The Caravel | Volume VI, Issue I

V O LU M E 6 | I S S U E 1

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India Integrates Drivers’ Licenses Into Digital Identification System Caroline Schauder

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Indian government announced on February 7 that the Aadhaar card, a twelve-digit identification number for all residents, will now link to drivers’ licenses, according to NDTV. The government plans to implement this initiative in an effort to prevent license fraud by connecting licenses issued in all states in real time. This addition follows the linking of other significant services such as welfare programs and financial services to India’s Aadhaar card.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) developed the Aadhaar card to create a database of the identities of Indian residents, according to the Hindu Business Line.

The card serves as an identification document after the UIDAI records and verifies each Indian resident’s per-

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko giving an interview during a state visit to Slovenia in 2016.

Ukrainians Call for Poroshenko Resignation

Mikheil Saakashvili in opposition to Poroshenko. Saakashvili served as president of Georgia from the 2003 Rose Revolution until his ouster in 2013, when Poroshenko granted him Ukrainian citizenship and a governing position in Odessa, noted the Guardian.

However, Saakashvili’s growing disillusionment with Poroshenko’s perceived progressiveness inspired the creation of a new opposition party, the Movement of New Forces.

The Guardian reports that, in recent months, the former presidentturned-regional governor has attracted significant media attention with his dramatic escape from Ukrainian

On the anniversary of Ukraine’s Euromaidan protests of 2013 and 2014, Ukrainians took to the streets once again to demand the resignation of President Petro Poroshenko, the Kiev Post reports. The recent wave of antiPoroshenko protests has been growing since October 2017, according to Newsweek. As combat with Russia in Ukraine’s eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk has frozen to a standstill with little promise of resolution, war veterans have become key drivers of dissidence in the growing anticorruption movement, Newsweek finds.

THE ANCHOR, 2-3

W. EUROPE & CANADA, 6-7

LATAM & THE CARIBBEAN, 8-9

MIDDLE EAST & C. ASIA, 12-13

Clinton Delivers Message on Women’s Rights, p. 2

German Parties Reach Coalition Deal, p. 6

EPP Releases Mennonite Hostages in Paraguay, p. 9

Uzbek President Fires Intelligence Chief, p. 12

E. EUROPE & RUSSIA, 4-5 Slovenia Threatens to Sue Croatia Over Border Dispute, p. 5

U.K. Government Divided Over Brexit’s Future, p. 7

INDO-ASIA-PACIFIC, 10-11 State of Emergency Declared in Maldives, p. 11

Iran Arrests 29 Women in Anti-Hijab Protests, p. 13

See “Calls for Resignation” on p. 4

See “Drivers’ Licenses” on p. 10

Evangelical Candidate Wins Costa Rica’s First-Round Vote

Although Poroshenko’s

government successfully ratified the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement following former proRussian President Viktor Yanukovych’s failure to do so, many believe that Poroshenko has not distanced himself enough from the former president and his preference for the oligarchic order, as found in Reuters. Demonstrators demand an end to the permissive attitude towards corruption, which, as Newsweek reports, includes laws that offer immunity to state legislators.

Furthermore, long-standing tensions between the people and Poroshenko are exacerbated by the rise of former Georgian President

Victoria Thomaides

sonal details, including demographic and biometric data like retina scans and fingerprints. The Times of India reports that 99 percent of Indians, more than one billion people, over the age of 18 have enrolled for an Aadhaar card. While the government does not officially require residents to register for Aadhaar, it made enrollment in the program necessary for basic services such as opening bank accounts, establishing death certificates, and most recently, welfare services. The Wire reports that, in total, the government issued 139 regulations calling for the linkage of Aadhaar to additional aspects of life.

The Supreme Court has faced 30 petitions and six interventions against the implementation of Aadhaar since 2012, according to the Wire. Opponents of the Aadhaar system pose two

Anastasia Chacón Costa Ricans cast their first-round vote on February 4 to select their president for the next four years.

According to La Nación, the election results indicate a deeply fractured country. Fabricio Alvarado, an Evangelical Christian singer and oneterm deputy, was the front-runner with 24.7 percent of the vote. He will face Carlos Alvarado, a writer representing the incumbent party who received 21.5 percent of the vote, in a second electoral round on April 1. The night’s biggest winner was abstentionism, with nearly 34.3 percent of the population declining to vote.

The presidential election took a defining turn on January 9 when the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a binding advisory opinion that obliges the Costa Rican government to legalize same-sex marriage and guarantees the right for transgender persons to officially change their gender in the civil register. The opinion came in response to a 2016 consultation by the current government.

The Court’s statement created a political backlash in the country, where there is still no separation between the Catholic Church and the state. According to a study by the See “Evangelical Wins” on p. 8

N. & SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, 14-15 Kenya and Uganda Accused of Prolonging War in South Sudan, p. 15 South Africa Projects Cape Town Will Run Dry in Weeks, p. 15

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THE ANCHOR

Hillary Clinton Delivers Message on Women’s Rights Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Georgetown University on February 5 for the annual Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security. She presented the award jointly to Nadia Murad, a UN goodwill ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking; Wai Wai Nu, a Rohingya human rights activist; and Lyse Doucet, the chief international correspondent for BBC. In her remarks, Clinton spoke of empowerment and hope and warned against complacency.

Clinton described the work that has been done to ensure that “the issue of women’s peace and security could no longer be relegated to the margins of international relations.” Specifically, she spoke out against sexual violence in conflict and urged people to treat it not as a partisan issue but as “an issue that goes to the very heart of who we are as human beings, to our common humanity.” Referring to Murad’s work on bringing justice to Yazidi victims of an ongoing genocide by the

Bryce Couch Joshua Haney Christopher Stein Suzie Kim Catherine Lee Irene Chun Jennifer Lu Suzie Kim Sean Fulmer Hannah Casey Janny Zhang Sarah Bothner Christopher Stein Caroline Schauder Jia Sheng Irene Chun Molly Dunlap Eric Schichein Austin Corona Gabriela Rodriguez Preetham Chippada April Artrip Claire Hazbun Bethania Michael Joshua Chang Felipe Lobo Koerich Ga Ram Lee Theo Symonds

Islamic State, Clinton said it was part of an important effort to combat the “scourge of global human trafficking.”

The 2016 presidential candidate also spoke about Nu’s efforts to build peace among Myanmar’s different ethnicities and recalled her time as secretary of state, when she introduced a UN Security Council resolution to mandate that peacekeepers protect women from sexual violence. Clinton also reflected on her role in publishing the first U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security and called on the current administration to continue to implement its recommendations.

Clinton praised Doucet’s work in journalism, applauding her for “telling the stories that are often overlooked.”

Clinton underlined the crucial role journalists play and declared that, in a time where “expertise, truth, and facts are under siege,” she continues to believe in objective truth, saying, “there is no such thing as alternative facts.”

Clinton concluded by calling on members of the audience to “use

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your education, your mind, and your resolve to make the world a better place.” She urged them not let their voices be silenced.

“It is hard to continue to speak up against what you think are obvious wrongs, but do not grow weary,” Clinton said. “Draw hope and inspiration from each of the honorees.”

“Use your education, your mind, and your resolve to make the world a better place.”

- Hillary Clinton When asked what remains to be done, Clinton said, “We have to nurture and protect the progress that’s been made” while continuing to make this work a priority. She warned against becoming complacent, adding, “I see an upward trajectory, but I don’t want us to plateau or to feel like it’s not our business anymore.”

Despite her loss in the 2016 presidential election, Clinton continues to champion the issues that she made a priority during both her

tenure as first lady and as secretary of state. Her message of hope and encouragement comes at a time when reproductive rights for women are being called into question. It also comes in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement that has seen thousands of women speak out against sexual abuse and sexual abusers.

The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security acknowledged the work that has been done by Clinton and the honorees as instrumental in furthering the cause of women’s rights. Doucet commented

that the movement has enabled women to tell their stories and that the actions of those recognized are just one step in empowering others to do good as well.

“Women have always wanted to tell their story. We just have to open the door or a window,” remarked Doucet.

Although there remains much to be done to protect women—both around the world and in the U.S.—Clinton was optimistic.

“I’m very confident because we are not going back, and women’s voices are not shutting up,” she declared to thunderous applause.

CAMILLA WASIAK

Caleb Yip

Hillary Clinton delivers encouraging message on Women’s Rights at Georgetown.

Georgetown Dreams of Friendship Ga Ram Lee Georgetown students came together on February 1 for the Day to Dream phone bank event, spending the day calling congresspeople to pass the Dream Act and protect DACA recipients. The event was held at Sellinger lounge, a location with a lot of foot traffic, to encourage active participation with the support of the Office of Federal Relations and GUSA’s Federal and DC Relations committee.

Day to Dream was a collaborative effort with 40 other universities across the United States, with around 150 students at Georgetown University alone participating in the event. When an interested student entered the booth to call a congressperson, the facilitators would teach them how to formally conduct the call to get the message across efficiently.

Various campaigns to persuade Congress to pass the Dream Act began in August on Georgetown’s campus, starting with initial steps to educate the school population on what the Dream Act is, what was at stake, and how Georgetown students and faculty members could make their voices heard about the importance of passing the Dream Act. Although there has been an increase in participation at Georgetown events to help the Dreamers, the reality that students face is a quick “thank you for your call” message with a lack of visible impact on congressional decisions.

However, this does not mean that college students should not care.

Saisha Mediratta, one of the main organizers of the Dreamers campaign on campus, said, “Despite the political difficulties we face, the campaign

itself is a symbolic measure that shows college students care and can come together to fight for our friends.” The main objective that she emphasized was the realization that the least we can do is become the companions of the undocumented community and offer emotional support and encouragement.

Every campaign instigated on campus, no matter how long it lasts, is a symbolic push for that alliance.

Saisha added that after the U.S. government shut down during the last week of January, an increasing number of students sought out events similar to Day to Dream. She said, “The number of participating students does not always reflect how much they care about the issue, and seeing that more people were actively reaching out to get more involved, we are ready to witness more substantial changes on campus as well,” said Saisha.

F E B. 19, 2018 | 3

Pence Vows Pressure on North Korea Despite Olympics The White House has announced that two senior officials, Vice President Pence and Ivanka Trump, will attend the Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The Games, which run from February 9th to February 25th, include over 2,000 athletes from 92 countries.

The Games come in the midst of escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula, with leaders of both North Korea and the U.S. hurling insults at each other over the past several months, according to BBC. The rising tension stems from North Korea’s renewed efforts to obtain the technology needed to produce intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, capable of striking the U.S. mainland. Despite several rounds of United Nations and international sanctions, North Korea has continually test-fired missiles over the Sea of Japan, raising concerns among neighboring countries.

Last month, North Korea unexpectedly agreed to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea, according to Korea Herald. After extensive negotiations between the North and the South, both

teams agreed to march under a single flag during the opening ceremony.

North Korea also sent Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong Un, and Kim Yong Nam, the nominal head of state of North Korea, according to the New York Times.

During the opening ceremony, South Korean President Moon JaeIn publicly shook hands with Kim Yo Jong, the powerful younger sister of Kim Jong Un, in a historic show of unity. Kim Yo Jong is the first member of the Kim dynasty to set foot on South Korean soil since the Korean War. Despite the friendly demeanors of both North and South Korean officials, Vice President Pence, who sat one row in front of Kim Yo Jong during the opening ceremony, did not interact with the North Korean delegation.

