The Menton Times - Volume III, Issue VII

NEWS

TheMentonTimes

Sea,SunandSurveillance:Menton’sFêtedu CitronIntroducesNewSecurityMeasures

BY CATARINA VITA

From the beginning to late February, the Cote D’Azur more specifically the city of Menton transforms from an abandoned summer paradise into an epicenter of tourism Businesses of every kind come to life with Menton’s Fete du Citron, better known as the Lemon Festival The city of Menton, currently harboring one of the

OPINION

most significant migrant crises globally, gathers tourists from all over the world around the city’s humble 14 05 SEE PAGE 1

Terresfertilesetdéfisamers:

L’Unioneuropéenneetl’agriculture ukrainienne

BYJONATHAN SMIDTAS SCHALITA

Tandis que les élections européennes approchent, l’Union européenne a décidé dans la nuit du 20 mars de réinstaurer des droits de douane sur certains produits agricoles ukrainiens Le pays, un des principaux producteurs mondiaux, avait vu ses exportations vers l’Union européenne grimper en flèche à la suite de l’invasion du pays par la Russie car les taxes sur les importations agricoles ukrainiennes imposées par

CULTURE

l’Union européenne avaient alors été supprimées Depuis, la colère des agriculteurs européens dénonçant une concurrence insoutenable a marqué l’actualité.

SEE

12

Formula1:AretheGulfCountries “Sportswashing”?

BY SELIN ELIF KÖSE

It’s lights out and away we go: Formula 1 2024 season is officially off to a start with the much anticipated Bahrain Grand Prix As the silly season comes to an end, the whole Formula 1 community is still in shock with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton's announcement of transferring to Ferrari in 2025 SEE PAGE 8

BY MARIA EIRINI LIODI

Babel Initiative makes The Menton Times headlines once more, featuring an even more fascinating story than last month – Babel’s Cyprus Trip 2024!

Judeo-Arabic:ADyingDialect,A CulturethatMustNotBeForgotten

BY MAIA ZASLER

This is not Hebrew. Although each letter, read from right to left, surely resembles those of the Hebrew alphabet, this particular excerpt from the Lord’s Prayer is an example of Judeo-Arabic

Judeo-Arabic is an ethnnolect, which has been defined as “a linguistic entity with its own

history and used by a distinct language community.” Jews from Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Iran have spoken and shared its sonorous sentences, sayings, benedictions and curse words for thousands of years In each regional case, Arabic serves as the SEE PAGE

A week bustling with business meetings, rigorous research and cultural enrichment

Before diving into that, I will provide a brief introduction for those who do not already know. SEE PAGE 17

InTheLead-UptoLocal Elections,Istanbul’sKurdish VotersinSpotlight

BY YASMIN ABBASOY

h l ons were an cess for a position On a al talk show of mnipresent in Turkey, thenain opposition ğlu received hter from the n stating his the campaign es of coveted

Sea,SunandSurveillance:Menton’sFêteduCitron IntroducesNewSecurityMeasures

BY CATARINA VITA

From the beginning to late February, the Cote D’Azur more specifically the city of Menton transforms from an abandoned summer paradise into an epicenter of tourism Businesses of every kind come to life with Menton’s FeteduCitron,betterknownasthe Lemon Festival The city of Menton, currently harboring one of the most significant migrant crises globally, gathers tourists from all over the world around the city’s humble 1405 kilometers squared area to admire statues madealmostentirelyoutoflemons at the Jardins Biovès, delve into the orchid exposition right across the street in the Palais d’Europe, and walk straight and up the stairs to visit the iconic Basilique de Saint MichelArchange

Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons, however, hold the true gist of the Lemon Festival: the parades Including everything from cheerleaders to a Trojan Horse, everyone gathers around Avenue Felix Faure to celebrate the parades, rain or sunshine This year’s theme was the Paris Olympics, and all statues revolved around that, with Olympic swimmers and wrestlers welcoming tourists that arrive from the train station into Menton According to France3, Menton was expected to receive 30,000 people for the festival, doubling the city’s population Similarly to the Olympics itself, the Menton government reinforced security measures during the period of the Lemon Festival Yearly, the government installs smaller lemon-made sculptures around the city,whichusuallyfindthemselves

empty after a few days of their installation With the large influx of people in a small city, pickpockets surge This year, the Menton government aimed to reinforce its security and surveillance measures, both through manpower and securitycameras

France3 reported that 150 national police officers were dedicated to the event, as well as 50 municipal police officers Surveillance cameras were placed in various locations of the city, especially in the lemon-made statues around the Old Town Near the Basilique, where such a statue was placed, a big, red sign with white letters contrasted the yellow of the lemons: cette zone est surveillée Another technology-based effort recently implemented is drone surveillance, also reaffirmed by France3 To access the traditional festival parades, an intricate security check is mandatory The new metaldetecting device Evolv, similar to ones in airports and museums, was implemented for the attendees of the parade The official Menton Préfecture website recommended arriving two hours before the parade due to intricate security checks, includingbagsearch

In an interview for BFM Cote d’Azur, Aurélien Froger, a police officer placed in Menton for the Lemon Festival, recounts the dangers posed during this period, specifically during the parades He describes two main ones, those caused by crowds and those caused by individuals The crowds, according to Froger, can cause panic and instability, while the officer was concerned about knife violence with regard to the security threatsposedbyindividuals “When

there is a crowd, there is always a concern,” says Froger Another police officer described that the security team examined the parade areas before people arrived to ensure that “nothing dangerous” was placedonthesepremises

The collective local and national efforts for the Lemon Festival’s successrevealtheimportanceofthis period on a macro and micro scale Evidently, the festival turns the lemons of the Mentonese economy during the winter season into lemonade, reviving chain hotels and small businesses A small carelessness on the part of security during the festival could cause its collapse and with it, the collapse of Menton and the Cote d’Azur during winter

Thankfully for businesses and tourism, the 2024 edition of the Fete du Citron, also being the 90th edition of the festival, had surprising numbers The Menton Préfecture website recorded almost 100,000 spectators to all four parades, 74,000 people in the orchid exposition at Palais d’Europe, and over a million accessors to the official Fete du Citron website One of the smallest cities in the Cote d’Azur suddenly becomes overcrowded in February, which could lead to a security catastrophe With security efforts like the ones imposed in this year’s edition of the Lemon Festival, a catastrophe like that could be considered successfully prevented from the lack of reports of serious security threats Nonetheless, the enjoyment of the Fete du Citron also relies on the integrity of the police force and no police violence, which is not in place in the current migration crisisscenariointheCoted’Azur

While tourists from all over the world are being protected by the police, for migrants at the FrancoItalian border, French law enforcement can come to threaten their life Police brutality against migrants are rampant, besides neglect on proper reception and human rightsFor years to come, security efforts would best be combined with actions to lower police brutality, at the Italian border and Mentonese streets, so that the city and the festival can be properly appreciated

SettingPrecedents–Greece’sLGBTQ+Rights TriumphandFrance’sLandmarkforAbortionRights

BY MARIA EIRINI LIODI

Cause for celebration comes in the past months, as Greece became the first Orthodox Christian-majority country to legalize same-sex marriage and France enshrined the right to abortion within its constitution Amid tense discussions on upcoming US elections, multiple ongoing conflicts, and protests of all sorts recently setting central Europe ablaze, perhaps a moment of appreciation for these two recent ‘wins’couldbeuplifting

On February 15, 2024, following months of deliberation, Greece emerged as a triumphant example of LGBTQ+ representation within the Southern European region Despite opposition from the Orthodox Church and members of the political right, the measure was passed by the parliament with 176 voting in favor and 76 against, legalizing same-sex marriage and granting same-sex couples’ adoption rights as well Granting the right to marriage translates into recognizing LGBTQ+ couples and children's rights on an equal footing within their familial structure

For those who remained unconvinced as to why equal marriage rights are important, various studies conducted over the years support the reality One such example published in the National Library of Medicine, indicates that same-sexmarriageconstitutesan

issue of public health, delineating clearly that: “Being in a legally recognized same-sex relationship, marriage in particular, appeared to diminish mental health differentials between heterosexuals and lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (in the study)”

Greece has been one of the relatively liberal countries on LGBTQ+ rights in Southern Europe, considering homosexuality had long been decriminalized in 1951, and same-sex civil unions were legalized in 2015 However, given the persisting tragedies of hate crimes against members of the LGBTQ+ community, it is important to keep striving for equal rights and protection for all the country’s citizens As notably stated by the country’s Prime Minister on X, this moment is “a milestone for human rights”inGreece

As the 16th European Union country to legalize same-sex unions, following Estonia earlier in January of this year, Greece can serve as a precedent for other countries in the region that beyond civil unions, remain more conservative on the matter

Across the continent, France marked its own historic milestone on March 4, 2024, shifting the global narrative toward progressive social change France has become the first country to enshrine the right to abortionwithintheirconstitutional

its women today, tomorrow and forfuturegenerations

This step serves as a statement; one which can be an important example for other nations, especially during an era where certain countries are facing regressive shifts in reproductive policies Bycodifyingthisessential freedom, France is challenging deeply ingrained patriarchal structures – after all, what does a state say to its female citizens today if it does not permit them bodilyautonomyandprotection?

Amid grim news feeds, Greece and France shed light on a progressive path toward more equitable societies Let’s hope these victories resonate globally, prompting policy change toward acceptanceandautonomy

constitutional framework Why is this significant, given that abortion has been legalized since 1975 in France?

Ensuing the US Supreme Court’s disruptive downturn in deciding to overturn Roe v Wade, activists both within the US and elsewhere around the world have responded in an uproar As of January of this year, twenty-one states prohibit abortion orrestricttheproceduretoearlierin the pregnancy than the standards set by Roe v Wade Women with pregnancy complications or subjects of rape still have to illegally or unsafely deal with this issue Abortion is a human rights issue, and France has made it clear that “guaranteed freedom” to abortion is vital

In celebration, the Eiffel Tower was litupwiththewords“moncorpsmon choix”, my body my choice, clearly delineating the stance the country has taken and continues to take for women.

There have been debates on why Macron’s government decided to enshrine this right within the constitution, considering the preexisting laws safeguarding abortion in France Is this merely a political stunt? An effort to win popular support? Whatever the case on this front, one thing remains steadfast –laws can change Putting this right within its constitution, France is providingalong-termsafeguardfor

BY CALISTACELLERIER

Climate change is one of the biggest concerns in our society today, and more and more young people are trying to engage in ecofriendly behaviors Contributing to the fight against pollution and global warming is becoming more critical every day, and people are beginning to understand this But every day, it seems like our efforts are in vain, failing to achieve a real impact on the situation Indeed, the media constantly shows negative and often disturbing news about our natural world, warning us against the alarming situation that scientists stress us to consider And they are right: we must continue to fight for our future on Earth However, it would be wrong to say that nothing has improved today With all the bad news we see daily on TV, social media and newspapers, it is no wonder we are left feeling overwhelmed Therefore, here is some significant and hopeful news from 2023 about our efforts against the destruction of our planet

Humans have been killing and eliminating entire species for a long time Studies show that humans are currently leading the sixth mass extinction episode in ourplanet’shistory Butthesepast few decades have witnessed scientists and animal rights activists fighting to save endangered species from extinction And their action is finally taking effect to a small but crucialextent

Recently, scientists in the Biorescueconsortiumsuccessfully implanted a southern white rhinoceros named Curra with northern white rhino embryos for the first time in history Northern white rhinos are critically endangered, as the last two living individuals are female and the last male of the species died in 2018 While a flood disaster occurred in Curra’s enclosure, freeing a bacteria that killed her and the baby, the analysis allowed scientists to discover that the implantation was successful and that a 70-day-old northern white rhino baby was growing healthy and strong For the first time in history, in vitro fertilization using asurrogatewasprovensuccessful, a breakthrough that offers hope for the future of the northern whiterhinos

On a similar note, a study conducted by the National Snow LeopardSurveyof2022-2023in

Bhutan demonstrated an increase of 395% in the snow leopard population, a rise from 96 individuals in 2016 to 134 today A great reward for the conservation efforts initiated bythecountry

Fortunately, such news doesn't only concern terrestrial animals Indeed, scientists discovered new deep-sea coral reefs in perfect condition in a previously unexplored part of the Galapagos marine reserve, reaffirming the need and efficiency of protected areas for the fauna and the flora On the other side of the world, a study has shown that the North Atlantic whale population has been stabilizing and even increasing, with an estimated 356 individuals alive today This is truly wonderful news for all the efforts put into protectingtheseanimalsandfighting againsttrafficandillegalhunting

Innovation and discoveries do not stop at organisms The first carbonabsorbing machine called the Heirloom Carbon Technologies in California, has opened its doors and has started working on our atmosphere over the past few months Today, it can absorb 1000 tonnesofCO2annually,equivalentto around 200 cars Even though this may seem quite small of an improvement, it may develop in the future into more significant innovations that could help with the disastrousCO2levelsinourair

We all know how crucial it is to reduce our CO2 emissions because this molecule is the primary driver for global warming and, therefore, climate change Most countries today have agreed to limit their production of CO2 through diverse policies,includingdecreasingthe

a similar trend is observed: in 2023, the CO2 emission levels dropped to their lowest record since the 1950s due to the government's and the population's intense efforts Indeed, less coalfired power and reduced output by energy-intensive industries are part of these initiatives that might turn things to our advantage, although these will never be efficient enough if climate policy changesdonotbackthemup

But this good news doesn't only concern individual countries: in 2023, fossil fuel CO2 emissions were found to have returned to their 1960s levels in the entire European Union, which emitted 8% less than in 2022 Although such improvements are not yet enough to reach the target reductioninglobaltemperature

On another note, scientific research has been working hard to make discoveries about our world and how our technology can help in this climate crisis We have discovered only around 86% of our planet’s species, and scientists can’t help but wonder what new characteristics we might find How about plastic-eating bacteria? Scientists have recently discovered a diverse microbiome of plastic-degrading bacteria and fungi in salt marshes on the Jiangsu coasts in China They made the great discovery of 436 species of bacteria and fungi capable of breaking down plastic They now hope to develop an enzyme that is efficient in degrading plasticwastebiologically Itisnotthe first time such bacteria were discovered; in 2001, a group of Japanese scientists made a similar discovery

consumption of fossil fuels or finding alternatives for everything involving dangerous gas release During the COP28 in Dubai in 2023, scientists and politicians agreed that we must decrease CO2 emissions by 43% by 2030 and 60% by 2035 Therefore, it only makes sense to wonder: is it evenpossible?

