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W A SH I N G TON , D.C. FRI DA Y M A RCH 24, 2017 SU B SCRIB E TO O U R NE WSLE TTE R AT: GU CARAVE L.CO M
ISIS Suspect Arrested in Australia pg. 2 Australia Calls for Stricter Vaccination Laws pg. 3
E. EUROPE & C. ASIA Turkish Referendum Prompts Concerns p.4 Russia Fights Fake News with Stamps p.5
LATAM & THE CARIBBEAN
Anti-Morales Protests Rock Guatemala City p.6 FOB Meets to Decide Puerto Rico’s Financial Future p.7
MIDDLE EAST & N. AFRICA
Security Forces Deployed in Lebanese Refugee Camp p.8 Russia Increases Involvement in Libya p.9
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA S. Africa, Nigeria Join Forces After Attacks p. 10 Millions at Risk in Somalia’s Drought, Famine p.11
SOUTH & SOUTHEAST ASIA Indian and Bangladeshi Border Guards Celebrate Holi p.13 Pakistan Announces First Census in 19 Years p.13
WESTERN EUROPE Germany-U.S. Visit Starts on a Cold Note p.14 EU Permits Ban on Religious Symbols p.15
Court Upholds Removal of South Korean President Jaebok Lee The South Korean Constitutional Court upheld the removal of President Park Geun-hye on March 10, making her the nation’s first democratically elected leader to be impeached. Park’s removal concludes months of social unrest during which hundreds of thousands of South Koreans filled the streets to protest a corruption scandal that has shaken the top ranks of business, government, and academia. It also marks the fall of South Korea’s first female president and the daughter of the former authoritarian president Park Chung-hee, whose legacy turned his daughter into a conservative icon. The court’s acting Chief Justice, Lee Jung-mi, stated that Park had violated the constitution and the law throughout her term. Park used her influence as president to funnel funds from businesses into foundations set up by longtime acquaintance Choi Soonsil. The former head of state also leaked classified government documents to Choi, allowing her to influence critical
decisions within state affairs. The eight-person court cited these as the primary motives behind its decision to uphold the parliament’s December 9 impeachment vote. “The removal of the claimee from office is overwhelmingly to the benefit of the protection of the constitution. We remove President Park Geun-hye from office,” said Lee, explaining the rationale behind the court’s verdict. No longer holding immunity as president, Park can now face criminal charges for extortion, bribery, abuse of power, and other allegations in relation to her collusion with Choi. Hankyoreh reported that South Korean prosecutors plan to summon Park on March 21 as a suspect for the series of allegations. Park’s lawyer claims that Park will faithfully undergo the questioning, though Park has denied all allegations and expressed de facto resistance to the court’s ruling. “Although it will take time, I believe the truth will certainly come out,” Park said as she arrived at her home after leaving the presidential Blue House and greeting her supporters.
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EAST ASIA & OCEANIA
Crowds in South Korea gather near the City Hall to support Park’s impeachment.
The turmoil over the past few months surrounding the impeachment revealed sharp divisions within the country’s population. For instance, candlelight protests in favor of Park’s impeachment were countered by her supporters, who conducted their own demonstrations by raising the Korean flag as a symbol of
their support for Park. After the court delivered its verdict, a group of Park supporters rallying near the courthouse tried to break through police lines and storm the court. When blocked by police, protesters attacked the officers, throwing water bottles and pieces of the sidewalk pavement. See South Korea Removes President p.2
Kenya’s Striking Doctors Sign Singapore Increases Water Deal Amidst Rising Death Tolls Prices Nationwide by 30 Percent Jessica Hickle Public sector doctors in Kenya ended their 100-day strike after defying President Uhuru Kenyatta’s order on March 7 demanding that they resume work. On March 14, leaders of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) reached a deal with the government that aims to address their grievances, Al Jazeera reports. The government retaliated against the union on March 8, firing 12 doctors and putting 48 others on notice at Kenyatta National Hospital, the country’s largest hospital. The continued strike increased pressure on Kenyatta’s government ahead of the general election in August. The strikes began in December when KMPDU, a union of 5,000 members, called on the government to implement
a 2013 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that would give public doctors a 150 to 180 percent pay raise, Al Jazeera reported. The agreement also called for a review of working conditions and criteria for promotions and updated equipment. According to Voice of America (VOA), the lowest paid Kenyan public doctors currently make roughly $400 USD per month while the highest paid receive $5,000 monthly. Prior to the resolution, union leader Dr. George Got remained optimistic that the government would cooperate, although it remains unclear how many of the union’s original demands were actually met. While the proposed resolution remains confidential, the Standard reported that it included 12 points, including a provision that would prevent striking doctors from being See Kenya’s Striking Doctors p. 10
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Alesha Gulamhussein The Singaporean Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Masagos Zulkifli, announced in the first week of March a 30 percent increase in the price of water throughout the country. The government will implement this price increase over the span of two years. This decision marks Singapore’s first rise in the price of water in 17 years. Asit K. Biswas, a distinguished visiting professor at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, supported the increase, stating, “We need to realise that Singapore’s water supply is not reliable.” Singapore currently utilizes four sources of water: local catchment wa-
ter, imported water, NEWater facilities, and desalination plants. While local catchment water from the Marina Reservoir meets only ten percent of the nation’s water needs, imported water, primarily from Malaysia, can supply 60 percent of Singapore’s average daily consumption of 400 million gallons. NEWater facilities recycle reclaimed sewage and wastewater into high grade, useable water. While the NEWater plants function effectively in Singapore, reclaiming water for treatment is a difficult and costly process. The government intends the declared 30 percent price increase to reflect the long run marginal cost of supplying water. Experts spoke to the necessity of the increase with Professor Yew See Singapore Water Prices Rise p.13
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EAST ASIA & OCEANIA
Japan Reflects on Fukushima Disaster The world marked the sixth anniversary of the disastrous nuclear meltdown at Fukushima, Japan on March 11. This catastrophe stands as the second worst nuclear incident in recorded history, after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Tens of thousands of Japanese civilians died in the destruction and lost their homes and livelihoods due to radiation contamination. The Washington Post said that clean-up costs have already exceeded $180 billion, and clean-up is still unfinished despite Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s optimism. In a speech on the anniversary of the Fukushima disaster, Abe stated that most infrastructure has been restored in the affected areas; however, he made note of the continued displacement of 120,000 civilians who still cannot return to their homes. Fukushima residents felt that, although Abe’s speech focused on the rebuilding efforts, the prime minister seemed out of touch with the reality many of them have experienced.
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“The damage is ongoing, not in the past tense,” said Fukushima Governor Masao Uchibori in a news conference, The Japan Times reported.
The political dispute surrounding nuclear power is unlikely to abate soon in East Asia. This disconnect remains a point of contention in the politics of many East Asian countries, including Japan and Taiwan, where China Post reported that a massive anti-nuclear protest took place on the anniversary. The Taiwanese protest movement, though not entirely against nuclear power, demands further public discussion of the risks involved before its adoption on a larger scale, particularly with regards to the management of nuclear waste. This movement against nuclear power stands in sharp contrast to Abe’s position on the matter. In his
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Austin Parenteau
ISIS Suspect Arrested in Australia
Experts from IAEA check out the site of the nuclear meltdown at Fukushima.
aforementioned speech, he failed to refer to Fukushima as a nuclear accident at all, inciting further ire from those affected by the disaster. Elsewhere in the region, countries are taking an extreme tack in the opposite direction. Though the Fukushima meltdown contributed to the tsunami that overcame the reactor, India Times reported that China has embarked upon an initiative to construct floating nuclear power plants in the South China Sea, especially along several disputed islands. While these constructions would serve to provide additional energy to Chinese
civilian populations on the mainland, they also serve as an aspect of Chinese naval strategy, providing greater power projection throughout the region. Naturally, such floating reactors also pose enormous risks should oceanic forces similar to those that usurped Fukushima occur again. The political dispute surrounding nuclear power is unlikely to abate soon, especially as further development of these potentially riskier technologies yields progress along with damages. Both sides may harden their resolve to either provide energy for as many citizens as possible or to avoid what they view as foolish risks.
South Korea Removes President, Cont’d from p.1 Jaebok Lee Three pro-Park demonstrators died in the confusion, according to Yonhap News. Park’s impeachment may signal the end of an era in the history of Korean democracy, whose first president came to power only three decades ago. Park is the remnant of a generation that achieved remarkable economic development but discarded democratic ideals. Consequently, Foreign Policy reported that her presidency brought back many of the practices her father employed when he unilaterally ruled Korea in the 1960’s and 1970’s, including censorship of the press and utilizing the National Intelligence Service for political purposes. Park also allegedly blacklisted artists and writers who criticized the regime, Hankook Ilbo said. Shortly after the ruling, Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn announced that
an election will be held on May 9 to select a new president. Until then, Hwang will continue to serve as the acting head of state. Moon Jae-in, a liberal opposition leader who lost the 2012 presidential election to Park, is the favorite in the next election. The polling agency RealMeter showed that he is followed by fellow liberals Ahn Hee-jung and Lee Jae-myung within his own party. Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s decision to drop out of the race disappointed many conservatives. Hwang arose as an alternative, but he announced on March 15 that he would not run. The leading conservative candidate is Governor of South Gyeongsang Province Hong Junpyo, who is behind all three liberal candidates, RealMeter said. Regardless of political affiliation, the incoming leadership faces the important task of uniting a polarized nation and sustaining a legacy of democracy.
Authorities arrested Haisem Zahab in early March 2017 in the rural town of Young, Australia, alleging that he used the internet to support the Islamic State in developing a guided missile. The arrest has sparked renewed debate across Australia about Muslims in the country and the threat of terrorism. Craig Thomson of The Young Witness, the local newspaper, acknowledged in his response to the arrest that fear is a natural human response, but he continued by saying that spreading fear only helps ISIS’s message, and instead, the people of Australia should choose love, preventing one man’s actions from condemning an entire community of Muslims. Mostapha Ali, a local Muslim, reiterated that Muslims are equally excited to see the arrest made and support counterterrorism. The authorities have investigated Zahab’s family for 18 months under suspicion that some of them financed ISIS directly and travelled to Syria to fight for ISIS, said The New York Times. Additionally, Muslim residents of Young emphasized Zahab as an outsider in the community who had previously pleaded guilty to charges of drug and firearm possession. The town of Young has a large Muslim population due to preferences by many for farming and raising children away from cities like Sydney or Melbourne. However, Clarke Jones, a terrorism expert at the Australian National University, believes that those supporting foreign terrorism deliberately chose Young because police would not have suspected it as a potential location to investigate. Australian leaders continue to struggle with fighting ISIS supporters without creating anti-Muslim sentiments among its citizens. UN Rapporteur Mutuma Ruturee also urged Australian politicians to refrain from bigoted speech in light of nativist sentiment in the country, The Guardian reported.
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Australia Calls for Stricter Vaccination Laws Josh Chang On March 12, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called for a national ban that would prohibit childcare centers from admitting unvaccinated children. Dubbed “No Jab, No Play,” Turnbull’s proposal comes amid what the prime minister sees as concerning developments in national health.
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Australian PM Malcom Turnbull
Based on a survey of 2,000 parents administered by the Australian Child Health Poll, five percent of children nationwide are unvaccinated, said BBC News. Furthermore, ABC News Australia said that some medical centers have denied one-sixth of these unvaccinated children medical treatment due to their status. Once such a ban comes into effect, Turnbull’s next phase in this national health policy would be to implement another law that would make vaccination compulsory for children. To execute his plan, the prime minister will collaborate with local and state governments to establish the new policy in every region of the country. Currently, only three Australian states, Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, have a local mandatory vaccination policy if parents want to send their children to daycare centers. “I am calling on the states and territories to support a concerted national policy so that children who are not vaccinated cannot attend childcare or preschool centres,” said Turnbull in a statement to reporters. Medical experts fear that unvaccinated children may spread
illnesses in childcare centers and other public places, compromising the health of those present. Turnbull hopes that by enacting these pro-vaccination laws, the government can suppress the spread of preventable diseases and preserve public health.