According to a statement

by White House officials, the seating arrangements were known beforehand, and “both sides rebuffed efforts by South Korean officials to set up a meeting” between the U.S. and North Korean delegations. Pence chose to remain near Kim Yo Jong to show the unity and strength of the alliance between the US, Japan, and South Korea.

Although Pence did not rule out a meeting with the North Korean delegation, he confirmed to reporters that he did not request a meeting specifically. According to a Pence aide, the “Vice-President will remind the world that everything the North Koreans do at the Olympics is a charade to cover up the fact that they are the most tyrannical and oppressive regime on the planet.”

Although the Games present an opportunity for diplomacy, the White House continues to weigh all options to force North Korea to abandon its

nuclear program, including a military strike. In recent weeks, military planners have floated the idea of a “bloody-nose strike” as a warning shot to North Korea.

The White House is also expected to announce another round of sanctions against North Korean officials. At a news conference, Pence called it the “toughest and most aggressive round of economic sanctions on North Korea ever.” No details of the sanctions have been unveiled but the Treasury Department is expected to announce further details soon.

FLICKR

Caleb Yip

Pence vowed continued pressure on North Korea despite Olympic hopes.

Trump Parade Plan Belies Military Inefficiency Christopher Stein, Opinion Department of Defense (DoD) officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Washington Post on February 6 that they were planning a military parade in Washington D.C. on President Donald Trump’s orders.

The U.S. has not held a military parade since victorious forces returned from the First Gulf War in June 1991. Trump reportedly asked the planners to model the parade on France’s annual Bastille Day celebration.

Editorial director at France’s Le Monde newspaper Sylvie Kauffmann said, “France’s Bastille Day military parade is an old tradition, going back to 1880. Its longevity and popularity have many historical reasons. Probably different from Trump’s motivations.”

Without the justification of longheld tradition, the plan for a military parade in Washington D.C. is frivolous and sends mixed signals about the Trump administration’s commitment to peaceful and diplomatic solutions to global problems.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis

told Congress on February 6 that its inability to create a long-term budget plan creates uncertainty in military planning and weakens national security, according to Voice of America. While uncertainty may adversely affect national defense strategy, Mattis has little to complain about. It seems likely that Congress will allocate the DoD most or all of the $716 billion requested by Trump for 2019. This would represent a further increase from Trump’s abortive first budget request in May 2017, which asked for a $469 billion defense spending boost over ten years, according to the New York Times. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that Trump’s most recent proposal would increase the federal debt to 150 percent of GDP by 2047 because cuts to other government services are insufficient to pay for new spending, reported DefenseNews.

The United States spends more on defense than China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, India, the United Kingdom, Japan, and France combined. This defense expenditure is widely known for its inefficiency. In 2016, DoD

officials tried to bury an internal study that found over $125 billion of bureaucratic waste over five years, according to the Washington Post.

The parade plan represents the bloated military-industrialCongressional complex.

The procurement process run by the DoD for new technologies and equipment is broken. Many Congressional rules complicate DoD procurement spending, says Federal News Radio. In 2014, Congress authorized $120 million in spending on Abrams tanks despite top military leaders’ protests that they did not want more tanks. Politics has become an insidious part of U.S. defense spending policy. The particular case of the Abrams tank can be explained by two points: elected officials’ desire to look strong on military matters and the tank’s dispersed manufacturing operations, which create jobs in most

Congressional constituencies. A new report also says that some offices within the DoD are redundant but cannot be closed because they are established by statute.

Trump’s proposed military parade is, therefore, nothing more than the continuation of a trend in American politics. Politicians, out of a desire to appear strong and show unwavering support for the military, have thrown more money at the DoD continuously, disregarding its wasteful and inefficient use of resources. The military parade that Trump is planning is an attempt to project strength in the same way that Pyongyang and Moscow have flaunted their countries’ military power. It represents the bloated militaryindustrial-Congressional complex just as much as it represents Trump’s own Napoleon complex. Perhaps even worse, unlike the Bastille Day parade— which is a symbol for the world of French nationhood—Trump’s military parade is a symbol for the world of his administration’s commitment to military solutions and discounting of diplomatic ones.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ga Ram Lee and Theo Symonds

W

hen reports like the Economist’s “The World in 201X” predict what the state of the world will look like over the following year, it seems to only propagate a notion that the global stage is more uncertain than ever—a notion that is insidiously creeping into the global psyche.

This uncertainty of the future—and the urgency felt to find solutions that promise a more certain future—is reflected in policies taken by global actors.

There is a litany of examples, all of which transcend the boundaries of regions. To ensure a future of strong economic growth between Asia and Europe, China’s One Belt, One Road initiative is clearly an expansion of trade as a mitigation of trade gridlock. While some states are still showing aversion to war, other states are militarizing their citizens and soldiers at an increasing rate. To prepare for the future, states the world over are hastening their investments in technology.

— We are Ga Ram Lee and Theo Symonds, and it is an incredible honor to be your section editors for the Anchor this year. As this is the first publication of the year 2018 and our first editor’s message, we wanted to take this opportunity to share our vision for the section with the Anchor’s readers. Both of us have previously worked together in the Western Europe & Canada section, and with the Anchor, we are looking forward to cover what is sure to be an eventful year. Our campus is fortunate to be such a center for outstanding scholars and professionals in international affairs. Without capitulating to uncertainty, with the thoughts of the high-caliber speakers and thinkers on campus, our aim is to keep the Georgetown community informed on global trends that will shape international affairs for decades to come.

4 | F E B. 19, 2018

EASTERN EUROPE & RUSSIA

Protests Spread Over Name of Macedonia Russian Athletes Made to Ilari Papa The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece continue their participation in UN-brokered talks to achieve a settlement on the internationally recognized name of Macedonia, Reuters reports.

Greece has refused to acknowledge Macedonia’s claim to its name because there is a region in Northern Greece with the same name. Several protests have taken place during January 2018 in the Greek cities of Athens and Thessaloniki, in which protesters have embraced nationalist stances.

As a result of this disagreement, Greece has blocked Macedonia’s admittance to NATO and has prevented it from starting membership talks with the European Union. Those in both nations see the name of Macedonia as representative of the legacy behind the name itself, such as that of Alexander the Great. To give up the name of Macedonia would be seen as a loss of culture, NPR notes.

According to Balkan Insight, polls conducted in the two neighboring states have demonstrated that the majority of the Greek population opposes

negotiations which would result in Macedonia keeping its name. On the other hand, Macedonians appear to be more open to changing the name of their state in case the compromise advances the NATO and EU talks.

The data shows that 82 percent of ethnic Albanians would accept a name change, whereas only 42 percentage of ethnic Macedonians stated they would agree to a compromise. Furthermore, the M-Prospect Agency, which carried out the polls, concluded that political affiliations played a substantial role in people’s opinions. About 66 percent of the supporters of the right-wing, opposition Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization party voted against a name change. 76 percent of voters affiliated with the ruling Social Democrats took a positive stance on changing the country’s name.

In the meantime, experts are concerned that the disputes over the name change might destabilize the Balkans. Southeastern Europe has experienced a long history of conflicts between neighbors, such as those between Serbia and Kosovo and Albania and Greece. The spat

between Macedonia and Greece is not unprecedented; in fact, this debate, according to Reuters, began after Macedonia first emerged as an independent state from the nowdefunct Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991. Top Channel reported that scholars such as Reinhard Vesser, an analyst for Deutsche Welle, fear that if the conflict between Macedonia and Greece escalates, it might encourage the rise of nationalism in the Balkans.

Top Channel also assesses that Russia is taking an active role in the dispute by incentivizing Greece to refuse negotiations that could end in a compromise with Macedonia.

Russia aims to prevent Macedonia’s integration in talks that would initiate the process of NATO and EU membership.

Despite rising tensions, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has expressed a willingness to change the name of the country to avoid a crisis, the Guardian reports. Proposed names include Upper Macedonia, New Macedonia, Northern Macedonia, and Macedonia (Skopje).

March Under Olympic Flag Bryce Couch The International Olympic Committee’s Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled on February 8 against the 47 Russian athletes and coaches who sued to contest being banned from competing in the Olympics, BBC reported. On February 9, 168 Russian athletes marched in the opening ceremonies under the Olympic flag as “Olympic Athletes from Russia.” With 168 athletes, this is the third-largest delegation after the U.S. and Canadian teams.

In November 2017, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that the Russian Olympic team continued to be non-compliant with its code, BBC reported. The decision resulted in the disqualification of the entire Russian team. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that it would make its final decision regarding Russian participation at its next board meeting between December 5 and 7.

“I think it did fail clean athletes.”

-Lowell Bailey

Calls for Resignation, Cont’d from p.1

authorities on the grounds of another protest held regarding registration rates of European Union license plates.

Saakashvili and his followers believe this and the recent installation of metal structures bearing the Ukrainian flag to be an invention of Poroshenko’s allies, such as Oleh Yaroshevych, who led the obstructive protest. According to the Kiev Post, regardless of these efforts it is clear that protests will persist, with the next large demonstration scheduled for Sunday, February 18.

Then-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili signing a deal with Poland in 2008.

The announcement was met with mixed reactions. The primary criticism

by Russians in this case centered on the fact that the blanket ban did not distinguish between those who were guilty of doping and those who were not guilty of violating the rules. Some Russians argued that they had been wrongly excluded from the games after an IOC eligibility panel opened an investigation into the athletes

OFFICE OF THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENCY

authorities after organizing a protest in December. Additionally, allegations leveled against him claim that his display of dissidence is funded by the Russian government, which has made him a suspect in the eyes of the authorities, reports Reuters. However, despite Saakashvili’s large presence in the public eye as a rallying point against corruption, popular support for Movement of New Forces remains below two percent.

Saakashvili and Yuriy Derevyanko, an official of his new political party, spoke at the rally. Derevyanko challenged Poroshenko to come to the main square, Maidan Nezalezhnosti, and declare his resignation by February 18 or risk impeachment, according to the Kiev Post. Saakashvili added to the call with a promise to deliver a list of potential new ministers and presidential candidates by the deadline. The Kiev Post reports that Saakashvili’s followers, who were among the thousands who protested on February 4, are frustrated with the

lack of progress in corruption reform and rapprochement with the West promised to the Ukrainian population nearly four years ago.

The Guardian reported that increased efforts by the National Guard to control the protests have only inflamed tensions. Saakashvili accuses Poroshenko of “trying to get rid of a loud voice telling them they are thieves” and his allies in government of obstructing democratic protest.

The main square was blocked by

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Victoria Thomaides

following a widespread doping scandal at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.

Many claim that the IOC failed in its duty to investigate both athletes and coaches involved in the scandal and should take responsibility for causing some of this unnecessary chaos ahead of the Winter Olympics. In a statement reported by the New York Times, Lowell Bailey, an American biathlete, argued that the IOC should acknowledge its failed investigation into clean athletes, stating bluntly, “I think it did fail clean athletes.”

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko condemned the CAS ruling, arguing that it would “diminish competition and attention to the games,” according to the Guardian.

Many were satisfied by the decision, however. In a statement reported by the Guardian, Sir Hugh Robertson, chair of the British Olympic Association, said, “The decision is reassuring. We want our athletes to be competing against the very best but in the knowledge they are facing clean athletes.”

An IOC spokesperson told the Guardian, “We welcome this decision which supports the fight against doping and brings clarity for all athletes.”