Answering this question is complex because many factors come into consideration However, we can already see the effects of such efforts in many countries In France, CO2 emissions are decreasing at a steady rate, so much so that in 2023, the country has seen a decrease of 46% of its emissions compared to 2022 Though much is still to be done to reach the carbon-neutral goal by 2050, it may become possible if this improvementcontinues InGermany,

of 15 degrees Celsius, we can only hope they will be in the next few years

How is this possible? Even though it is clear sustained efforts are needed in this field, the situation might turn to our advantage considering the recent improvements in technology and the initiatives taken by countries in moving towards the production of clean energy In November 2023, Portugal powered itself entirely by renewable energies for a whole weekend The country, using mostly wind and hydroelectric power, generated 1725 GWh from Friday to Monday, and utilized only 1311 GWh he rest of the available renewable energy was sold to Spain Portugal hadachievedsimilarfeatsseveral

years before, in 2016 and 2018 Many argue that though this is impressive, it shall soon become a commonpracticeinthecountry

Of course, this achievement is quite the exception in our world But it is not the only hope one might have In 2023, the United States increased its solar power by 55% compared to 2022 Studies expect solar energy to become the largest energy source in the US by 2050 a slow but strong improvement

All around the world, people are making efforts to live more sustainably and it is worth noting that even the smallest efforts can haveasignificantimpact,especiallyif more and more people commit to it Likewise, in 2023, the search engine Ecosia officially announced it planted 200 million trees A growing number of climate analysts now believe 2023 is the year where CO2 emissions reach their final peak and that the fossil fuel economy starts its slow but terminal decline Equally, the InternationalEnergyAgency

predicts 2023 to be the turning year for the fossil fuel era, a claim supported by many experts worldwide

That said, much action is still needed totrulyhavethetablesturnedtoour advantage regarding climate change and global warming Our future is uncertain, but we can rest assured that there are dedicated experts who consider these issues with the importance they deserve Despite the widespread media coverage of doomsdayscenariosthatpropelfear

and hopelessness every day, we must not forget that our world will slowly but surely heal, starting now

ClimateHeadaches:DispatchesfromWales

BY GRUFFUDD AB OWAIN

Prior to the election of Vaughan Gething as new First Minister in March, the first black leader of any country in Europe, the political sphere in Wales has been hit by a turbulent period, with two major issues regarding climate change.

The first was the fierce opposition to the Welsh government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) Its parliament, the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, saw the biggest turnout to a protest on its steps since its inauguration in 1999 on Feb 28, 2024 The devolved parliament holds powers over a select number of policies, including agriculture, while the UK Government in London reserves responsibility over policy areas such as justice, policing, and defense The Labour Party has been in government for the entirety of the Welsh parliament’s25-yearexistence

The Senedd didn’t garner lawmaking powers until 2011, owing to a referendum in which 63 49% voted in favor, yet only reached the height of public awareness following its Covid lockdown policies, which differed significantly from those of the Johnson administration in London

In another referendum, the Brexit referendum, Wales voted with England to leave, in contrast to Scotland and Northern Ireland, by a margin of 52% to 48% Oxford University research attests that this swing towards leaving was due to retired people who moved over the border from England ‘Genuinely Welsh’ areas, as described by the researcher Daniel Dorling, voted firmly to remain; areas where agriculture is prominent, albeit not exclusively

It is worth noting that Wales benefitted hugely from the EU’s Rural Development Funding, and the SFS is partly a replacement for that scheme and partly a response to the fact that agriculture accounts for 12-14% of overall emissions in Wales It requiresfarmerstoplanttreeson 10% of their land, a policy which the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) claims will cost 5,000 jobs nationally The thousands present were also voicing concerns regarding the spread of bovine TB in cattle, and policies pertaining topreventingriverpollution

The situation has prompted a rare and unexpected, if modest, boost to the Conservative Party’s fortunes in the country, a party who hasn't been at the top of the political tree there since the 19th century They have been accused of hypocrisy, however, in claiming to be the voice of farmers after leading Wales out oftheEUanditsfundingscheme

Their young Welsh-speaking MS Samuel Kurtz led the party’s presence in what he described as ‘the proudest moment of my life’, later quoting from the patriotic song ‘Safwn yn y Bwlch’ and its lyrics “together we will stand” on his X account The Tories’ leader in Wales, Andrew R T Davies, who doesn’t speak Welsh, proudly shared a video of himself shaking hands with protesters while ‘Yma o Hyd’ was playing in the background, a song which, ironically, has explicitlyanti-Torylyrics

A recent poll projected that the Tories would only hold on to two border constituencies at the next General Election, after winning an historic 14 Welsh seats at the 2019 General Election It must be said that changes to constituency boundaries will see Wales lose 8 of its 40 MPs at Westminster; nevertheless, this collapse in support is certainly reflective of a broaderUK-widemood

After months taking up the mantle of criticizing the Welsh government’s 20mph rollout, they have finally been handed a different policy to attack They have been more vocal on the issue than the third biggest party, the left-leaning nationalist Plaid Cymru, who find themselves in a somewhat awkward position, rather clumsily described by previous leader Adam Price as ‘co-opposition’, of cooperating with the government on a select number of policy areas, nonetheless excludingtheSFS

This will come as a partial relief for the Tory Party, amid turmoil in the rest of the UK in an election year, not least due to a series of historic by-election defeats Prime Minister Rishi Sunak finds himself grappling with challenge after challenge, attempting to appease the right of the party to avoid losing votes to the resurgent Reform Party, without facing backlash from those to the center He was forced to remove the whip of MP Lee Anderson in February, who said that “Islamists” have “control” over London and its mayor Sadiq Khan, calling his comments “wrong” but notIslamophobicnorracist

Sunak himself was seen posing with some farmers and Welsh farming personality Gareth Wyn Jones on a rare visit to the north, alongside protesters holding bright yellow ‘No Farmers No Food’ placards These posters have appeared widely in the country, even in schools, with their simple message Less well-known, however, is the NFNF campaign’s connections with anti-net zero stances, including extreme conspiracy theories Wyn Jones compared the potential job losses to those of the miners under Margaret Thatcher exactly 40 years ago, comments that Plaid Cymru’s Llŷr Gruffudd later echoed at the protest

That said, some sympathize with farmers and are indeed disgruntled by climate change policies, with comments appearing on social media platforms along the lines of ‘Wales is too small a country, it cannot make a difference in tackling climate change’ One protestor told The Guardian that “a more pressing thing than climate change is Mr Putin We’re teetering on the edge of world war three This is about food security We should be selfsufficient ”

The quality of political debate in Wales is often poor, succumbing to simplicity Some farmers have even demanded to eradicate the Welsh parliament altogether, with graphics saying ‘we can live without politicians, we can’t live without farmers’ doing the rounds on Facebook However, farmers risk losing broader public support in Wales for cozying up to unpopular anti-net zero and anti-Senedd stances,alongwiththeequally

unpopularConservativeParty

It seems all rationality has been too easily lost in the debate regarding the SFS Anthony Slaughter, leader of the Wales Green Party, who have no representation in parliament, implied on the Sunday Supplement radio programme that the government’s demands were not unreasonable, given that trees already cover 6-7% of Welsh farmland He sympathized with farmers, however, for the policy’s ‘top-down’ implementation and lack of consultation, echoing similar comments by fellow independence-supporting Plaid Cymru

Consultation was open up to March 7, 2024, with the government pledging to seek compromise A consultative vote in the Senedd on scrapping the SFS saw 26 votes in favor by Labour MSs and 26 votes against by opposition parties This triggered a rule forcing the deputy presiding officer to vote, and his vote with the government meant that the proposal didn’t pass

As this saga rolled on, so did the election for the leadership of the Welsh Labour Party, and thus of the next First Minister Incumbent Mark Drakeford announced in December that he would step down after the electionofanewleaderinMarch

Only two candidates, Vaughan Gething (Minister for Economy, was Minister of Health during the pandemic)andJeremyMiles

(Minister for Education and the Welsh language), were up for election The former, who succeeded with 51 7% of the vote, became the first First Minister from an ethnic minority, while the latter would have been the first openly gay First Minister The election was criticized for lacking a female candidate, given that the Welsh parliament became the world’s first legislative body to achieve 50:50 gender parity in 2003

Miles is the only Welsh speaker amongthetwo,andhisfirmpro-

devolution stance and willingness to “always fight Wales’ corner” [my translation] would have made him a headache for Plaid Cymru in opposition Gething was seen as the candidate closest to UK party leader Keir Starmer He also garnered support from prominent members skeptical of devolution, such as Neil Kinnock

The election, which balances members’ votes and trade union nominations, was hit by turmoil in this sense as an unknown rule change by the influential trade unionUnite,deemedMilesineligible

for the union’s nomination Furthermore, it became obvious that there was no mechanism within the party’s One Member One Vote system to prevent members from votingmorethanonce

It then emanated that Gething’s campaign for election had received an unprecedented and eye-watering £200,000 donation by the Dauson Environmental Group; for context, Mark Drakeford only raised £25,000 for his successful campaign for election in 2018 It arose later that the group was awaiting Welsh governmentapprovalforasolar

farm on a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest

Likewise in 2018, Dauson Environmental Group’s director, David Neal, received a suspended prison sentence for illegally dumping waste on a conservation site

Wales is already significantly behind its climate targets, and with February bringing criticisms of Welsh Labour’s nevertheless flawed SFS and UK Labour reversing their £28bn green investment pledge if they were elected to Westminster, the obstacles to climate policy are surmounting

And for as long as the almost proverbial phrase that you could stick a red Labour rosette on a donkey in Wales and it would still win, it seems that the pace required for meaningful, lasting change is rapidly becoming unmatchable

A more pressing thing than climate change is Mr Putin. We’re teetering on the edge of world war three. This is about food security. We should be selfsufficient.

Famine et politique : l’Éthiopie dans la tourmente

BY ELIAN JORAND

Dans les étendues arides d'Atsbi, à l'est du Tigré, où des teintes d'ocre remplacent ce qui autrefois étaient des parcelles de terre prospères, une bataille silencieuse se déroule entre la faim et le déni politique Le Monde et des sources internationales rapportent une situation préoccupante, où les autorités régionales déclarent un état de famine, mais le premier ministre Abiy Ahmed refuse de reconnaître la gravité de la crise alimentaire, transformant une catastrophe humanitaire en champdebataillepolitique

Comme le souligne la correspondant du Monde Noé Hochet-Bodin, Atsbi, autrefois symbole de prospérité agricole, témoigne désormais sombrement des séquelles d'une guerre civile brutale qui a sévi entre 2020 et 2022. Les rebelles Tigréens ont affronté les forces fédérales éthiopiennes, entraînant un bilan de décès estimé à 600 000 Le conflit a laissé derrière lui une région luttant non seulement avec les cicatrices de la guerre, mais aussi avec les dures réalités d'une grave crise alimentaire Tesfaye Hailu, administrateur du village de Fellag Weyni, peint un tableau vivant de l'abandon et du désespoir Les fermes vides et le bétail mort racontent une histoire d'une communauté forcéedefuirlabrutalitédu

t

conflit, abandonnant ses moyens de subsistance Les champs autrefois fertiles de Teff, la céréale principale de l'Éthiopie, sont désormais stériles, recouverts de poussière qui tourbillonne autour des sandales en plastiquedeHailu

En dépit des déclarations alarmantes de famine par les autorités locales, le gouvernement d'Abiy Ahmed à Addis-Abeba nie la gravité de la crise, créant un contraste marqué entre la reconnaissance du désespoir sur le terrain et les manœuvres politiques auniveaunational

Le leader éthiopien, autrefois salué comme un lauréat du prix Nobel et un symbole d'espoir, fait face à des accusations d'abandon de la population tigréenne pour consolidersonpouvoir. Cette double narration d'une nation en crise n 'est pas nouvelle dans l'histoire troublée de l'Éthiopie Les échos des famines passées utilisées comme armes politiques résonnent dans la situation actuelle, laissant les habitants du Tigré pris au piège entre le déni et le désespoir. Alors que le monde est témoin de cette tragédie en cours, c 'est un appel à l'action pour la communauté internationale, afin de confronter l'intersection entre la politique et la crise humanitaire L'avenir de l'Éthiopie, autrefois prometteur, est maintenant en suspens, et la résilience de son peuple fait face à un test redoutable à la suite d'une bataille silencieuse qui pourrait bien déterminer le cours de la nation

Formula 1: Are the Gulf Countries “Sportswashing”?