Hanson perceives the proposed law as government interference. The prime minister’s policy, however, faces resistance. Australian politician Pauline Hanson denounced Turnbull’s legislation as a “dictatorship,” according to ABC News Australia. Hanson perceives the proposed law as government interference with parents’ decisionmaking. She encouraged families to conduct their own research and decide for themselves whether to vaccinate their children or not. Another source of concern pertains to public opinion regarding vaccination. The Australian Child Health Poll results also indicated that although 95 percent of Australian
children are inoculated, 33 percent of Australian parents have concerns regarding side-effects of vaccines. Furthermore, ten percent of Australian parents in the survey believed that vaccination could cause autism in children. Although medical professionals deny any strong relationship between vaccines and autism, public belief in such ideas could spawn strong resistance to Turnbull’s reforms. Turnbull is expected to convene the Council of Australian Governments in late March to outline his plans and mobilize support. Despite the potential for some public resistance to this new controversial policy, the fact that three Australian states have already instituted similar laws gives hope to Turnbull’s prospects of success. The key process in this legislation would be to apply what is already occurring at the provincial level and applying it on a macrocosmic level to the entire country. As such, this new vaccination policy may mark the beginning of a new trend in the national health policy of Australia.
China Retaliates Economically for THAAD Deployment Kayla Yoon
China has intensified inspection of South Korean businesses and created nontariff barriers to trade and tourism between the two countries. Such behavior raised concern for China’s economic retaliation against South Korea for its move to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. China consistently opposed THAAD deployment on grounds of a perceived breach in their national security. THAAD, America’s advanced missile defense system developed by Lockheed Martin, can shoot down ballistic missiles at their terminal phase, offering South Korea enhanced protection against North Korea’s missile threats. Seoul and Washington had started discussing its deployment following North Korea’s series of missile tests. After much deliberation, the two governments reached an agreement on July 2016 to deploy the missile defense system to the Korean Peninsula. On March 6, the first set of equipment for a THAAD battery arrived at Osan Air Force Base,
Yonhap News said. China has shown strong aversion to THAAD deployment since the issue first came about. Many experts believe that China’s biggest reason for opposing THAAD lies in its fear of a growing American influence, especially because part of Northeast China may be exposed to THAAD radars. In a February press conference, Colonel Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, directly expressed such concern.
China’s actions are a staggering blow to South Korea’s economy. “It [THAAD] sabotages the strategic security interests of the surrounding countries including Russia and China, and also breaks the strategic equilibrium in the region,” he said. “We are absolutely opposed to it.” As Washington and Seoul agree to deploy the THAAD system, many
believe that Beijing is retaliating economically by suppressing South Korean businesses and individuals operating inside China. Lotte Group, which offered its golf course as the site to host the THAAD system, faced the brunt of the economic sanctions. According to The Wall Street Journal, China strengthened inspection of Lotte construction projects, and Reuters also reported that China has launched cyberattacks against Lotte’s duty-free website. Other businesses and individuals have also been affected. The Wall Street Journal further reported that South Korean businessmen are now required to process the visa to enter China themselves, rather than through a proxy. Stricter standards for Korean exports to China have also diminished trade gains, including high-tech bidets and cosmetics. Additionally, Beijing banned Chinese travel agencies from selling trips to South Korea starting on March 15, said Yonhap News. Despite economic attacks on various fronts, it is difficult for South Korea to prove Beijing is retaliating economically, and therefore, it cannot take any legal action.
Since China is South Korea’s number one export destination, China’s actions are a staggering blow to South Korea’s economy. Investors have responded to China’s economic hostility towards South Korean businesses by bidding down their stock prices, including Lotte stocks. Last month, the South Korean government launched an operation to meet with businesses operating inside China to hear their complaints and devise potential countermeasures to Beijing’s actions. South Korean lawmakers have expressed frustration with China, with some arguing for a firmer stance from Seoul. South Korean Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam voiced his frustration with China’s behavior, arguing that China does not understand that THAAD is only aimed at defending South Korea from North Korea, said Voice of the People. Some lawmakers have even argued for filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization, but without China’s acknowledgement of its responsibility, South Korea’s hands will likely remain tied.
EDITOR’S NOTE: David Lim
S
outh Korean democracy has been unstable for most of its 73-year history. Popular demonstrations removed the first president in 1960, and a 1961 military coup ended the subsequent administration. President Park Chung-hee was assassinated, and another military coup gave rise to General Chun Doo-hwan’s leadership in 1980. Scholars point to 1987 as the critical juncture for South Korean democracy, where massive demonstrations pressured the Chun administration to offer direct presidential elections and establish the current sixth republic. Behind all of these democratization movements were college students. Candlelight protests demanding President Park Geun-hye’s resignation were also partially instigated by sitin protests by students of Ewha Women’s University that later unveiled the troubling ties between Park and Choi Soon-sil. Both the South Korean legislature and judiciary could not ignore a million protesters demonstrating against Park, and the court unanimously upheld the impeachment. The Constitutional Court’s verdict established a major precedent by warning future politicians that they may be removed from office if they exploit the position irresponsibly. Furthermore, the verdict provided solidarity in a highly politicized nation. As the impeachment trial progressed, many were concerned that political ideology would interfere with the ruling, as most of the justices are conservatives. In the final words of Acting Chief Justice Lee Jeongmi, however, she recognized Justice Ahn Chang-ho’s argument that the impeachment was not a battle between political ideologies, but rather the need to eradicate malicious political practices and question Park’s ability to defend the constitution. Impeachment is the first step of justice that Koreans have been advocating for in the streets. As an average citizen, Park must now comply with prosecution over several charges, from extortion to bribery. Most Koreans will believe that democracy has succeeded when the prosecution pushes through the charges.
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EASTERN EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA
Denis Tchaouchev
E
astern Europe is no stranger to political instability. Since the end of communism, countries in the region have struggled with meeting the demands of their citizens, who often demonstrate if they feel that the government is acting unjustly, as seen recently in the protests in Hungary against Viktor Orban and the opposition to Belarus’s parasite tax. However, most worrying to the security of the region are separatist movements. Of course, these are also not new: both Kosovo and Transnistria are regions that have long struggled for independence. Yet, for the first time since World War I, independence movements in Eastern Europe are being used by stronger countries as a way to gain political power. This was demonstrated when, in February 2017, The Washington Post reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an executive order recognizing passports from the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine. As Russia has materially supported these regions in the past, the move to grant them diplomatic recognition only scores Putin more political points against the West. Russia has acted similarly through its support for the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions in Georgia, but it is not the only country moving in this direction. The United States may be as well, with the notable example of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), who, according to Foreign Policy, dismissed Macedonia as “not a country” and argued that it should be partitioned. However, meddling by any other country in the internal affairs of Eastern European states should not be accepted. Doing so may score temporary political points, but, overall, it erodes the sovereignty of the countries in the region. In addition, it may provoke further retaliation by other powers. Both the United States and Russia should tread carefully in order to prevent another fraught situation like the one that kick-started World War I just a century ago.
Turkish Referendum Prompts Concerns Alexandre Kleitman Turkey will hold a constitutional referendum on April 16 that will consider replacing its existing parliamentary system with a presidential one. The Turkish presidency has been a largely ceremonial office, with the prime minister possessing most political power. Nevertheless, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is largely considered the de facto leader in Ankara. He and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) have been the main proponents behind the referendum. The proposed constitutional reforms would give the president powers of government at the detriment of the prime minister , whose office would be abolished, said The Washington Post. Furthermore, new presidents would no longer be required to relinquish their own party membership, allowing for an openly partisan head of state. The amendments also outline the creation of a vice presidency and an increase in the number of
Members of Parliament (MPs) from 550 to 600. MPs would also be able to investigate the president and initiate impeachment proceedings. In addition, the amendments would give the president extensive new powers to appoint a large number of senior judges, declare states of emergency, and dismiss Parliament. These proposed reforms would engender the most radical change in Turkey’s political system since the founding of the modern republic by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923. The Yes campaign, led by the AKP and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has argued that an executive presidency would streamline the decision-making process and avoid weak parliamentary coalitions. The campaign has repeatedly cited security threats from groups such as Islamic State as added reasons for a strong presidency. The No campaign, largely led by the Kemalist center-left opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has described the proposed reforms as a slide towards authoritarianism. They argue that Turkey does not have the required checks and balances for a
Demonstrations Intensify in Belarus Meghan Bodette Protests broke out in Belarus on February 17 against a proposed tax on unemployed citizens, leading to a yearlong suspension. Reuters said that over 2,000 Belarusians participated in early demonstrations; more joined the protests towards the end of the month. Though activists scored a temporary victory when President Alexander Lukashenko announced he would not enforce the law this year, they stated that they will continue to put pressure on the government until Lukashenko repeals the law. According to The Washington Post, the law requires Belarusians who work less than 183 days a year to pay a fine. Activists further contend that this represents economic coercion, arguing that it penalizes Belarusians for leaving state-owned industries. State ownership of the economy is
entrenched in Belarus, which retains many Soviet economic and political structures. However, a recession has brought citizens into a growing informal economy, where some private enterprise is possible. Workers in these industries are officially unemployed, so the law is viewed as an attempt to incentivize their return to the state sector. Protesters claim that such measures limit their economic freedom and economic security. In Belarus, where the government heavily suppresses dissent, such arguments rarely have power. Yet the sustained action of thousands of protesters led Lukashenko to suspend the law for 2016. Those who have not paid the tax will not pay this year, The Washington Post said. Those who did pay will receive a rebate. Whether these concessions will calm a situation that some call the next Ukraine is still unknown.
true presidential system,The divisive campaign has spilled beyond Turkey’s borders, with both sides soliciting votes from the Turkish diaspora in Europe. Attempts by government ministers to hold Yes rallies in the Netherlands and Germany were thwarted by local authorities who denied them entry. The German and Dutch governments cited security concerns, but Ankara argues that the European Union is overtly taking sides to favor the No campaign. The Council of Europe declared that the amendments “would risk degeneration into an authoritarian
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan.
presidential system.” Erdogan responded by calling the Netherlands “Nazi remnants” as tensions soared between the NATO allies, reported Reuters. In a panel at Georgetown University this year, Aykan Erdemir, a former Turkish MP, described Turkey as “a ticking time bomb” that could “bring Europe and NATO down with it.” This analysis looks increasingly accurate as many worry about the future of Turkey-EU cooperation, which has proved crucial in dealing with the migrant crisis.
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Poland’s E.U. Membership Questioned Electoral Stalemate Timothy Coan Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn has questioned the membership of Poland in the European Union following changes to the country’s Constitutional Tribunal, which supposedly weakened rule of law in the country. The current ruling party, the Law and Justice Party, has rejected the liberal-leaning policies of the European Union in favor of more conservative values. Poland argues that changes made to the Constitutional Tribunal have actually strengthened rule of law. Russia Today reported that in late February, Asselborn told Der Tagesspiegel, a German daily newspaper, “Today’s Poland under Jaroslaw Kaczynski could no longer become a[n] EU member,” in reference to the changes being made by the right-wing Law and Justice Party. According to Luxemburger Wort, he further stated that Poland “no longer respects the Copenhagen [C]riteria that the country had to meet before EU ascension.” The Copenhagen Criteria, according to euABC.com, are a set of standards established by the EU
that states must meet in order to be admitted as members. Rule of law features prominently among the standards, which ensures that each member is a fully-functioning democracy.
“Today’s Poland... could no longer become a[n] EU member.”
