This month’s newsletter feels like a cross-over episode of epic proportions. With old ideas, systems and institutions showing up in modern ways - some being used as solutions to new problems, and some are old problems needing new solutions. *sigh* It’s like my mom always says, “There’s nothing new under the sun.”
We broach the legacy of colonialism in our global food systems, in Puerto Rico, and, of course, when acknowledging Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We present content about the history and the inner workings of big “D” Diplomacy and its practitioners. And, we pitch you articles that shamelessly plug our campaign: That at this point in the 21st century, access to the internet should be a human right.
» Diplomacy
Colin Powell was a Nice Man Who Helped Destroy Iraq
With the loss of General Colin Powell, America once more mourns one of its war heroes. What does it mean to be a hero today? As we tear down monuments of yesterday's heroes, we consider what it means to the international community that we tout General Powell’s “heroics”. The most damning evidence given in his world renown U.N. speech to garner international approval for the war in Iraq, was fabricated - there were no weapons of mass destruction. As an Afghan woman, I strongly disagree that Colin Powell should be hailed as a hero. He called for the destruction of a pivotal country in the Middle East that holds political, historical, and theological significance to the rest of the world.
His great contributions to the modern U.S. foreign policy toolkit are undeniable, and so are the dark marks on his legacy. His famous speech at the U.N. was the rallying cry that garnered large scale international collaboration for the invasion of Iraq, a true feat for international governance. This episode weighs his legacy and reminds me of something I heard once, “focus on heroics, and stop insisting on heroes.”
The use of sanctions have made it easy for countries to avoid engaging in more sophisticated diplomacy and substantive relationship building. In this video The Progressive Internationalist discusses the current sanctions against Venezuela, what MP’s in Ireland are doing about it, and it deep dives into the violence of sanctions.
» Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Goodbye, Columbus? Here’s What Indigenous Peoples’ Day Means to Native Americans
From statues of confederate soldiers, to holidays honoring men who participated in genocide, the U.S. as a society continues to stand by its horrific history in the name of tradition. We refuse to acknowledge historical harms for fear of upsetting the status quo. So when Indigenous Peoples’ Day is recognized to celebrate indigenous culture, it is a win. However performative this formal recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day may be, language is important and hopefully this addition will shine visibility on Native communities.
Resources for Further Understanding & Solidarity
Voluntary Land Taxes - this resource explains what a voluntary land tax is and provides a list of funds you can pay land tax to
How to Discuss Native Nations - language is important and this guide will help us speak more intentionally about the issues Native people and communities face.
What Indigenous Peoples’ Day is Really All About? - A slideshow with a bit of information about the history of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Protect Mauna Kea Resources - The resources found here will help you get involved with one native led movement in Hawai’i.
This three part series about the largest telescope slated to be built on the Hawaiian mountain, Mauna Kea, discusses the blatant disregard for indigenous culture and their crucial relationship to the land.
» Technology
Digital Gender Gap: Men 50% More Likely to be Online in Some Countries
Access to the internet is not just a privilege anymore, it is a necessity. Access to the internet means access to education, jobs, news, social networks and business. The digital divide disproportionately affects women in the Global South and hinders their participation in the global economy. This is what women in the Global South need us to pay attention to. Let’s look at the fact that 21-52% (depending on the country) more men than women are online.
Activist are Designing Mesh Networks to Deploy During Civil Unrest
“Since 2019, 45 countries have shut down the internet 239 times...”
Mesh technology can be used to offer affordable (and even free) access to the internet, and can be deployed during natural disasters or when the government shuts down internet access. Unrestricted and reliable access to resources as critical as the internet should be ensured, and decentralized access is one way to make that happen. The thinking behind mesh technology shows a great shift in ideology — one of the groups working on it has made this technology open-source and states that their anti-capitalist mission is to provide this necessary resource for free.
» Economics & Money
Colonialism informed the infrastructure for modern tax havens, and their de facto legality leaves little room to discuss how to end them, only how to regulate them, leaving exploited countries vulnerable. This episode of Democracy Now! considers the implications to countries being used as tax havens.