BY SELIN ELIF KÖSE

It’s lights out and away we go: Formula 1 2024 season is officially off to a start with the much anticipated Bahrain Grand Prix As the silly season comes to an end, the whole Formula 1 community is still in shock with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton's announcement of transferring to Ferrari in 2025 The soon-to-beempty Mercedes seat, on the other hand, has been associated with many names, from two-time world champion Fernando Alonso to Williams driver Alex Albon, but the most jaw-dropping one without question is Red Bull’s very own Max Verstappen While there has been plenty of news going on off the grid, there hasn’t been a significant change in the team’s performances on the grid compared to last year, except for Alpine, as the formerly midfield team has fallen way back Red Bull is still comfortably leading with Verstappen winning and Sergio Perez becoming runner-up in both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix The third place on the podium went to Ferrari drivers, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc respectively, in the first two races of the season Aston Martin and McLaren have also shown solid performance finishing in points while Mercedes has been facing obstacles with both the qualifying and race pace which left Hamilton ve Russell frustrated However, this is not unexpected, as Mercedes started the last season on the wrong foot Nonetheless, with the upgrades brought midseason, Mercedes quickly moved to the front of the grid again With the end of the twoheader in the Arabian Peninsula, the teams are now headed to Australia, returning to the Gulf for the last two races of the year The recent increase in the number of races held in the Arabian Peninsula comes from the rise in investment from the Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, which is currently advocating for the addition of a second race in Qiddiya With their increasing stakes in Formula 1, Gulf countries have been accused of sportwashing The Guardian journalist David Conn defines sportwashing as “the exploitation of sporting events to cleanse tarnished reputations " But why are the Gulf countries suddenly more interested in investing in Formula 1 and are they actually “sportwashing”?

The term gained significant traction after Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup, but “sportwashing” has been long used for other Gulf countries as well with their huge investments in football and Formula 1 in recent years to cover up their political wrongdoings Evidently, Abu Dhabi's investments in sports, such as ownership of English Premier League club Manchester City and hosting the final race in the Formula 1 calendar, serve as a diversionary tactic to deflect attention from its violation of human rights, which include unfair trials, limited freedom of expression, failure to investigate torture allegations, gender discrimination, and mistreatment of migrant workers, as condemned by Amnesty International Perceptions surrounding Saudi Arabia and sportswashing are similar The country is commonly known as an authoritarian state responsible for the execution of almost 200 people in the last year, fueling the humanitarian crisis in Yemen with a military intervention, linked to the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as the persecution of women ' s rights protestors Yet, Saudi investors succeeded in securing a spot in the F1 calendar for Jeddah in 2021 This was received poorly, as Formula 1 had just launched their “We Race as One” campaign a year prior in 2020 to condemn inequality & racism and promote inclusivity for everyone regardless of their gender,race,andsexuality

Even though some argue that the Gulf states’ investment in sports is a means to improve their reputations on the international stage, it is also arguably fueled by desires for rapid economic growth

In 2016, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman introduced Vision 2030, a long-term development plan to diversify the Saudi economy and reduce its dependency on oil revenue by developing other sectors such as tourism, entertainment, and technology while promoting private sector growth Parallel to these efforts, Saudi Arabia invested heavily in Formula 1 by building a circuit in Jeddah and signing a 10year contract with Liberty Media, owners of F1, to host at least one race each season in the country Additionally, they advocated for a second race in Qiddiya by signing multi-million dollar marketing deals with drivers, including Fernando Alonso

This paved the way for other Gulf countries to develop their own economic plans to transform their oil-dependent economies into more sustainable and diversified ones Qatar implemented the National Vision 2030 and constructed stateof-the-art stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup The United Arab Emirates launched the "UAE Vision 2021" and "UAE Vision 2071" initiatives, investing heavily in sports by hosting events such as the Dubai World Cup (with horse racing), Dubai Tennis Championships, and Dubai Rugby Sevens, among others They also backed the Emirati former rally driver Mohammed Ben Sulayem in the FIA Presidential elections for choosing the successor of Jean Todt The eventual election of Ben Sulayem also naturally increased theGulfinfluenceinF1

While this growing Gulf influence benefits the countries’ reputation, economy, and globalization, the administrative change has led to various political debates Drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and former F1 driver and world champion Sebastian Vettel are actively engaged in activism for human rights and social justice They often use their platform to speak out on global issues Hamilton has worn a special design rainbow helmet supporting LGBTQ rights and a Black Lives Matter shirt before races Hence, a major controversy emerged when The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) changed its International Sporting Code and endorsed drivers to receive written permission from the FIA to make any "political, religious andpersonalstatements "

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem further said he would prefer the drivers to leave their "private personal agendas at home ” It was later clarified that the drivers were actually free to say whatever they wanted in the press conferences and this ban was only for formal events like podiums and grid ceremonies This was just one of the multiple political debates going around in the F1 paddock Even though there aren’t absolute restrictions on the rights of expression and political speech, the drivers and the teams have to be more careful with their words and actions in Middle Easterncountries

In conclusion, sportswashing and economic goals lie at the heart of the rise in Gulf investment in sports and Formula 1 While it sometimes leads to political controversies, it benefits both the states and the sport In a way, it also gives the drivers the platform to be vocal on the social injustices and inequalities in the countries they are racing at and draw attention to these issues on the global stage It shouldn’t be forgotten that Formula 1 is a platform that reaches an immense global audience and it can be instrumental in shaping public opinion Hopefully, F1 not only provides breathtaking races in the Gulf but also carries the “We Race asOne”spirittothesecountries

Ledroitdusolsuruneîleencrise: Retourssurl'actualitédeMayotte

BY SALOMÉ GREFFIER

Sur l’air solennel de la Marseillaise et le dépôt traditionnel de gerbes sur la Place de France à la Case Rocher, le 27 février 2024 marque l'installation d’un nouveau préfet à Mayotte, François-Xavier Bieuville Pour la ministre déléguée chargée des Outre-mer, Marie Guévenoux, cette nomination vise à renouer le dialogue, rompu avec le précédent préfet, entre les autorités publiques et le collectif citoyen “Forces vives”, afin de “garantir l’ordre public et rétablir durablement la paix civile dans le département” Trouver des solutions durables pour ce territoire traversé par des crises à répétition en termes de sécurité, d’immigration clandestine, d’accès aux biens de premières nécessités, de pauvreté, devrait être au cœur du programme de l’ancien juriste ayant exercé dans des territoires ultramarins En effet, alors que le 101 ème département français fait face à des barrages routiers depuis un mois de la part des “Forces vives”, l’enjeu du pouvoir central semble devoir se concentrer sur le rétablissement du dialogue et la prise en considération des revendications mahoriennes La société civile qui proteste aujourd’hui, accuse l’Etat français d’abandon et condamne le climat d’insécurité palpable sur l’île, ainsi quel’immigrationillégale

Concernant l’insécurité, l’INSEE relate en novembre 2021 que 48% des habitants de Mayotte se sentent en insécurité, principalement dans leurs quartiers, soit cinq à six fois plus que les habitants de l’Hexagone Un sentiment confirmé par une délinquance d’appropriation élevée dans la région, puisqu’environ un ménage sur cinq a été victime d’au moins un cambriolage ou d’un vol sans effraction Les logements et biens matériels motorisés (voitures, bus) s’avèrent être les principales cibles des délinquants Des épisodes plus violents entraînant l’usage d’armes blanches (couteaux, machettes) ont également été répertoriés dans les écoles et les transports publics notamment Ces agressions sont, le plus souvent, l’oeuvre de jeunes mahoriens organisés en bandes rivales mais demeurent associées au problème de l’immigration illégale

En effet, l’île de Mayotte, située au cœur de l’archipel des Comores, compte 55% d’étrangers dans sa population

Cette proportion s’explique par l’arrivée massive de comoriens (95% des étrangers) dans le département La principale motivation de cette migration reste avant tout économique dans la mesure où Mayotte constitue le territoire le plus riche et doté d’infrastructures de services publics plus accessibles que dans le reste de l’archipel Ces déplacements de population marquent également le 101 ème département français d’un taux de natalité s’élevant à 4,7 enfants par femme en 2022, soit 10 730 bébés de mères domiciliées sur l’île la même année

Surnommée ‘la maternité’ de la France, Mayotte et ses services publics, avec en première ligne la maternité de Mamoudzou, peinent à faire face à cette explosion démographique La majorité des nouveau-nés sont issus de parents comoriens souhaitant obtenir pour leurs enfants la nationalité française en invoquant le droit du sol Une pratique dénoncée par le gouvernement actuel ayant déjà initié l’opération Wuambushu en avril dernier afin d’expulser les migrants illégaux amassés dans des bidonvilles dans l’objectif de faire barrage à la crise migratoire L’exécutif a choisi de répondre par la force et la destruction à une situation migratoire jugée intolérable et incompatible avec le développement de Mayotte Or, l’ethnologue Sophie Blanchy rappelle d’une part que les liens entre comoriens et mahorais demeurent étroits en termes de culture, de langue, de religion; la seule distinction les caractérisant se trouvant dans la possession de la nationalité française ou non D’autre part, la chercheuse avance que, dans cet espace insulaire doté de peu de ressources, la migration a toujours été une nécessité D'autant plus que le transfert d’argent acquis par le déplacement des individus permet d’alimenter l’économie du département Ainsi, l’argument nourrit par les discours de la métropole quant au fait que la migration à Mayotte ne serait motivée que par l’obtention de papiers administratifs reste à nuancer L’article reviendra prochainementsurcepoint

Dans l’immédiat, il semble nécessaire de se tourner vers la récente proposition du ministre de l’Intérieur et des Outre-Mer, Gérald Darmanin, pour couper “littéralement l’attractivité qu’il peut y avoir dans l’archipel mahorais” Soutenu par Emmanuel Macron,leministresouhaite

assurément endiguer le phénomène migratoire en annonçant le 11 février dernier vouloir réformer les articles relatifs au droit du sol de la Constitution Ce droit inscrit dans l’article 21-7 du code civil stipule que les personnes nées en France de deux parents étrangers peuvent obtenir la nationalité à l’âge de 18 ans si elles résident en France depuis une période continue ou discontinue d’au moins cinq ans depuis l’âge de 11 ans De plus, l’enfant peut dans ce cadre obtenir la nationalité avant sa majorité sur demande de ses parents entre 13 et 16 ans ou sur demande personnelle entre 16 et 18 ans, sous conditions de durée de résidence en France Ce droit du sol dit “simple” se complète d’un double droit du sol avançant que toute personne née en France ayant au moins un parent français peut obtenir la nationalité dès sa naissance Dans le cas de Mayotte, c’est le droit du sol simple qui semble être visé par les mesures proposées par Gérald Darmanin. Dès lors, invoquer une mesure d’exception pour Mayotte contournerait le principe d’indivisibilité inscrit dans l’article premier de la norme suprême En 2018 déjà, Emmanuel Macron s’était trouvé à l’initiative de la Loi Collomb réduisant les possibilités d’obtention de la nationalité française par le droit du sol En effet, ce texte impose qu’à la date de la naissance d’un enfant né à Mayotte, l’un de ses parents au moins réside en France de manière régulière, sous couvert d’un titre de séjour, et de manière ininterrompue depuis plus de trois mois Or, les observations montrent qu’en 2022, si seulement 800 mineurs ont obtenulanationalitécontre2800en 2018, les problèmes migratoires et tensionsinternesn’ontpasdécru

Par conséquent, la proposition du ministre de l’Intérieur et des Outre-mer apparaît inutile voire dangereuse selon les partis de l’opposition A droite, alors que le Rassemblement National se réjouit de cette mesure, Marion Maréchal Le Pen craint un “appel d’air” migratoire qui pourrait atteindre l’Hexagone La chef de fil du parti d’extrême droite Reconquête, critique en outre la fin du visa territorialisé qui permettait de limiter la circulation des personnes étrangères en situation irrégulière au seul département de Mayotte Sur les bancs de la gauche, Manuel Valls, anciennement affilié au Parti socialiste, défend que “cette réforme repose sur le fantasme que le droit du sol est responsable du chaos à Mayotte [ ]on ouvre un boîte de Pandore qui me paraît extrêmement dangereuse dans notre débat national” En effet, toucher au droit du sol remet en cause des piliers fondamentaux de la République française tels que son caractère indivisible et social Cette mesure marque davantage encore l’inefficacité de l’Etat français à mettre en œuvre des actions concrètes pour pallier la pauvreté qui divise les îles de la Lune Alors que l’eau est coupée presque trois jours par semaine, que son prix est assez exorbitant pour que les mahorais en consomment via des systèmes d’approvisionnement vétustes et porteurs de bactéries telles que l’E coli, le gouvernement s’attache à poser la responsabilité de cette situation sur les étrangers Certes, la pression démographique implique une prise en charge complexe des services publics sur l’île, mais elle n’est pas la seule coupable d’une crise structurelle plongeant77%deshabitantssousle seuildepauvreté Emmanuel

Macron se veut rassurant en affirmant que la réforme constitutionnelle annoncée ne fera pas le jeu de l’extrême droite tout en soutenant qu’il reste “très profondément attaché à ce droit pour la France” Par ces paroles, le gouvernement évite finalement une fois encore de résoudre les problèmes par des solutions et place Mayotte en périphérie de ses préoccupationsnationales

Par ces paroles, le gouvernement évite finalement une fois encore de résoudre les problèmes par des solutions et place Mayotte en périphérie de ses préoccupations nationales.

Niquel'Amérique(attendez,les États-Unisoulecontinent?)

