Professor lectures on China

By LIAM KELLY News Writer

“It is the biggest challenge that we have faced since World War II, and we have to get ready for that challenge,” Notre Dame professor Joshua Eisenman said of the United States’ relationship with China during a lecture Friday morning.

Eisenman is an associate professor of politics in the Keough School of Global Affairs. His research focuses on the political economy of China’s development and its foreign relations with the U.S.

In the lecture — the most recent in the “Ten Years Hence” Mendoza College of Business speaker series — Eisenman detailed what he believes the U.S. policy toward China should be during a period of increasingly fraught relations between the two countries.

In order to craft this policy, Eisenman said, it is necessary to understand the problems China is currently facing.

“China’s economy is slowing considerably,” Eisenman explained.

“There is actually precious little the Communist Party of China and its leaders can do to stop it, because the fundamental problems that are tanking the Chinese economy are long-term and structural problems.”

Eisenman described the three major problems currently dogging China: demographics, dictatorship and debt.

When it comes to demographics, China’s problem is that it is an “old and male country,” Eisenman said, adding that China has roughly 20 million more men than women. Because of these lopsided demographics, China’s population decreased last year for the first time in six decades.

This population decline will inevitably harm China’s economy, Eisenman said.

“The idea that China can simply return to high growth when its population is old and retiring and shrinking would buck history,” he explained.

Eisenman said the financial cost of China’s authoritarian government is also weighing the country down. He pointed out that “concentration camps” and surveillance systems are incredibly expensive and a burden on the Chinese economy.

“There is a security state in China, and that security state costs money,” he said.

According to Eisenman, the authoritarian state has also caused the Chinese government to take on large amounts of debt.

“When you own all the banks and you force the banks to loan money to your state-owned enterprises who are not productive, you are going to create a burden of debt,” he explained.

Alhough China may face these structural problems, Eisenman said, the nation still represents a threat to the United States.

He categorized China’s goals into three types: revisionist goals, revanchist goals and rivalry goals.

On the subject of revisionism, Eisenman detailed how China seeks to create a new international order that “stands in direct juxtaposition to what we’d like to call the U.S.led, rules-based order.”

China has created international organizations in Africa, Asia and South America to influence policy in these countries, Eisenman said. The nation has also tried to curb the effectiveness of the United Nations by preventing the release of reports that reflect on the nation negatively.

When it comes to revanchism — which Eisenman defined as policy aimed at retaliation — China aims to regain lost territories of its own, as well as help other countries reclaim their lost territory.

In addition to asserting its control over Hong Kong and threatening Taiwan, China also “seeks to assert its control and has territorial claims with regard to Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, India, Nepal, Bhutan” and more, Eisenman said.

Eisenman also painted China’s support for Russia amidst its war against Ukraine as a revanchist position.

Most of China’s goals, Eisenman said, seek to shape the country into a genuine rival of the United States, and the methods which China has taken to achieve this goal are often aggressive.

“The wolf-warrior diplomacy, the cyber hacking, the militarization of South China Sea islands and the actual blaming of the United States for COVID-19” are all examples, Eisenman said.

Eisenman also pointed to Chinese propaganda in Africa, which he claims is now “wholly anti-U.S.”

The results of this rivalry policy have harmed China’s relationship with the U.S. and its allies, Eisenman explained.

“China’s relations with countries around the world and perceptions of China around the world have collapsed since 2017,” he said.

While Eisenman praised former President Donald Trump for pointing out problems in the U.S.China relationship, he said he believes U.S. policy has improved under President Biden.

“[Trump] turned the table on a relationship that needed to be turned, but the Biden administration has set the table and set the table, I would say, about as well as it can be set,” he said.

Eisenman described the current U.S. policy toward China as the “least worst” option, given the circumstances.

“We’re building awareness of the problem,” he said. “We’re building our capacities to deal with problems. We’re building our alliances with countries around the world who are like-minded. We’re finding ways to protect ourselves and limiting exports of dual-use technologies. And increasingly, we’re doing it in a bipartisan fashion.”

Even if China decides to invade Taiwan and U.S.-China relations greatly deteriorate, the Biden administration should not necessarily be blamed, Eisenman said.