Bloomberg News reports that, since its ascension to power in the 2015 Polish elections, the Law and Justice Party has made sweeping changes to Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal. However, Poland’s highest court has deemed these changes unconstitutional. The government has also fired journalists from staterun media and pushed for the news sources to be less critical of its policies. In a release on February 20, Bloomberg News reported that Warsaw stated that “the current political argument around the Constitutional Tribunal can’t be the basis of claiming that the rule of law is threatened in Poland.” In December 2016, Russia Today
reported that some EU members suggested that Poland be stripped of its voting rights until the problem is resolved. However, any move appears extremely unlikely, as the proposal would need ratification from all other EU member states. Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, one of the Law and Justice Party’s most important allies, has indicated that his country will not support such a move. Asselborn has not shied away from criticizing fellow EU members in the past. Luxemburger Wort said that he gave remarks condemning Hungary’s violation of the “core values” of democracy for Budapest’s treatment of refugees as “animals.” The Polish government has become increasingly difficult to work with in the EU, according to The Economist. On March 9, Poland was the only one of the 28 member states to vote against the re-election of Donald Tusk as head of the European Council. This departure from consensus has been further exacerbated by Poland’s energy and climate policies, which are drifting further away from their European counterparts, and amid stymied preparations for the upcoming EU summit in Rome on March 25.
in Macedonia Increases Political Tensions Joshua Haney
Balkan Insight reported that the crisis in Macedonia over who should run the government deepened on March 3, as the largest Albanian party entered a coalition with the current opposition party, the Social Democratic Union. According to Radio Free Europe, this new bloc holds 67 of 120 seats in the Macedonian parliament. However, incumbent President Gjorge Ivanov refused to grant a mandate to the coalition. This mandate would allow the leader of the opposition, Zoran Zaev, to form a new government. The party strengths in the Macedonian parliament reveal, according to Balkan Insight, that Ivanov’s party, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary
EurActiv News reported that the Albanian platform was formed as a joint agreement between various ethnic Albanian parties. However, European Western Balkans said that it was renegotiated in a set of meetings in the Albanian prime minister’s office after Besa, one of the ethnic parties, rejected the initial set of policies. This change led to the proposed Social Democrat-Albanian party coalition, after Zaev and the Social Democratic Union accepted the new platform. The VMRO-DRMNE has called for another election to avoid handing the government to the coalition, although current polls suggest that the VMRO-DRMNE and the SDSM parties are still in a deadlock, reported Balkan Insight. The opposition coalition, as noted by Macedonian 24 News, has
Molly Dunlap The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs began publishing reports debunking fake news articles about Russia from various—mostly Western—news outlets on their website on February 22. The web page features proofs from CNN, The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Santa Monica Observer, Bloomberg, The Telegraph, NBC News, and Al Jazeera. Interestingly, the majority of the earlier reports contain only a screenshot of the article with a red stamp reading “FAKE” and “false information” photoshopped over the image and a link to the article. However, more recent reports have short paragraphs citing the supposedly incorrect information from the article and the Ministry’s own stance on the misinformation. The five most recent reports available offer blurbs with a small summary of the article and an explanation as to which parts of the articles are false. The other four expose the fake news exclusively with the statement that “This article makes false assertions.” Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman
for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced during a press briefing on February 22 that the website was intended to “feature examples of published materials that contain false information about Russia” and aimed “to show the main trends in publishing fake news about our country and to try to stop their spread.” During the same briefing, she also specifically highlighted unfair targeting of Russia, stating that articles that lacked a Russian point of view or used unverified sources will be declared fake. In addition to links to the targeted articles, the reports also have links to Ministry briefings that contain Russia’s stance on the matter.
To debunk “fake” news, we just say it’s fake without proving it. One article on the ministry’s website has a link to the 1961 Vienna Convention, which defines the primary function of diplomatic missions. Its use is to disprove a CNN allegation that
the current Russian ambassador to the U.S. is one of Russia’s top spies and a spy-recruiter in Washington, D.C. Reactions to this campaign have been mostly negative. Targeted news outlets defended themselves from allegations of reporting fake news. Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for The New York Times, said that the reports placed Russia in “a dangerous and troubling situation for governments or individuals to simply assign the label of fake news to a story they don’t like, instead of challenging specific facts or offering counter evidence.” Many Russian citizens have also reacted negatively on social media to the new government initiative. On Twitter, The Moscow Times, an English-language newspaper tweeted “No, YOU’RE fake news, Russian Foreign Ministry screams at reporters in big bold red letters.” A popular parody account, @sovietsergey, which pokes fun at Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, tweeted “We at @mfa_russia have invented the fastest way to debunk “fake” news, we just say it’s fake without proving it.”
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Russia Fights Fake News with Stamps
The Macdeonian Parliament building in Skopje.
Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRODRMNE), only holds 51 seats, though they won a plurality of votes. To reach the constitutionally-required 61-seat majority, the VMRO-DRMNE would need to form a coalition with the various Albanian parties. As noted by European Western Balkans, the VMRO-DRMNE opposes any union with Albanian parties. Ivanov suggested that the acceptance of the platform would “destroy the country.” The most notable policy in the platform is making Albanian the second official language of Macedonia.
demanded that VMRO-DRMNE Ivanov give them the mandate to rule. The constitutionality of the refusal remains unclear. Radio Free Europe reports that international reactions to Ivanov’s refusal to give the mandate have been almost universally negative, drawing criticism from the U.S. and EU, who see the refusal as undemocratic. The Economist noted that VMRODRMNE has pursued accession to the EU, putting them in an uncomfortable position. Russia is their sole supporter, accusing the West of supporting the irredentist idea of a Greater Albania.
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LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Bryce Couch
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resident Trump’s flagship policy—the infamous border wall—highlights a flaw in American discourse regarding immigration by focusing on emotional appeals rather than complex, underlying issues. Recently, the rate of Latin American immigrants to the United States slowed from 9.3 percent in the 1970s to 2.8 percent, according to the Migration Policy Institute and the System on International Migration in the Americas. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) statistics, under the Obama administration, deportations of immigrants reached a record high. Security is not the issue. Policy measures have been increased to counter immigration, and, statistically, the flow of immigrants has decreased. Behind the guise of immigration rhetoric is a fundamental problem with American thought, however: the continued dehumanization of migrant populations. A report released by the International Crisis Group shows that massive deportations by the Mexican and U.S. governments have not stopped Central Americans who flee poverty and violence. This has not decreased the popularity of deportation among immigrationweary politicians. Politicians also omit the victimization of refugees in these crises from everyday dialogue, effectively perpetuating economic deprivation, social exclusion and persecution, and the targeting of these groups by organized criminals. The United States can implement the most sophisticated strategy to combat immigration. It can build walls. It can separate communities. It can even misdirect the public and claim that these actions make citizens more secure. But the flow of migrants will never stop. Rather than react to surface-level consequences, politicians must shift their focus to the root causes that encourage and facilitate undocumented immigration: poverty, violence, and red tape.
Anti-Morales Protests Rock Guatemala City Louisa Christen Tens of thousands took to the streets of Guatemala City on March 7 to protest government corruption and demand the resignation of various politicians including President Jimmy Morales. The protesters, organized by the indigenous Committee on Rural Development (Codeca), descended on Congress and the National Palace, waving banners to remind Morales of his campaign promise to combat corruption. TeleSUR estimates that approximately 35,000 protesters, predominantly from rural areas, participated in the demonstrations. The protesters accuse Morales of forgiving the debt of 216 companies and failing to improve corruption or insecurity. They argue that the forgiven debt could have been directed to productively addressing countrywide issues and strengthening inadequate health and education systems. The Legislative Assembly also came under fire, as protesters demanded that hundreds of officials be investigated for pocketing bribes in return for awarding lucrative road
infrastructure contracts to the nowinfamous Brazilian construction and engineering conglomerate Odebrecht. Morales, a former comedian, took office in January 2016 as a political outsider, riding a wave of anti-corruption sentiment to victory with the campaign slogan: “Neither corrupt, nor a thief.” He now faces a massive outcry, unmatched in size since the historic Renuncia Ya protests, which unseated former president Otto Perez Molina in September 2015. The president’s own brother and son are now under preventive arrest, charged with graft in a fraud operation that diverted money to the country’s Property Registry. Besides criticizing Morales’ failure to deliver on his campaign promise, evidenced by the persistence of corruption, demonstrators also demanded the nationalization of the electrical grid, protested the imminent restructuring of electrical subsidies, and challenged the construction of more hydroelectric dams, LatinNews reports. “He lied to us, so he has to go,” said Estuardo Batz, one of the leaders of the march. According to a Gallup poll, Morales’ approval rating has
Mexico’s Videgaray Meets with SICA Anastasia Chacón Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray met with representatives from the member-countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA)—Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras— on March 2. The addressed migration, specifically President Donald Trump’s stated plans to deport illegal immigrants as reported by LatinNews. In the meeting, Videgaray insisted that the migration phenomenon is not exclusive to just one or two countries in the region and emphasized the importance of working together to find a solution to the problem. ‘‘The migration phenomenon is a consequence of instability stemming from unemployment and lack of opportunities; the only way to really handle [it] is by handling its underlying
causes,’’ he told Costa Rica’s primary newspaper, La Nación. For Videgaray, this underlying cause is development. The SICA meeting came a week after Videgaray met with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Homeland Security General John Kelly on their first official visit to Mexico. Videgaray remains optimistic in the face of the U.S. migration issue, assuring that both Trump representatives stressed that deportations would not occur on a massive scale. In reference to the SICA meeting, Mexican Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade highlighted that ‘‘the border with Central America [will] be the next big story of development in the world.’’ Since the beginning of President Trump’s administration, the Mexican government has increasingly looked south for both trade opportunities and cooperation.
plummeted from 71 percent to 56 percent since the investigation of his family members. The protests have intensified following the fire at a state-owned children’s center, Hogar Seguro Virgen de la Asunción, on March 9 which killed 34 girls. Despite declaring three days of national mourning, dismissing the center’s director, calling for a full investigation, and recognizing the state’s responsibility for protecting women and children, Morales has been widely criticized for not taking preventive measures
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and implementing effective oversight. Demonstrators have called for justice for the children killed in the incident. Morales’ administration, also under international scrutiny by UNICEF, the UN Office for the High Commissioner on Human Rights, and the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights, is under pressure to prove that it is up to the task of protecting and justly governing Guatemalan citizens. In a country increasingly prone to protests against government corruption, Morales' position is becoming ever more precarious.
Anti-corruption protests have upended Guatemala City several times in recent years.
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Valeria Balza The World Bank’s International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) overturned on March 9 a prior ruling that ordered Venezuela to pay $1.4 billion in damages to the multinational oil giant ExxonMobil, according to Reuters. Venezuela and ExxonMobil’s decade-old dispute began after the late President Hugo Chávez moved to nationalize almost all of Venezuela’s oil sector in 2007, expropriating two of Exxon’s major projects in Cerro Negro and La Ceiba. The OPEC member-state’s actions against Exxon were part of a wave of nationalizations that encompassed the oil, electricity, telecoms, metal, and agricultural sectors during Chávez’s 1999 to 2013 rule. Additionally, Venezuela faces more than 20 international arbitration cases, including a $1.2 billion case with mining firm Rusoro and another with Crystallex worth $1.4 billion. Exxon originally demanded compensation of up to $10 billion, but the original ICSID panel ruled in 2014 that Venezuela would only have to pay $1.6 billion, reported The
Washington Post. However, according to BBC Mundo, the most recent panel concluded that the previously established compensation is so deficient in reasoning and allocation that it provides grounds for annulment. “We were confident all along that our position was correct and are very pleased that the annulment committee agreed,” Venezuela’s lawyer, George Kahale, said.
After ten years of litigation, ExxonMobil will likely resubmit its defense for a second opinion. However, a statement published on ICSID’s website shows that only portions of the overall compensation were overturned. The decision annulling most of the $1.6 billion settlement is a benefit to the cash-strapped government, as it struggles to meet foreign debt obligations amid a floundering economy with widespread shortages of food and medicine. Earlier this month, the country’s
central bank released bleak, new figures, including data indicating that foreign reserves fell to $10.5 billion. Ernesto Villegas, the Venezuelan Minister of Popular Power for Communication and Information, lauded the “just decision” of the ICSID panel. “Venezuela expresses its commitment to abide by and fully comply with this decision, which represents an incontrovertible judicial triumph in defense of the sovereign and inalienable rights of our country over our energy resources,” he said. “Under ICSID rules, Exxon now has the right to request the resubmission of the dispute to another new tribunal to look at the original award in the case,” international lawyer Russ Dallen told The Latin American Herald Tribune. “I would imagine that ExxonMobil cannot be happy with this outcome after ten years of litigation and the loss of its investment and will resubmit its defense of the award for a second opinion,” he said. For now, the future remains uncertain as ExxonMobil potentially pursues a reconsideration of ICSID’s settlement decision as the Venezuelan economic crisis continues to worsen.