Although Russians marched in the opening ceremony, they are now outliers, marching under the Olympic flag—without their national anthem and national symbols. Medals won will not be factored into the total Russian medal count.

The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics airs on NBC between February 9 and February 25.

Follow the Caravel on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to The Caravel Compass for continued coverage of the games.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking to Russia’s Olympic athletes on January 31.

F E B. 19, 2018 | 5

Czech PM Faces Corruption Charges Slovenia Threatens Bryan Karas

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is facing fraud charges after the European Union’s anti-fraud office, Olaf, found irregularities in subsidy payments to Agrofert, a company linked to Babiš, reported the Guardian. Agrofert, a conglomerate that deals with industries such as agriculture, construction, and energy, owns the Stork’s Nest, the farm and hotel complex under scrutiny.

Prime Minister Babiš came into power in October of 2017 when his centrist party, Action of Dissatisfied Citizens, became the largest party in the parliamentary elections.

His popular eurosceptic and antiimmigrant platform, in which he vowed to “resist EU refugee quotes” and bring “a businessman’s approach to politics” has not been enough to win over the smaller parties in the Czech parliament, according to the Guardian.

The scandal concerned a payment of over USD $2.4 million to the Stork’s Nest which, at the time, had

requested from the EU “a subsidy intended for small businesses… [in] poorer regions.” The owners of the complex were unknown at the time of the request, but Agrofert now owns it. Babiš vehemently opposed all of the accusations and maintained his innocence, claiming that such statements were fabricated by political opponents to drive him from power.

“One of the pillars of the EU is transparency in financial matters.”

- Tomáš Zdechovskŷ Most other Czech parties view Babiš with suspicion due to the allegations of corruption swirling around the Stork’s Nest, according to BBC. As a result, they declined to enter into a coalition with Babiš upon his reelection last year. On January 16, the members of the parliament voted 117-78 against him.

Furthermore, Alena Schillerová, the

Czech finance minister, announced that the Stork’s Nest would not be eligible for future EU subsidies, according to the Guardian.

However, Schillerová came under fire for only publishing three sentences of a 50-page report on Stork’s Nest. Tomáš Zdechovskŷ, a center-right Member of the European Parliament, criticized her decision to release such little information, arguing, “It was unacceptable [that] the report had not been published in full…. It is a scandal [and] it is in the public interest to know what is the result of the investigation of Olaf.”

He went on to advocate for further investigations by MEPs, adding that “one of the pillars of the EU is transparency in financial matters.”

Yet, Czech President Miloš Zeman, who recently won his reelection bid and shares Babiš’ antiimmigrant sentiments, gave Babiš a second chance by reappointing him as prime minister, according to BBC. It remains to be seen if Babiš can form a government with majority support.

Viktor Orban Lashes Out on Radio UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres released an official statement on January 25 arguing that migration provides “true opportunities, reinforces economic growth, reduces inequalities, and connects different societies,” reported Daily News Hungary. Speaking on February 2 on state-run Kossuth Radio, the Budapest Beacon reports that right-leaning Hungarian President Viktor Orban said that he will “inspect the text” before choosing whether to reject or accept the Guterres’ claim.

Daily News Hungary reported that Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Sijjarto commented that “the government rejects the UN secretary-general’s statement on migration because, according to Hungary’s standpoint, migration must be stopped, not supported.”

Sijjarto went on to say that he found it “shocking that the secretary general is voicing a clearly positive opinion with relation to migration without the backing of a consensus on the part of UN member states and with relation to which several member states represent an opposite standpoint.”

Later in the radio interview, Orban also spoke positively about the change of government in Austria, the Budapest Beacon reports. He believes that a new right-wing government will not be anti-Hungarian as those in the past and treat Hungary more favorably.

Orban contradicted previous public statements and stated his support for preserving the family allowance for Hungarians working in Austria, according to the Budapest Beacon.

Orban will seek reelection for a third consecutive term on April 8 and stepped up his rhetoric on immigration in response, hoping to

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Max Shmotolokha

continue to ride the populist wave in Europe. In particular, his government has repeatedly associated these United Nations resolutions with the U.S. financier and Hungarian George Soros. Continuing to quote Sijjarto, Daily News Hungary reported that he attacked the UN secretary-general’s statement as “George Soros’s plan.”

Orban has planned since 2017 to make resistance to Soros’s agenda a campaign issue, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, and has repeatedly stated that, in his mind, if Soros’s ideas are allowed to spring to fruition, Hungary will suffer.

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban at a European People’s Party summit in 2012.

to Sue Croatia Over Border Dispute Ismary Guardarrama

Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec threatened to sue Croatia on February 8 if they failed to implement the arbitration ruling on their border dispute, according to Total Croatia News. In summer 2017, Croatia rejected a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration stating that Slovenia should have direct access to international waters in the northern Adriatic Sea using a corridor that crosses Croatian waters.

Slovenia asserts its right to access international waters, which may infringe on Croatian territorial waters.

Total Croatia News also wrote that Erjavec stated that any violation of the arbitrator’s decision could be a “violation of international law and the law of the European Union.”

According to Serbian news station B92, the issue began when Croatian policemen intervened on behalf of Croatian fishermen in an area of the Adriatic Sea that is disputed between Slovenia and Croatia. Slovenia asserts it has a right to access international waters, a claim which may infringe on Croatian territorial waters. The arbitration process began in 2009 but entered the final phase in summer 2017.

Erjavec has threatened legal action since December 2017, according to Total Croatia News. The Slovenia Times writes that the legal process could take months due to the length of time it takes the European Commission to investigate legal violations. At first, the Commission attempts mediation, and, if that fails, they proceed to an EU court. Total Croatia News writes that a potential solution is for the two countries to sign a bilateral agreement that derives from the original arbitration agreement.

Both governments are under international pressure to comply, but Slovenia’s upcoming elections could endanger a true resolution.

6 | F E B. 19, 2018

WESTERN EUROPE & CANADA

Joshua Chang

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utumn 2017 saw Spain deal with a crisis brought about by a Catalan secession attempt led by Carles Puigdemont.

The referendum’s ringleaders, including Puigdemont, fled abroad to avoid prosecution. Despite new elections in Catalonia held by the Spanish government, Catalonian voters reelected Puigdemont, which positions him to reclaim his former spot in Catalonia. However, the Spanish government has vowed to detain him upon his return.

According to the New York Times, the current standoff between Puigdemont and the Spanish government represents an unusual paradox in which Puigdemont has retained his political position yet cannot exercise authority. El País states that he seeks to maintain his influence in Catalonia despite exile. Rajoy fears that Puigdemont’s continued presence may inspire others to defy the state.

Beyond the current situation in Spain, the entire course of events stretching from the referendum to Puigdemont’s reelection points to a recurring issue that has plagued Spain for decades: regional autonomy versus central authority.

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 established a federal system, which the country thought sufficient against separatist tendencies.

Although Spain has weathered separatist crises in the past, the recent referendum and Puigdemont’s reelection challenge the Spanish constitutional order.

The crisis shows that Spain has constantly struggled to maintain the fine balance between autonomy and secession, providing many concessions to its autonomous communities without triggering calls for outright independence.

It is uncertain how the current crisis will be resolved, but Spain cannot deny that it will have to reexamine its relationship with its autonomous communities once it is over. In particular, the government will have to resolve the country’s finance-sharing system between state and province, which fuels Catalonia’s separatism. In short, Spain’s constitutional order has come to a significant crossroads due to recent events. It will be up to the country’s leaders to decide how to proceed from there.

Macron Confronts Corsica’s Calls for Autonomy Alex White French President Emmanuel Macron visited the island of Corsica to address calls for greater autonomy on February 6. In the wake of the Catalan independence movement in Spain, the Corsican regional government put forward a list of demands to the government in Paris.

Reuters reports that in December 2017, the two-party nationalist alliance For Corsica won a nearly two-thirds majority in the Corsican regional assembly. Party leaders demanded special autonomous status for Corsica in the French constitution, equal status for the French and Corsican languages on the island, and amnesty for jailed Corsican independence fighters.

In response, Macron, who hinted in his campaign that he would be open to recognizing the distinct nature of Corsica, finally visited the island.

However, according to the New York Times, he rejected the government’s calls for recognition as a nation, saying that the island was dependent on the mainland and would remain part of

the “unwavering” French Republic.

However, he promised to try to give Corsica “the future it aspires to, without giving in to demands that would take it out of the Republican fold”.

As reported by France 24, Macron then attended a ceremony that paid tribute to Claude Erignac, the French prefect to Corsica who was assassinated 20 years ago by pro-independence militant groups. At the ceremony, Macron commented that Corsica had been “tainted” by the crime and that “justice was delivered and will be followed, without complacency, without forgetting, without amnesty.”

The tense visit was the latest chapter in a long history of the complicated relationship between France and the mountainous island of 330,000 people.

Genoa ceded the island to France in 1768, and the famous leader Napoleon Bonaparte originally hailed from the island. The island received little autonomy and was often neglected by the central government in Paris. This marginalization led to the formation of a separatist group in the 20th century

German Parties Reach Coalition Deal Vincent Doehr German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) reached a coalition deal on February 7. The two parties agreed on a soft cap that would accept 200,000 refugees per year and achieved a governing framework. However, Politico notes that the SPD’s 400,000 members still must ratify the coalition deal, the failure of which would likely result in another federal election.

According to Der Spiegel, nearly half of the potential new cabinet members are Social Democrats, including SPD leader Martin Schulz as foreign minister and Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz as finance minister. These two ministries have substantial control over national and European policy.

Schulz also announced that he intends to resign as SPD leader to turn the position over to Andrea Nahles, the

former minister of labor and current SPD parliament faction-chief. The coalition agreement makes additional concessions to the Bavarian wing of the CDU, known as the Christian Social Union, handing over the prominent Interior and Transport Ministries.

Germany had been under a caretaker administration of the CDU and SPD, which constituted the previous government, since the federal election on September 24, 2017. In the election, the Federal Returning Office reported that the CDU went from winning 41.5 percent of the vote to only 33 percent but still came in first.

The SPD fell to only 20.5 percent, its lowest result since the SPD’s founding.

Both parties lost voters to the liberal Free Democratic Party and the far-right Alternative for Germany.

Alternative for Germany placed third, becoming the first far-right party to win seats in the German parliament since World War II.

called the National Liberation Front of Corsica, which began to destroy police stations and mansions owned by mainlanders in a violent campaign that lasted 40 years. In 2014, the group signed a ceasefire, but the island is still very divided.

Corsica is unlike the large, wealthy separatist regions of Catalonia and Scotland. As of now, the Corsican government is calling for greater autonomy rather than independence.

Within the ruling coalition, the moderate and autonomist Femu

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party is larger than the separatist Free Corsica party. Still, Femu party leader Gilles Simeoni warned that Macron risked violence if he did not take the democratic will of the people seriously.

According to Reuters, despite these warnings, Macron offered symbolic recognition in the constitution for Corsica during his last speech before departing the island but no special status for the language or amnesty for independence fighters. He ended his speech by saying that “Corsica is at the heart of the French Republic.”

Gilles Simeoni, Femu party leader, urged Macron to take Corsica’s demands seriously.

F E B. 19, 2018 | 7

Alejandra Rocha

A male neo-Nazi went on a shooting rampage on February 6 in Macerata, Italy, wounding six African immigrants in an act of racial hatred. The 28-year old attacker, Luca Traini, has a Nazi symbol called a Wolfsangel tattooed on his forehead. When he left his car after the attack, Traini made a fascist salute as he stood over the stairs of the city’s war memorial with the Italian flag draped over his shoulders. Traini did not resist when military officers proceeded to arrest him.

