkiye can strengthen its position in organizations like the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, enabling it to advocate for its interests and carry out its sociopolitical agenda. All in all, Erdogan sees a mutually beneficial relationship and is expected to continue to build this relationship. — Sarah
Sinn Fein Surges in Local Elections, Highlighting Northern Irelands Divide
The political parties in Northern Ireland have been in the throes of negotiating a power-sharing agreement. The Good Friday Agreement (1998) ended sectarian violence in Northern Ireland by creating a government that would balance power between the nationalists and the unionist groups. Sinn Fein is the largest party in Northern Ireland and is the nationalist party in favor of a united Irish republic. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is in support of remaining in the UK. Brexit has significantly slower the negotiations process and made it all the more fraught as Britain leaving the UK has emboldened Sinn Fein and their nationalist supporters, and frustrated the Democratic Unionists. Unionist voters have been feeling isolated from the rest of the UK for a while — there are noticeable demographic trends moving in the nationalist direction which has caused unionist supporters to feel uncertain about their party’s future and their relationship with the UK. In the most recent election, Sinn Fein gained 39 seats in the council, cinching them a total of 144 council members and the DUP maintained their 122 seats. Sentiments on the ground show a rising interest and swell of support for the nationalist agenda. As stipulated in the Good Friday agreement, Britain's top officials for Northern Ireland must call for a referendum if there's a clear indication that people want to break from the UK to unite Ireland. The question then becomes, “How do you measure a sentiment like this?” A power-sharing arrangement was established because there was a clear division of political opinion that led to decades of violence. At the time, the Good Friday Agreement was enough for peace to be planted, but in these changed times – post-Covid, and in a time of global financial uncertainty –- are elections enough to determine whether this long-standing agreement still serves the populace? — Alexis
» People En Route
“The Darien Gap in Panama is one of the most physically forbidding places to be a pedestrian that I can imagine. And thousands of people are heading, on foot, risking their lives, risking their future health, and reminding us that all kinds of people are coming from all kinds of places.” – Ray Suarez
There are a number of Pandemic-era orders that made seeking asylum in the U.S. slightly more friendly to those seeking safety at our border – the initiatives include Title 42, and Wet Foot Dry Foot (not a Pandemic era initiative, but it has seen a resurgence in its implementation recently). Now, these temporary measures are being done away with and the U.S. is implementing even tighter measures than before. U.S. officials have negotiated a deal with Mexico in which Mexico has agreed to take asylum seekers from more countries than it had opened its borders to previously. This is one way the U.S. believes it will alleviate the onslaught of asylum seekers at its own southern border. Asylum seekers from East Africa, the Caribbean, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Russia, and elsewhere are all making their way to the Southern border of the U.S. This indicates that there is a larger international crisis that needs to be addressed – the fact that so many countries around the world have been destabilized to the point people from all over are risking their lives to come to America shows me that we aren't remedying the problem, were just putting a bandaid on the wound. — Alexis
Hong Kong Wants More Tourists, but Mostly “Good Quality” Ones, Please
Most of Asia has been slow to lift Covid restrictions and open their borders, but now that popular destinations, like Hong Kong are welcoming tourists, the crowds are slowly trickling in. In February the island launched its “Hello Hong Kong” campaign promising to give out half a million free plane tickets to encourage tourism. Even still, the majority of tourism to Hong Kong is coming from mainland China. The tension between Mainlanders and Hong Kongers, especially after the 2019 uprisings on the island, is palpable. In 1997, the one-time British colony was handed over to China with the understanding that the island would be allowed to maintain relative autonomy for the next 50 years (until 2047) under the “One country, two systems” principle. Under this para-Democratic system, Hong Kongers have rights that Chinese mainlanders do not enjoy, such as the freedom of assembly and free speech. The 2019 protests in Hong Kong were aimed at preserving these freedoms, which China has been slowly and deliberately encroaching on for years. The spike in mainland tourists to Hong Kong is relatively new – in July 2003 the Individual Visit Scheme began which allowed Mainlanders to visit the island on an individual basis. Prior to this, mainland Chinese were only able to come to the island on a business visa or on group tours. Within the first few months of the Schemes implementation, more than 600,000 people from the mainland applied for the Scheme visa. A year on, there were 2 million visitors to the island under the Scheme. In 2018 the Guangshengang XRL high-speed train connecting Hong Kong (Kowloon) to Beijing, was completed. The culminating effects of these two initiatives, along with the