BY AMALIA HEIDE

Ayant vécu toute mon enfance en Argentine,jen'avaisjamaisentendu l'expression « les Américains » pour désigner les ressortissants des Etats-Unis jusqu'à mon arrivée à Sciences Po Je pense que cet usage particulier de l’ethnonyme a été l'un des chocs culturels les plus importantsquej'aivécusenFrance Ce qui m ' a le plus surpris, cependant, c 'est de découvrir que même les professeurs et les universitaires se réfèrent aux États-Unis en tant qu ' « Amérique » et aux États-uniens en tant qu ' « américains » Cette expérience, si troublante et étrangère à mes oreilles, m ' a amené à réfléchir profondément à l'importance des nomenclatures dans les identités collectives

Je précise que je ne cherche pas, dans cet article, à porter un jugement de valeur sur les citoyens états-uniens qui utilisent le terme « américain » pour désigner leur identité nationale Je comprends qu'il s 'agit d'une coutume, d'un processus d'apprentissage social qui est souvent dénué de toute malveillance à l'égard des habitants du continent Au contraire, mon intention est d'offrir une perspectivealternativeàl'approche prédominante sur les campus en explorant la compréhension de ce phénomèned'attributiond'identité

Pour réfléchir à cette question, je trouve intéressant de commencer par comprendre l'importance des mots Comme le dit Locke, « les mots sont les signes des idées » Les idées sont des représentations mentales qui dépendent dans une certaine mesure de la subjectivité de l'individu Par conséquent, les mots sont les symboles de notre subjectivité En ce sens, les mots ne DESIGNENT pas de manière neutre maisSIGNIFIENT

L'exemple de l'utilisation des ethnonymes « Palestine » et « Israël » est illustratif Il ne s 'agit pas de noms propres neutres, bien qu'ils désignent parfois la même zone géographique Leurs significations diffèrent, impliquant des tensions socio-économiques et politiques. Dans ce cas, les tensions sont évidentes, je n 'ai pas besoin de les expliciter. Elles ne sont pas aussi évidentes dans le cas qui nous intéresseici:

Qu'implique l'utilisation de l'ethnonyme "Amérique" pour désigner l'État-nation des ÉtatsUnis d'Amérique ?

Tout d'abord, le double usage du mot "américain" pour désigner les habitants d'un État et les habitants d'un continent pose des problèmes concernant l'identification : à laquelle des deux entités faisonsnousréférencedanssonutilisation?

Le mot perd ainsi sa fonction principale de désignation et de repérage C'est pourquoi la Real Academia Española, l'équivalent de l'Académie française, préconise d' « éviter l'emploi d'Américain pour désigner exclusivement les habitants des États-Unis, emploi abusif ( ) Il ne faut pas oublier que l'Amérique est le nom du continent tout entier, et que tous ceux qui y viventsontdesAméricains »

Cependant, cette confusion entre l'État-nation et le continent ne peut être interprétée UNIQUEMENT comme la conséquence d'un abus de langage La langue, outil fondamental d'expression et de communication des idées, reflète les perceptions et les conceptions qu ' une société a d'elle-même et de sa relation au monde qui l'entoure QuelleestlarelationentrelesEtatsUnis et le continent en termes d'identité?

La création de l'État-nation implique la définition d'un territoire administratif fixe Depuis la déclaration d'indépendance, l'aire géographique des États-Unis d'Amériques'estprogressivement

étendue sur un demi-siècle Cet prolongation de la frontière vers l'ouest est une première manifestation de ce que les treize premières colonies envisageaient pour les États-Unis : un État expansionniste ayant pour but « d'accroître sa domination économique et politique dans un autre espace géographique » (définition du terme "expansionnisme") C'est une première indication du rapport des Étasuniens au continent américain : en réalité, il n ' y avait pas de démarcation nette, permanente et définie entre les deux entités, puisque les frontières n'étaient pas figées et la volonté politique était qu 'elles ne soient pas immuables dès sa fondation

De même, le colonialisme d'outremer initié par les États-Unis confirme et approfondit cette ligne de distinction opaque entre l' « Amérique » en tant que continent et en tant qu'Étatnation En effet, après la guerre avec l'Espagne sur le territoire cubain en 1898, les États-Unis ont non seulement annexé les colonies espagnoles des Philippines, de Porto Rico et de Guam, mais aussi les territoires non espagnols d'Hawaï et des Samoaaméricaines

En outre, nous pouvons observer sur la deuxième carte comment les États-Unis sont intervenus dans les autres pays souverains du continent américain au cours du 20e siècle Si l'expansion directe par l'annexion de territoires est une forme évidented'expansionnisme,

l'interventionnisme est une stratégie plus subtile mais tout aussi efficace pour étendre la portée de l’influence de l'Etatnationétats-unien

Ayant une politique expansionniste depuis leur fondation, « les États-Unis », « l'Union », « la République » étaient des noms propres qui désignaient mais n 'exprimaient pas l'essence de la perception de soi et de la perception extérieure de l'identité nationale des "gringos" Ainsi, l' « Amérique » est un concept linguistique qui agit comme un miroir de cette ambiguïté conceptuelle, contribuant à la construction d'une identité nationale qui se présente comme la représentation même d'une région géographique entière Dans ce contexte, la doctrine Monroe et son slogan « l'Amérique aux Américains » peuvent être interprétés comme « le continent auxÉtats-Unis »

Je ne souhaiterais pas que mon propos soit mal compris : je ne rejette pas entièrement les autres raisons historiques pour lesquelles les Étasuniens se désignent eux-mêmes comme des «Américains» En effet, cette utilisation du terme a été introduite par les Britanniques pendant la guerre d'indépendance Petite réflexion curieuse : ironiquement, l'attribution de l'ethnonyme "américain" aux treize premières colonies des États-Unis peut être attribuée au colonialisme

Cependant, si l'ethnonyme était courant depuis l'indépendance en 1776 pour désigner l'identité nationale des Etats-Unis auprès de la société civile, il n'était pas employé de manière systématique Le problème est de comprendre que la systématisation de cet usage répond à une instrumentalisation politique En effet, le premier président à prendre ses fonctions après la guerre hispanoaméricaine fut Teddy Roosevelt Impérialiste convaincu, il systématise l'usage de "America" avec des slogans tels que "God Bless America" Le slogan "Make America Great Again" , au 21e siècle, suit la même dynamique. En tant qu'étudiants en sciences politiques, nous savons qu ' un slogan ou la formalisation d'un terme sont rarement le fruit du hasard Ils répondent à un projet politico-identitaire, et dans ce cas, cela est un synonyme d’comme nous l'avons déjà vu, un projet impérialiste

En guise de conclusion, je dois admettre que l'instrumentalisation de l'ethnonyme "Amérique" était une idée brillante Cette stratégie constitue aujourd'hui un exemple de soft power Pourquoi dis-je cela ? L' « Amérique » joue un rôle crucial dans la perception des États-Unis par les populations situées en dehors des Amériques Il y a une fusion plus ou moins volontaire de ces deux termes qui aboutit à l'amplification de l'image des États-Unis et, en même temps, à l'invisibilisation ou à l'occultation d'une identité collective régionale, continentaleet/ounationale

Pour illustrer mon propos, nous pouvons nous tourner vers le continent européen comme un parallèle utile Imaginons que les Allemands se nomment eux-mêmes « Européens » Cela signifie que lorsque l'on dit « les Européens », on peut faire référence à la fois aux habitants du continent dans son ensemble et exclusivement à la nationalité allemande Par exemple, si quelqu'un dit « les Européens ont subi un tremblement de terre », comment savoir de qui on parle ?

De même, lorsque nous entendons « nouvelles d'Europe », s 'agit-il d'événements survenus dans un pays particulier ou dans la région engénéral?

En outre, il est clair qu'indirectement, notre esprit aura tendance à associer l'« Europe » d'abord à l'Allemagne plutôt qu ' aux 50 autres États souverains du continent Il peut en résulter une amplification de l'importance de l'Allemagne et une diminution de la pertinence des 50 autres États Dans les relations internationales, cette dimension identitaire et la représentation qu 'elle implique peuvent peser lourd dans l'équilibre desforces

Cela plairait-il aux français par exemple que les Allemands s'approprient exclusivement le terme “européen” ? Ne se sentiraient-ils pas exclus si la plupart des personnes non-françaises associaient les Européens exclusivement aux Allemands ?

Ici, je n 'ai donné l'exemple de l’Allemagne, un État membre de l'UE. Cependant, l'Union européenne a tendance à s 'approprier du terme ‘européen’ souvent au détriment des États qui n ' en sont pas membres, ce qui pose égalementproblème

Enfin, tout ce blabla pour expliquer pourquoi il peut être gênant pour un habitant du continent américain d'entendre comment les États-Unis ont triomphé dans leur appropriation de ce gentilé avec tant de connotations et de problèmes politiques, géostratégiques et identitaires Il est difficile de s'habituer à comprendre comment, en Europe, il est devenu si normalisé d'appeler un Yankee « Américain » À cela, on pourrait me dire (et on me l'a déjà dit sur ce campus) qu ' en tant qu'Argentine, je suis « latinoaméricaine » et non « américaine » Je pense qu'il est important de réaliser que, premièrement, le terme "latino-américain" a été introduit par l'Europe Deuxièmement, le fait d'être latinoaméricain ne signifie pas que je ne suis pas américaine Ces deux identités ne s 'excluent pas mutuellement Tout comme un Italien peut être à la fois européen etméditerranéen

Je vous quitte avec un couplet de l'emblématique chanteuse argentineMercedesSosa:

« L'Amérique attend Et le siècle devient bleu Pampas, rivières et montagnes Libèrent leur propre lumière La copla n'a pas de propriétaire

Les motifs ne commandent plus La guitare américaine En se battant, elle a appris à chanter. »

Chanson pour mon Amérique

Terres fertiles et défis amers : L’Union européenne et l’agriculture ukrainienne

BYJONATHAN SMIDTAS SCHALITA

Bon sens paysan ou trahison ?

Tandis que les élections européennes approchent, l’Union européenne a décidé dans la nuit du 20 mars de réinstaurer des droits de douane sur certains produits agricoles ukrainiens Le pays, un des principaux producteurs mondiaux, avait vu ses exportations vers l’Union européenne grimper en flèche à la suite de l’invasion du pays par la Russie car les taxes sur les importations agricoles ukrainiennes imposées par l’Union européenne avaient alors été supprimées Depuis, la colère des agriculteurs européens dénonçant une concurrence insoutenableamarquél’actualité

Alors que l’invasion à grande échelle de l’Ukraine a commencé il y a plus de deux ans, il semble de plus en plus clair qu’aucun camp n’est en mesure de l’emporter militairement, sauf retournement de situation majeur L’on parle déjà de l’après-guerre, de la reconstruction de l’Ukraine et de son intégration à l’Union européenne Alors que pendant des années les capitales européennes se sont opposées à l‘entrée de l’Ukraine au sein de l’UE, généralement en invoquant la faiblesse de l’état de droit et la corruption qui minent ce pays, une autre raison émerge aujourd’hui:l’agriculture

Des terres exceptionnelles

Depuis des siècles, l’Ukraine a été surnommée le grenier à blé de l’Europe Grâce à sa concentration en humus très élevées, les “terres noires” ukrainiennes sont extrêmement fertiles Aucun pays au monde ne dispose de sols cultivables aussi productifs Cela constitue un avantage comparatif certain pour ce pays, mais n’a pas été sans tragiques conséquences tout au long de son histoire L’Ukraine a ainsi été conquise tantôt par les polonais, les autrichiens et les russes souhaitant, entre autres, assurer leur sécurité alimentaire grâce à l’Ukraine Le pays était avant guerre le premier producteur mondial de tournesol, et dans le top dix pour ce qui est du blé, du maïs,del’orgeetducolza

Des salaires bas

En comparaison avec les pays de l’Union européenne, l’Ukraine est un pays très pauvre En dépit de l’héritage industriel de l’époque soviétique, le salaire moyen y est inférieur à 400 euros, sept fois plus faible qu’en France et encore trois fois moins important qu’en Pologne Les coûts de la main-d'œuvre très faibles permettent à l’Ukraine de proposer des prix agricoles très intéressantssurlemarchémondial

Un potentiel

L’intégration de l’Ukraine dans l’UE permettrait d’assurer la sécurité alimentaire de cette dernière Les capitaux et technologies des pays riches transférés en Ukraine entraîneront une hausse de la productivité des terres en dépit des normes environnementales européennes qui devront s’appliquer La concurrence accrue sur le marché européen causera une baisse des prix de l’alimentation et augmentera le pouvoir d’achat des consommateurs européens Les investissements d’entreprises agricoles européennes en Ukraine permettront de relancer l’économie du pays après la guerre et la pression exercée sur le marché de l’emploi poussera les salaires à la hausse

Les craintes

Qu’adviendra-t-il des agriculteurs des autres pays européens ? Ils dénoncent déjà une concurrence insoutenable et craignent d’être les grands oubliés de l’entrée de l’Ukraine dans l’Union européenne Après l’expérience de la désindustrialisation qui a entraîné une hausse du chômage dans les pays de l’Ouest et déstabilisé les sociétés, l’idée de voir le même schémas’appliquerdansledomaine agricole est effrayante De plus, concentrer la production agricole en Ukraine, c’est s’exposer à une vulnérabilité si la Russie décidait un jourd’attaquerdenouveau

Espoirs

Il faudra donc assurer à l’Ukraine des garanties de sécurité afin de pouvoir sereinement y investir Une démilitarisation de la Russie semblant irréaliste, l’intégration à l’OTAN et le stationnement de troupes occidentales nombreuses sur le sol ukrainien pourraient être une solution L’agriculture des autres pays européens devra monter en gamme afin de pouvoir faire face à une nouvelle concurrence La réduction du nombre d’agriculteurs, dont beaucoup ne parviendront vraisemblablement pas à demeurer compétitifs,impliquelanécessitéde

penser dès maintenant aux solutions politiques afin d’éviter une catastrophe sociale La formation semble être une des clés, alors que les subventions ne feront que créer une distorsion de concurrenceinefficace