Recession Harms Temer’s Agenda Sean Fulmer Brazil’s recession extended into its third year as the GDP contracted 3.6 percent in 2016, reported the Brazilian Statistics Bureau (IGBE) on March 7. This issue, along with a deepening budget crisis, has dealt a major blow to President Michel Temer’s economic agenda. In the early months of 2017, it appeared that the recovery was underway with automobile production and supermarket sales rising, said the Rio Times. The Focus Report, a survey of 100 financial institutions by Brazil’s Central Bank, predicted that GDP would grow at a higher rate in 2016 and 2017. However, their prediction overestimated the strength of the recovery in 2016, leading many to question their forecast for 2017, especially with the unemployment rate stuck at a record 12.6 percent. Analysts agree that the economy will grow in 2017 and 2018. Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles did not appear concerned by the poor growth reports and has maintained that the recession is in the past and the economy can only improve.
Folha de São Paulo reported that protests have broken out in numerous cities against pension reform. Temer’s government coalition has decided to cap pension benefits and raise the minimum retirement age from 54 to 65. The government claims that these cuts are necessary in order to avoid a crisis similar to that of Greece or Spain, said BBC. Transport workers in São Paulo paralyzed the city for 24 hours to protest austerity.
The budget cap would place Brazil in a socially retrogressive category all of its own. This represents just one symptom of growing unrest with the budget crisis. Temer’s decision to institute austerity cuts to major social institutions, such as social security, has proven wildly unpopular among Brazilian citizens but has spurred foreign investment, said The Financial Times. The government has instituted a reform that prevents any increases in real budget expenditures for up to 20
years. Police have gone on strike in some states while public teachers have declared an indefinite strike in others, said G1. In Rio de Janeiro, restaurants that provide subsidized meals for the poor are closing and authorities are eliminating housing subsidies for almost 10,000 homeless families, as reports UOL Notícias. United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights Philip Alston said that the budget cap would “place Brazil in a socially retrogressive category all its own.” Although governmental leaders have pressed for austerity measures, they have not extended austerity to their own professions. Folha reported that legislators in São Paulo voted to increase their own salaries by more than 26 percent in December 2016. Additionally, Temer’s dinner in support of the budget cap cost over $11,000 per attendee, said G1. According to a poll conducted by MDA in February, one percent of respondents said that they would vote for Temer in the 2018 elections, in which he is prohibited from running due to violations of campaign finance laws.
Fiscal Oversight Board Meets to Decide Puerto Rico’s Financial Future Gabriela Rodriguez The Puerto Rican Fiscal Oversight Board (FOB) gathered in the Alexander Hamilton Building in New York City to amend and approve the government’s fiscal plan on March 13. The goal of the fiscal plan is to create long-term economic reforms that will allow the island to reduce its $7.6 billion debt, The New Day reported. Congress convened the FOB on June 30, 2016 to reign-in Puerto Rico’s fiscal issues. Then-President Barack Obama appointed the seven members two months later—four Republicans and three Democrats. The law establishing the FOB, also known as the PROMESA Act, states that all forthcoming budgets must be reviewed and approved by the FOB until the government of Puerto Rico can achieve four consecutive balanced budgets and long-term, stable access to financial markets, says NBC News.
conditions, however, depend on whether the government can create a reasonable implementation system for the fiscal plan that will generate an additional $200 million. “Today we show that we have surpassed times of incoherence and improvisation in order to enter times of working as a team, and to have results for the good of Puerto Rico. [We have] a fiscal and socio-economic development plan that meets the goal of reducing spending, but most importantly, that allows us to build a better society,” Rosselló said in an address to the island’s citizens. Many citizens, however, do not share the governor’s optimism. Opponents have stated that the fiscal plan’s austerity measures threaten the working class, students, and the elderly. A measure that has created special concern is the $450 million budget-cut on the University of Puerto Rico, the island’s only public university.
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ICSID Overturns Venezuela Damages
Then-President Barack Obama appointed the members of the FOB in August 2016.
The fiscal plan mainly consists of ideas presented by Governor Ricardo Rosselló on February 28. Nevertheless, The New Day reported that the FOB added some key amendments. One of the most prominent changes includes a progressive, ten percent-reduction in retirement pension benefits by fiscal year 2020. The FOB also conditioned a Christmas bonus-elimination and work-reduction program on the budget proposal for FY2018 that is due by April 30, 2017. These two
Ten different civic groups were present outside the Alexander Hamilton Building on the day of the FOB meeting to protest. The groups issued a statement, arguing that the FOB is only highlighting the island’s “colonial economic model that has led to excessive indebtedness and an economic crisis where the worst clash is suffered by the working class.” Beyond its budgetary role, the FOB’s mere existence is symbolic of the debate over Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States.
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MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Wasil Rezk
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or many Western countries, including the United States, developing plans to confront Iran, destroy the Islamic State (ISIS), and safeguard their interests in the region often serve as top priorities. Under former President Barack Obama, the U.S. often disregarded the role of Egypt in Middle Eastern affairs, particularly on the issue of security. However, Egypt may in fact prove to be a valuable ally to the United States. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has signalled his intention to dramatically improve Egypt’s relationship with the U.S. Sisi met privately with thencandidate Trump in September 2016 during the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York and called him a “strong leader.” After the elections, el-Sisi was one of the first to congratulate Trump. El-Sisi has also courageously called for a Muslim “Reformation.” He has addressed scholars and clerics at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, challenging them to reform Islam and distance it from radical, violent interpretations of the Quran. “We are in need of a religious revolution. You, imams, are responsible before Allah. The entire world is waiting for your next move,” el-Sisi said. El-Sisi has created a strong initiative to promote a moderate interpretation of Islam, much needed in times of growing extremism. El-Sisi has also maintained Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel and developed a close working relationship with the Israeli government. In addition, el-Sisi is building closer ties with minority communities. In 2015, for the first time in Egyptian history, the president publicly celebrated Christmas with Coptic Christian leaders, and he has completed the restoration of Coptic churches that were damaged or destroyed by discriminatory attacks. El-Sisi serves as one of the most progressive and moderate leaders in the Muslim world. The West can stand to benefit from stronger ties with stable and moderate allies like Egypt now more than ever.
Security Forces Deployed in Lebanese Refugee Camp William Harrison Hurt Palestinian factions agreed on March 4 to form a joint security force for deployment in a southern Lebanese Palestinian refugee camp, Ain al-Hilweh, following an outbreak of violence at the end of February. The security force, which will not exceed more than 100 service members, will be composed of roughly 60 percent Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) forces and 40 percent local Islamist groups. Colonel Bassam al-Saad will lead the force. A member of Fatah, the secular nationalist party that dominates the PLO, al-Saad will appoint a deputy chief to co-lead the force with him from Hamas, a terrorist Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist organization. Although Hamas and Fatah have historically rivaled, the two groups began reconciliation after a May 2011 unity agreement. The new force seeks to prevent future violence following armed conflict that erupted in Ain al-Hilweh towards the end of February. Clashes involving automatic guns and rockets broke out on February 26 between
Fatah members and Islamist militants in the camp. By the time a ceasefire was declared on February 28, at least four were injured and two were killed, including 12-year-old Arafat Mustafa, a student at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA condemned the violence in a statement on March 1, accusing armed actors of entering three UNrun schools and causing a suspension of most UN health and education services. The Middle East Monitor estimated that violence prevented 5,200 students from “enjoying their right to education.” Ain al-Hilweh holds 54,116 registered refugees, according to the UNRWA. However, the UN may not have registered the majority of refugees living there. Local camp officials estimate that it contains 120,000 residents, with each apartment within the 1,500 square-meter complex hosting four to six families. An influx of Palestinian refugees fleeing Syrian camps after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war has led to overcrowding. Some policies peddled as security
Al Taa’ Al Marbouta at the United Nations Deniz Citak
The Egyptian women’s rights organization Al Taa’ Al Marbouta announced on March 15 at the sixtyfirst annual Conference on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations that it would be expanding internationally. At the CSW, the organization held the Global Launch of the Taa’ Marbouta Campaign, organized by the Egyptian Mission to the UN. The group, named after the Arabic letter that marks words as feminine, was launched in October 2016 in Cairo by the Egyptian National Council for Women (NCW) and the UN. Taa’ marbouta literally means “the ’t’ that is chained,” but the slogan of the campaign is “Taa’ Marbouta is not your restriction, it is your strength.” According to an Egyptian Civil
Society Organization leader, the Egyptian government officially supported the organization last year by giving free television and radio airtime to spread knowledge. Members of the audience from other Arab, Middle Eastern, and African countries were hopeful that the campaign would be well-received in their countries, despite the organization’s Egyptian origins. This movement is different from many others because of its accessibility and relevance to the ordinary people of Egypt. According to panelists at the CSW, this campaign features local Egyptian people. The panelists agreed that lasting change must come from credible sources and should be universally accessible. Egyptian men and women, they said, can watch the videos and see themselves.
initiatives have exacerbated tension. In particular, the Lebanese army began construction on a wall surrounding Ain al-Hilweh in November 2016, cited as a measure to prevent terrorist infiltration. Residents expressed outrage at the wall’s construction, comparing it to Israel’s controversial barrier on the West Bank. Many saw the wall as a means for turning the refugee camp into a prison-like environment. In response to protests, the army
briefly halted the wall’s construction but eventually continued. On February 23, The Daily Star reported that only 15 to 20 percent of the wall remains to be completed. With its completion and the addition of new security forces, the residents of Ain al-Hilweh will face a much more securitized environment. Whether such an environment will successfully crack down on armed conflict or fuel instability by raising tensions will shape future conditions for these refugees.
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Jaramana refugee camp in Syria for Palestinians.
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S core Se t t l i n g i n Tri po l i I ntensi f ies Egyptian MP Forces loyal to the United Nationsbacked Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj attacked the base of the rival General National Congress (GNC) at the Rixos Hotel, the headquarters of the Libyan High Council of State in Tripoli on March 15. The fighting originated from a dispute between pro-GNA and pro-GNC militias over control of a bank and spread among the western districts of the capital, said Al Jazeera. In response to the fighting, the leader of the GNC, Khalifa al-Ghawil, said, “our National Salvation Government withdrew from its offices in Tripoli to stop the bloodshed.” It is rumored that al-Ghawil was injured in the fighting and fled to his home city of Misrata. A brief ceasefire brokered by the GNA’s Presidency Council between militias supporting the different administrations was signed earlier in the evening in the original GNA headquarters at Bu Sitta Naval Base; however, sporadic clashes have continued as some militias reject the agreement, said Libya Herald.
The GNA is the result of the UNbrokered Libyan Political Agreement which attempts to end Libya’s governing crisis that has existed since the 2011 Arab Spring ousted dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Under the agreement, the rival administrations of the western-based General National Congress (GNC) and the eastern House of Representatives (HoR) would merge into a Council of Deputies to act as the country’s new legislature, said Al Jazeera. The executive body is a regionalist Presidential Council (PC) led by Fayez al-Sarraj, which presides over the GNA. After being signed in 2015 and approved by the UN Security Council, the GNC rejected the political agreement and refused to transfer power to the PC. After threatening to shoot down al-Sarraj’s plane upon its arrival in Tripoli, al-Sarraj and the PC with the assistance of the Libyan Navy sailed from Tunisia to Bu Sitta port in March 2016, said Press TV. Many militias agreed to administer the UNbacked agreement, forcing al-Ghawil and his allies to flee the government ministries in Tripoli to their home in Misrata, reported Libya Herald. The GNC subsequently dissolved.
Peace did not last in Tripoli. Attempts to institutionalize the militias into a Presidential Guard found little success, while al-Ghawil and his allies in Tripoli and Misrata re-organized. In October 2016, al-Ghawil’s forces attempted a coup against al-Sarraj and seized the Rixos Hotel from the GNA, where he declared himself prime minister of the new GNC, resulting in three administrations competing for power in Libya.
