Protests in Brazil continue as the government of Dilma Rousseff scrambles to make concessions to defuse the tension. Perhaps the key concession was the withdrawal of a constitutional amendment that limited the power of federal prosecutors to investigate crimes. The amendment seemed to most protesters as a “get out of jail free” card to politicians, and served to convey a sense that corruption in Brazil was intractable. The protests remain leaderless and seemingly without direction which runs the risk of ultimately diffusing the discontent of the people. It further opens up the possibility of some politicians exploiting the protests for their own personal agendas. At some point, the protests need to coalesce around some positive changes to address the issues raised.
Ethnic riots have broken out again in China’s northwest. The Uighurs, who are primarily Muslims of Turkic origin, populate the Xinjiang province and resent the control of the Han Chinese that threatens their identity and limits their opportunities within China. Such unrest flares up periodically, and this particular episode has been similar to previous outbreaks. So far, however, the violence seems to be more limited, although it is difficult to predict how it might unfold. China contains a large number of different ethnic groups, and the central government is quite sensitive to any movements that threaten its control.
The revelations that both the US and Great Britain have been conducting massive data sweeps surreptitiously have soured relations with many countries, and undermined the claims of both countries as representatives of personal rights and freedoms. The German response to these activities is quite interesting, given the misuses of state power in that country’s past. Der Spiegel has collected editorial statements from a number of German media outlets, and the negative response is deep and strong.
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