L’entrée future de l’Ukraine dans l’Union européenne représente un risque existentiel pour notre modèle agricole actuel Transformer ce risque en opportunité est possible, mais nécessitera une implication forte des pouvoirs publics afin de repenser l’agriculture européenne C’est bien plus facile à dire qu’à faire et cela explique pourquoi l’entrée de l’Ukraine dans l’UE ne semble pas être pour demain Cette entrée soulève de véritables dilemmes Certains suggèrent d’exclure initialement l’agriculture ukrainienne du libre marché et de progressivement abaisser les droits de douane Ce serait une façon d’intégrer l’Ukraine dans l’Union en évitant un choc fatal aux agricultures européennes Néanmoins, assumer de créer une Europe à différents niveaux c’est ouvrir la boîte de pandore. Quant à faire patienter trop longtemps l’Ukraine hors de l’UE, c’est la priver du développement économique qu’a entraîné l’UE pour ses Étatsmembres Il est dans l’intérêt des démocraties européennes d’avoir une Ukraine développée et prospère à ses frontières afin de contribuer à la stabilité et la paix de larégion Neratonspaslecoche

Saudi Arabia Ramps Up Defense Budget at Expense of Islamic Institutions

BYLUCY LÖNNQVIST X SCIENCES DEFENSE

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aims to bring about a complete political, economic and cultural transformation to the Kingdom, aspiring to diversify the economy away from oil production and towards cutting-edge innovation transforming its desert dunes into world leading digital technologies As part and parcel of this strategy, two prominent Saudi fields have undergone major reformation: Islamic religious institutions and national defense establishments Under the Vision 2030 economic diversification program, Saudi Arabia’s defense spending has grown substantially over the last decade, while the authority of Islamic institutions has taken a step back Through this process, it seems that the celebrated Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman is taking steps towards Western notions of modernity in the liberalization effortsofVision2030

Saudi Arabia ranked as the fifth largest defense spender in the world in 2022 behind the United States, China, Russia, and India, and has reiterated full intentions of climbing further up these ranks When Vision 2030 was announced, only 3% of Saudi Arabia’s procurements came from local companies, with the rest sourced from abroad, largely the US According to the 2023 budget released by the Saudi Ministry of Finance, the Kingdom increased its military spending by 50% in 2023, to $69billion–approximately23%ofits totalbudget Thesignificantincrease in the defense budget comes as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 requirements to localize government spending in the defense sector This leaves us to question –why the sudden escalation in defense spending at the same time as the Kingdom’s full-scale nationbrandingscheme?

At the same time, Saudi Arabia’s religious establishments have undergone major reform as the monarchy consolidates its vision for the country’s future The Crown Prince has promised to reel back Islamic extremist presence in the country in favor of a “return to moderate Islam” open to the world and all religions In his view, Vision 2030 aims to transform the hardline kingdom into an open society that empowers citizens and lures investors

Bin Salman stated that the religious doctrine is no longer “committed blindly” to the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, or any “certain school or scholar” However, one must approach such statements with skepticism While it is true that the Crown Prince has condemned Islamic extremist groups such as the Sahwa movement, a political Islam derived from the teachings of the Muslim Brotherhood, in arresting significant Sahwi uUema, he is dually centralizing his power by removing opposition groups to the Royal family who may pose a challenge to their rule Anyone deemed to threaten Vision 2030 has been preemptively neutralized by the Crown Prince With these actions, the regime made it clear that no dissentingvoiceswouldbetolerated

Ultimately, Bin Salman’s push for the Vision 2030 plan tostrengthen Saudi solidarity, defense power and the removal of Islamic extremist presence has come to be overshadowed by his lid on free speech, restrictions on political opposition, and the crackdown on dissent It is argued that the increase in Saudi’s defense budget along with the Kingdom’s economic innovation acts as a forged nationbranding visage to strengthen the absolute monarchy’s image abroad This was an effort to use ‘Vision 2030’ in the absolute monarchy’s macrodiplomaticstrategy

What is emerging from the 2030 Visionplanandanincreaseddefense budget is a Kingdom straddling the boundary between coercive strategies of the past such as surveillance and patronage, with innovations that respond aggressively to the triple threat of globalization, renewable-driven economies, and democratization One must decide whether the changes to defense and religious fields in Saudi’s Vision 2030 plan are merely a glossy nation-branding scheme to exert greater soft power across the world or a genuine attempt to crawl up from the constraintsofWahhabism?

One must decide whether the changes to defense and religious fields in Saudi’s Vision 2030 plan are merely a glossy nation-branding scheme to exert greater soft power across the world or a genuine attempt to crawl up from the constraints of Wahhabism?

The surface-level of Vision 2030 is evident: trade deal after trade deal boosting economic diversification, the retreat of Islamic institutions and greater localized defense spending as an upward trajectory for the Saudi dynasty However, if further interpreted, it becomes clear that appeals to expanding government budgets on defense artillery are only riding on the support of oil revenues to maintain status and power The country’s nation branding scheme has succeeded in its strategy, but we must not be fooled by the Crown Prince’s liberalization discourse in order to look past the state’s weak regulatory power, exploitative workforce practices and the absolute monarchy’s suppression of almost all political rights and civilliberties.

Speculations Abound as NATO Awaits New Chief

BYMICHAŁ BARSZCZAK X EUROPEAN SOCIETY

The head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the Secretary General – a chief civil servant responsible for directing the organization NATO chose its Secretary General for the first time in 1952, after long negotiations leading to the appointment of a British official Since then, twelve distinct diplomats have officially held the position, representing eight countries in total Among them, three chiefs were from the United Kingdom, three from the Netherlands, two from Belgium, and one from Italy, Germany, Spain, Denmark, and Norway Since 2014, this position has been held by Jens Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister Even though the usual term of office lasts four years, he has been at the top of NATO for almostadecade

Last July, member states again agreed to prolong his presidency, this time only for one year We shall then know the name of the next Secretary General by Oct 1, 2024 when Stoltenberg officially should stepdownaschief.

These past ten years have been a time of unprecedented challenges for the Alliance One of them is the ongoing armed conflicts in the Middle East, where the US plays a crucialrole Otherchallengesinclude the detachment from the possibility of engaging in war shared across the continent and confusing and worrying communication coming from the former POTUS Donald Trump, who is today more than ever likely to make a big return to the White House after the November election

Trump’s statements and social media activity neatly show that there are reasons to be worried about NATO’s future and integrity Those should raise concerns, especially while there is ongoing Russian bloodshed at the borders of NATO in Ukraine Furthermore, Donald Trump is known for his rather friendly approach to Putin Nevertheless, it may be hard to demand from American society, never directly touched by the bombs and war, to fully see a threat coming from the Kremlin and cordial relationswithPutin’sRussia

What is surprising is that there is no officialprocedureregulatedin

treaties concerning the appointment of the next Secretary General usually, it’s done through hoursofmultilateralnegotiations.

As of today, Mark Rutte, an outgoing Dutch prime minister and the president of the Democrats66, is leading the race, held behind closed doors with unwritten rules However, even though favored by most of the Western European governments, Rutte is not the only contestant

Many names have been mentioned, onlytowithdrawfromtheracelater

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and former UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace reportedly even discussed his candidacy with US President Joe Biden However, both subsequently withdrew from consideration without providing any explanation

For now, there are two other candidates openly expressing their willingness to run NATO, apart from Rutte, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, currently wanted by Russian officials; and Latvian Foreign MinisterKrisjanisKarins

In the unwritten procedure, there is no specified set of qualities required to become the next Secretary General As Rutte is considered a more stable and ‘safer’ choice for the alliance, it rightly raises the question of state equality in NATO Rutte is the second longest serving Prime Minister in Europe (right after Viktor Orbàn in Hungary) However, his years in office are not even close to being described as stable for Dutch politics, as the public had expressed it in the last parliamentary elections, giving the biggest number of chairs to Geert Wilders’ right-wing, populist Party forFreedom

Rightly, Rutte’s assumed appointmentraisedquestionsofthe equality and balance of powers in the Alliance – are the Baltic States, Poland, or any other country that joined NATO after the fall of the Iron Curtain equal in the race, after more than 20 years of partaking in itsexistence?

When asked by journalists if there still is a desire to participate in the race, Kallas without a moment of hesitation responded with one word: “Yes”Sheexplainedthatshe

believes the next chief of NATO should be somebody whose country has spent two percent (or more) of its GDP on defence, as required by the North Atlantic Treaty She also said it would be beneficial to see a woman in the role While Estonia is spending more than three percent of its GDP on defense, the Netherlands is not quite close to hittingthetwopercenttarget

Kallas has been Estonia’s Prime Minister for more than three years now She leads the Reform Party andservedtwiceasamemberofthe parliament (Rigikogu) and was a member of the European Parliament Upon the conclusion of her term, Politico recognized her as one of the forty most influential MEPs and one of the most influentialwomeninBrussels

Already as an acting Prime Minister, she was recongized as a leading voice in international support for Ukraine attacked by Russia, for which The Statesman called her the ‘Europe’s New Iron Lady’ Regarding this conflict, Kallas rejects any possibility of a peace deal that would cede part of the Ukrainian territories to the aggressor and hold onto strong and unconditional support for Ukraine She, as most of the Eastern European and Baltic leaders, sees Russia not only as an invader in Ukraine but as an existential threat to their state and nationhood

After last year’s elections in which Kallas led her party to another victory, she formed a coalition with the Social Democratic Party and Estonia 200 One of the first bills passed in the new parliament legalized same-sex marriage and secured the right to adoption for same-sex couples, making Estonia the first post-Soviet, and Baltic countrytodoso

In February, Russian officials announced that Kallas had been included in the Russian interior ministry's list of individuals wanted on criminal charges Allegedly, the charges were linked to the removal of Soviet World War II monuments in Estonia, however, she dismissed the warrant as a ‘scare tactic’ of the Kremlin

If it will not be for the next NATO chief,hercandidaturetoreplace

Josep Borrell, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs, is discussed behind closed doorswithastrongexpectationshe would be supported in that race by Emmanuel Macron However, as Politico points out, that topic remains sensitive in a few EU capitals, as not every member regards an aggressive anti-Russian approach as the right way to handle today’sgeopolitics

Despite the obvious consensus arising, Rutte’s candidature may be headed to clash with clear opposition coming from the Hungarian prime minister, as it is not a secret that the Dutch politician has not quite been on the same page as Budapest’s Orbàn There is a strong possibility of a new candidate appearing out of nowhere which would completely change the rules of the game Unless something is surely decided, every other thing uninterruptedly remains an option What is expected of the next Secretary General? Keeping the peace in Europe, which may be harder than at any time in history before (and hopefully reaching agreements ending the war in Ukraine) and, of course, making sure the US stays on board It will be a time of a hazardous game, with opportunities of great gain and loss placed on two opposite sides of the balance scale And rightfully so – illconsidered and irresponsible decisions could redefine the trajectoryofEuropeangeopolitics

Rutte’s assumed appointment raised questions of the equality and balance of powers in the Alliance – are the Baltic States, Poland, or any other country that joined NATO after the fall of the Iron Curtain equal in the race, after more than 20 years of partaking in its existence?

The Somali Government vs. AlShabaab: The President’s Approach to Counterterrorism

BY CATARINA VITA X SCIENCES DEFENSE

The population of Somalia, located in the Horn of Africa, has been subject to a variety of threats, ranging from pirates swarming its coast to colonization and neocolonialism The terrorist groupprevalentinthecountry,AlShabaab, has also threatened the already feeble government of the country, and this still has not changed After undergoing the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the mission’s aim to decrease Al-Shabaab’s presence over the territory was implemented, but costly in deaths and instability Nonetheless, AMISOM aimed to build a Somali National Army, in addition to a stabilized police force and government, and these goals, according to the African Union, were achieved As the AMISOM was due to end in December 2021, the ATMIS, the African Transition Mission in Somalia, was implemented in April 2022, focusing on implementing the Somali Transition Plan that began under AMISOM This transition plan, according to ATMIS, is divided into four axes: the reconfiguration of the government, yielding Forward Operating Bases (or simply military bases) to the Somali government progressively, and finally dissolving the ATMIS The yielding of the Forward Operating Bases, due to its ideal progressive character, consists of two axes The transition period was reinforced after a delayed election inMay2022

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was re-elected after already being in power from 2012 to 2017 The delays had a variety of justifications from region to region, but they were widely attributed to technical delays and the country's instability caused by Al-Shabaab The President vowed to restore Somali stability, threatened primarily by AlShabaab ATMIS forces are bound to leave Somalia by December 2024 “Somalia has one year to expel ( ) Al-Shabaab,” said the President according to Reuters in lateNovember2023

PresidentMohamud'sPlan

Parallel to ATMIS’ efforts, President Mohamud launched military efforts against Al-Shabaab in August 2022, specificallysurroundingtheterritory the terrorist group controlled Thus far, the military operation is divided into two stages, one announced in August 2022 and another in March of the subsequent year During the first stage, the government allied with the Hawyie clan in Somalia and was able to relinquish 215 Somali areas that were previously controlled by AlShabaab, mostly in the central region According to a study by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the Hawyie clan was primordial to the operation, given that they participated in 155 events against Al-Shabaab and supported the government in 60 percent of their events relative to the relinquishing of Al-Shabaab territory

The second stage of the military operation focuses on the southernmost parts of Somalia, where the government anticipates lowered clan support due to the secessionist movement of Jubaland The study also reveals increasing reliance on neighboring countries’ armies, such as Djibouti and Ethiopia, in which 30,000 soldiers were promised to be dedicated to anti-AlShabaabefforts