Many militias have agreed to administer the UN-backed agreement. This recent violence signals an attempt by the GNA to rid itself of the perennial problem of al-Ghawil; however, al-Ghawil has powerful tribal militia backers in Misrata that have become battle-hardened from their recent victory over ISIS in neighboring Sirte. If Misratan forces continue supporting al-Ghawil and move on Tripoli to reinforce him, the current political arrangement in Libya may become obsolete.
Russia Increases Involvement in Libya April Artrip Oleg Krinitsyn, the head of private Russian security firm RSB Group, said that his firm sent contractors into Libyan territory to support General Haftar in his fight for control over the embattled country, reports Reuters. According to Krinitsyn, the firm had consulted with the Russian foreign ministry during the operation, which ended in February 2017. The use of private contractors to subvert the Libyan government signals a shift in Russian military strategy. The Russian government believes Haftar will stabilize Libya, but is divided over how to support him. General Haftar leads the Libyan National Army, a military faction aligned with the Council of Deputies (CoD). The CoD is battling the UNbacked Government of National Accord (GNA) and other small rebel groups, such as Islamist factions and ethnic militias. The Libyan Civil War of 2014 began when members of the General National Congress (GNC) refused to disband or relinquish authority to the democratically-elected CoD in Tobruk. In April 2016, the UN
brokered a peace deal wherein the GNC handed power to the Presidential Council of Unity Government, the GNA. However, Haftar refused to unify.
Russia has a clear willingness to support Haftar, claiming that he promotes stability. Russia has been increasing its involvement in Libya, granting diplomatic and military support to Haftar. The Russian oil company Rosneft announced a production and exploration deal with the Libyan National Oil Corporation amid Haftar’s fight to regain control over the oil ports that Islamist militias have captured and ceded to the GNA. U.S. aerial aircraft also observed the movement of Russian special forces, transport aircraft, and a drone to Egyptian bases on the Libyan border on March 14. Haftar’s forces announced on March 15 that they had regained two of the oil ports using airstrikes and
troop mobilizations, according to The Financial Times. The oil ports provide the majority of Libya’s wealth, and diminished control has damaged the GNA’s ability to sustain itself and assert its authority over the fractured country. In response, the U.S. and the EU released statements demanding an end to the fighting and that Haftar return the oil ports to the central authority, said EUobserver. Foreign governments and international organizations worry that the continued instability in Libya, exacerbated by the transformation of the largely militia-based conflict into a proxy war, will empower Islamic militants and encourage migrant smugglers to exploit conflict and route migration paths. Russia demonstrates a clear willingness to support Haftar, claiming that he promotes stability. However, foreign policy officials within Russia remain divided over the ultimate goal of their support. The Foreign Ministry wants Haftar to eventually unite with the GNA, but defense ministers and Kremlin executives would prefer Haftar to solely control the embattled country.
Seeks To Extend Presidential Term Adam Kline Egyptian parliamentarian Ismail Nasreddine introduced a new constitutional amendment on February 26 to extend the presidential term and remove term restrictions, among other measures. While Nasreddine justified the move as beneficial for democracy and long-term policy planning, it comes alongside declining support for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi amid national economic troubles and security concerns. The current Egyptian Constitution was adopted in January 2014, six months after the popular uprising and military overthrow that ousted Mohamed Morsi and replaced him with el-Sisi. Article 140 limits the president to two four-year terms, outlines elections procedures, and bars the president from “hold[ing] any partisan position for the duration of the presidency.” Article 103 requires that Egyptian MPs “devote [themselves] to the tasks of membership” and keep their posts “in accordance with the law.” Article 190 sets out the mandate of Egypt’s State Council, declaring it “an independent judiciary body” that serves as an administrative court system. Nasreddine has served as an independent MP since the Mubarak days, representing the workingclass Helwan region of South Cairo. A member of the Committee on Housing, Nasreddine has worked on reforming Egypt’s rent laws. Under Nasreddine’s proposed plan, el-Sisi would be able to serve an unlimited
KREMLIN
Moez Hayat
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
number of six-year terms, MPs would gain additional benefits, and the State Council’s power would be checked. The changes would ensure the president’s right to run for office and “the right of the people to choose or reject him,” Nasreddine announced, adding that longer terms would allow the president greater opportunity for long-term planning. The MP has begun collecting signatures for the proposition, which requires 20 percent support to begin parliamentary debate, as well as a two-thirds vote to pass. Finally, the amendment must be approved by a referendum. It is unclear whether el-Sisi will run for re-election, and Nasreddine stated on March 1 that he would delay the amendment, citing constituents’ concerns and stressing that the changes would not apply to elSisi’s term.
Under Nasreddine’s proposed plan, el-Sisi would be able to serve an unlimited number of six-year terms. Egypt has been suffering from poverty and debt. El-Sisi’s administration has cut fuel subsidies, instituted a value-added tax, and freefloated the local currency to hurdle the economic challanges. El-Sisi is generally popular among Egyptians, who believe he has ensured security and stability, but his support has recently taken a downturn because of the government's austerity measures.
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SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Comoros Announces Geothermal Project The Union of the Comoros is moving forward with plans to construct a geothermal plant to supply energy to the country. The initiative envisions tapping into a geothermal reservoir located 1,700 to 1,900 meters below the Karthala volcano on Grande Comore, the largest of the country’s three main islands. The project was announced at a recent general assembly meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency, a United Nations-affiliated organization headquartered in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The African Union (AU) has pledged to contribute $14.8 million to the project and the government of New Zealand will supply $4 million, according to ESI Africa, a journal on power issues. The Comoros currently relies on fossil fuels for 96 percent of their energy needs, leading to frequent fuel shortages and power blackouts. The Karthala project could result in 30 to 50 megawatts (MW) of energy
production, nearly tripling the country’s current installed generating capacity of 22 MW, as reported by ThinkGeoEnergy, a geothermal research group that has been tracking the project since research began in 2014. Noting the geological context of the Comoros as favorable to geothermal energy, teams from New Zealand first partnered with Comorian officials in July 2015 to begin exploring the viability of geothermal power generation on Grande Comore. These initial tests focused on the 2,600-meter Karthala volcano, particularly its large caldera, the cauldron-like depression found at the top of many volcanoes. Karthala’s caldera is particularly large, measuring four by three kilometers. The encouraging results from these experiments revealed the existence of the geothermal reservoir, which has an exploitable temperature of 300° Celsius. Since then, the project’s backers have completed a full business plan and launched environmental studies and site design.
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Jonathan Dörnhofer
S. Africa, Nigeria Join Forces After Attacks Bethania Michael
The Karthala volcano is the site of a proposed geothermal energy facility.
These moves are designed to encourage private investors and donors to support the initiative. ESI Africa reported that the backers seek an additional $27 million to augment the combined $19 million they have received from New Zealand and the AU. Critically, the venture has the backing of the Comorian government. In an interview with ThinkGeoEnergy, Djaffar Ahmed Said Hassani, who runs the Comorian Ministry of Energy, said that his “government is committed to geothermal energy because it knows that this energy is the future and allows us to boost our economy.” Ethiopia and Kenya are currently the only African countries to exploit
geothermal resources. The latter is home to the Olkaria II plant—the largest one of its type in Africa with a capacity of 35 MW. Eritrea, Djibouti, Uganda, and Zambia have undertaken preliminary research on tapping into their geothermal resources, but the Comoros is the only country outside of the geologically-active Great Rift Valley to use the technology to date. Currently, the project’s planners have begun developing infrastructure to access the remote volcano. They have also started to search for a specific site to construct a facility, conducting tests of bedrock and soil to find a suitable location. This work is expected to continue at least until further funding is secured.
Kenya’s Striking Doctors Sign Deal, Cont’d from p.1 Jessica Hickle punished upon their return to work. KMPDU General Secretary Ouma Oluga expressed support for the agreement, saying that one of the agreement’s biggest achievements is that doctors will now work only 40 hours per week and will be compensated for hours beyond that. Previously, doctors were on call at all times. However, the strike took a deadly toll, leaving millions without healthcare. The Kenya Cancer Association reported an average of three deaths per week since the beginning of the strike, an increase of 50 percent from last year. The strike has also impeded the efficacy of emergency medical services. VOA interviewed Judy Nabwani, a Kenyan woman whose son was hit by a speeding car. He was taken to a public hospital but all of its doctors were on strike, so arrangements were made to
transfer him to a private hospital. The boy died waiting for transportation to the second hospital. “It is regrettable that it took so long. Kenyans have suffered.We cannot fathom the extent of pain which Kenyans felt in the 100 days,” said Health Minister Cleopa Mailu. Private hospitals continued to operate but offered an unrealistic alternative for many Kenyans due to higher costs. Dissatisfaction with the lack of access to healthcare continues to grow as the strike persists. A survey by Ipsos conducted in January found that 65 percent of Kenyans wanted doctors to end the strike and return to work. A case involving the doctors’ return to work was presented at the Court of Appeals on March 13 before the strike was resolved the following day. A court ruled in December that the strike was illegal but suspended union leaders’ sentencing to allow for negotiations between the union and the government.
A South African group named the Mamelodi Concerned Residents helped organize a rally in Pretoria against foreign nationals on February 24. During the rally, citizens looted the shops of immigrants. President Jacob Zuma released a statement advising “citizens and non-nationals to exercise restraint,” but said that the march was “anti-crime in the main” and “was not an anti-foreigners march,” BBC said. The Nelson Mandela Foundation, however, said the rally is a “March of Hatred.” In a report released the day of the rally, Human Rights Watch warned that attacks could spread throughout South Africa again, alluding to previous outbreaks of xenophobic violence in 2008, when such violence reached its apex, and in 2015. Prior to last month’s rally, South Africans targeted over 20 immigrantowned shops outside Pretoria and at least 12 houses in Rosettenville. The International Organization for Migration announced its disapproval of the protest, while South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba attributed it to a “lack of jobs” and “drug peddling and prostitution involving foreigners,” Al Jazeera stated. Following the protest, the Nigerian government urged South Africa and the African Union to work to end the violence. The Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA) asserted that protesters targeted Nigerian immigrants and businesses. NUSA reported, according to Al Jazeera, that some of its members received threatening phone calls and blackmail. South Africa and Nigeria announced that they will begin an “early warning system” with hopes to monitor and decrease instances of violence. South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, explained that the “monitor would meet every three months” and would be comprised of Nigerian and and South African representatives, according to a recent Al Jazeera report.
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Worsening Conditions Question Mugabe’s Political Future Poor economic conditions in Zimbabwe, paired with longtime leader Robert Mugabe’s lavish personal spending, have increased tensions in the country and raised questions about a possible regime change following the 2018 presidential elections. Mugabe, the world’s oldest head of state, has held power since the country gained independence in 1980, following a long career as a political activist and guerrilla leader in the previous minority rule regime. Mugabe began his presidency with policies that supported agriculture and promoted post-colonial reconciliation with white Zimbabweans. Following the death of his wife 12 years into his presidency, Mugabe married Grace Marufu, a State House secretary 41 years his junior, who many say has encouraged his regime’s corruption and extravagant spending. His popularity began to dwindle as drought worsened conditions in the country, even as the president and his new wife spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on birthday parties and a 25-bedroom mansion, CNN reported.
In 2000, Mugabe ordered the seizure of thousands of white-owned farms in response to opposition party efforts to limit his power. “It’s the beginning of the end of the economy of this country,” one man forced to leave his farm said to The Guardian. Food production collapsed in the early 2000s, leading to massive hyperinflation as Mugabe’s government continued to print money to cover its increasing debt. At its highest point in 2008, inflation hit 500 billion percent, reported Bloomberg, and a single loaf of bread cost over Z$10,000. Unemployment stagnated at 94 percent. Corruption became more explicit as state-sponsored violence and intimidation of opposition parties led to Mugabe’s sixth presidential victory in 2008 in an election shunned as not free or fair by leaders all around the world. Power sharing agreements put into place after the 2008 election eased economic strife, but Mugabe continued to spend exorbitantly, hosting opulent parties and buying his wife a $1.3 million diamond ring with government money. Chronic health issues have also required Mugabe to
travel frequently to the international doctors, resulting in millions of dollars spent on private jets. Although the aging president has reassured the country several times that he still plans to run for reelection in 2018, doubts about his health may create an opportunity for the ascendancy of another candidate. Grace Mugabe has indicated her willingness to run after her husband’s death, and she may have to in order to retain any semblance of political power. However, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa is the current favorite to succeed as
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Sarah Mathys
president. Opposition leaders, however, could choose their own candidate. Weeks after Mugabe’s multi-million dollar 93rd birthday celebration, the president sent 1,000 packages of generic dry biscuits to victims of a devastating flood in the southern half of the country. This blatant disparity between the luxury of the current administration and the poverty of the country may serve as a flashpoint, galvanizing anti-Mugabe sentiment and giving outsider candidates a chance in 2018.
