The ProSavana Project is a joint agricultural project in Mozambique funded by Brazil, Japan, and Mozambique. It calls for almost 100 million acres of “underutilized” agricultural land to be transformed into a massive soybean producing region. The soybeans will be exported to the rapidly growing export market for soybeans in Asia, and is modeled after the Brazilian program to transform its cerrado into a soybean exporting region. Unlike the poor soils in the Brazilian cerrado, however, the soils in the Nacala Corridor in Mozambique are very fertile and already being farmed by many rural people. Thus, there is tremendous opposition to what is perceived as a horrific “land grab”.
The release of secret documents has raised serious questions about the drone strikes employed by the US in its war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. The US has systematically assured the world that its drone strikes were scrupulously targeted to avoid civilian casualties, a claim often denied by locals on the ground. These secret documents suggest that the controls over the use of drone strikes have been less stringent than we have been led to believe.
Greece is going through a slow-motion crisis. The Prime Minister has nominated Stavros Dimas as his President, but has failed to secure the necessary votes in Parliament to secure his election. After two tries, Samaras will try for the third and final time on Monday to get the 180 votes to confirm Dimas. If that vote fails, then Samaras will be forced to call a snap election. The polls for a new election are close, but some suggest that a leftist coalition known as Syriza may win the election. If Syriza does win, then its leader, Alexis Tsipras, may repudiate parts of the austerity program imposed on Greece by the EU. That repudiation would create a serious crisis for the European Union.
More than 100,000 have been forced from their homes in severe flooding in Malaysia. Flooding is not unusual in Malaysia in the Monsoon season, but these floods are unusually severe. There is much criticism of the Malaysian government, stemming from a lack of preparedness, a tepid response, and the absence of the Prime Minster (who was playing golf with President Obama in Hawaii). The Malaysian government has been much criticized in recent months, and the floods will only fuel the political discontent in the country.
In an encouraging sign, Ukraine and Russian separatists in the eastern part of Ukraine have exchanged prisoners. A 12-point peace plan is being floated to end the nearly year-long battle between the Kiev government and those who wish to break off of Ukraine and join Russia. Nonetheless, tensions also increased as Kiev stopped transportation links to Crimea which has been illegally annexed by Russia. It seems unlikely that Crimea will ever return to Ukraine.
A political crisis in Sweden has been avoided as the center-left government has reached a budget agreement with opposition parties that excludes the far-right Sweden Democrats Party. The Sweden Democrats Party is strongly anti-immigrant and it seemed as if all the major parties had earlier agreed not to cooperate with it. That arrangement collapsed month ago, and Sweden was confronted with the possibility of a snap election in order to pass a budget. The revived agreement not to participate with the Sweden Democrats will undoubtedly be tested again.
Russia has issued the latest version of its strategic military doctrine. It is largely unchanged from previous versions, but it now specifically lists NATO and the US as global enemies. Interestingly, it lists NATO because it perceives a new NATO mission as the preservation of “global functions realized with violation of international law.” Presumably the doctrine regards the UN as the only legitimate protector of international law, but the doctrine does not spell out that obligation. If the UN fails to defend international law, the doctrine does not specify an alternative. Mark Galeotti, a professor at New York University, suggests that Russia will actually only function as a spoiler to international law.
Ceremonies were held all over Asia today as the region remembered the Tsunami that swept through the region 10 years ago. The Tsunami was the largest ever recorded by human beings and the devastation stretched from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Somalia. Tens of thousands were lost, and whole villages disappeared. The recovery in some areas has been robust, but there are still many areas that are desolate. There have been some improvements in detecting tsunamis, but the world still remains largely unprepared for a similar event.
Egypt is probably further from democracy now than at any other time in its recent history, including the regimes of Sadat and Mubarak. Unlike Tunisia, which has made rapid progress toward creating a liberal civic society, the current Egyptian regime has thwarted the Arab Spring revolution and returned to authoritarian rule. The Guardian lists the laws that have been promulgated by the regime without participation by the Parliament. Unfortunately, the outside world, including most dramatically the US, has offered few objections to this betrayal of democratic principles.
Today is the 100th anniversary of an extraordinary event: the Christmas truce between British and German soldiers in the trenches of World War I. The truce was not an official one–it was one unilaterally declared by soldiers who chose to recognize their common humanity rather than the national loyalties which had been driving them to kill each other. Needless to say, the officers did not look kindly upon this fraternization, and stern orders were given to prevent a re-occurrence.
A movement known as Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (the acronym in German is Pegida) has attracted a relatively large following in Germany. According to some polls, as many as 34% of Germans believe that German society is becoming “Islamicized.” The rise of a number of groups opposed to the Muslim presence in Germany is frightening and far more extensive than is fully appreciated. The German government must become more vigilant in addressing this serious problem of xenophobia.
A group of photojournalists has started a blog called The Ebola Diaries. It is an extraordinary account of daily life in Ebola affected areas, and focuses attention on a truly horrific crisis in terms of all the issues that are faced on a daily basis by those infected and the health workers dedicated to addressing the outbreak. The use of social media in this particular way is a great example of how the new technologies can be harnessed to bring attention to issues largely ignored by the media.