Announced in March 2023 and planned to take action in mid-2023, the Somali-led military operation was confronted with significant setbacks Due to attacks in central Somalia by Al-Shabaab that led to the recapturing of some areas by the terrorist group, the operation could no longer focus on the southern region as originally planned In Hirshabelle, one of the central Somali regions that AlShabaab recaptured, ATMIS forces joined the efforts of the Somali national army in June 2023, prior to the retraction of 20,000 ATMIS troops This retraction is compliant with the four axes that guide this transition mission In August 2023, as the second stage of the operation officially began, AlShabaab attacked the central village of Cowsweyne Due to the substantial deaths of Somali soldiers, the Somali national army retreated According to VOA Somalia, the Somali national forces recognized that they faltered in “not securing supply routes to the troops” Brigadier General Abdirahman Turaye affirmed a change in the military approach to the operation Instead of dependence on Somali national army forces and also considering the gradual retreat of ATMIS soldiers, local citizens are offered the opportunity to fight against AlShabaabforfinancial

compensation The presence of citizens in the battlespace, as aforementioned with the clan presence in August 2022, contributed to the successful launch of the military operation Nonetheless, it is unknown if AlShabaab’s presence in relinquished land resulted from a change in their land-seizing methods Currently, the military operation in Somalia is stalled

Through the Lens of Security: AnalyzingtheOperation’sSuccess

The military operation in Somalia against Al-Shabaab held surprisingly positive fruits for the government at its beginning stages

The President’s ambitious plan to completely abolish the terrorist group’s presence in the country seemed realistic in early stages

When analyzing the Somali approach to counterterrorism, it is important to recognize the historical and socio-political context of the country Prior to AMISOM, they barely possessed an official army, let alone stable and knowledgeable intelligence agencies To have been able to mobilize a national army and direct it towards one issue exceeded global expectations and could provoke, somewhat, hope for transitional governments around theworld

Expecting a country like Somalia, a victim of colonialism, neocolonialism and governmental instability, to use intelligence and strategy to approach its counterterrorism issues is beyond unfair However, the Somali approach against AlShabaab can be considered rather shallow, regarding the amount of time the terrorist group spent possessing Somali territory and the amount of instability it caused The national army could win Al-Shabaab by force, and clan support was crucial since they were also affected by Al-Shabaab’s actions, giving them a reason to support thearmy'sefforts However,little thoughtwasgiventothestrategy of maintaining the regained territory under the government’s rule Installing permanent army officers could have been a successful option if not considering the limited number of people in the Somali national army In terms of intelligence, which Somalia could not have provided on its own at all considering its limited resources, what Al-Shabaab was doing to regain territory was not considered An important considerationaboutSomaliaisits label as a failed state, primarily because it has little to no control over its own population This means that the terrorist group now has control over it The questions of what Al-Shabaab strategically did to keep Somali citizens under their territory and how they maintained it could have been important for Somalia’s long term success againsttheterroristgroup

The Somali approach against AlShabaab can be considered rather shallow, regarding the amount of time the terrorist group spent possessing Somali territory and the amount of instability it caused.

I Only Have Two Cheeks: Is It Worth It to Be the Bigger Person?

BY ROSIE BETROSIAN

How long will I continue to do what is right and feel like I am losing? When will it be my turn to be acknowledged for my sacrifices? When will people truly see the reasons behind my actions? Is it worth it to always be the "bigger person"? Talking to my friend on our designated FaceTime call, she expressed how draining it is to do the right things that still feel wrong As I tried to convince her that being the bigger person is worth it, in the end, I started questioning my own beliefs So I had to ask around – 9 Sciences Po students were prompted with this question engaging in a debate with noforeseeableend

What does it mean to be the bigger person?

Being the bigger person is undeniably difficult Its definition varies some see it as a dedication to friendship, others as a testamenttomaturity,andafewas a commitment to honesty and truth Many associate ‘the bigger person’ with traits such as setting aside their ego, knowing when to let things slide, and being willing to resolve conflicts even when they are in the right It involves the ability to compromise to prevent situations from escalating For some, it embodies maturity and the capacity to evaluate situations, people,andculture

Is the bigger person someone who dislikes like conflict? If so, are theystillthebiggerperson?

Some believe that "the bigger person tends to isolate themselves" Suggesting that aversion to conflict is a common trait among ‘bigger people’ They often seek to minimize disagreements, viewing them as arduous and futile However, this raises the question of whether this behavior is driven by self-interest Can we differentiate between those who avoid conflict for egotistical reasons and those who embodythebiggerperson?

We can't distinguish between the two, but some participants argued that the bigger person is comfortable with conflict and expressing themselves According to the same perspective, the bigger person would initiate a disagreement to express what is ‘right’

However, this leads to a neverending loop: is it justifiable to initiate conflict on the basis of right or wrong? This way of thinking is subject to a binary view of arguments, where one is right and the other wrong In this case, isn’t it betterto‘swallowone’struth?

What if being the bigger person means allowing most things to slide

I questioned whether the bigger person is someone who will let thingsslide,mostdisagreed,viewing this behavior as passive or ineffective in achieving resolution But how does one find the confidence to assert themselves when they feel they are right and thereby initiate conflict? The decision to engage in conflict doesn't emanate from the certainty of being right; rather, it often reflects a sense of being "stuck" in an argument, conflict, or situation Thus, the optimal choice may be to expressone 'sthoughts

Is being the bigger person akin to "turningtheothercheek"?

To "turn the other cheek" is to respond to an insult without retaliation, displaying a sense of moral and mental superiority The adage advises individuals not to retaliate against those who have wronged them But why adopt such a passive stance? Why welcome insults and endure pain? Participants in the discussion contested the notion that being the bigger person equates to turning the other cheek, arguing that this method generates an "identified victim"

Isthebiggerpersonthevictim?

“People do not always perceive the bigger person as a victim, believing that they always have the capacity to choose” Being the bigger person can provide a sense of rectitude and moral superiority Participants in discussions argued that the bigger person often opts for moral superiority to achieve personal satisfaction, wanting to confirm within themselves that they acted inaccordancewiththeirvalues

However,isn'tthisatrap?

Often, being the bigger person becomes an assigned role within a group dynamic So, can one escape this role once it has been assumed?

Participants noted the difficulty in rejecting this role and even referred to the bigger person as being a personality trait “It's just the way I am,” remarked one participant, also sharing that she is known as someone who avoids conflict If being the bigger person is seen as a personality trait, how can we ensure that we do not compromise in academic and professionalsettings?

Depending on the person, “the bigger person” changes its form Someavoidconflictatanycost,and some initiate it to express truth In this sense, the bigger person cannot be defined, making one ponder if this phrase is even relevant if it can be denoted with everybehavior?

I would like to thank everyone who participated and shared their insights Special thanks to Sophie, Yeva, Saskia, Chaya, Isa, Izzy, Eleana,Luna,andManoah

Inside the Babel Initiative – From Menton to Cyprus (And Back!)

BY MARIA EIRINI LIODI

Babel Initiative makes The Menton Times headlines once more, featuring an even more fascinating story than last month – Babel’s Cyprus Trip 2024!

A week bustling with business meetings, rigorous research and culturalenrichment

Before diving into that, I will provide a brief introduction for those who do not already know Babel Initiative is a student-led initiative at Sciences Po Paris, Campus de Menton, founded in 2007 and evolving impressively to this day. It is the only recognized student organization offering funded research opportunities in countries intheMediterraneanandMiddleEast region It aims to make academic research accessible, as a means of breaking down stereotypes and building bridges of cultural awareness and understanding –something of utmost importance for students pursuing political science degrees specializing in this region This level of accessibility is deeply ingrained in Babel’s values, however, planning and organizing a fullyfunded research trip is by no means aneasyfeat

Starting in May of last year, Anna Russin was elected as president of the Babel Initiative, alongside Ioanna Christodoulides as vice president Part of the transition marked the beginning of the research focus on Cyprus, having previously focused on Jordan the year prior The election of board members and heads, under the poles of research, finance, logistics andculture,ensued,withthe

completion of the team with the researchers being selected in November The five teams selected are researching on the topics of ‘Public Intolerance Towards Migrants’, ‘LGBTQ+ Collaboration in the Buffer Zone’, ‘The Lebanese Community in Cyprus’, ‘Globalization of Higher Education’ and‘CypriotSignLanguage’

Following months of demanding planning, coordinating and orchestrating by the Babel team, we embarked upon our trip last month, aboard with 14 Board Members, 15 Researchers and 20 ‘Shadows’ (nonresearching Sciences Po Menton students, who attend the trip on individualcosts)

It is important to note that during this week, all five teams had their individual set of packed schedules, filled with meetings with important stakeholders, academics and NGOs relevanttotheirfieldofinquiry

Outside the demanding schedule of the week, the Babel team was able to provide holistic cultural experiences to its members, with ample suggestions for the best locations to visit, organized hikes, museum-tours and bus-rides in multiple cities across the island If one thing is certain, it is that the one week trip was one rich in acquisition of knowledge and unique experiences On a personal note, and reflecting the views of many of my colleagues, Babel Initiative, is an extraordinary organization. I’m grateful for this incredible team of dedicated and capable young minds that were able to come together and create something remarkable What’s even better,there’smoretocome!

of Old Nicosia – both the Southern Republic of Cyprus areas, as well as the northern territories under occupation by Turkey In seeking to make this trip holistic and immersive, our guided tour led by two representatives of the Association of Historical Dialogue and Research, allowed our members insight into the core of Nicosia within the Venetian walls; an opportunity to explore the landscape within the only divided capital in the world Following that, the team was able to discuss with multiple NGOs, including Home 4 Cooperation, Cyprus Peace and Dialogue Centre and Cyprus Inno at The Base” all of which brought different perspectives of the sociopoliticallandscapeofCyprus.

Our first day was marked by an expansion of awareness of the Cypriot social and political environment Webeganwithatour

On the second day of the trip, the Board and researchers were able to meet with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, where they were able to get important insight on the historical context shaping Cyprus’ social, political and economic landscape, as well as ask questions relatingtotheirresearchtopics

In the following days, there were additional visits, including meetings with the French Ambassador to Cyprus, Salina Grenet-Catalano, officials from the US Embassy in Nicosia, a discussion with Board Members of Invest Cyprus, and a meeting with Total Energies All of these meetings enabled the Babel team to develop a deeper understandingofvariousaspectsof Cypriotculture

Back in Menton, the researchers are hard at work utilising their onground research to produce their academic papers This year the research teams were able to attend various workshops organized by the Research Pole, aiming to guide the researchers along the process, both providing context of on-ground research considerations, as well as shining light on the writing process for academic papers Furthermore, the Board was able to secure Research Mentors for each of the teams, which have been working closely with the researchers since December and until today, providing guidance and support in their research and writing The end result? Holistic papers that are reflective and destigmatize issues withintheCypriotsociety

We eagerly await the release of our five teams research papers very soon, as well as the hosting of our Colloquium! Those are expected to bereleasedinmid-April,afterwhich Babel will proudly host its Colloquium on April 20 This grand event aims to wrap-up a year of rigorous effort, collaboration and creation We aim to have a host of academics and professionals at the Colloquium – more on this soon! StaytunedforBabelupdates!

ZoneofConflict:Controversiesand DilemmasinHolocaust-Cinema

BY PEDRO MEERBAUM

The Zone of Interest follows a historical family drama The mother, played by Sandra Hüller, wants to raise her family in their current house outside of the big city where she can grow her garden and spend Sundays by the lake with the children Meanwhile, the father, played by Christian Friedel, is forced into a personal dilemma as he is promoted in his military career and must now move to Berlin Except Friedel's character wasn't just any military personnel and the house wasn't in any city They lived in Auschwitz, Poland, and the father, Herr Höss, is the commandant of the concentration camp that shares itswallswiththefamilygarden

Director Jonathan Glazer takes an unconventional approach to portraying the Holocaust: he expects his audience to be aware of what is happening in the backgrounds of his passive landscapes without explicitly showing the violence of the concentration camps Unlike other movies on the same topic, including Schindler's List or The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Glazer spends no time exploring or dramatizing the struggles of the victims, he rather focuses completely on the routine of this specific family The movie's ability to discuss such a weighted historical event has been a heated topicasawardseasoncontinues

to highlight the mastery of Glazer, leading it to be considered "controversial" in online discussions But what is clear is that it once again brings up an important question: how can one produce a movie about the Holocaust? The risk of trivializing, minimizing or even abusing real stories haunts filmmakers whenever they are tasked with producing art on one of history'sbiggestregrets

Austrian director Michael Haneke, famous for works like "Funny Games" and "Piano Teacher," posed a scathing critique of Spielberg's Schindler's List in an interview with the Hollywood Times: "The idea, the mere idea, of trying to draw and create suspense out of the question of whether out of the shower head, gas is going to come or water that to me is unspeakable" He then proceeds to describe the 1994 Oscar-winning movie as a film with "24 lies per second at the service of truth, or the service of the attempt tofindtruth”Itisdifficulttoaccuse Spielberg's movie of being exploitative of the Holocaust when its production surrounded a conversation with real victims and an attempt to rejuvenate the popularmemoryoftheevent Atthe same time, it is not possible to distance Spielberg's production from the mere fact that it is a Hollywood production, a movie bonded by the economic and ideologicalneedsoftheculture

industry and the necessity to keep the work entertaining to its audience Thus, when Spielberg creates a Hollywoodian adaptation of Schindler's List, there is a legitimate concern about whether he has, like in his classic Jurassic Park, made the Holocaust into a themepark

It is true, however, that newer generations have been socialized through these works As we distance ourselves, chronologically, from the 1940s, and as the memories of older generations begin to fade, the role of transmitting Holocaust-related stories lies within movies The Boy in the Striped Pajamas has become a staple in Western education systems and a necessary addendum in history classes Understanding, then, that Holocaust-related movies go beyond their statuses as films and transcend into a tool for public memory, another question is raised: What should be the aim of Holocaustcinema?