Grace Mugabe with Robert Mugabe.
Millions at Risk in Somalia’s Drought, Famine Ahmad Al-Husseini Somalia declared a national crisis on February 28 as an estimated six million Somalis, nearly half of the population, are now considered food insecure and are at risk of starvation, according to The Guardian. The famine continues to worsen amid a severe drought following multiple seasons of record-low rainfall. On March 10, the UN urged for a 1rapid response to prevent what they have called one of the worst humanitarian crises since 1945, reported by The Guardian. VOA News has reported that Somalia, along with the entire Horn of Africa, desperately relies on rainfall because of its desert environment. Across Africa, herding and other livestock-related occupations make up the majority of day-to-day jobs. These individuals are the most heavily affected by drought, which has hindered their ability to properly care for livestock and caused animals to die from thirst, hunger, and disease. United Nations Food and Agriculture representative Richard Trenchard brought the issue to light, explaining that the death of 50 to
70 percent of livestock herds is an “enormous hit for these pastoral families.” The loss of livestock results in the starvation of many of these families, whose entire income and livelihood rely on the health of their animals.
Nearly half of the population is food insecure and at risk of starvation as the famine worsens. The death of livestock is central to the transition of shortages and droughts into full-scale famines. Many of the deadliest famines in history, including both Bengal famines and the Chalisa famine in India, occurred largely because of livestock deaths, as reported by Listverse. One reason why livestock can die so quickly is because hungry animals, especially camels, sheep, and goats, are much more likely to contract deadly illnesses. Illness actually accounts for significantly more livestock deaths than starvation, so the UN plans to combat this through
major animal vaccine intervention. The very limited aid being provided to Somalia in the form of money, food, and other supplies has had difficulty reaching needy civilians, largely due to the militant group Al-Shabab. The extremist group continues to block roads and entrances to rural villages, taking aid and supplies for themselves. The humanitarian emergency may extend into the security and political spheres. The famine has economic consequences, undermining and destabilizing the new government. Somalia had its first organized presidential election in over 20 years in early February, with dual-U.S. citizen Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo coming to power. Farmajo’s presidency came as a refreshing and optimistic change, but the instability could threaten his power as Al-Shabab looks to make gains. According to the Daily Nation, Farmajo declared the famine a national disaster, calling on other governments and aid organizations to urgently respond with food and livestock aid. New UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the need for global cooperation during his visit to
Somalia, saying, “It is exactly because it is tragic and because it is hopeful that it makes sense to make a very strong appeal to the international community to support Somalia at the present moment.” The UN chief called for a goal of raising $825 million to support six million Somalis for a period of six months. Much remains to be seen, but the global community must act urgently and graciously to prevent the deaths of millions of starving Somalis in their time of dire need.
Farmajo declared the famine a national disaster, calling on foreign governments for food aid. During similar droughts and famines in the Horn of Africa in the past, global aid initiatives have sent billions in aid to the affected regions, though little has been done to solve the underlying dependence on volatile livestock and crops that causes famines at such a scale.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jessica Hickle
T
anzanian President John “the Bulldozer” Magufuli took another crack at demolishing party corruption this week when the ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), unanimously voted to amend its constitution on March 13. The amendments will usher in major changes to party structure and systems, The Citizen said. Among several changes, the decision reduces the number of Central Committee members from 34 to 24 and shrinks the size of the National Executive Committee from 380 to 163. It also prohibits officials from holding multiple leadership posts within the party, Tanzania Daily News said. The amendments also seek to strengthen CCM’s economic resources—although without specifying how—and to make the party more economically independent. Magufuli spoke highly of the changes, noting that they would “improve the efficiency of the ruling party and enable it to compete effectively with opposition,” The Citizen reported. While the new reforms appear to take significant steps towards rooting-out party corruption, they also raise concerns about Magufuli’s consolidation of power in Tanzania. The changes to the CCM constitution also compel more outsider wings within the party to amend their constitutions to align with recent changes. More concerningly, CCM Secretary for Ideology and Publicity Humphrey Polepole told delegates that the party would begin building its own university at the end of next year. “We want to groom our politicians who will be able to maintain a strong party which will continue to lead while others follow,” he said. So, while Magufuli argues that these changes will allow the ruling party to compete with the opposition, they may simply increase the CCM’s hegemony. CCM has maintained control of the government since Tanzania became a multi-party democracy in 1992. Considering these recent changes to strengthen the party and create future generations of politicians to hold the party line, it is clear that CCM does not intend to break its streak anytime soon.
12 | MA R. 2 4 , 2 0 17
SOUTH & SOUTHEAST ASIA
A
s Indian elections wrapped up in March, it became evident that the dynamics of voter demands and ideologies in party politics on the subcontinent have drastically changed. The blitz of Prime Minister Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) represents historic shifts for Indian politics. BJP’s new hold on Uttar Pradesh formed the strongest majority since 1977, Al Jazeera reported. The demonstrated popularity of the BJP right-wing ideology comes in conjunction with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a New India and reflects the country’s desire to cultivate a forward-looking vision. Modi’s diplomatic and economic strides, mixed with his socially conservative views, render him a decisive leader to pay attention to in the coming years. Meanwhile, the Rohingya crisis remains a pressing question for the region. Approximately 140,000 Rohingya still remain in the Burmese Rakhine state. Bangladesh has received the largest influx of Rohingya refugees since the 1990s, Al Jazeera said. Bangladesh continues to debate the pressing issue of Rohingya resettlement. Rohingya refugees are also facing issues in areas across the subcontinent, namely in India. Approximately 10,000 Rohingya have been resettled in India, with 5,700 of them living in Jammu in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Their residency is challenged, however, by the rhetoric of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party. Nonetheless, India maintains a normally liberal policy of accepting and resettling refugees. The shifting political tides of the subcontinent represent serious changes for its population. While the Indian government becomes more conservative from the federal and local levels, it becomes increasingly likely these changes will greatly affect India’s legacy as its economy and world influence advances. Social and religious cleavages may look similar to those Europe in the coming months and years, potentially shifting the dynamics of democracy worldwide.
Ghazal Ullah The Pakistani government’s decision to seal its border with Afghanistan on February 16 due to security issues has proved to be detrimental to both countries’ economies, Dawn stated. According to Al Jazeera, after a series of devastating terrorist attacks that occurred in Pakistan in midFebruary, the government resolved to shut down two of its major crossings on the border with Afghanistan, the Torkham and Chaman crossings. This decision arose from Pakistan’s belief that the violence was carried out by Tehreek-e-Taliban, an anti-state terrorist organization with strong ties to the Afghan Taliban. The 1.5-mile border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Durand Line, has served as a point of contention between the two countries throughout their history. As reported by Dawn, each country has consistently accused the other of harboring militants and sponsoring terrorism beyond its own borders. However, both Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to deny all charges. The tenuous border relations
reached a breaking point with the attack on the Sufi shrine in Sehwan, Pakistan, after which the decision to seal the border was taken. Although the Pakistani government enacted the closure on February 16, it conceded to open the border temporarily on March 7 and 8. They took this measure, says Al Jazeera, in order to ensure the safe return of Afghan or Pakistani nationals with valid visas, who had travelled across the border for business or medical purposes. Both Dawn and Al Jazeera state that many officials in both countries argued against the closure. The border acts as one of the most lucrative trade crossings in South Asia, despite the security problems. The Afghan ambassador to Pakistan, Omar Zakhilwal, believes that shutting the border serves no purpose. Rather, it puts both countries at an economic disadvantage. The closure has resulted in the loss of trade worth hundreds of thousands of dollars; significant amounts of perishable goods have rotted in trucks that have been stopped at the border. Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, vice president
of the Afghanistan/Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, told Dawn, “Afghanistan depends on Pakistan for everything from needles to helicopters.” In response to the recent diminution of supplies, prices in Kabul soared. For Afghanistan, the transit through Pakistan into Karachi is crucial for export of goods to international markets. Cross-border trade is also necessary in order to transport supplies to NATO troops still stationed in Afghanistan.
It has only been one month since the closure, and trade between the two countries has already been reduced by half a billion dollars. In spite of this, Pakistan has not declared when, or even if, the border will re-open. Both countries have provided each other with a list of security demands that must be met before trade resumes. If Afghanistan and Pakistan do not make concessions toward regional cooperation, businesses in both countries will suffer drastically.
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Ridwan Meah
Afghanistan and Pakistan Border Closure Destroys Trade
Torkham crossing on Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Singapore Water Prices Rise by 30 Percent, Cont’d from p.1 Alesha Gulamhussein Kwang Ng, Winsemius professor of economics at the Nanyang Technological University, affirming that “the 30 percent price increase is highly desirable,” given that water has always been under-priced. The escalating uncertainty of the island’s water supply prompted considerable investments in its water infrastructure. Consequently, the Singaporean government commissioned the construction of three desalination plants to be built in the next three years. In addition to securing more sources of clean water, the Singaporean government plans to invest heavily in the sewage network system in an effort to strengthen the overall water supply. A $2.9 billion Deep Tunnel Sewerage System will operate by 2025, while an additional $3 billion will be invested elsewhere. These initiatives derive from the government’s growing concern over decreasing water levels in Malaysia’s Johor Linggu Reservoir,
Singapore’s primary source of water. A poll conducted by a local train station attests to Professor Biswas’ claim that “Singaporeans have been taking water for granted just because nothing has happened in the last few years”. Of the 100 people interviewed by The Sunday Times, 75 of them did not know how much they spend on water each month, and 50 percent thought the hike was unnecessary.
Of the 100 people interviewed, 75 did not know how much they spend on water each month. Despite agreeing that this increase was long overdue, Professor YewKwang Ng believes that the increase was too sudden, adding, “The Government should have increased the price several times over the past 17 years. Now, it is too late to do this.” While the government is
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
Map of Singapore.
ensuring that overall spending on water will continue to be one percent of household income, 75 percent of businesses will experience a monthly increase of $25 in costs, or less than one dollar per day. Though these effects are not immediately discernable, water conservation and security should be among the nation’s top priorities.
Given that 72 percent of respondents to the poll were unsure of how to reduce their consumption of water, Singaporean water management requires significant improvement. Fortunately, Singapore stands at the forefront of water innovation and is transforming into a hub for revolutionary water technology advances.
M A R. 24, 2017 | 13
Pakistan Announces First Census in 19 Years Indian and Pakistan launched its first census in 19 years across 63 districts on March 15, according to Dawn. Dawn reported that the census will take place in two stages: the first will occur from March 1 to April 15 and the second will occur from April 15 to May 15. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) will release results representing 87 districts by the end of July 2017. Dawn estimates that Pakistan has a population of around 200 million. The PBS will carry out the census with around 300,000 staffers and include 55 million forms. The Pakistani army will distribute a second set of forms. Around 119,000 individuals from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics will aid in carrying out the census, said Dawn. Around 200,000 members of the Pakistani Army will be involved in managing the second set of forms. This will be Pakistan’s sixth-ever census. Dawn also reported that, according to the Pakistani constitution, the government must conduct a census every ten years. However, a census has not taken place since 1998 due to conflict among politicians.
Prior censuses took place in 1951, 1961, 1972, and 1981, according to Dawn. The 1972 census was supposed to be conducted in 1971 but was delayed because of political conflict.