There are many things about the process of globalization that are difficult to explain. The incredible popularity of Christmas in China is one such thing. The Chinese Communist Party does not encourage Christmas celebrations, nor does anyone get the day off. Yet the holiday, stripped of any religious connotations, is a big day in China–the second most popular festival of the year (after the Spring Festival). A good part of its popularity stems from the powerful interest of retailers in stimulating consumption and sales.
The Sundarbans is the largest unbroken stand of mangrove forests in the world, and is situated near the Bay of Bengal between Bangladesh and India. On 9 December two ships collided along one of the river passages in the forest, and released an incredible amount of oil. The resulting ecological devastation was extensive and will be long-lasting. But in addition to the environmental tragedy is the sad sight of Bangladeshi children scooping up the oil so that they can sell it back to the company that spilled it. The damage to the health of these children is likely irremediable.
The Institute of Modern Russia is a New York-based think tank on political developments in Russia. It is a liberal think-tank (in the traditional sense of the world) and thus is not very favorably disposed toward Russian President Putin. It has published, however, a very thoughtful and intelligent article on Putin’s popularity in Russia and how the twin issues of Ukraine and the economy are affecting his ability to rule. One of the more provocative insights of the essay is that Putin seems to have persuaded many Russians that integration into liberal or Western society is not a desirable objective.
News about the Ebola crisis in West Africa has been scarce now that those infected have been contained in the region. But the absence of Ebola in the news does not mean that the outbreak has been contained–it continues to rage in Sierra Leone and over 7,000 have died from the disease in the three most affected countries. And medical staff have been severely depleted. Sierra Leone only had 137 doctors in the country before the outbreak, and 12 of them have been infected by the virus (almost 9%). It appears as if the outbreak is beginning to be controlled, but it remains a tragic concern.
North Korea has vehemently denied any involvement in the hacking of Sony computers. US President Obama accused North Korea of the act, and the suspicion is that the hacking was designed to prevent the release of a movie about the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jung-un. Sony pictures has decided to not release the movie to theaters on Christmas Day, raising serious concerns about future problems that may arise from similar extortion attempts to deny free expression. Obama has declared that the US will respond “proportionately” to the attack, but it is not all clear what that may mean with respect to North Korea. On a similar matter, Facebook has been accused of censorship because it has taken down a page calling for mass protests in support of Russian President Valdimir Putin’s most prominent opponent Alexei Navalny. The suspicion is that Facebook gave in to pressure from Russian authorities.
Tunisia has essentially completed its transition from an authoritarian state to a democratic state as a Presidential election seems to have gone in favor of Beji Caid Essebsi, the candidate for the secular Nidaa Tounes Party. That party already controls the Parliament, and the country that started off the “Arab Spring” in January of 2011 has completed its transition. Tunisia stands as the lone Arab state so far that has gone so far.
Today is the Winter Solstice, which many people regard as the shortest period of visible light in the Northern hemisphere. Curiously, it is not the day of the earliest sunset or the latest sunrise because of the difference between “clock time” and “solar time.” Unfortunately, it is also not the coldest period of the year. We have to wait until January before we can expect temperatures to begin to rise. No matter–we will turn the corner on winter soon. Get those shorts ready!
Spain has been under an EU/IMF/ECB austerity program for several years as it has tried to reduce its budget deficit to less than 3% of its Gross Domestic Product (as required by eurozone rules). Part of the austerity program requires the withdrawal of government supports or subsidies for poorer individuals. One such program was rent controls which are scheduled to expire at the end of this month. The result is that many small businesses are going out of business because the rents are too high. According to The Guardian:
Up to 20,000 small Spanish businesses could be forced to close when rent controls are abolished at the end of this month, according to the self-employed workers union. Many of the closures will be emblematic shops that shape the urban landscape in cities such as Madrid, Granada and Barcelona.
The Camisería Hernando has been in business since 1857 and has occupied the same shop on Madrid’s Gran Vía for 50 years but is closing after the rent shot up from €3,000 to €30,000 a month.
In their place will come larger retail and chain stores that can afford the rents. Soon, many Spanish cities will look just like American cities.
Imperialism takes many forms, and the travels of Chinese Admiral Zheng He suggest that overseas exploration need not inevitably lead to colonization. The Admiral made seven voyages to the Indian Ocean between 1405 to 1433, ultimately leading to the east coast of Africa. His explorations were the only sustained forays abroad made by China, and the Chinese never followed up on his activities after the last voyage. His trading patterns contrast sharply with the European patterns in the same areas.
The shockwaves from the school massacre in Pakistan continue to reverberate. But the tragedy has also shed light on the issue of terrorism as a serious problem for Pakistani society. Since 2001, more than 40,000 innocents have been killed by extremists. And schools are a particular target–more than 800 schools have been attacked since 2009.
Boko Haram has struck again in Nigeria, this time kidnapping as many as 185 women and girls near the town of Chibok. The attack appears to have been a carefully designed military attack that left many men dead and the village destroyed. The Nigerian government continues to demonstrate its inability to control the insurgents, and the refugee problem in northeastern Nigeria is very serious and untenable.
Russian President Putin gave his annual press conference, and it lasted over three hours. He acknowledged the serious economic crisis facing Russia but blamed the West for deliberately trying to weaken the Russian state. Moreover, he argued that the Russian economy would return to normal in no more than two years. Putin also indicated that he was willing to discuss a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Ukraine, but did not spell out any concrete steps that he would take toward that end.
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