“Do not believe that if China does attack Taiwan or China becomes more aggressive that that’s a failure of United States policy,” he explained. “China has its own will, its own timetables and decision-making. It is not our fault if another country takes that step.”

Eisenman also added that while the U.S. should do what it can to oppose China on the world stage, it should not attempt to change the nature of the Chinese government itself.

“We should not, under any circumstances, pursue regime change. We couldn’t even pull it off in Iraq. It’s not happening,” Eisenman said. “U.S. policy can never again be predicated on the idea that we’re going to change China. We have to accept them for who they are. And we have to deal with that.”

Contact Liam Kelly at lkelly8@nd.edu

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In Friday’s paper, one story, “Changing recycling market means students, University must meet stricter standards,” required several corrections, notably that Geory Kurtzhals was incorrectly gendered and credited with the wrong title. The Observer regrets this error.

The nex T Five days:

Monday

Holy Cross Men’s Tennis

Eck Tennis Pavillion

9 a.m.

The Saints take on Thomas Moore.

Social Concerns Fair

Geddes Hall

4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Community discusses healthcare and disability .

Want your event included here? Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Tuesday

“That Just Isn’t Fair: Settling for LeftOvers”

Hesburgh Library

9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Archival exhibit.

“Unruly Catholic Feminists” Stapleton Lounge

5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Professors discuss prose, poetry and faith.

Wednsesday

“International Perspectives on Education in Prison”

Zoom 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Discussion on prisons.

Violin and Piano Concert

O’Neill Hall of Music

7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Caitlin Edwards and Daniel Schlosberg.

Thursday

“The Weaponization of Law”

3130 Eck Hall of Law

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Case study and lecture.

Film: “Amon Banwa sa Lawud”

DPAC 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Film screening and panel discussion.

Friday

“A Century of Irish Book Arts”

102 Hesburgh Library

9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Exhibition on evolution of Irish book arts.

ND Children’s Choir Winter Vespers Concert St. Joseph Chapel and peace, [and] how are people creating it within those spaces that are materially viable?”

7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Choir performs.

Purifoye said that to mitigate violence manifesting in physical structures, we must constantly assess our built environments and the effects they may have on the people living within them. This means analyzing everything about the material surroundings.

“Is it wood, is it brick, is it greystone?” Purifoye asked. “Is it clean, is it dirty? Where are the garbage cans located?” however, these spatial assessments should also take note of what is not there — what the community lacks. Addressing structures both present and not is essential to promoting peace and justice, Purifoye said. she also said that these studies and assessments are not for their own sake, but to promote action that can reduce inequalities and create peace.

“I’m not doing research for the sake of research, but to provide community organizations and communities with the data that they need,” Purifoye said.

Purifoye noted the inspiration she has received from the bible in conducting socially impactful research, but also said that people from all backgrounds can, and should, promote peace, fight structural violence and uplift the less fortunate.

“my mother always said, ‘You don’t have to be spiritual to do right,’” she said. “I would like to see more people really seeing and getting deep into how people embody and experience inequalities, and how the violence of that is bad for our entire society — not just bad for the people who are experiencing it, but bad for all of us.”

Reassessing the role of social movements in peace

When she arrived at notre dame and the Kroc Institute in 2013, Ann mische, associate professor of sociology and peace studies, noted that her background in social movements was not just unconventional for peace studies, but often seen in a negative light.

some peace scholars feel uneasy about highlighting social movements, as they can be confrontational or even violent. however, mische said she thinks social movements are a key part of peace studies and play a central role in addressing violence in our societies.

“social movements are carriers of calls for justice,” mische said. “social movements are really important for peace studies because of the way that they articulate this broader need to have justice or serve as a means of addressing structural violence as a core component of peacebuilding.” mische’s first area of research relates to youth activism and political participation. she spent years in brazil conducting ethnographic and archival research on networks of youth activism in the 1980s and 1990s. one of mische’s main findings from this work was the growing skepticism of political parties among youth activists. This observation from brazil in the 1990s foreshadowed trends today in the United states and elsewhere. mische is currently working on a paper examining the rise of “anti-partisan contention”: protests that display a skepticism toward or objection of political parties similar to what she saw in brazil. e xamples include the occupy Wall street movement in the U.s. or the Indignados in spain, among others. mische also studies “futures thinking,” or foresight in social change efforts related to democratic development, peacebuilding and climate change. she is currently working on a project related to “scenario planning,” where groups of people are asked about possible situations in the future and how they could be achieved or avoided. mische is interested in understanding what futures participants are imagining and what effects these exercises might have on participants themselves.

