Russia has announced that it would send its most sophisticated anti-aircraft system, the S-300 ground-to-air system to Syria. The announcement follows the downing of a Russian aircraft by a Syrian missile. The Russians claim that an Israeli aircraft used the Russian aircraft as a screen in order to carry out a mission, and that the Israeli tactic now required more sophisticated defensive systems. The Washington Post has a Russian animation which describes the Israeli tactic. The upgrading will pose serious challenges to both Israeli and US aircraft in Syria. It also calls into question the degree to which the Russians are willing to cooperate with Israel to limit Iranian intervention in Syria.
S-300 System
Climate change will undoubtedly create what are being called climate refugees: people who live in coastal cities that will be forced to move because of rising sea levels. According to The Guardian:
By the end of this century, sea level rise alone could displace 13 million people, according to one study, including 6 million in Florida. States including Louisiana, California, New York and New Jersey will also have to grapple with hordes of residents seeking dry ground…..
Within just a few decades, hundreds of thousands of homes on US coasts will be chronically flooded. By the end of the century, 6ft of sea level rise would redraw the coastline with familiar parts – such as southern Florida, chunks of North Carolina and Virginia, much of Boston, all but a sliver of New Orleans – missing. Warming temperatures will fuel monstrous hurricanes – like the devastating triumvirate of Irma, Maria and Harvey in 2017, followed by Florence this year – that will scatter survivors in jarring, uncertain ways.
We think a lot about the people who will be forced to leave, but we also need to think about the people who will also be forced to accommodate the refugees. The migrations will cause tremendous pressure on housing and land values, medical systems, and educational opportunities. The pressures will likely cause serious strains on the idea of citizenship and the common good.
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