A year ago, Traini ran for local office as a candidate of the Northern League Party, a far-right political party.

The New York Times reported that Interior Minister Macro Minnit called the shooting an “evident display of racial hatred,” given that “the only element that links the persons who were injured is the color of their skin.”

According to BBC, the attack shocked the people of Macerata, who were still processing the

murder of 18-year-old Pamela Mastropietro. Pamela’s body was found dismembered and hidden in two suitcases just one week before Luca’s Traini’s shooting rampage.

The suspect in Pamela’s murder is a 29-year-old migrant Nigerian male. It is possible that her murder inspired Traini’s racist and violent attack.

As fear rises, racial hatred and the political right are rising with it.

Mastropietro’s murder was followed by protests, increased levels of racial tension, and racism against immigrants.

According to the New York Times, Macerata Mayor Romano Carancini responded to allegations that Pamela’s death and the shootings are intertwined by stating that the connection “may not have been direct but could be ascribable to the campaign of racial hatred that began after Pamela’s death.”

Immigration is a central issue in the upcoming Italian national elections. A number of right-wing politicians have used Pamela’s murder and the shootings to attempt to justify their anti-immigration platform.

According to the Washington Post, Northern League leader Matteo Salving tweeted that the Nigerian man who is the suspect of Pamela’s murder “was not running from war; he brought war to Italy.”

Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni has suspended all campaigning based on Pamela’s death and on the shootings.

As fear rises, racial hatred and the political right are rising with it. According to Infoantifa Ecn, an Italian anti-fascist organization, there have been 142 attacks by neo-fascist groups since 2014. The movie I’m Back, which discusses the imagined return of Benito Mussolini in 2018, is showing in Italian cinemas. According to the New York Times, the director, Luca Maniero, said, “Watching what is happening today in [Italy], I am convinced that if Mussolini came back, he would win the election.’’

U.K. Government Divided Over Brexit’s Future Lauren Olosky Prime Minister Theresa May chaired two Brexit meetings on February 6 and 8 to try to bring the divided cabinet to a consensus and to best decide how to move forward with the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union.

According to the Financial Times, these meetings are critical since May and her senior ministers shape the postBrexit U.K.-EU relationship. However, a consensus is difficult to achieve given the extent of political deadlock. One faction is pushing for a hard Brexit in which the U.K. withdraws from the EU single market and customs union, achieving full control over its borders and new trade deals. On the other hand, others advocate for a softer Brexit that maintains close U.K.-EU ties and the U.K.’s unfettered access to the single market.

“Patience is wearing thin,” however, warned the British Chamber of Commerce. On the day of the first Brexit meeting, according to the

Guardian, the business leaders issued a statement declaring that “businesses need those elected to govern our country to make choices — and to deliver a clear, unequivocal statement of intent. The perception amongst businesses on the ground, large and small alike, is one of continued division. Even amongst the many optimistic, future-oriented firms, those who see opportunity in change, patience is wearing thin.”

Barnier emphasized the potential harm of Brexit to British trade.

These sentiments were echoed by chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, who stated, “The time has come to make a choice. We need clarity about the U.K. proposals for future partnership.” According to the Sunday Times, Barnier emphasized the potential harm of Brexit to British trade, especially if the U.K. doesn’t remain closely tied to the EU

economy, saying, “The only thing I can say, without a customs union and outside the single market, barriers to trade on goods and services are unavoidable.” Even if the U.K. attempts to remain in the single market, the EU may take actions to restrict their access. According to BBC, a leaked draft of the legally binding U.K.-EU withdrawal agreement suggests that the final agreement “should provide for a mechanism allowing the union to suspend certain benefits deriving for the United Kingdom from participation in the internal market.”

This suggested mechanism illustrates the EU’s reluctance to allow the U.K. to have their cake and eat it too; in other words, the EU doesn’t think that the U.K. should be able to withdraw from the EU but still gain from the EU, especially economically.

Ahead of a key European Council meeting in March and the ultimate U.K. departure scheduled for March 2019, pressure is building on the U.K. for it to decide what it wants from Brexit.

Canada Sells Helicopters To the Philippines Luke Sekowski

Canada, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, completed a deal to sell 16 combat helicopters to the Philippines during the first week of February. According to the National Post, the $234 million deal includes the sale of Bell 412 helicopters to the Philippines for military use. The transaction has garnered scrutiny from some in the international community, including human rights watchdogs, who are concerned about the ultimate use of the helicopters.

Bell, an American aircraft manufacturer that produces many of its aircraft in Canada, stated in a press release that it was “honored” to provide aircraft to the Philippine military. The aircraft are to be used for military purposes, presumably national defense.

The aircraft deal with the Philippines is not the first Canadian arms deal to draw scrutiny from human rights activists. According to the National Post, a Canadian manufacturer supplied Saudi Arabia with light-armored vehicles in 2014, purportedly for use in military and defense capacities. Trudeau dismissed the transaction as “jeeps” being sold to a Canadian ally. By 2017, it became apparent that the Saudi government used the armored vehicles not only in typical military maneuvers but also against its own citizens. With the recent Canadian deal, many skeptics point to the Saudi incident as a reason to not sell helicopters to the Philippines, a state with its own history of human rights violations under President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to the National Post, Canadian government rules call for the country to halt shipments to foreign states with a “persistent

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Neo-Fascist Attack in Italy Wounds Six

record of serious violations of the human rights of their citizens.”

Many of the deal’s detractors believe that the criterion applies to the case of the Philippines, where the government has been combating communist insurrections since 1969 and currently fights to curtail the influence of Islamic extremists.

In addition, the sale of helicopters raises eyebrows because in the past Duterte bragged about “throwing a man to his death from a helicopter.”

Reuters reports that he also warned government officials that they would face the same fate if he found any involvement in corruption.

Currently, the sale of Canadian aircraft to the Philippines takes advantage of a loophole in the Canadian export controls of arms.

The helicopters are sold with the full intention of being used by the Philippines for military purposes.

However, the aircraft themselves technically qualify as civilian, not military, vehicles. Therefore, the Canadian export controls do not apply to the sale, and no special authorization is needed.

How Duterte and the Philippine government will use their 16 new Canadian Bell 412 aircraft is yet to be determined. Recently, Duterte has increasingly distanced himself from Canada, the United States, and the rest of the West; relations have significantly cooled.

Despite the slight shift in geopolitics, defense sales continue to be a boon for the Canadian economy, and defense industry representatives have praised the Canadian Commercial Commission in its efforts to sell and distribute arms around the world.

Canada sold 16 Bell 412 helicopters to the Philippines.

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U.S. Internet Task Force Raises Cuban Sovereignty Concerns Chris Mills The Cuba Internet Task Force (CITF) met for the first time on February 7 amid concerns that its mission constitutes a violation of Cuba’s sovereignty. President Donald Trump formed CITF in June 2017 with the goal of improving internet penetration on the island where the state dominates the current information infrastructure.

The task force includes various representatives from the State Department, Commerce Department, Federal Communications Commission, and U.S. Agency for International Development, according to ABC News. Reuters reported this initiative is part of a larger strategy by the Trump administration to put forward a tougher stance on Cuba than that of former-President Barack Obama.

Supporters of CITF argue that increased access to the internet will allow Cuban citizens to spread anti-

communist messages and undermine Raul Castro’s regime. Protesters began using the internet as a method for destabilizing dictatorial regimes during the Arab Spring, when activists organized to topple Middle Eastern dictatorships using Twitter and other forms of social media.

its largest uptick in history. The Council on Foreign Relations noted that Google even signed a deal with the state-owned Telecommunications Company of Cuba (ETECSA) to improve internet access.

Trump’s efforts to increase U.S. internet penetration allow the Castro regime to frame the CITF as a western attack on Cuban institutions.

Reports suggest CITF is part of the Trump administration’s plan to take a hard-line stance compared to that of former-President Obama.

Critics of CITF claim that it makes the U.S. appear hostile, diminishing rather than increasing U.S. influence on the island, reports Reuters.

According to ABC News, after Obama’s normalization of relations, internet usage in Cuba experienced

Trump’s efforts to increase internet penetration have allowed the Castro regime to frame CITF as a Western attack on Cuban institutions, a tactic Castro has used in the past to curb foreign influence. Cuba expert Alan Gross notes that even phrasing the group as a “task force” makes the operation seem like a military plot to

topple the Castro regime.

Cuba itself has raised concerns over the formation of the task force.

This first CITF meeting assembled in response to an official protest submitted by the Cuban government to U.S. diplomats which claimed that the initiative violates Cuba’s sovereignty and constitutes interventionist, illegal activity.

According to Reuters, independent Cuban media outlets which had begun to flourish during rapprochement are now receiving accusations of collusion with the U.S. government in an attempt to control Cuban channels of communication.

The CITF constitutes another attempt to reverse the Obama administration’s efforts to improve relations with Cuba. For now, the future remains unclear. However, experts suggest that the Trump administration will continue down this path of hard-line policy against Cuba in the upcoming years.

Evangelical Wins Costa RicanVote, Cont’d from p.1 University of Costa Rica, a majority of the population voiced opposition to the Court’s opinion and found comfort in Fabricio Alvarado, whose monothematic platform rests on ‘‘protecting the traditional family.’’

Since the Court’s opinion, Fabricio Alvarado’s support grew by a whopping 22 percentage points, climbing from 3 percent to almost 25 percent, reported

Carlos Alvarado instead appealed to the notion of ‘‘love and respect’’ to join forces in the second round.

Semanario Universidad.

Carlos Alvarado also stealthily rose in the polls in the weeks leading to the election. In favor of the Court’s decision, he presented himself as the liberal candidate ready to confront

Fabricio Alvarado in a second round, which was highly expected since no party reached the requisite 40 percent of support to win in the first vote.

Carlos Alvarado beat Antonio Álvarez, the main opposition party’s contender. Álvarez had managed to stay up in all polls throughout the campaign and his loss remains one of the biggest surprises so far.

The country’s political segmentation is evident in the new distribution of the Legislative Assembly, whose 57 deputies were also popularly selected on February 4, in closed lists pre-chosen by political parties. Neither Fabricio Alvarado nor Carlos Alvarado’s parties received a majority of legislative seats. Instead, voters elected 17 deputies from Álvarez’s party, followed by Fabricio Alvarado’s with 14 and Carlos Alvarado’s with 10. The remaining 16 seats were divided among four other parties.

The winning candidates’ speeches

seemed to consolidate the perception that the runoff is set to become a referendum on same-sex marriage, though neither addressed the Court’s opinion directly.

Fabricio Alvarado fervently warned ‘‘traditional politicians [to] never play with our families again,’’ in a nod to the current government’s consultation on same-sex marriage. Carlos Alvarado instead appealed to the notion of

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Anastasia Chacón

‘‘love and respect’’ to join forces in the second round, reports Teletica.

Despite many pressing problems, including a growing fiscal deficit, rising criminality rates, and mounting unemployment, the election looks bound to build around this single issue. With just two months before a divided Costa Rica takes to the polls again, it is still hard to judge where the country stands.

Costa Rican flags in the capital of San José.