While these two strands of research may appear distinct, mische sees a connecting thread in how her work has emphasized the dynamics of collective participation and deliberation, and what we can learn from these dynamics to promote peace.

“how do you get broader public engagement in trying to understand the problems of our time?” mische said. “And then, how do you actually translate that collective deliberation into actual movements to change the situation? That would be a unifying theme in both cases.” overall, mische hopes that her work can present social movements in a more nuanced light, particularly in how they contribute to peace in the world.

“sometimes peace studies has a tendency to overly dichotomize violent versus nonviolent movements — ‘nonviolent ones are good, violent ones are bad,’” mische said. “I’m trying to bring a broader understanding of social dynamics into peace studies and not just dichotomize violence versus nonviolence. That’s part of what I’m trying to bring to the table.”

A questioning approach to peace

While not a peace scholar by training, catherine bolten, associate professor of anthropology and peace studies, has always been interested in reducing suffering in the world. however, her approach deemphasizes the rush to find solutions and stresses the importance of asking the best questions.

“I think that suffering doesn’t just start from the bad things that people experience,” bolten said. “It’s also because we’re not asking the best questions about why they’re suffering. my real drive is to ask better questions.” bolten pivoted toward work in developmental anthropology, which she described as “the study of the things that keep people up at night.” This involved a whole new set of questions to drive scholarship that would help suffering people.

After receiving an undergraduate degree in biology, bolten worked on ethnobotany in botswana during the height of the AIds epidemic in the 1990s, trying to find local, medicinal plant cures for the disease. however, the apparent futility of this effort led her to shift toward asking different questions about how to help people in Africa.

“What are their worries?” bolten asked. “What are the questions that they can’t answer and the problems that they can’t solve? And how do we think holistically about the way that humans interact in the world that can help us identify the pain points and the pressure points and help us solve those problems?” bolten has spent much of her career researching sierra Leone. In the wake of the sierra Leonean civil war of the 1990s to early 2000s, bolten researched the fears of violence recurring. her second book project looked specifically at fears that young people who grew up during the civil war were a threat to reignite violence. bolten found that, in fact, the biggest threat to peace was not young people themselves — who genuinely wanted to be productive members of society — but the very suspicion adults had of the youth, which created intergenerational tension. bolten’s research in sierra Leone has led her to reframe the questions we should be asking to help the country recover and grow. In particular, she works to emphasize the historical context in the country before the civil war.

“What I’m trying to do is introduce all of this history and the historical knowledge that is kind of being ignored right now into this equation,” bolten said. “nobody really talks about the slow forces of violence that precede that, that it’s not necessarily war that displaces people … It’s basically people being completely stripped of their identities.” by asking better questions, bolten said she believes we can foster a better understanding of the situation in question and put ourselves in a position to produce better solutions.

“my whole goal is to kind of flip the script on how people look at the world and get them to ask slightly different, slightly off-kilter questions that can be answered in ways that help us better understand humans and thus, the world around us,” she said.

Contact Spencer Kelly at skelly25@nd.edu

four people showed up to the group’s first meeting.

“It was really disappointing at that time because … I was really excited about doing this in college,” Akan said. “ h ow can you have a four-person m odel U n team?”

Under the management of current president m ari Pritulsky — a s aint m ary’s sophomore, one of the few stragglers from last year’s team — and Akan, who now serves as club training specialist, ndm U n has grown.

In o ctober, ndm U n made a trip to Washington, d c . for g eorgetown University’s annual conference. Just a few weeks ago the team returned from h arvard University and will be traveling to the University of c hicago’s conference later this spring.

“We did just go to h arvard, and it was a really successful conference,” Pritulsky said. “The other schools in what they call the ‘circuit’ are going to start realizing that n otre d ame has a presence.”

To expand the club, Pritulsky added, competing against some of the biggest schools in the nation — the T20s, the military academies — is key.

“It’s good for us to have a presence there, just as in any other sport or any other activity,” she said.