The Zone of Interest engages with thisdilemmaandfocusesinsteadon the other side of the wall Sandra Hüller mentions to W magazine that during the filming process, the actors had to stay void – even as they played with kids in the garden they had to actively demonstrate little to no dramatization A direct response to traditional Hollywoodiancinema,wherethe

attempt to juice out drama out of all scenes and create entertainment aboveall ThisisreflectiveofGlazer's attempt to produce a movie that showcases the ordinary aspects of a Nazi family It is contradictory to decades of film-making where Nazis were portrayed as "cardboard villains," with no characteristics but their evilness – a portrayal that is bothfairandcounterproductive

The audience is led to believe that the evil present in the Holocaust was an exceptional case The Nazis are presented to them as nothing more than villains, as individuals who are so distanced from the viewers that their lives become unfathomable in the 21st century The Zone of Interest reminds viewers that this is not true As Glazer puts it himself: "I wantedtodismantletheideaofthem asanomalies,asalmostsupernatural You know, the idea that they came from the skies and ran amok, but thankGodthat’snotusandit’snever going to happen again I wanted to show that these were crimes committed by Mr and Mrs Smith at No 26”

Glazer reminds the viewers of just how dangerous movies on the Holocaust can be They are, ultimately, vessels for narratives on the event, shaping how we view this piece of history and how we understand the processes that lead to it. Once it becomes enthralled by the culture of entertainment, Holocaust cinema turns itself into a counteractive tool – it distances us from what happened even further It makes us forget that Auschwitz is notonlyamuseum.

It is inconceivable to imagine any Holocaust movie that is not controversial Even The Zone of Interest in its minimal narrative storytelling has failed to escape the debates – is it fair to exclude the victims when discussing the Holocaust? Is the movie adding anything, really, to the construction of our knowledge of the events? The questions are not up for me to answer, and yet I find them crucial Holocaustcinemaonlyworkswhenit poses questions, rather than answers – when it leads the audience into the uncomfortable position of questioning: "What would I have done,"ormoreimportantly"Whatam Inotdoingnow"

Judeo-Arabic: A Dying Dialect, A Culture that Must Not Be Forgotten

BY MAIA ZASLER

This is not Hebrew Although each letter, read from right to left, surely resembles those of the Hebrew alphabet, this particular excerpt from the Lord’s Prayer is anexampleofJudeo-Arabic

Judeo-Arabic is an ethnnolect, which has been defined as “a linguistic entity with its own history and used by a distinct language community” Jews from Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Iran have spoken and shared its sonorous sentences, sayings, benedictions and curse words for thousands of years In each regional case, Arabic serves as the substrate, or base, language and Hebrew and Aramaic maintain significant influence on all of Judeo-Arabic’s components, such as cultural-specific vocabulary, morphology, syntax, and phonology

As of 2024, less than 240,000 native speakers of Judeo-Arabic remain The memory of the language, its intrinsic value, has seemingly faded into a linguistic background, an archive accessed only by a handful of scholars who take an interest This phenomena has been driven by the simultaneous fading of the once vibrant Jewish communities in the Arab World Jews in the mid-20th century who were forced to leave their lives behind under threat of persecution, and who went to the nascent State of Israel, then faced a different, unexpected sort of discrimination from the incumbent Eastern European Jewish population Viewed as second class citizens, the Mizrahi Jewish immigrants were actively encouraged to drop their mothertongueandtospeakHebrew These Mizrahi refugees faced hardships in temporary displacement camps, far from their homes in Iraq, or Syria,orotherArabcountriesfrom where they had fled They were quickly immersed in Ulpan programs, learning Hebrew upon arrival and adopting it for functional,dailyuse Inmanycases, the Jews who settled in the United States, Great Britain, or France, etc were quick to assimilate, also letting go of their ties to JudeoArabic

Judeo-Arabic is a colorful language, a means of connection between familiar faces, between friends and family Its playful phrases, aggrandized negative references, associated ceremonies and customs must not be forgotten, lest a whole history be forgotten alongwithit

Foods

Foods are at the center of most Jewish festivals Each diasporic community has adapted to the range of ingredients available in a given region while still consistently integrating long-held religious customs In the case of the Baghdadi Rosh Hashanah tradition a celebration of the Jewish New YearwhereIraqiJewswouldprayin Hebrew for strength and G-d’s benevolence foods eaten during the holiday are symbolic They correspond with words from the Hebrew prayers that retain phoneticresemblancetotheArabic namesforcertainfoods.

For example, in looking towards a New Year, Jews pray to take heart against dark forces, whether an individual’s internal struggles or an external enemy. In Hebrew, the word for heart is lev Sounding close to the Arabic word loubia (meaning long beans), loubia are always placed at the dinner table The Hebrew for the verb “to end” (yitamu), as in “to end our enemies’ hateful conquests” is similar to the Arabic word for “dates” (temmer) Additionally, the Hebrew for “cut off” (yikartu), as in to “cut off our enemies” whether they be external or internal, selfdestructive tendencies has a phonetic correspondence to the Arabic k’rath (“parsley”) The foods eaten by other Arab Jewish communities only differ slightly basedondialect

Ceremony

B’frahak; “May you be the next to getmarried”

This wish of goodwill to unmarried young ladies would be said at weddingfestivities

IraqiJewsarriveinBritishMandatorypalestinefollowingtheFarhud pogrom,1941

B’milah

Yet another wish whispered or shouted at wedding ceremonies but, in this case, it is said directly to the bride, encouraging her to have a baby Milah is drawn from Hebrew, or, more specifically, the Jewish ceremonyofbritmilah,abris,which occurs eight days after a baby boy is born The expression demonstrates the Jewish cultural emphasis on l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation A wish to pass down tradition and love to one’s children offered at such an important life cycle event illustrates the strength of the Arab Jewish community and theimportanceoffamilialties

AshDeedak

“Bless your hands,” or compliments tothechef-saidinappreciationofa warm meal or a particularly deliciousdish

Mash’Allah

“May he/she walk with G-d” - said to protect against any evil when someone is complimented or when they are singled out for doing somethingwell

Curse Words

Judeo-Arabic is filled with clever (and occasionally not so clever, but ever cutting) curses From thiscategoryofvernacularinany language, one may paradoxically catch a glimpse into what that culture values If something or someone is important enough to be the subject of scorn, it must carry weight in a community Sometimes, single words get a message across: zmal (meaning “donkey”) or booma (an “owl,” sarcastically referencing, anything but wise) Other times, a conglomeration of words must beemployed.

Den alabook laboo a book laboo jabbek; “A shoe on your father, your father’s father, and your father’smother”

Family ties held a special place of honor in Arab Jewish communities In the Arab world, it is traditionally considered a high insult to flash or hit another with the bottom of one’s shoe Incorporating the value of family and the culturally-laden affront of the shoe, this sentence offers a comprehensive reference that deliversaprofoundsting

The words we use give us insight into the values of our community, of our cultures To lose just one word from a language or dialect does a disservice to current and future generations From this quick study of a small sample of words imbued with cultural insights, one can see how preserving Judeo-Arabic, ensuring its longevity in scholarly study and lived experience, keeps alive a distinct Jewish experience and yet an additional, deeper understanding of its relation and similarities to surrounding cultures and peoples These elements are crucial to understanding the entire Middle East, for they are embedded in the region’s history and are key to comprehendingitsprogression

Preserving JudeoArabic, ensuring its longevity in scholarly study and lived experience, keeps alive a distinct Jewish experience and yet an additional, deeper understanding of its relation and similarities to surrounding cultures and peoples.

InTheLead-UptoLocal Elections,Istanbul’sKurdish VotersinSpotlight

BY YASMIN ABBASOY

The 2019 elections were an undisputed success for a weary Turkish opposition On a late-night politicaltalkshowofthesortthatis omnipresent in a pre-election Turkey, then-leader of the main opposition Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu received nothing but laughter from the moderator when stating his party’s goals for the campaign

Listing the names of coveted provinces including the capital, Ankara,andthecitythatisarguably the heart of Turkey, Istanbul, he wentontostatethattheopposition would“betakingalloftheseplaces”

Despite the laughter and the ridicule he later received online, he was proven right by a prodigious result in the elections; the opposition alliance emerged having wrested away from the governing Justice and Development Party, and its People’s Alliance, the metropolitan municipalities of five additional provinces, among which wereAnkaraand,crucially,Istanbul

In Ankara, main opposition Republican People’s Party candidate Mansur Yavaş prevailed overlongtimememberofthe

President’s inner circle and current minister Mehmet Özhaseki relativelyuncontroversially Hispast as a member of the ultranationalist alliance partner of the government, the Nationalist Movement Party, was much-discussed but seemed to have little bearing on final vote totals In Istanbul, whose mayorship carries unparalleled pragmatic and symbolic value, the race was much more fraught As the largest city in Turkey in terms of population and industry, Istanbul is valuable for its rent-generating properties Its status as the cultural capital and beating heart of the country has however transformed it into the nucleus of Turkish politics President Erdoğan started his political career as the mayor of Istanbul in 2001, and engraved this path into the collective public consciousness with his often quoted phrase: “Whoever takes Istanbul takesTurkey”

The opposition candidate, Ekrem Imamoğlu, was at the time the mayor of a small western district of Istanbul He emerged as the underdog,supportedsolelyby

Kılıçdaroğlu over other candidates which were more prominent in the public eye He emerged mostly unscathed despite a state-supported campaign which saw him accused of everything from being a “cryptoGreek'' to a supporter of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party This was a true trial by fire for a candidate who constructed his persona on tolerance and pacifism as encapsulated by his slogan, “Everything will be alright” Imamoğlu won the first round of the election with a margin of 14,000 votes, though the results were contested by the governing coalition and later annulled by the supposedly-impartial Supreme Election Council This proved to be a strategic mistake on the part of President Erdoğan, as Imamoğlu increased his margin of victory to over 800,000 votes to lead the opposition to its most signif icant victoryindecades

On the heels of this triumph, widely interpreted as the first blow to Erdoğan’s two-decade regime, the opposition coalition was optimistic heading into general elections in 2023

Hopes were dashed, however, when alliance parties were unable to decide on a unity candidate The nationalist Good Party pushed for Imamoğlu, but was opposed by the main opposition, who cited a pending criminal case filed against him by the government, which would render him unelectable if he lost Party chairman Kılıçdaroğlu was ultimately chosen as the candidate, upon which the Good Partyannouncedawithdrawalfrom the alliance, setting off a cascade of meetings and backroom talks which saw crisis averted but the deep fracturesinthealliancelaidbare

A campaign that had already been launched on the back foot failed to sway nationalist and islamist voters and further failed to retain the Kurdish vote A disappointing finish in the first round saw the alliance pivot sharply to the right and campaign on the lowest common denominator in Turkish politics: sending Syrian refugees back to Syria There was a hasty attempt to establish ties with the far-right ultranationalist Victory Party, whose chairman Ümit Özdağ has been credited with mainstreaming the idea of sending refugees ‘home’ in buses involuntarily Local media reported that Özdağ, who was courted by both the opposition and the government, had been offered a significantministerialpositionfrom the opposition–a red line for the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party whowasnotofficiallyapart of the alliance but had been promised support on key issues Shockingly, after this large-scale compromise of principles, Özdağ elected to support the government party instead In the aftermath, Erdoğanwonthesecondroundwith a comfortable margin of around 2 millionvotes

Inaway,ithasalwaysbeenKurdish voters who have decided the fate of the opposition In 2019, the People’s Democratic Party broke with tradition and did not field a candidate in Istanbul, despite not being party to a formal alliance During the campaigning stage for the second round of elections, Abdullah Öcalan, the former leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party who has been jailed since 1999, released a letter urging Kurdish voters not to unite under the banner of the opposition alliance The coverage this letter received on pro-government news channels and discussion panels was no coincidence When Kurdish voters coalesced around Imamoğlu, it was what won him the election In 2023, pro-Kurdishpartiesagainchosenot tofieldcandidatesandtosupport

opposition alliance for informal guarantees In return, however, they found an opposition that was perfectly willing to take their votes for granted all while attempting to formallianceswithviolentracists

Thiswasyetanotherdatapointinan ongoing pattern for an opposition which sees Kurds as ‘vote depositories,’ according to senior party officials Most direfully, the main opposition has consistently displayed a chilling disregard for what was and continues to be potentially the most salient issue in the Kurdish political space: the appointment of ‘trustees’ in the place of elected officials to 48 People’s Democratic Party municipalities since 2019 This practice, which has been referred to as a ‘coup on local democracy’ by party officials and the Council of Europe, has failed to draw overt condemnation from the main opposition

The opposition alliance broke apart almostimmediatelyafterthegeneral elections The main opposition replaced its chairman for the young(er) and allegedly more charismatic Özgür Özel, who inherited a party that had alienated most of its allies The People’s DemocraticParty,ontheotherhand, faced pressure from their base to drop the quasi-alliance strategy, especially in the light of an ongoing criminal case over tenuous links to terrorist organizations that could leadtotheclosureoftheparty Party leaders admitted their strategy had not worked, and expressed their intention to run candidates in all big citiesinthe2024elections

The 2024 local elections will see Imamoğlu defend his position against Murat Kurum, an unremarkable man most notable for his role in rebuilding efforts after the devastating earthquakes of 2023 as the Minister for Forestry, Urbanism, and Climate Change For Imamoğlu, a victory is essential to establish himself as a viable future presidential candidate, an opportunityforwhichhehasalready been passed over once The field of candidates is a wide one almost every single political party has at least one candidate in the running The People’s Democratic Party, for theirpart,haveputforwardtheircoleaders under the banner of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, a joint venture with the leftleaning Green Left Party Polling figures show that the overwhelming majority of People’s Democratic Party voters who voted for Imamoğlu in the previous election would vote for their own candidate in 2024 In this scenario, the margin of difference between Imamoğlu and Kurumwouldbeameretwopercent

It is these dynamics which will determine the result that comes out of the Istanbul elections Like so many other elections in Turkey, what really matters here is not promises or ideological notions This election is being played out in the past, as a response to two decades of betrayal from the main opposition Until now, Kurdish voters have gritted their teeth and arguably voted against their best interest for the sake of democracy, and it seems that we must now imagine a world wheretheydonot

Until now, Kurdish voters have gritted their teeth and arguably voted against their best interest for the sake of democracy, and it seems that we must now imagine a world where they do not.