political movement in 2019 drove tensions between Hong Kongers and mainland Chinese through the roof. There are cultural and economic differences that have caused great friction between Hong Kongers and Mainlanders. One, there is a language difference – the islanders speak Cantonese and mainlanders speak Mandarin. There's also a difference in social propriety standards which find their roots in British influence on Hong Kong culture. This difference shows up broadly in Hong Kongers’ more “Western” views on race, politics, etc., but it's also pushed up against daily life: for example, Hong Kongers’ disdain for the common mainland practice of spitting in public and eating on the subway. The impact of tourism is in many cases essential to the economy but it’s also a politically (and economically) strategic maneuver for governments. Many Hong Kongers fear that these initiatives are palatable cover for the Chinese government to preemptively dissolve the boundaries between Hong Kong and the rest of China. — Alexis
The Kibei Nisei is a group of Japanese Americans that occupy a liminal space in American and Japanese history during and after WWII. Their story is essential to the history of this time, as American citizens with Japanese heritage. This isn’t a case of negotiating dual identity. No, their story is one supple to the politics of the time, not allowed the full privileges of their American citizenship. The story of the Kibei Nisei perfectly encapsulates how much richer our understanding of our own history would be if we employed a sociological imagination when telling it. Subcultures, like the Kibei Nisei, form in response to the direct implications of politics on human life. And these subcultures are the connective tissue to the larger historical context. — Alexis
» People In Protest
French Police are Sweeping Up Protestors and Bystanders in Crackdown on Dissent
In the US, Europe is known for its social programs – Americans long for the extensive parental leave, free healthcare, and affordable education that many European governments provide. However, President Emmanuel Macron shocked everyone, including the French, by raising the retirement age. A contradiction to their usually generous government assistance. This increase sparked outrage and protests broke out all over the country. French police arrested and prosecuted thousands of protesters catching the eye of French human rights observers. These arrests are part of a string of events that have been an assault on the right to protest in France in recent years. Arie Alimi, a prominent lawyer specializing in civil liberties and a new member of France’s Human Rights League said, “There’s a real desire from authorities to prevent protests from taking place, to see organized protests become unstructured protests, and to prevent as many people as possible from going to protests, either by stopping them or by intimidating them.” Alimi also believes the protest bans are part of a larger strategy by law enforcement to create an excuse for the need for drones and other violent tactics to control protestors. As Americans, we have seen firsthand the harm that violence from law enforcement causes and the repercussions of police presence when people exercise their constitutional right to protest. This could foreshadow a continuing threat that may seep through Europe attacking civil liberties, as these are rarely isolated events. — Sarah
Aymara women were one of the many indigenous groups protesting in Lima against government exploitation of indigenous land and their community. Their biggest concern was for the future of their children. Oftentimes, in conflict situations, the oppressed will attempt different tactics of protest and negotiation in order to humanize themselves to appeal to the opposition and ensure their safety. One way they do this is through the visibility of children at protests or they’ll center the ramifications of the next generation in their arguments. In some cases, like the protests in Peru, it doesn’t behoove the aggressor to recognize and honor their humanity. So in the video, you see both mothers and their children running from gas canisters and people on the opposition side denigrating their message and their character by calling them irresponsible mothers for bringing their kids to protests in the first place. The kids were brought to the protests in good faith (and likely because these mothers come from great distances and can’t afford child care, which brings us back to the exploitation piece), and instead of restraining themselves from using violence because children were present, the aggressors put the responsibility back on the mothers who brought them. This human shield “illogic” is destructive circular thinking: women brought kids to the protest in the hopes of appealing to the other sides of humanity, to excuse their violence towards the women and children the opposition called the mothers irresponsible and says they're using their kids’ presence to cover for their own nefarious behavior at these protests. — Alexis
» Updates
Turkey’s President Fights for Political Survival
For 20 years President Erdogan ruled Turkiye, but for the first time in election history, the country is headed into a run-off. If Erodgan fails to win, Turkish politics is predicted to turn in a different direction. However, many have seen Erdogan manage to stay on top for two decades, and have not counted him out of the race yet. Update: Erdogan has won this Presidential election. — Sarah
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In Solidarity,
The 823 Team