Akan said the club’s reboot is all about progressive growth and attracting quality contributors. h e added that now, about a dozen people regularly attend the club’s weekly meetings.

“Those 10 or 12 people want to be there,” Akan said. “They want to compete. They want to do m odel U n . They are not just there to check a box, or they are not just there to have a social circle. I’m really happy that we have a platform for those types of people.”

Undergraduates in s T em or business, Akan continued, “matriculate easily” due to clear-cut opportunities in research or clubs such as s I bc . The club is aiming to recruit political science and global affairs majors — students Akan said lack an obvious club to turn to. b ecause club involvement cultivates skills in research, communication and focus, Akan said ndm U n is also perfect for those interested in becoming lawyers, working in advocacy or being public servants. h e added that the networking possibilities of m odel U n are very underrated.

“When you go to these conferences, you’re putting together 600 kids who really care about their internships, really care about their grades and really care about being successful in life,” Akan said. “It’s great to meet people not only from your own school, but from other schools.” d uring conferences — when some 30 delegates are thrown together in one room — Akan said competitors learn a bit about negotiation and political backstabbing.

“You have a group of people … All of them are really good speakers,” Akan said. “All of them know the topic, all of them are really politically active and aware and all of them want to win. If you’re not a little bit politically savvy or got a little bit more cunning in how you behave, you are not going to do well.” b eyond semesterly forays to world-renowned universities, Pritulsky said club commitment involves hourlong meetings on Tuesday evenings, which consist of a slideshow presentation on global affairs and a collaborative United n ations activity, such as a conflict resolution workshop on nuclear non-proliferation.

“It’s not necessarily a free trip to the city of your choice,” Pritulsky said. “ b ut I’ll be honest, it’s not that much work on top of your normal time schedule.”

At the moment, the club is accepting anyone, Akan said — no experience necessary. In search of new members, Akan said he has been booking appearances with global affairs and political science classes.

In the world of collegiate m odel U n , there is no overarching structure, Akan said. Instead, teams fight for prestige. h is numberone objective as training specialist, Akan added, is preparing the team for the highest level of competition.

“We are not going to be able to compete with the m odel U n ‘big boys,’ because there are some schools where m odel U n is the number one activity — more than sports even,” Akan said. “We’re not going to be able to compete with them off the rip, but what we can do is build, build, build.”

By ANNA FALK

Scene Writer

Andrew Hozier-Byrne, the legendary musician known for being tall, Irish and incredibly poetic, is back with new music on Mar. 17 — St. Patrick’s Day and, coincidentally, his 33rd birthday.

Hozier rose to fame with his single, “Take Me to Church,” arguably one of the most influential songs of the 2010s. His first LP, titled “Hozier,” was released in 2014, followed by “Wasteland, Baby!” in 2019. While the span of time between new music announcements has decreased, I know many Hozier fans (myself included) are impatient.

Next Friday, Hozier will release a three-track e P titled “ e at Your Young.” It will include an eponymous track, one heavily alluded to in his social media called “All Things e nd” and another called “Through Me (The Flood).” From the titles of these tracks, there is potential for a great shift in subject matter from his single “Swan Upon Leda,” released on Oct. 7, 2022. However, any dedicated fan of the man is well-aware of this thematic messaging and imagery, as he is known for his vivid descriptions of anything from the end of the world to the exhumation of a bog body.

While his LPs in the past have been regularly preceded by e Ps that feature upcoming LP tracks, what does this particular release mean for future music? What are people theorizing about the music’s thematic and symbolic elements? When will I ever meet Hozier at a pub in Ireland under mysterious but fateful circumstances? Only some of these questions can be answered.

The singer’s interactions on social media have confirmed that “ e at Your Young” will, in fact, be succeeded by a new full-length album later this year. The record will be called “Unreal Unearth,” as revealed by Hozier on Twitter in September.

A recent newsletter from the artist described the album as “the journey of the last few strange years in a loose and playful path of nine circles,” leading many to believe that it will be heavily inspired by Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno” poem from the epic “Divine Comedy.” While it is likely he will not mention the poem in specifics, one could also speculate that references to the CO v ID-19 pandemic will be present.