Only nine of the 70 Pakistani languages will be included in the census. The census in 1998, which should have taken place place in 1991, experienced delays because the initial stage of the census showed a 171 percent increase in the population of Sindh province, The Herald said. Policymakers and other provinces refuted the numbers, halting the census. The census will prepare for the national election next year and will help to shift administrative boundaries, parliamentary seat allocations, and finances. Several groups have voiced concerns about the census, according to Dawn. Residents of the province of Punjab fear diminished influence
because their population has grown at a slower rate than that of other provinces. Ethnic Balochis are worried that they will be labeled a minority in their home province of Balochistan because of the increased Pashtun presence in the province, Dawn reported on January 30. Balochis also fear that the census will include the province’s more than one million Afghan refugees with Pakistani national identity cards. Federally-administered tribal areas will become part of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, allowing the province to have greater representation in government, according to Dawn. According to The Express Tribune, only nine of around 70 Pakistani languages will be included in the census. In terms of religion, Pakistanis can declare themselves Muslim, Christian, Hindu or “members of scheduled castes,” referring to marginalized indigenous groups. On March 16, Pakistan’s Supreme Court required that PBS and the federal government include individuals with disabilities and transgender individuals in the census.
BJP Secures Major Victory in Uttar Pradesh Shane Quinn
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the state elections in Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in India. These results came on March 11 and give the BJP a strong mandate to lead, as they won 312 of the 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, according to The Hindu. The Samajwadi (Socialist) Party retained only 47 of its previously held 224 assembly seats. This election is one of great importance, and its result is a strong indicator for the future course of Indian politics. Before these new elections, the BJP reigned as the largest party in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, whose members are elected directly. Due to its victories, it can also become the majority party in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house, in which state governments elect representatives; it is currently controlled by the Indian National Congress. The monumental BJP win in Uttar Pradesh can now contribute to the party’s dominance of the Indian government. In addition to the party’s
control of the Lok Sabha and the office of the prime minister, BJP seems likely to gain control of the Rajya Sabha and even the presidency. President Pranab Mukherjee of the Indian National Congress will complete his term this coming July, and according to NDTV, his party will have trouble holding onto the position in light of the BJP gains.
The monumental BJP win in Uttar Pradesh can now contribute to the party’s dominance. The success of the BJP is a marker of the rise and popularity of the right wing in India, following what seems to reflect a global trend. The BJP, according to their own website, follows Hindu nationalism, which promotes Hindu dominance of Indian society and government. This often leads to persecution of the large Muslim minorities in India, and there have been violent riots against
Muslim communities in the past. One infamous and particularly bloody riot was the 2002 Gujarat riots, which Dawn describes as “some of the worst violence since Independence,” killing more than 1,000 people. The BJP has managed to achieve this wide popularity through this kind of populism. Although, NPR attributes a large amount of the party’s success to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s own personal popularity. His hopeful promises of development and a New India have drawn, and continue to draw many of the nation’s impoverished to support him and his party. This kind of Islamophobic rhetoric that might encourage and enable violence against Muslims, has become mainstream not only in India but in many countries around the globe. For example, many accuse President Donald Trump of antiMuslim rhetoric. The rise of BJP thus represents a significant turn in India’s political rhetoric regarding socioreligious relations.
Bangladeshi Border Guards Celebrate Holi Caroline Schauder Border guards of India and Bangladesh celebrated Holi, a Hindu festival, together on March 12 on the shared international border, according to NDTV. This emphasizes the progression of relations between India and Bangladesh over the last decade. The Holi festival, which dates back to the fourth century, marks a Hindu celebration of the triumph of good over evil and the beginning of spring. People celebrate Holi by tossing colored powder into the air, completely coating each other as a welcome of the spring season. Holi is popular throughout India, as approximately 80 percent of the country identify as Hindu. In contrast, 90 percent of Bangladeshi population is Muslim. Despite their significant difference in religions, the Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB) joined India’s Border Security Force (BSF) in a Holi celebration on the Akhaura checkpost and other bordering areas of the Tripura state. According to NDTV, the guards tossed colors on each other and exchanged sweets. Behind the colorful festivities, Holi emphasizes forgiveness and encourages people to meet and repair any existing ruptured relationships. It is the only festival in which all caste, class, and race distinctions are abandoned and everyone participates freely.
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Shilpa Rao
Indian and Bangladeshi border security.
According to The Diplomat, India and Bangladesh have improved relations significantly over the last decade, with increases in bilateral trade and exchanges of energy. Bangladesh, originally established as East Bengal during the 1947 Partition of India, harbored some anti-India sentiments that led to a weak relationship between the two countries. However, historical and cultural similarities have helped strengthen the relationship. The ratification of the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement also served as an important turning point in resolving one of the most significant areas of contention between the two countries’ boundary disputes. Two years after the boundary agreement, the joint Holi celebration between Indian and Bangladeshi guards emphasizes the progress that both countries have achieved. The outward display of camaraderie highlights the diplomatic status of India and Bangladesh and serves as a notion of forgiveness. This stands in stark contrast to India’s western border between Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir, which the BBC says led to significant tension and a militant attack in the summer of 2016. The conflict emphasized the division between Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindumajority India, in which Jammu and Kashmir falls in the middle.
14 | MA RC H , 2 0 17
WESTERN EUROPE
Isaac Warden Despite high expectations on both sides for Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Donald Trump’s first meeting in Washington, D.C. on March 14, the meeting was postponed due to Winter Storm Stella. Though the storm may have passed, many commentators believe that the tenuous relationship between the two world leaders can only worsen. Prior to his election, Trump called Merkel’s refugee policy an “absolute disaster,” while he also backed Brexit and disavowed the European Union as an instrument of Berlin and Brussels. In response, Merkel reminded Trump of the indispensable cooperative values of democracy and equality instead of congratulating him on his victory. Nonetheless, differences continue. While Merkel remains primarily focused on political matters, Trump has shown that his interests lie primarily in the military and economy. Regarding this, he invited Merkel to Washington not smooth out their
relationship but to discuss President Vladimir Putin and European fears of growing Russian aggression. Nevertheless, knowing that this will represent a great opportunity to talk to Trump about other issues, Die Zeit reports that Merkel prepared herself to handle Trump’s evasive style. She read old interviews with Trump, assigned her highest consultants to sift through his foreign policy, and spoke to leaders like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada who has already met with him.
Trump has criticized the German-led EU as bureaucratic, socialist and elitist. On the other hand, Merkel has also expressed interest in employing less orthodox diplomatic means of negotiating with Trump and reached out to the owners of BMW to survey her economic options, a language which Trump understands far better
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Germany-U.S. Visit Starts on a Cold Note
Far Right Blocked in Dutch Election
Vivian Cox
Merkel expresses her desire to smooth out relationships with Trump.
than he does traditional diplomacy. However, some pundits have immediately argued that Merkel’s influence with Trump may only go so far. Not only had the U.S. already begun to shift away from Europe under President Obama, but Trump has also criticized the German-led EU as bureaucratic, socialist, and elitist. At the same time, the United States holds a trade deficit of about $69.5 billion with Germany, a reality that does not bode well with Trump’s isolationist economic philosophy. Peter Navaro, Trump’s head economic consultant, said, “Every country that has a clear trade deficit with the US, must work to reduce this over time.” Tensions remained high during
the rescheduled meeting on March 17. Unlike British Prime Minister Theresa May, Merkel cannot make a bilateral trade deal with the U.S. because of EU rules. Nonetheless, Merkel hopes to make the most of the limited tools at her disposal to influence Trump in the direction of what seems best for the EU, Germany, and, more broadly, liberal democracy. Optimism certainly still runs high for the visit as some Germans have cast this introduction as a showdown between Western, liberal values and populist nationalism; whereas, Charles Kupchan, former Obama foreign policy advisor relayed that “this is the most important meeting of [Trump’s] presidency.”
Iceland Curtails Capital Controls
Theo Symonds The Icelandic Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs revealed on March 14 that the government curtailed all capital controls on individuals, businesses, and pension funds. The controls were in place to limit flow of capital in and out of Iceland following the 2008 financial crisis. With the capital controls lifted, citizens and capital firms have almost full access to global markets for the first time since 2008. Statistics from the Central Bank of Iceland (CBI) reveal that by the third quarter of 2008, Icelandic banks had accumulated $38 billion in external debt, prompting capital controls that prevented foreign investors from pulling assets out of Iceland, which would have further plunged the currency - the króna- and the economy into despair. Since the Ministry’s announcement to close the ISK-EUR foreign exchange
market on March 14, the króna depreciated by 2.07 percent. The depreciation of the króna could bolster the CBI’s foreign exchange reserves, used to purchase offshore króna assets to mitigate economic instability. Now able to procure offshore króna, the CBI has estimated that “offshore króna assets amount to approximately [$23 billion],” and acquiring this capital from abroad would mitigate the “risks associated with a large stock of offshore króna assets.” Finance Minister Benedikt Jóhannesson heralded the “larger than ever before” Icelandic economy, diversified through its tourism, fisheries, and renewable energy sectors. Tourism is up 163.84 percent since 2010, the Icelandic Tourist Board reported. Tourism is the largest employing sector, accounting for one tenth of jobs. With the lifting of capital controls, Iceland is showing more confidence in its economy.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) were re-elected in the highly-anticipated Dutch parliamentary elections on Wednesday, March 15. According to official election results, the VVD received 31 of 150 seats in the House of Representatives, which are not enough to gain a majority but enough to form a coalition government with other centrist parties. The other main contender in the election, the far-right, anti-Islamist Party for Freedom (PVV), created by the controversial Geert Wilders, tied for second place with 19 seats. The fairly-new PVV did not fare as well as projected, with some earlier polls predicting that Wilders’ party could have gained a coalition majority. Wilders’ rise to power comes at a peculiar time in Europe, as voters appear to be rejecting European identity after Brexit, and the wave of extreme, populist, anti-immigration candidates rise in governments across the continent. For example, the resignation of Italy’s liberal prime minister Matteo Renzi, the decision of socialist French President Francois Hollande not to seek reelection, the surging candidacy of France’s far-right Marine Le Pen, and the possible defeat of the EU’s flagship liberal leader, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in elections this fall. Speaking at a press conference in November, Wilders hailed Trump’s victory as a “revolution” that would set off a course of political change in Europe. Speaking to British news agency Sky News on February 9, Wilders promised to call for a referendum for the Netherlands to leave the EU, which some have dubbed “Nexit.” Notably, voters were so worried that the Russian government would intervene as they did in the U.S. election that votes were counted by hand. However, popular consensus recognizes Wilders’ defeat and Rutte’s reelection as a setback for the recent trend of populism in Europe.
EU Permits Ban on Religious Symbols Luke Sekowski The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on March 16 that employers have the right to ban staff from wearing visible religious symbols in the workplace. The decision grants right-wing nationalists a victory amid the growing religious and ethnic tensions in Europe. The ruling added to growing populist sentiments at a time when several national elections will soon occur.
The court’s decision serves as the culmination of disputes brought forth in two cases, both involving suits Muslim women brought forward, one Belgian and one French, against their employers. Each case resulted in the limitation of the rights of the women to wear signs of their faith. According to the ECJ, the internal rules of businesses banning the wearing of conspicuous signs does not constitute discrimination, so long as the ban is neutral and non-preferential. Since
prohibition of visible religious symbols applies to those of all religions, discrimination does not apply in this case.
While the ruling does not single out Islam, many Muslims view it as a direct attack.