Ecuadorian President Wins Reform Referendum Ian Woods

Ecuadorian citizens have cast their ballots in favor of constitutional and environmental reform in a nationwide referendum called by President Lenín Moreno that took place on February 4.

The results of the referendum grant legitimacy to the Moreno administration, which has long operated under the shadow of Moreno’s predecessor, Rafael Correa. During Correa’s ten-year tenure, he rewrote the Ecuadorian constitution twice and introduced economic reforms which capitalized on Ecuador’s abundant natural resources. Moreno has struggled to establish his authority in the wake of such radical change.

Despite this struggle, the results of the referendum indicate strong popular support for Moreno.

The referendum consisted of seven questions addressing the political rights of corrupt politicians, the reinstatement of term limits, reforms to the Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control (CCPSC), a ban on litigation against minors charged with sexual assault, the prohibition of mining in environmentally protected zones, the prohibition of land speculation, and an enlargement of environmentally protected areas.

Despite Correa’s fervent campaign against the referendum, Ecuadorians approved the reforms by a generous margin.

The Ecuadorian people’s decision to reinstate term limits and reform the CCPSC were particularly scathing blows to correísta politics.

Term limits essentially end Correa’s prospects of a future political career, safeguarding Moreno against a potentially formidable opponent in Ecuador’s 2020 presidential elections.

The referendum also permits Moreno to dismantle one of Correa’s last political bastions within the CCPSC: a collection of legal figures that remains faithful to Correa.

According to El Universo, Moreno now faces resistance from multiple international bodies, particularly the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. At home, however, he has secured definitive political power.

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James Gordy The Paraguayan People’s Army (EPP), an insurgent group fighting against the state, released two hostages from the country’s northern Mennonite communities early on February 5. According to LatinNews, the EPP released both hostages after receiving a $1.25 million ransom from the Mennonites’ families in the San Pedro province of Paraguay.

Local residents discovered the two hostages on a ranch in the department of Concepción shortly after their release. At that time, Franz Hiebert and Bernard Blatz had been in captivity for over 16 months, according to the Latin American Herald Tribune. Both men remain in good health, though Blatz has spent several days in a local hospital due to fatigue. They have both reunited with their families.

Paraguayan authorities discovered the body of Abraham Fehr, a third hostage, just weeks before Hiebert’s and Blatz’s release. Medical examiners believe Fehr died over two years ago after his family was unable to pay his ransom. Fehr’s death marks the first

time the guerilla group has killed a hostage.

The Paraguayan government did not engage in negotiations between the hostages’ families and the EPP. Government authorities hold that the ransom will serve to strengthen the EPP which has specifically targeted Mennonite communities in recent years due to their location on strategic routes for drug-smuggling, one of the rebel group’s key sources of income according to BBC.

The EPP claims to defend Paraguay’s poor communities from the supposedly exploitative Paraguayan state.

The government’s apparent inability to combat the significant threat of the EPP and reestablish security in the northern provinces of Paraguay has undermined faith in current-President Horacio Cartes’s administration. The administration created a paramilitary

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EPP Releases Mennonite Hostages in Paraguay

Mennonite farmer with plow and team.

task force, La Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta (FTC), to manage the threat of EPP guerilla fighters in 2013, but has not been able to limit the insurgent group’s consistent growth and continued activities. According to LatinNews, the EPP’s kidnappings and other crimes will likely affect Paraguay’s upcoming April elections for a new government.

The EPP claims to defend Paraguay’s poor communities from the supposedly exploitative Paraguayan state. As such, Ultima Hora reported that Blatz’s and Hiebert’s ransoms also included donations of food and other

basic goods to impoverished peoples in the Concepción and Amambay provinces of Paraguay. The EPP has demanded similar donations in exchange for previous hostages from the Mennonite community.

While all the hostages held by the EPP have now been freed, the group remains active in northern Paraguay.

The credibility of presidential candidates to combat the guerilla threat will likely become a significant issue as the group continues to threaten Paraguayan citizens both in and outside the Mennonite community.

Sexual Misconduct in Chilean Catholic Church Pope Francis drew criticism on February 5 when the Associated Press reported that he received an eight-page letter in 2015 from a victim of Fernando Karadima, Chile’s infamous “pedophile priest.”

During his visit to Chile in January, the pope reiterated that there was no proof that Karadima’s right-hand man, Juan Barros, had covered up acts of sexual violence, reported El País.

The previously revered Karadima was found guilty of sexually abusing minors in Chile by Vatican internal investigation in 2011. He was ordered to retire to a convent to a life of “prayer and penitence,” reports the St. Louis PostDispatch. An estimated 54 percent of Chile’s population is Catholic, according to a report in Plaza Pública, and the accusations shocked the conservative nation. At the time, according to a New York Times article, Antonio Delfau, a Jesuit priest of Santiago, hoped the Vatican decision would “mark a before and after in the way the Chilean Catholic Church proceeds in cases like these.”

Many Chileans expressed anger when Barros, who had been accused of protecting Karadima, was appointed bishop of Osorno in 2015, reported El

País. Survivor Juan Carlos Cruz wrote a letter to Pope Francis graphically detailing the abuses of Karadima and the measures Barros took to cover up the abuse. According to the AP report, the letter was delivered by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The letter was reportedly delivered to Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Francis’ top adviser on abuse, who promised at the time that the letter reached the pope.

The letter also mentions Tomislav Koljatic, Andrés Artega, and Horacio Valenzuela, three individuals that Cruz claims stood by while Karadima abused minors. Cruz claims that in Chile, no one respects the zero-tolerance attitude the Church claims it has towards abuse, according to the AP. Pope Francis revealed that he has rejected Bishop Barros’ resignation twice for lack of evidence and because he is “convinced he is innocent,” reports the New York Times. In response to a Chilean reporter’s question about Bishop Barros’ complicity in crimes of abuse, Francis stated, “The day someone brings me proof against Bishop Barros, then I will talk… It is all slander.”

Francis later called his claim of seeing no proof that the Chilean bishop covered up abuse a “slap in the face”

to victims, according to El País. “Here I have to apologize because the word proof hurt them… I know how much they suffer,” said Francis.

Pope Francis is seen as a progressive on many long standing issues in Church doctrine, but his response could be a step back not only for his agenda but also for global faith in the Catholic Church. Many of the pope’s supporters worry that his response, or lack of one, will result in a loss of moral authority at a time where progress and reform in the

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Amelia Smith

Church are needed.

The Church has been losing followers across Latin America, reported Quartz. Many believe that the Catholic hierarchy favors business interests over addressing issues such as poverty. The slight change in attitude is monumental in a country like Chile, where the Church has wielded influence for centuries. The next steps taken by the Catholic leadership will undoubtedly shape both politics and culture within Latin America.

Pope Francis on his visit to Chile in January 2018.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Austin Corona In the past year, the United States has witnessed drastic changes in its public discourse around issues of sexual harassment and abuse. While these changes have granted considerable traction to women’s issues in the U.S., shocking femicide rates continue to rock Latin America as it struggles to correct inefficiencies in lawenforcement procedures for the murder and abuse of women.

According to UN Women, over 66,000 women and girls die annually as a result of homicide and domestic violence around the world. In the same study, researchers found that Latin American countries account for 14 of the 25 countries with the world’s highest rates of femicide. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), about 12 women lose their lives to murder every day in Latin America.

The trend has not gone unnoticed, and popular movements have sprouted up across the Americas to protest violence against women. In 2015, Argentine activists established the “Ni Una Mas,” or, “Not One Woman Less” movement, an antifemicide campaign whose slogan continues to gather crowds in cases of unindicted murders against women and girls.

In early February, El Popular reported hundreds of protesters gathering in the Peruvian city of San Juan de Lurigancho to demand an indictment in the murder case of a local girl named Jimena Renace. The crowd marched with banners reading “Ni Una Menos” and, “Jimenita, the people are with you.”

In the same week, El Observador reported on a televised conversation between four Argentine feminist thinkers who drew a wide viewership while discussing women’s issues and the success of the “Ni Una Menos” movement in its home country.

While the #MeToo movement has swept the socio-political scene in the U.S., activists further south have rallied under their own chant, and they seem determined to safeguard the lives of every Latin American woman—and not a woman less.

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Jia Sheng

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fter weeks of negotiation, the delegation from North and South Korea marched under the Korean unification flag during the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The united delegation sends a positive signal after months of tension and threats of nuclear warfare, but this does not provide assurance of peace on the Korean peninsula. The North Koreans view attendance of the Olympics as a victory.

Undoubtedly, as a BBC article suggests, North Korea is using sport as a tool to promote nationalism domestically and a positive image internationally, and this winter Olympics continues that tradition. Originally, only two athletes qualified for the competition, and they missed the deadline for registration.

Now, Kim Jong-un will send a delegation of 22 athletes led by his sister, Kim Yong Nam, alongside a taekwondo demonstration team, 230 cheerleaders, and an orchestra of 140 members, according to Vox. Yet this Winter Olympics may not entirely be a propaganda scheme. After months of hostility between the North and South, a unified delegation may serve as a point of contact for both countries toward deescalation, as suggested by the BBC. The same report also indicates Kim Jong-un’s decision to send Kim Yo-jong, a senior Politburo official, and his sister to South Korea may also signify his willingness to open discussion with South Korea and the United States to improve bilateral relations.

But, it is too early to be optimistic about the future of the Korean peninsula. According to Vox, prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics, the Korean unification flag has appeared at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships and, more recently, at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy. Yet neither event has led to lasting peace between Pyongyang and Seoul. So, as the opening ceremony has just ended, it is time to sit back and watch the game while it is still on.

Chinese Navy Tests Electromagnetic Railgun Jonathon Marek Recent photos of a railgun weapon mounted on a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessel suggest that China possesses the technological skills required to create an effective railgun weapon, according to Newsweek. This advancement has the potential to drastically reshape naval combat in the future.

The railgun was mounted on the Haiyang Shan, a Chinese ship assigned to the East Sea Fleet and typically used to launch tanks, at a dockyard in Wuhan. Photos taken at the dockyard show a propaganda banner exhorting workers to “provide a first-class naval weapon to build a first-class global navy.” Experts speculate that military officials chose to mount the railgun on this ship because of its large, open deck space, a requirement to accommodate the equipment to power the energyintensive railgun, reports Gizmodo.

Railguns use electromagnetic force rather than ballistic force from an explosion in order to power their projectiles, according to Popular Science. An electromagnetic field between two rails, from which the

weapon’s name derives, accelerates the projectile to hypersonic speeds, giving it a range equivalent to cruise missiles and the speed and efficiency of use to rival naval cannons. Videos of tests of American railguns showcase their immense destructive power.

This advancement has the potential to drastically reshape future naval combat.

An analysis by a former PLAN official indicates that the Chinese Navy, through collaborations with a state-owned aerospace company and the Beijing Institute of Technology, has been working on a railgun project for approximately five years, and photos dating to 2017 appear to show the railgun undergoing tests on land, according to a post on Twitter.

The official claims that this timeline aligns with the apparent ongoing preparations for onboard trials.

The mounting of the railgun onboard the ship, while a major

Drivers’ Licenses Integrated Into Digital Identification System, Cont’d from p.1 Caroline Schauder pose two significant concerns: privacy and denial of rights. The system, which contains biometric data of more than one billion people, has been hacked multiple times. Additionally, Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act essentially makes Aadhaar mandatory for government services. Consequently, people who have not registered for a card cannot receive essential services. Recently, residents of old age homes in Uttar Pradesh were denied pension benefits due to the absence of Aadhaar cards, according to the Economic Times.