Many fans are questioning whether or not “ e at Your Young” will be a continuation of the eponymous track from “Wasteland, Baby!”. There seems to be a connection between the lyrics of the song and the cover of the new e P. “That the cloud and the cold and those jeans you have on” seems to match up with the image, as it shows a woman buried in the ground wearing jeans. There also seems to be an allusion to the link between “Wasteland, Baby!” and “ e at Your Young” with the line “Not an end, but the start of all things that are left to do.”

An extensive thread on Twitter about the e P notes the various objects also included in the cover, which is highly impressive, considering how dark the cover is and how small the objects are. There is also discussion about the track “Through Me (The Flood)” in relation to the French expression, apres moi, le deluge (after me, the flood), signaling themes of nihilism, death, the apocalypse and more. While we generally don’t know the sound of the e P other than the “Swan Upon Leda” single and a short clip from the Irish concert promotion company, MCD Productions’ Twitter, it’s safe to say fans are ready for new music. He’s already set to appear at a few music festivals in the United States (Shaky Knees in Atlanta and Moon r iver in Chattanooga, Tennessee) as well as a few solo dates, though many are eager for tour announcements.

Whatever happens, I hope that “ e at Your Young” will keep hungry Hozier fans satisfied.

Contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu.

By NICOLE BILYAK

Scene Writer

Canadian singer The Weeknd announced a live concert film to be released for his “After Hours til Dawn”and as a live album a week later, titled “Live at SoFi Stadium.” The film was shot in Inglewood, California and released on HBOMax.

Appearing on streaming services on Feb. 25, the film featured songs from all of The Weeknd’s past albums, going back as far as 2011. The theme and tone of the film went more in a post-apocalyptic direction with a science fiction vibe. The concert also featured Imperial Guard-style dancers performing in a cult-like manner.

The stage design for the concert was really cool. It was divided into three stages: The first part was the main stage, with a backdrop of destroyed buildings, including Toronto’s CN Tower and a screen showing visuals of a postapocalyptic skyline. The second stage led to a catwalk with a large inflatable moon, which led to a third circular stage. The Weeknd used all three, along with his dancers. As a science fiction and dystopia nerd, I thought the ambiance of the concert was unique. It gave me both “Star Wars” and “Dune” vibes the whole time I was watching. The intro portion of the film threw me off a bit, but I liked how it tied into the concert’s opening number, “Alone Again.”

Speaking of the opening number, many of the songs The Weeknd sings were really enjoyable. There were a lot of songs he sang from previous years that I recognized. Three of those songs were “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Starboy” and “Blinding Lights.” “Can’t Feel My Face” was from The Weeknd’s second studio album, “Beauty Behind the Madness.” “Starboy” was from the album of the same name, while “Blinding Lights” was from his previous album, “After Hours.” I wasn’t as familiar with the other songs, since I haven’t listened to a full Weeknd album in years, but I really liked a good chunk of them. I especially loved the first two songs, the aforementioned “Alone Again” and the second, “Gasoline.” Many of the songs were sexually charged, with many of the lyrics talking about sexual activity and the like. A few of the songs also dug into The Weeknd’s drug addiction, before he became a musical artist.

The concert film was actually attributed to the fact that the concert was one of the biggest debuts for a music special in the history of HBO Max, and it clearly shows. SoFi Stadium was absolutely jam-packed with fans, and it really did feel like I was actually at the concert — only, I was able to watch it from the safety of my dorm room. This was also The Weeknd’s first live concert film and live album. I have to give him kudos, since this concert was so much fun.

However, I would be remiss not to mention that there were some problems I had with the film and some of The Weeknd’s music in general. The biggest problem I had was the fact that The Weeknd dropped slurs on more than one occasion, which I found extremely offensive and made me very uncomfortable. I also had a bit of a problem with the costume design of the dancers. Since I stated earlier that this gave me “Star Wars” vibes, I was put off by the blatant symbolism of the dancers being Imperial Guards. It just screamed public relations nightmare waiting to happen.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert film, as it was the first concert film that I’ve viewed. Hopefully, fans of The Weeknd love it just as much.

Contact Nicole BIlyak at nbilyak01@saintmarys.edu.

“The Weeknd: Live at SoFi Stadium”

Director: Micah Bickham

Starring: The Weeknd

If you liked: “Elton John: Farewell from Dodger Stadium”