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The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
The idea behind the decision is that businesses should be permitted the freedom to make their own choices as to what image they would like to project. Yet, many people, especially Muslims, believe that symbols like the hijab are an integral part of their religion. “A ban on religious and political symbols feels to me as a disguised ban on the hijab”, said Ward el-Kaddouri in Al Jazeera. “I cannot think of another symbol that will affect hundreds of thousands of people in Europe,” added the report and summarized that such a ban infringed on their right to freely practice their religion. While the ruling does not single out Islam, many Muslims view it as a direct attack, particularly in
light of heightening Islamophobic sentiment throughout Europe. The ECJ’s decision comes at a crucial time in European politics. While Geert Wilders and the Party for Freedom (PVV) of the Netherlands were soundly defeated in the Dutch elections on March 16, the populist movement as a whole is gaining traction and threatens to dramatically change the European political landscape. Marine Le Pen of the farright National Front (FN) of France currently holds a lead in first-round presidential polls. The party is a bastion of populist ideals, including nationalist and anti-immigrant sentiments. Gilbert Collard, a member of the FN tweeted that the ECJ supported Le Pen’s ideologies, hailing the court’s decision as a gain to FN’s credibility. Currently, several European countries including France and Austria already have laws in place that on some level prohibit the wearing of religious signs in public. However, the execution of the ECJ’s ruling will be left to each individual national government. Both the capacity to which the ruling will be enforced across Europe and its impact on national elections are yet to be seen.
Ireland Predicts No Change in Politics Post-Election Despite the loss that pro-British unionists experienced in March 2 elections, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) will remain the biggest political party in Northern Ireland. According to the results published by the Northern Ireland Elections Office, the DUP received 28.1 percent of the votes and 28 seats, remaining the largest party in the assembly but losing its veto power. Overall, the unionist parties have suffered a major loss, losing their majority in the assembly for the first time since 1921, with only 40 seats out of 90. Sinn Féin emerged as the great winner of the election, increasing their share of the vote by 4 points to 27.9 percent and 27 seats, only one seat behind the DUP. Formerly associated with the Irish Republican Army, an armed group that fought for reunification, Sinn Féin now advocates for reunification of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland through peaceful means. In recent years, the party has emerged as the largest nationalist force in the region.
It is unlikely, however, that these results will have a major effect on local politics. Under the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, a complex system of power-sharing exists in which the two biggest parties are legally mandated to share the offices of First Minister and Deputy First Minister while other parties are entitled to get ministerial offices. Failure to comply would result in direct rule by London. The system ensures stability in the highly sectarian politics of Northern Ireland, where nationalists are mostly Catholics who identify as Irish, and unionists are Protestants who identify as British. The system results in a continuous coalition between unionists and nationalists as the only viable option. Yet, the elections draw particular attention because they were the first since the Brexit referendum of June 2016 in which Northern Ireland voted to remain in the Union, 56 to 44. Many fear that leaving the EU will mean the return of a hard border between the UK and Ireland, with terrible social and economic conditions for Northern Ireland’s population.
Nationalist parties have opposed Brexit and used its results as a new argument for reunification with Ireland. On March 12, Sinn Féin leader Michelle O’Neil called Brexit a “disaster” and asked for “a referendum on Irish unity to happen as soon a possible.” But British Prime Minister Theresa May refused such an option and stated that it “was not right to have a border poll at this stage,” said The Independent. Nationalist parties’ recent gains don’t necessarily equate renewed
support for reunification, warns Matthew Whitting, a Coventry University researcher writing for the London School of Economics website. The Assembly election was more about bedding-down better functioning Northern Irish institutions than moving closer to all-Ireland ones,” reports Whitting. Indeed, with only 22 percent in favor of reunification according to a September 2016 Ipsos Mori poll cited by The Irish Times, reunification still seems an unlikely outcome in the short term.
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Theo Krausz
Sinn Féin’s popularity at the elections in Ireland in March 2.
M A R. 24, 2017 | 15
EDITOR’S NOTE: Francesca Ractliffe
I
n recent years, Western Europe saw a significant rise of populist political rhetoric. It began with the pro-Brexit campaign of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which brought to the forefront divisive issues such as immigration, welfare, and the bureaucratic complexity of the European Union. However, Europe may not be permanently heading down a populist path despite the claims of leaders such as Theresa May in Britain and Marine Le Pen in France of its widespread appeal. In the Dutch presidential election, Geert Wilders, dubbed the Trump of the Netherlands, came in second place, which slowed the advance of far-right populist movements. Additionally, in the Austrian elections of December 2016, Norbert Hofer, a far-right nationalist, lost to leftist Alexander Van Der Bellen. In France, Marine Le Pen is polling ahead for the first round of voting but is expected to lose the runoff election. While Trump’s victory in the United States inspired a certain degree of populist sentiment, it also served as a wake up call to most of Europe, with many powerful politicians speaking up against Trump and his policies. In a story titled “2017 Might Not Be Europe’s Year of the Populist After All,” Time columnist Ian Bremmer wrote, “Few Europeans actually like the U.S. President. Fewer than 1 in 4 voters in Germany, France and the Netherlands want closer E.U.-U.S. ties [after Trump’s victory]. Among the Dutch, Trump wins support from just half of voters on the far-right. Perhaps Europe’s populists should be worried the tide is turning against them too.” This year will bring about interesting changes to the European political landscape, but only time will tell whether those changes will be marked by a shift toward populism. However, after Wilders’ loss and with Le Pen still a major longshot to win France’s runoff presidential election, a populist political tsunami across the European continent looks unlikely.
16 M A R . 24 , 2 0 1 7
THE ANCHOR
Impeachments Display New Immigration Ban Democratic Fervor Still Clashes With Law Nabil Kapasi, Opinion
News out of South Korea in early March detailed the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, an establishment politician with close business ties. Park’s confidant Choi Soon-sil received official documents and support to extort money from corporations like Samsung, leading to bribery charges. After contesting the impeachment and losing, Park lacks the immunity that came with her office. The masses of peaceful protesters created a scene similar to that in Brazil at the end of 2016, where another political veteran faced corruption charges. These charges gained popular support and, more importantly, show the growing rift and resentment between political elites and common people, a division evident in recent elections as well. Brazil and South Korea have had their fair share of troubles with democracy. Military dictatorships and corruption have damaged their quest for democracy since the beginning of the twentieth century, but recent events show a dramatic shift in public expectations of government. Park is the first peacefully-impeached South Korean president, but other leaders have been implicated in financial scandals. Protests across the nation call for the
former president to face criminal charges like a normal citizen. Thousands flooded the streets of Brazil calling for the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, the former president. In December 2016, the people protested once more, this time against the weak anti-corruption bill that passed through Congress. The popular will for a stronger law shows through, causing real political change and demand for accountability. Economic troubles and demands for transparency in politics brought down leaders in two nations with rich histories of financial mismanagement by politicians. Other nations, including the U.S. and Argentina, could face similar discontent from the masses demanding accountability. This poses a particularly dangerous threat to administrations relying on faulty and unstable economic prosperity, like Russia. As conditions in the U.S. deteriorate, even seemingly untouchable leaders are threatened by the masses. These examples show that populism is growing in the developing world; the people are rising. They are supported by courts and legislators, who are increasingly making leaders face up to their crimes. As was chanted at the women’s march, “This is what democracy looks like.” Political elites, beware.
Gabriel Gorre, Opinion
As a result of the public and judicial backlash against its previous immigration order, the Trump Administration released an updated version of the travel ban on March 6. Despite the modifications to the original order, significant opposition remains. By March 13, seven states had challenged the new order in court, arguing that, even in its current form, the order remains unconstitutional—or at a minimum, illegal.
Will these changes save the order in the courts?
The new list of affected countries no longer includes Iraq, though the ban still bars citizens from the other six countries on the list from entering the United States for 90 days. The ban also no longer subjects Syrian refugees to an indefinite ban, and the U.S. will no longer favor religious minorities. However, the general 120-day refugee ban remains. Notably, the ban does not affect refugees already granted asylum and immigrants who already have valid visas, said NBC News. Ultimately, the new ban is far less expansive than its predecessor.
Will these changes save the order in the courts? The president has a significant amount of power in issues of foreign affairs: the Constitution provides the executive with considerable leeway in matters of foreign policy, and Congress passed legislation in the mid-twentieth century providing the president with broad authority on matters of immigration. Numerous Supreme Court cases have upheld the right of the president and the U.S. government as a whole to ban large groups of people. The Supreme Court ruled that those outside the United States have no rights under the Constitution. This casts considerable doubt on claims that President Trump’s order violates the Constitution. However, the ban itself seems to violate an immigration law passed in 1965 that barred discrimination against immigrants on the basis of national origin. The recent order, which bases the exclusion of non-citizens on their country of origin, appears to be a direct contradiction to this law. This does not bode well for the efforts of the government to assert the legality of the new ban. Indeed, early signs point to its eventual demise: two judges have already halted the execution of the order, setting up future battles in higher courts.
Macon Sheppard, Opinion In the past few decades, the use of chemical weapons by rogue states such as Iraq, Syria, and North Korea has significantly eroded the international norms governing non-nuclear weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Although not as widely known and feared as hydrogen bombs, these weapons have the potential to be equally deadly—and far less controllable. Unfortunately, great powers often criticize these WMDs only when it suits them and ignore their own proxies’ uses of chemical weapons. A history of creeping violations of international law has influenced the international community’s complex perspective on non-nuclear WMDs. Critically, these violations have not occurred in defiance of the supposedly norm-setting great powers. To the contrary, rogue states have often employed these weapons with the aid—
or at least tacit acceptance—of one or more members of the United Nations Security Council. For example, in the closing days of the Iran-Iraq War, the CIA cooperated extensively with the Iraqi military and provided Saddam Hussein with vital information on Iranian facilities and defenses. The CIA did so with full knowledge that Hussein’s forces planned to bomb these areas with sarin gas, an extremely deadly toxin banned by international treaty. Hussein is not the only Middle Eastern leader to use chemical weapons, nor is he the most recent. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has also used chemical weapons against his own people, in flagrant violation of Obama’s now-infamous “red line.” Assad used the weapons knowing that he would receive support from his ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin. For example, Putin called on Syria to “completely destroy” its chemical
weapons, but did not push for larger punishment for their use against civilians. Unsurprisingly, traces of banned substances have been found at Syrian facilities since the much-touted “destruction.” The increasing use of chemical weapons is not exclusive to the Middle East. In fact, North Korean operatives used VX nerve agent in February 2017, in the blatant assassination of Kim Jong Un’s brother. This occurred on Malaysian soil, an outwardly friendly country. Although China ostensibly offered protection to the victim, Kim Jong Nam, China also values North Korea as a buffer between its territory and U.S.-aligned South Korea. Although this attack resulted in only a single death, it is more chilling than previous, larger attacks in an important way: it shows that chemical weapons have become so normalized that rogue states need not wait to use them in conventional
SAM LEE
Weapons of Mass Destruction Deployment Increases
International law has failed to eradicate the use of chemcial weapons.
war—they can now be employed for single assassinations, merely to make a point. If this pattern of normalization continues, one shudders to think where it shall lead. If the great powers of today continue turning a blind eye to their client states’ use of non-nuclear WMDs, then history will judge them harshly for the crimes of tomorrow.
EDITORS’ NOTE: Colton Wade
R
epublican government—as an institutional rather than an American concept—nearly always fails to fully represent the interests of the governed. Republics, by granting power to elected representatives, sacrifice individual participation in governance for expediency; if every citizen weighed in on each decision within a national political community, neither the society nor the government could properly function. Members of even the most liberal democracies, therefore, must contend with the reality of having leaders who no longer represent the interests of the majority of the population. In a presidential system, citizens grant their president a yearslong mandate to rule based on the national consensus as measured at one particular moment, the election day. As political realities shift and a nation moves forward, this president may fall out of favor with the majority of voters long before he or she is asked to give up power. How then can citizens expect or ensure accountability? The Anchor’s coverage this week shows that this disconnect between government and the will of the governed can often result in sharp public outcry. In the U.S., a new president has again followed through on a campaign promise to restrict immigration and is met by protests. In the same country, policy on the use of chemical weapons has often diverged from commitments enshrined in international law, but the executive’s broad autonomy in foreign policy leaves little for disagreeing Americans to do. Finally, as recently seen in South Korea and Brazil, the dischord can become so strong that a president is removed from her post. This institutional shortcoming should not disillusion citizens of republics, but rather impel them to action. Voting must be accompanied by regular civic engagement in order to ensure effective democratic accountability. In countries where these institutions do not yet allow citizens meaningful influence, work must be done to develop or reform them. Elected officials, by virtue of their authority, are bound to stray from the expressed interest of their voters; it is up to the voters to keep pulling them back on track.
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