This reflects the Aadhaar Act of 2016, which states that the central or state Government may make possession of Aadhaar registration mandatory for receipt of subsidies, benefits, or services funded by the government of India. This presents a challenge to people who do not want to enroll in the Aadhaar program. Others fear that Aadhaar could contribute to the

creation of a surveillance state in India.

The scale of the Aadhaar system alone makes it an impressive feat.

Civic technology leaders generally cite Estonia as the world’s most tech-savvy government, due t­ o its successful integration of digital technology in the public sector, reports the Atlantic.

However, the relatively small size of Estonia makes its achievement seem unrealistic to larger, more bureaucratic countries such as India. Aadhaar defies Estonia’s claim by presenting evidence of a public sector based digital system that connects more than one billion people. The decision to link the Aadhaar card with drivers licenses emphasizes the incorporation of significant government documents into the system. The steady expansion of the program will continue to influence the reliance of the Indian government and its people on Aadhaar.

Whether this is a good or a bad thing will be determined as the development of the system proceeds.

accomplishment, does not mean that China possesses functional railgun capabilities. Many challenges remain, such as maintaining the durability of the barrel and finding effective ways to power the weapon, according to Popular Science. However, if China were able to successfully arm a warship with a railgun, it would provide a massive boost to their capabilities.

According to Justin Bronk of the British Royal United Services Institute, no defenses currently exist to protect a ship against a railgun projectile.

Furthermore, while China’s railgun research has accelerated, the United

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States’ focus has shifted away from installing railguns on vessels to using the railgun’s hypersonic ammunition to improve existing naval guns, reported Gizmodo. While the U.S. Navy remains dominant both technologically and numerically, China’s development of a combat-ready railgun would represent a significant step toward leveling the playing field, according to the Global Times. A People’s Liberation Army watcher, speaking to Newsweek, described the railgun as part of China’s “great endeavor” to rival the United States in military modernization.

American electromagnetic railgun designed for the Zumwalt-class destroyer.

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Jackson Gillette China is attempting to develop a national social credit system where individuals and businesses receive social credit scores based on their economic and social standings and behaviors. The State Council, the chief administrative authority in the People’s Republic of China, issued a notice in 2014 officially outlining the blueprint for the system. The blueprint indicates that the government plans to launch the system by 2020.

The notice states the importance of a social credit system to a socialist market economy and governance structure. In the notice, the State Council also emphasizes the need to “strengthen sincerity in government affairs, commercial sincerity, social sincerity, and judicial credibility construction…commend sincerity and punish insincerity.” The development plan accords with the five-year social and economic development initiatives in China.

Meanwhile, businesses in the private sector are experimenting with the system. According to South China Morning Post, internet conglomerate Tencent launched a nationwide

individual credit scoring system in January 2018 within its WeChat mobile application. As SupChina explains, “A good Tencent Credit score is obtained when the company’s algorithm assesses your spending and social habits and gives you points in each of five categories: ‘honor, security, wealth, consumption, and social.” The launch of Tencent Credit was only a trial and ended days after the debut, according to Tech in Asia.

The social credit system would ideally act as a reward-andpunishment system.

Tencent is one of eight companies approved by the People’s Bank of China in 2015 to pilot social credit score systems, and is currently well behind its chief rival, Alibaba. Alibaba, another one of the eight approved companies, maintains a social credit system called Sesame Credit, which already has over 500 million users, according to Tech in Asia. As staterun Xinhua News Agency notes, the

criteria for social credit scoring are similar to that of Tencent Credit, using “a customer’s credit card repayment, online purchase records, house rentals, and social networking.”

As the State Council says in the notice, the social credit system would ideally act as a reward-andpunishment system for Chinese citizens. Therefore, behavior deemed sincere is rewarded under the system; whereas, behavior deemed insincere is punished. According to Yu Wujie, the chief scientist of Sesame Credit, customers with high social credit scores “might enjoy favorable treatment in future business, including avoiding paying deposit during hotel checkins or easier visa procedures. The credit scores can even be provided as a reference for future match-making.”

Yu notes that the data will come from numerous sources, including e-commerce applications and police databases. Despite such efforts, the data may not be enough to accurately gauge so-called social sincerity. According to Wang Wei, a professor of finance at Zhejiang University, “Whether it can reflect a person’s credit conditions largely depends on whether there is sufficient data on his or her behaviors.”

State of Emergency Declared in Maldives Nareg Kuyumjian President Abdulla Yameen of Maldives declared a fifteen-day national state of emergency beginning on February 5. This was announced in response to a Maldivian Supreme Court ruling that called for the release of nine dissidents and the reinstatement of twelve legislators from his opposing party.

Yameen’s declaration of martial law suspends the entire criminal code, according to the United Nations. The day following Yameen’s announcement of martial law, the president ordered security forces to arrest Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and Judge Ali Hameed, claiming that their ruling was an “obstruction of the very ability of the state to function.” Al Jazeera reports that later that afternoon, the three remaining judges signed a new decision overturning the release of the nine dissidents “upon considering concerns raised by the president.” The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released a statement warning that Yameen’s declaration of a state of emergency undermines the checks and balances necessary for a functioning democracy.

If the 12 legislators are allowed to return from exile, their return would give the opposing party a majority in the 85-seat legislature. However, on February 3, two of the 12 legislators were arrested while trying to return to the country in order to resume their newly reinstated positions.

Yameen’s declaration of a state of emergency undermines the checks and balances.

The president justifies his actions by accusing these recent developments are saying part of a larger, unwarranted plot to overthrow his regime. The Asia Times reports that recent diplomatic and economic developments with China gave Yameen the green light to pursue his political objectives despite fervent public demonstrations and criticism from the international community.

Leading the opposing front is the “unholy alliance between two former presidents, Maumoon Abdul

Gayoom and…Mohamed Nasheed.”

This newfound coalition is especially interesting, given that Nasheed defeated Gayoom, the president’s halfbrother who is currently imprisoned, in the country’s first democratic election in 2008 and put an end to his uncontested 30 year reign.

Due to its location at the cusp of Cape Comorin between the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, Maldives could serve as a strategic geopolitical vantage point for the U.S. by providing a place to better monitor Chinese hegemony in the Indian Ocean. The Asia Times claims that the U.S. tried to establish a Status of Forces Agreement with Maldives during the Obama administration, but the election of pro-China Yameen tainted the efforts.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said “that the situation in the Maldives was an internal affair,” Naheed calls for Indian military intervention.

Nasheed’s call to action may be an important inflection point in Indian foreign policy due to U.S. efforts to secure a regional ally with India and rival China’s regional influence.

Jail Time for Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Dropped Rohan Sahu On February 6, Hong Kong prodemocracy activists Joshua Wong, Nathan Law, and Alex Chow had their prison sentences struck down by the city’s highest court. These sentences were issued in relation to the trio’s role in the 2014 Umbrella Movement against the perceived encroachment of Beijing on the unique rights set aside for Hong Kong after the British handover in 1997.

“More activists will be locked up because of this harsh judgment.”

- Joshua Wong More specifically, the court found Wong and his compatriots guilty for the purported violence involved in the storming of Civic Square, the east wing of Hong Kong’s Central Government Office. According to the New York Times, Wong and Law were sentenced to community service while Chow received a suspended threeweek jail term in 2016, both for their involvement in the movement.

Prosecutors appealed for harsher penalties and the court granted their requests in August 2017, according to a CNN report. The three faced terms ranging from six to eight months.

Although they were released on bail, their sentences still barred them from pursuing public office for five years.

On February 6, the trio appealed their sentences. According to South China Morning Post, Chief Justice

JOSHUA WONG VIA TWITTER

China Pushes Social Credit System

Geoffrey Ma Tao-li said before handing down the 66-page judgement “that it was right for the Court of Appeal to send the message that unlawful assemblies involving violence, even the relatively low degree of violence that occurred in the present appeals, will not be condoned, and convictions will justifiably attract prison sentences.”

The court made clear that in delivering jail time to Wong, Law, and Chow, the lower court had established a new set of guidelines that allowed for stricter sentences, though it also clarified that it was inappropriate to apply those new sentencing guidelines retroactively. The judgment stated that non-custodial sentences originally handed down by the trial magistrate were not “manifestly inadequate” since at the time there was no precedent for jail sentences being applied for this type of case. Accordingly, the three had their prison sentences thrown out, but the court said that future offenders should expect stiffer punishments.

The new guidelines left Wong, Law, and Chow in dismay despite their legal victory. Wong said to Radio Television Hong Kong that possibly “more activists will be locked up because of this harsh judgment.”

Ultimately, as an article from the New York Times suggests, the verdict questions the ability of Hong Kong’s judiciary to protect itself from the control of the Chinese government and to defend the rights of Hong Kongers set out in the Basic Law. The judges noted that it was not their role to involve themselves in any political debate but rather to apply the law.

Wong, Chow, and Law leaving the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal on February 6.

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MIDDLE EAST & CENTRAL ASIA April Artrip

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ccording to the Jamestown Foundation, Tajikistan’s government closed around 100 mosques in January, continuing its crackdown on religious freedom. Officials closed 45 mosques for being unsanitary and another 45 mosques for being within 50 meters of another mosque, which is prohibited under the law. These mosques will be converted into social centers. EurasiaNet reported that, in the past year, Tajikistan has converted around 2,000 mosques into medical clinics, cultural centers, and other social institutions.

The government exerts a significant amount of control over mosques and imams. The government appoints all imams and has ruled that imams who received theological education abroad are ineligible. As there is only one academy for Islamic education in the country, this rule greatly restricts the number of potential imams.

According to Transitions Online, Tajikistan has adopted numerous laws that restrict religious practice under the guise of preventing terrorism. Authorities can target those who have “outward signs” of religious movements, such as long beards or ankle-length pants, which the government associates with the ultraconservative Salafist strain of Islam. In schools, girls are not allowed to wear the hijab. The government has also placed restrictions on minors attending mosques and on those seeking religious education abroad.

However, as found by the Jamestown Foundation, analysts predict that these measures will drive religion underground rather than eradicate its practice. The government’s regulation of religion mirrors the restrictions that Soviet authorities placed on mosques and imams in Central Asia, which ultimately created a covert Islamic movement. An underground movement prompted by repression could encourage militancy, rendering the government’s attempts at preventing such movements futile.

Israel Confirms Plans to Deport African Migrants Emma Morris After receiving notice of approval from his cabinet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed plans to deport African migrants currently seeking asylum in his country, according to Reuters.

In December 2017, Israel’s Parliament passed a bill granting the government the right to deport African asylum-seekers.

These migrants are now being notified they must relocate or accept imprisonment.

The government is offering an airplane ticket and financial compensation to those who acquiesce; the alternative is being sent to detention centers within Israel. The government has offered up to $3,500 to migrants if they leave Israel within 90 days. Women, children, and parents are currently excused from deportation. Israeli officials, however, have indicated that this exemption is subject to change.

Al Jazeera reports that a letter from an Israeli government representative also promises that deported African migrants will be relocated to “a safe third country that will absorb you and give you a residency visa that will allow

you to work in that country.”

The letter also pledged that the third country wouldn’t relocate the migrants to their home country.