Pandora Papers Show How Tax Havens are Part of the Global Inequity Problem
Why do the Pandora Papers matter, you wonder? The pandora papers acquired over 11.9 million documents showcasing the hidden properties and investments from global elites ranging from Kenya, Chile, to the King of Jordan. Most, if not all of the countries share a commonality: gross social inequity. Their decision to hide money has a direct impact on access to education, housing, and economic growth. As leaders and the wealthy continued to hide their money overseas, the gap between the poor and the rich grew wider in their own countries.
How “Terror Capitalism” Links Uyghur Oppression to the Global Economy
Terror capitalism is how governments use racism and ethnocentrism to generate capital and power for the state. It’s how China has made other nations complicit in its genocidal violence against its Uyghur Muslim population. Here are some examples that may hit home for us here in the U.S.: Terror capitalism is the way the U.S. uses incarcerated folks as slave laborers, it’s the way the U.S uses neocolonialism to accomplish an agenda, and it’s the way American corporations use sweatshops in Bangladesh and Malaysia, which aid and perpetuate these nations’ oppression of racial and ethnic minorities. It’s when the U.S justifies war abroad to line the pockets of the weapon and construction industries within its borders. Terror capitalism is something Americans are complicit in oftentimes without even knowing it.
The Gates Foundation Avoids a Reckoning on Race and Power
This article introduces the term “civilization agenda”, which refers to how large, Western nonprofits function like colonial powers by attempting to modernize the countries they’re operating in while advancing the commercial interest of multinational companies outside of that country. The term explains the air of paternalism we see in the nonprofit sector, because paternalism is the ideological context for a “civilization agenda”. The term “civilization agenda” captures the process by which paternalism is carried out - funding projects whose efficacy goes under-researched and unverified. The most unfortunate part of this is that these large nonprofits siphon necessary funding away from smaller, grassroots nonprofits with reliable and intimate knowledge of the issues. What we should always remember is that the marker of a successful nonprofit is its ability to fully redistribute power, making itself obsolete.
» Sustainability
How Seafood Plays a Role in Sustainable Food System
Blue food has been used over centuries by communities around the world as a way to maintain a healthy global food system. This video introduces researcher Malin Jonell who offers us a lesson on how changing the way we consume seafood could also reduce damage to the ocean.
Japan Bids to Harness the Energy of Super Typhoons
A group of researchers and academics in Japan are working to parlay evermore extreme weather conditions into a sustainable energy solution. Sustainable innovation has been brought on by strains to our environment caused by global warming and is critical to the long term survival of these island nations. There are many islands vulnerable to natural disasters and extreme weather, but not all of them have the ability to fund this kind of research and implement these large scale projects.
Puerto Rico has a Once in a Lifetime Chance to Build a Clean Energy Grid
Puerto Rico is in a precarious situation - it's still tightly gripped by colonization and highly vulnerable to the effects of global warming. As a commonwealth, Puerto Rico is neither a part of the U.S., nor is it a sovereign nation. In instances of natural disaster, FEMA is responsible for managing the response and allocating disaster relief funds. FEMA has disregarded stipulations for carrying out White House’ energy and climate agenda. This is likely because equipping Puerto Rico with a sustainable, green grid solution runs counter to America’s imperialist notions. Our imperialist (and capitalistic) tendencies would keep the island functioning just enough for us to benefit in some way, but not enough to give them a real chance at survival without us. Because of its dubious political status, Puerto Rico (and Puerto Ricans) aren’t able to navigate these situations with autonomy, giving us a modern example of how colonialism function.
Well, that’s all for this month! If there’s something specific you’d like updates on in the next newsletter, let us know. We will do our best to find sources covering it. If you found this newsletter interesting, please share us with your friends! And follow us on Instagram at @823newsletter.
In Solidarity,
Sarah, Arezo & Alexis