Rwanda and Uganda were listed as potential destinations. That same week, however, both Rwanda and Uganda dismissed these claims.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe tweeted that “Rwanda has no deal whatsoever with Israel to host any African migrant from that country,” blasting the suppositions as “fake news.” Similarly, Ugandan Foreign Minister Okello Oryem decried Israel’s claims as “absolute rubbish.” Nonetheless, there have been multiple reports of a deal between Israel and Rwanda in which the former offered the latter $5,000 per migrant it accepts.

Netanyahu governs as a member of the conservative Likud party, which has pushed a nationalist agenda based on national-security policy and has expressed concerns about the implications of a rising African presence. At the same time, immigration into Israel from Africa has grown, particularly from Eritrea and Sudan.

Uzbek President Fires Intelligence Chief Xuyang Zhang President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan officially fired long-time Security Chief Rustam Inoyatov on January 31, according to EurasiaNet. After the death of the previous president, Islam Karimov, in 2016, Inoyatov ran for president against Mirziyoyev. As a close member of Karimov’s inner circle, he had been the chief of the National Security Services (SNB), the successor to the Soviet KGB, for 23 years.

In December 2017, Mirziyoyev indicated in a meeting that changes would be implemented regarding the SNB. Before the formal resignation of Inoyatov, the SNB had already been losing authority under the government of Mirziyoyev, even though Inoyatov remained very powerful during the immediate aftermath of Karimov’s death. As Mirziyoyev consolidated

his power, Inoyatov was gradually isolated.

In addition, the jurisdiction of the SNB has diminished: it is now unable to take actions like seizing or searching private property without the presence of a court order. Prosecutor General Ikhtiyor Abdullayev will be the new SNB chief, succeeding Inoyatov.

According to BBC, the dismissal of Inoyatov signals a major step in the development of Mirziyoyev’s reforms on the dictatorial legacy of Karimov, as Inoyatov was reported to be openly opposed to Mirziyoyev’s reforms.

These reforms include a move towards liberating the monetary policy of Uzbekistan and improving relations with neighbors. However, regional experts and human rights groups have expressed doubt over the ability and desire of Mirziyoyev to execute these reforms.

According to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), 27,500 Eritreans and 7,800 Sudanese are currently residing in Israel as asylum seekers. According to the Israeli government, the African residents seeking asylum are not refugees but illegal immigrants looking to exploit Israel’s economy. Netanyahu has labeled them “infiltrators.”

Not long after relocations began, some 80 cases have been reported of deportees risking their lives venturing from Africa to Europe after leaving Israel, according to Al Jazeera. The

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UNHCR accordingly called upon Israel to reverse the policy.

The Jerusalem Post reports that protests against the government’s policy are also emerging in Israel.

Upon receiving the 20,000 deportation notices, Eritrean and Sudanese migrants gathered outside the Rwandan Embassy in the Israeli city of Herzliya. Migrants also protested the Rwandan ambassador for his suspected deportation deal with Netanyahu. One 23-year-old South Sudanese man pleaded, “Don’t sell me to Rwanda.”

African migrants protested against deportation in Israel in 2009.

F E B. 19, 2018 | 13

Dana Ahdab CNN reports that police in Tehran recently arrested 29 women for their involvement in protests against Iran’s compulsory headscarf law. During the protests, women have been removing their headscarves in public and waving them around on sticks.

Women in Iran have been required to wear the hijab since 1979, when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in the Islamic Revolution.

Some believe that forcing the hijab on non-believers undermines its genuine value.

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian activist based in the United States, launched a campaign called White Wednesdays to protest the religious restrictions imposed on women in Iran, according to the New York Times. The campaign encourages women to go out in public wearing a white hijab or no hijab on Wednesdays. Women post photos and videos of themselves on social media using the hashtag #WhiteWednesdays to draw global attention to the protests.

The United States has commended the demonstrators. “People should be free to choose the clothes they wear and practice their faith as they desire,”

said Heather Nauert, the spokeswoman for the State Department.

Police in Tehran have suggested that the protests are incited and funded by foreign powers. Alinejad responded to these accusations in an interview with CNN. “The movement started inside Iran. It has nothing to do with forces outside of Iran,” Alinejad maintained.

“This is a campaign that’s been going on for years and years. The women of Iran have long been ignored. We’re just giving them a platform.”

“The women of Iran have long been ignored.

We’re just giving them a platform.”

- Masih Alinejad In fact, a recent study released by the Iranian government shows that almost half of Iranians believe that wearing the hijab should be a private decision. The same study compares data collected in both 2006 and 2014.

Findings show a steep decline in public support for enforcement of the hijab law. Thirty-four percent of Iranians in 2006 were against the hijab law while

49 percent were against it in 2014.

The study was released by the government of President Hassan Rouhani just days after police announced the arrest of women involved in the protests. Analysts cite this as a strategically timed move by Rouhani, who ran for president as a reformer. “One cannot force one’s lifestyle on the future generations,” Rouhani said.

These remarks came after weeks of anti-government protests in Iran.

Nationwide protests erupted in December 2017 over the declining economy. The police crackdown on the protesters ensured that the demonstrations ended by mid-January.

The anti-hijab demonstrations, however, have continued to gain momentum and draw increasing support from Iranian women in all sectors of society. The women involved in the protests come from different classes, ethnicities, and religions.

These anti-hijab protests mark just the beginning of the movement for women’s rights in Iran. Other religious restrictions on women— including divorce and child custody restrictions—are other issues being pursued by Iranian women.

Jordanian Government Raises Bread Prices Moez Hayat On February 1, in a controversial move, the Jordanian government effectively ended its longstanding subsidies on staple pita breads across the country. Al Jazeera reports that, as of this month, the price of one kilo of bread has risen 60 percent, from 0.25 Jordanian Dinar (JD) to 0.40 JD, or roughly $0.50. The government has indicated the policy will remain in effect for the upcoming year.

According to the New Arab, in response, some protests and minor riots have broken out in the capital, Amman. In early February, police were seen dispersing crowds of protesters in some parts of the city. Just prior to the lifting of subsidies, people took to waiting in long lines across the country as they attempted to buy as much bread as possible at the lower prices. In addition, many have expressed anger and frustration at the government’s policy.

Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki and his government have staunchly defended the move as being in the interest of Jordanian citizens. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has

predicted that the government will receive a windfall of around 50 million JD ($70 million), which can be put towards benefits for Jordanian citizens, in particular public service workers, retirees, and members of the armed forces. His office has taken to Twitter to claim that even without subsidies, Jordan’s bread prices will remain the lowest in the Arab world.

The government has also insinuated that low bread prices benefit foreigners.

Economic concerns motivate the Jordanian government. Before Jordan ended its subsidies, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) criticized the policy and labeled its spending trends unsustainable. Furthermore, according to Reuters, the Jordanian government agreed to reduce its debt in order to obtain an IMF arrangement. The government has also insinuated that low bread prices benefit foreigners such as illegal migrant workers and Syrian refugees residing in the country.

According to Minister of Industry Yarub Qudah, “Jordanians consume 35 percent [of the bread], 40 percent go to non-Jordanians, and 25 percent go waste.” Thus, the government has claimed that the removal of subsides will actually redirect government spending away from foreigners and towards ordinary Jordanians.

However, most Jordanians remain very skeptical and uncertain about the current action. White pita bread is a staple in Jordan, and its price directly affects the poorest citizens. As a result, many bakeries, considering access to bread a human right, have declared a free bread initiative to aid those in need. Some bakeries have outright defied the ruling, leading the government to threaten to monitor, investigate, and punish those who refuse to abide by the current price scheme.

Al Jazeera reported that the government has promised to redistribute the savings to citizens through direct cash transfers. However, it remains to be seen how and when that will occur, especially considering the fact that many Jordanians lack bank accounts.

Border Dispute Between Lebanon And Israel Reignites Michael Abi-Habib Lebanese leaders claim that the new Israeli border wall is a threat to Lebanese sovereignty and regional stability, reported Reuters. In order to prevent a further escalation, Israeli and Lebanese officials have reached out to various members of the international community for support.

Israel began building an alleged $28 million wall on its northern border in early February. With reservations located on the border, Lebanese officials have criticized this as act of Israeli “aggression.” Lebanese officials claim that the wall trespasses on Lebanese territory.

After a meeting with senior government and military officials, Saadallah Mohyi Eddin el-Hamad, the secretary-general of Lebanon’s Higher Defence Council, stated that, “This wall, if it is built, will be considered an assault on Lebanese land,” reported Al Arabiya.

He went on to claim that, “The Higher Defence Council has given its instructions to confront this aggression to prevent Israel from building [the wall] on Lebanese territory.”

Despite previously claiming that the wall is in its territory, Israeli officials have yet to respond to the recent comments from Lebanese officials.

Although Israel attacked Lebanon in 2006 in response to militant activity

by Hezbollah, there has been relative calm along the frontier since.

The border conflict is happening concurrently with maritime and airspace disputes, as reported in the Caravel. In recent weeks, the Lebanese government started accepting bids

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Iran Arrests 29 Women in Anti-Hijab Protests

for an offshoring gas and oil project in the Mediterranean. The area being considered for drilling is an unresolved triangular area of sea with an area of about 330 square miles, according to Reuters.

At an international security conference, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman described Lebanese offshoring as “very provocative,” saying it would be a mistake for international firms to participate.

Reuters reported that Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said that these comments were among several “threatening” messages that Lebanon had received from Israel in the past few days. In addition, Hezbollah responded by saying the comments are “a new aggression” and they would “decisively confront any assault on our oil and gas rights.”

In an attempt to de-escalate tensions, David Satterfield, the U.S. acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, visited Israel and Lebanon over the past week.

After meeting with Israeli officials, Satterfield “assured the Lebanese that Israel does not want escalation.”

In response to the multiple border conflicts, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil sent a letter to the United Nations affirming Lebanese sovereignty and economic interests.

However, according to Reuters, the spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said that the fence was being built within Israeli territory. Additionally, it promised that the “situation was calm” and that it had troops on the ground.

Point 105 of Israeli fence along the Israel-Lebanon border.

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NORTH & SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Buhari’s Vetoes Raise Questions Regarding Fitness for Office In February, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari rejected three bills passed by the country’s National Assembly. The three bills proposed establishing a police procurement fund, chartering an institute of public management, and creating the Nigerian Council of Social Work.

Buhari rejected the bills, citing a lack of clarity in their legal framework. All three were mired in cryptic language and unnecessary regulation.

Normally, an executive veto in a contentious, vibrant democracy would hardly be noteworthy. In the case of Buhari, however, there are dogged questions about his fitness for office given his poor health. In 2017, Buhari spent 153 of the first 231 days of the year on medical leave, according to Al Jazeera. In fact, he was out of the country, receiving treatment in the United Kingdom. Commentators from Al Jazeera have noted that he looks far meeker than he did on the campaign trail in 2015. In the cutthroat world of Nigerian politics, this cripples Buhari’s

ability to carry out the corruption reforms he promised, as an opinion piece from the Council on Foreign Relations suggests, and leaves a power vacuum for others to step into.

Buhari did not personally deliver his decision; rather, the veto announcement was read by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu on behalf of the president, according to Premium Times. Some argue that Buhari’s inability to complete this simple duty of state bodes ill for the president’s ability to govern going forward. Now more than ever, as Nigeria battles Boko Haram in the North and a persistently low price of oil ravages government revenues, a strong executive is needed to guide the ship. In fact, in 2016 Nigeria’s GDP contracted by 1.6 percent according to the World Bank, and, while the recession ended in mid-2017, growth is still sluggish.

Meanwhile, the median age in Nigeria is approximately 18 according to the World Health Organization, and the growing population is in need of jobs faster than the economy is currently providing them.

George Weah Sworn In As Liberian President Kate Fin After two brutal civil wars, a horrific Ebola outbreak, and a presidential election steeped in controversy, Liberia saw its first peaceful transition of power since 1944.

George Weah, former soccer star, was sworn in as the twentyfifth president on January 22, in the stadium where he had once played, Al Jazeera reported.

Weah replaces Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who served as president since 2006. She was Africa’s first democratically elected female leader, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her work promoting women’s rights and maintaining peace domestically.

Weah’s biggest challenge will be continuing that tradition of peace.

Before Sirleaf ’s presidency, the country had been mired in a 14-year civil war that left over 250, 000 dead and forced over 1.5 million to flee, according to

BBC statistics. The rebellions against oppressive regimes had caused continuous power struggles.

The years of peace under Sirleaf have been a significant departure from the country’s bloody history. All eyes are on Weah to see if he can maintain this. In his inauguration speech, he promised to protect Liberian democracy and promote economic progress.

His ascent to power was particularly meaningful to Liberia’s poor, as Weah grew up in one of Monrovia’s biggest slums. Some hope that his origin will lead Weah’s administration to fight endemic poverty, something at which Sirleaf never succeeded.

So far, Weah has named his ministers of finance, defense and foreign affairs. While Liberians are optimistic about his administration– he was nicknamed “Liberia’s Hope”–it remains to be seen if the country will continue on its trajectory of peace.

The 2015 Afrobarometer survey found that unemployment, electricity, poverty, crime/security, and corruption are the problems that are most cited

by Nigerians among their top three priorities, with unemployment as Nigerians’ top concern. More than 90 percent of Nigerians say that “some,” “most,” or “all” public officials are corrupt.

For those unhappy with the status quo, there is little to no chance that Buhari is removed from office for a lack of ability to carry out its functions

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Russell Guertin

under the country’s Constitution of 1999. First, two thirds of his cabinet would have to vote him incapable.

Next, that decision would have to be verified by a five-person medical panel chosen by the Senate president.

Finally, the two heads of the bicameral legislature would have to publish the finding.

Interestingly, signs point to Buhari preparing to run for reelection in 2019, according to Reuters. Buhari is currently 75 and would be 80 by the end of a second term.

Nigerian President Buhari rejected three bills from the National Assembly in February.

Tunisians Protest 2018 Finance Act and Media Censorship Macy Uustal Tunisians took to the streets in two separate rounds of protests in the country in January 2018. The first series of demonstrations revealed deep public outrage at the institution of the 2018 Finance Act, which rolledout a series of austerity measures that impose hefty taxes on everyday goods and services. The government responded swiftly and brutally to the these protests, using tear gas on civilians and arresting over 770 protesters.

Social Affairs Minister Mohamed Trabelsi announced on January 13 that the government plans to introduce reforms targeting Tunisia’s economically underprivileged. CNN reported that these reforms do not alter the 2018 Finance Act but include various measures to remedy the economic hardship Tunisians are expecting to face following the passage of the act.

Throughout the first set of protests, the government detained several journalists. Film equipment containing footage of police brutality was also confiscated, according to News24.

Minister of the Interior Lotfi Brahem admitted that the Tunisian government wiretaps journalists, stating that his ministry will not hesitate to prosecute bloggers or journalists who “doubt the integrity of security institutions and undermine the morale of security forces.” The government’s reaction to these protests prompted the second round of demonstrations, including a media sit-in in the capital, Tunis, on February 2.

Fred Bobin, president of the North African Foreign Correspondents’ Club, likened the present situation to the government’s limits on press freedom before the 2011 toppling of Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine. Bobin told Al-Monitor, “These incidents illustrate the awakening of the security organization’s old reflexes toward the press in general. It’s a culture of police control that was considered over after the revolution but that persists and rises back up to the surface.”

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UN Accuses Kenya and Uganda of Prolonging War in South Sudan UN Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng accused Kenya and Uganda of helping to sustain the civil war in South Sudan by serving as a conduit for weapons into the country in a statement released on January 30.

South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan in 2011 and has been engaged in a violent civil war since 2013. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict, and four million have been displaced. Refugee camps in Uganda currently host more than a million South Sudanese refugees, and Kenyan refugee camps house over 100,000, Sudan Tribune reported.

Despite these countries’ assistance, according to Dieng, “It is true that large quantities of weapons and ammunition are flowing into South Sudan through Kenya and Uganda.”

Many of the weapons are believed to have originated in Ukraine or Bulgaria and may be going to both rebel groups and government forces. A November 2017 UN investigation found a flight

containing 31 tons of weapons that landed in Uganda. The weapons were then transferred to individuals in South Sudan, according to the East African.

Dieng contends that for the peace process in South Sudan to be successful, regional actors must end the flow of arms into the region.

Archbishop of Gulu Diocese in Northern Uganda John Baptist Odama also accused the Ugandan government of escalating the conflict in South Sudan after the UN report was released, according to Sudan Tribune. “For over fifty years, the people of South Sudan have not witnessed or enjoyed peace in their country. The leaders must end the greed that is forcing them into war but accept to work peacefully towards achieving lasting peace,” Odoma said.

He also asked the people of South Sudan to forgive Ugandans for aiding in the conflict that has devastated the region.

In response to the UN’s new accusation, both the European Union and the African Union are considering imposing sanctions on officials in the

Ugandan and Kenyan governments as well as on banks in both nations that aid the flow of weapons and money into the South Sudan conflict.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley previously called on regional actors to help formulate a peaceful settlement to the conflict. “It is past time for the leaders of Uganda and Kenya to get involved and put pressure on President [Salva] Kiir [of South Sudan],” Haley said at a UN Security Council meeting on January 24.

Bethania Michael The ambassador also called on the international community to enforce a full arms embargo on South Sudan in order to stop the bloodshed.

According to the East African, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called on regional actors to remain neutral in the South Sudan conflict and emphasized that regional rivalries must not result in foreign states competing in a proxy war in South Sudan.

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

The war in South Sudan has displaced approximately four million people.

South Africa Projects Cape Town Will Run Dry in Weeks Kevin Pollack Officials in Cape Town have predicted that the city’s water deposits will be completely depleted sometime between April 16 and May 11, a day labeled Day Zero. The South African capital would become the first metropolis in history to turn off the taps.

According to the Washington Post, Cape Town will restrict water access when Day Zero arrives, leaving approximately four million people without running water. The army remains on standby as the capital prepares for the catastrophe to strike.

While many have anxiously bought large quantities of bottled water, some of the richest residents have dug boreholes in an attempt to locate untapped water resources.

Reuters reported that other Capetonians have resorted to lining up overnight to receive water rations.

Cape Town officials presented a plan to establish approximately 200 water collection points across the city in which each person can draw a maximum of 50 liters per day, which totals a volume seven times fewer than

what the average U.S. citizen consumes daily and amounts to the equivalent of a six-minute shower with a low-flow shower head.

Authorities have suggested strict limitations on water consumption in order to exploit the last of the resources.

“Capetonians must continue reducing consumption if we are to avoid Day Zero,” Executive Deputy Mayor of Cape Town Ian Neilson said.

The South African capital would become the first metropolis in history to turn off the taps.

Officials worry about fears to public health as citizens stop washing their hands and food with clean water, according to News24. Cholera, food poisoning, typhoid, listeria, and other diseases are easily spread from November to May, a period experts call diarrhea season.

Two years of incredibly low rainfall prompted the water crisis. Fewer than

155 millimeters of rain were recorded at Cape Town International Airport in 2017, compared to more than 500 in 2014. Moreover, a three-year drought as a result of high air pressure resulted in the country’s two driest years on record in 2015 and 2017, further exacerbating the crisis.

Because no major city has ever run out of water, it is difficult to forecast the effects of this crisis. However, the country has already suffered from a volatile and unstable political system under President Jacob Zuma amid calls for his resignation, and an aggravation of the current calamity would not bode well for Zuma’s regime.

Capetonians have already begun to voice their discontent with the government’s handling of the crisis.

The South African reported that hundreds demonstrated on January 29 against the management of water in Cape Town, and the horde eventually chanted, “Water for all, the mayor must fall.”

Their concerns are well-founded.

Researchers have indicated that the Cape Town city council failed to effectively adapt the water supply to the needs of such a large city. Cape Town’s

population has increased by 79 percent since 1995, while the water supply has increased by a comparatively meager 15 percent.

Some, however, are more critical of the citizens’ response. David Olivier, a fellow at South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand told National Geographic, “The fundamental problem is the kind of lifestyle we’re living. There’s almost a sense of entitlement that we have a right to consume as much as we want. The attitude and reaction of most posts on social media is indignation. It’s ‘we pay our taxes’ and, therefore, we should be as comfortable as possible.”

According to the consulting firm Deloitte, several other African cities face continuous water shortages. These include Nairobi, Kenya and Accra, Ghana.

The prospect of a city running out of water threatens not only Africa but the entire world. The demand for water has increased dramatically in recent years while the supply has simultaneously fallen, leading experts to predict that two-thirds of the world’s population may face daily water shortages as soon as 2025.

O

n February 5, Israel’s government warned thousands of African migrants that they must evacuate its borders by March 31. According to AfricaNews, officials promptly sent migrants letters on February 4, which warned that they had 60 days to voluntarily leave Israel or be forcibly expelled or jailed.

On January 3, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first announced the plan that will leave 38,000 migrants, predominantly Eritrean and Sudanese, in a precarious situation. The government has yet to specify where African migrants will be returned. Yet, the order excludes “anyone recognized as a victim of slavery or human trafficking and those who had requested asylum by the end of 2017 but haven’t gotten a response,” Haaretz reports.

Shortly after it was announced, African and Israeli advocacy groups petitioned and wrote letters to the prime minister, urging him to revisit the mandated evacuation.

According to the Atlantic, the AntiDefamation League and Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Israel wrote to Netanyahu and explained that migrants previously relocated to third countries “indicate that they did not find durable protection here and risked their lives by taking dangerous onward journeys through conflict zones in South Sudan and Libya to seek protection elsewhere.” The letter also explained the often perilous and fatal nature of migrants’ journeys to destination countries.

Other recent events have also raised concerns about migration issues and protracted refugee situations in Africa and destination continents. In February, the United Nations reported that intensified military violence in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has caused an upsurge in migratory outflows to Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The UN also revealed that about five million Congolese nationals had been displaced by 2018, with 674,879 Congolese in other African countries. As refugee crises continue to compound, it will be the responsibility of the international community to navigate changing tides in the international order and to address refugee policy.

1 6 | F E B. 19, 2018

This semester, many of The Caravel’s writers are studying abroad. Check out the photos below to follow them on their journey!

Where are Hoyas abroad?

Bryce Couch (SFS ‘19) is studying abroad in London, England and touring all around Europe.

BRYCE COUCH (SFS ‘19)

Tamara Evdokimova (SFS ‘19) is studying abroad in Bordeaux, France and exploring the French countryside.

TAMARA EVDOKIMOVA (SFS ‘19)

Overlooking the streets of Athens, Greece.

The interior of Sainte-Cécile Cathedral in Albi, France.

BRYCE COUCH (SFS ‘19)

TAMARA EVDOKIMOVA (SFS ‘19)

Looking down the streets of Albi, France.

St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England as seen from Millennium Bridge.