ConstructingaTechnocratic GovernmentinPost-WarGaza

BY LARA HARMANKAYA

Amidst debates on democracies and their discontents, technocracies often appear as a viable alternative model of governance In the West Bank and Gaza, where de facto democracy has long been out of the question and the destructive implications of war continue to devastate, a technocracy may be the only viable solution to address the needsofapopulationinruins

The Palestinian Authority (PA), which was inaugurated following the Oslo Peace Process between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Israeli government, governs the West Bank under the bannerofFatah,afactionofthePLO Born from the Gaza-Jericho Agreement, which promised the Palestinian populations residing in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip the future creation of an independent Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority has lost any trace of domestic democratic legitimacy over the years Following Hamas’ victory in the 2006 general elections and subsequent conflicts with Fatah, Gaza has been under the rule of the militant-terrorist group Hamas This has led to the fragmented political system that is found today, where the two territories are under the control of two rival political groups For many Palestinians, this fracture has been among the most harmful obstacles to the Palestinian cause, leading to disunity in the movement for nation-building

The potential for democratic rule in the PA, although promising at the start, has diminished tremendously over the years The cancellation of the presidential and legislative elections in 2021 by the President of the PA, Mahmoud Abbas, is a recent example of the stymied space for politicalplurality Hisfour-yearterm was meant to have ended in 2009 Yet, with his rule by decree, strict control over the judicial system, dissolution of the legislative council andpurgingofrivals,hecontinuesto dominate the PA and the PLO To make matters worse, the opposition candidate for the 2021 elections, Nizar Banat, is said to have died in police custody, sparking popular outrage from within the Palestinian population In general, the PA is viewed by many Palestinians with suspicion; according to a study by the Palestinian Center for Policy and SurveyResearch(PCPSR),more

than half of the Palestinians surveyed in June 2023 were in favor of the dissolution of the PA The proliferation of illegal Israeli settlements in Area C of the West Bank, alongside PA cooperation with the Israeli Defense Forces to repress internal Palestinian opposition, have been the final nail in the coffin for the PA’s popular legitimacy With the Israeli government’s increasing control over the administration and civil affairs in Areas A and B as well, the PA has come to be perceived as complicit in Israel’s actions In the eyes of many, it is no longer a real autonomous authority capable of governance It is also dependent on international and Israeli funding, leading critics to wonder whether it canevertrulytakearesolutestance against these foreign actors Especially after the chaos that superseded Oct 7, the PA has proven one thing: it is unable to effectively deal with Hamas and easetheplightofPalestinians

In the name of political survival, the PA has not remained as the one true representative of the Palestinian generalpublic

The West Bank’s fragile democracy thus suffers from a double blow on legitimacy:itisruledbyanauthority thatisdeemed‘authoritarian’bythe Freedom House and is under Israeli occupationincertainterritories

However, calls for a reform, emerging from both internal and external actors, seem to have resurfaced now with the resignation of the Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and his cabinet This arrives at a time of “international orientation supporting the establishment of a singlePalestinianAuthorityoverall of the Palestinian territories,” according to Minister of Social Affairs, Ahmed Majdalaini The United States’ vocal approval of such efforts to “reform and revitalize” evinces this, having long been preceded by pressures for political unity and the restructuring of the PA It is still unclear whether the resignation is a move to preserve the existing structures rather than revitalize the system itself, but if the proposal for technocracy is truly meaningful, then the necessary reconstruction of the Palestinian Authoritymayfollowthrough

Amidst the uncertainty of the current state of the Hamas-Israel war, envisioning reconstruction in Gaza under a technocratic government offers a glimmer of hope to the disillusioned populations of the Palestinian territories The technocratic government would not only end the political and territorial split of the PA but could also overcome the problemsof‘corruption,nepotism

and inefficiency’, in the words of former PA official Ghaith al-Omari, that it has been associated with over the past few years Although sources offer varying visions of what the technocratic government wouldlooklike,orhowlongitwould last for, the basic consensus is that the negotiation process would represent different factions and different regional players, including Egypt It would operate outside the realm of politics and would be governed by nonpartisan experts untilthetimeisrightforelections

Apopularexampleofatechnocratic government in recent years was found in Italy, where the Prime Minister post was taken up by economist Mario Monti His 13month government has been applaudedforplungingItalyoutofa crisis of credibility through its decisive structural reforms Technocracieshavebeendeemedin a positive light in parliamentary democracies, especially when appointedforalimitedtimehorizon to respond to emergencies Despite lacking the legitimacy that comes with a democratic vote, these governments have proven to be successful in getting things done Particularly in a place as embedded in failed governance as Gaza, the chance of depoliticizing administration and establishing a government that is not inherently attachedtothecomplexpoliticsof

the region must be grabbed More importantly, the civil and social rights of the residents of Gaza, which have been persistently violated, can finally be protected Foreign minister Al-Maliki articulates the goals and needs of the Palestinian people in the following words, “We want to be accepted and engaging fully with the international community We want to get contribution[s] that help in order for us to be able to provide first of all the necessary services to our people, emergency services,thentotalkabouthowwe can reconstruct Gaza after such devastating destruction" The technocratic government can reestablish international ties to bringthesetolife

The endorsement of the United States, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states for this technocratic government, however, does raise questions about sovereignty and the role of these foreign powers in its establishment Moreover, it is uncertain whether Israel will be equally willing to relinquish control over Gaza at the end of the war; the Knesset recently voted against “unilateral” recognition of a Palestinian state The very survival of the PA appears to be precarious But it is worth noting that the talk of the formation of this technocratic government can itself be construed as part of a larger strategy of reaching a ceasefire Politically uniting the leadership of Palestinians also brings them closer to the prospect of a Palestinian state in the years to come It is undeniable that the stakes are high for the future politics of Gaza The viability of a technocratic state can also be questioned Nevertheless, it is now evident that the international communityispreparedtoconceive of scenarios for a long-term resolution

A plethora of points for contemplation arise from this new proposal, starting with: to what extent will the international community be involved in postresolution Gaza? Will a true democracy follow the technocratic government? Or will it follow the precedentofMahmoudAbbas’s19year presidency? Could collaboration in reconstruction efforts mitigate tensions between Arab states and the United States? Can stability ever exist in Gaza? A statement by the Chinese premier Zhou en-Lai, made when responding to what he thinks of the French Revolution of 1789, is equally valid as an answer to these questions:“Itistooearlytotell”

L’industriecinématographique enArabiesaoudite

BY ANNA HALPERN

L’Arabie saoudite, sous la direction du prince héritier Mohammed ben Salmane (communément surnommé MBS), a fait beaucoup de bruit sur la scène internationale grâce à des réformes qui poussent le royaume vers une modernization soudaine Entre des réformes politiques en faveur du droit des femmes tels que le droit de conduire et le droit à l'obtention d’un passeport et au voyage à l'international sans autorisation d’un parent masculin et les réformes culturelles tel que l'accès au cinéma et la production de films, le pays semble changer radicalement Mais est-ce vraiment possibledeconvaincrelemonde,en commençant par la population saoudite elle-même, de ce changement si souvent critiqué commeétantplusd'insuffisant?

Pour ce qui est de convaincre la population saoudite, l’importance du changement culturel ne doit pas être sous-estimée En effet, dans un pays qui subit encore de fortes répressions, il devient essentiel de garder la jeunesse du côté du gouvernement Ceci est fait principalement grâce à des réformes destinées à ‘occidentaliser’ et ouvrir le pays, et ceci passe en grande partie par une nouvelle ouverture à l'audiovisuel international

Qui plus est, ce changement n’est pas sans motivation économique ; dans le cadre de sa “vision 2030” MBS a comme objectif de diversifier l’économie du royaume, et ceci semble passer par un pari sur le potentiel du pays dans l’industrie cinématographique Ce développement semble centré sur Neom, où ils espèrent établir un hub technologique ainsi qu’un centre de l’industrie cinématographique en commençant par d'immenses studios Ces studios ont déjà commencé à attirer des productions telles que «Desert Warrior» du réalisateur britannique Rupert Wyatt, avec des stars telles que Anthony Mackie et BenKingsley D’ici2030,leroyaume espère avoir 2000 salles de cinéma et un box-office de 1 milliard de dollars, faisant de l’Arabie saoudite unlieuxidéalpourinvestir.

Cette ouverture nouvelle vient aussi de façon formelle par la création du festival «Red Sea Film Festival» Ce festival a ouvert son édition 2023 par le film Britannique «What’s Love Got to Do With It?», une comédie romantique multiculturelle représentant des LGBTQ+, des mariages arrangés ainsi que des couples bi-culturels; en bref ce film montre une diversité que peu auraient pensé voir sur un écran en Arabiesaouditeilyaàpeine10ans

Ces nouvelles normes se trouvent tout de même face à certains obstacles En effet, la communauté religieuse à eu du mal à accepter cette modernisation En 2017, le grand Mufti à déclaré juger le cinéma et les concerts «sources de dépravation» Les critiques rejettent tout de même l’imposition de valeurs 'hollywoodiennes’ dans un pays qui reste tout de même très conservateur et où le droit est basé surlerespectdelasharia

D’autre part, l’ouverture du pays à des productions internationales risqued'êtrelimitéeparleurcapacité à attirer des stars dont les positions publiques à propos du droit des femmes et des LGBTQ+ les met en opposition au régime saoudien De plus, la communauté internationale n’a pas oublié la mort du journaliste Jamal Khashoggi, assassiné dans le consulat Saoudien à Istanbul Son meurtre est largement imputé au prince héritier, causant une vague d’outrage Plus largement, le traitement de l’opposition semble en dissuader plus d’un de participer à un projetenArabiesaoudite

La question se pose donc, ce changement en Arabie saoudite n’est il qu’une façon de faire passer l'autoritarisme de MBS sous une couverture de modernization et d'occidentalisation, ou souligne t-il un véritable pas en avant vers un pays plus ouvert et libre - même si ceciestencoreloind'êtrelecas

La question se pose donc, ce changement en Arabie saoudite n’est il qu’une façon de faire passer l'autoritarisme de MBS sous une couverture de modernization et d'occidentalisation, ou souligne t-il un véritable pas en avant vers un pays plus ouvert et libre - même si ceci est encore loin d'être le cas.

IranianElections:WhatMessagesCanBe

Understood?

BY JAD TOUFIC TOUTINJI

On March 1, Iranian voters went to polling stations as elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly (ICA) and the Assembly of Experts (AoE) were due In reality, with a record-low turnout rate of 41 percent, it can safely be said that barely any voters took part in the election because of several years of economic instability and violent anti-regime protests, such as the 2022 nation-wide protests following Mahsa Amini’s tragic murder Indeed, boycotting the elections was, for many, especially in the diaspora, the only realistic form of resistance The victory of the current regime, which was unsurprising for everyone, holds several messages However, its validity and democratic facade mustbetakenwithapinchofsalt

Results

InboththeICAandtheAssemblyof Experts, the elections consolidated the regime’s grip of power in a typical political scenery which has remained unchanged since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 It came without a surprise when taking into consideration the electorate’s apathy and the high number of disqualifications by the Guardian Council of opposition candidates based on a perceived threat to the regimeandthenation

In the ICA, the regime won 138 seats while 48 independents and 25 reformists only won on the opposing side Moreover, only 11 womenmanagedtogetaseatinthe

ICA As for the 88 members of the AoE, 53 of those elected were already incumbents, reflecting the little change that took place Even for the new elected members, a majority of them are young members who also align with the regime and Khamenei Indeed, the regime’s power remains unchallenged within the assemblies

“TheIranianpeopleknowwellthese elections are unrepresentative, whatever the outcome And we do too,” expressed US Deputy Special Envoy for Iran Abram Paley on X after seeing the results Many critics of the regime refused to recognize the elections’ results and believe that the supposed Iranian democracy is a means through which the Iranian regime legitimizesitself

Moreover, the criticism began even before the elections took place With the record-low turnout rate, the Iranian regime had to call its people several times to cast their votes Not only so, but even the participation rate of some provinces, like Tehran, have yet to be declared (at the current time of writing) This low turnout reflects the electorate’s apathy, the collective boycott, and the lackofalternativeoptions

The opposition voters and the antiregimeprotestersfeelhopelessofany change coming as a result of an election orchestrated by the regime apparatus Many who did not go, despite being in economic instability and critical of the ruling clerics, perceive that the time to vote can be traded off for providing living sustenance, especially that voting will not change anything in the embedded totalitarian power Meanwhile the economic trade-off was rational for the impoverished, hopeless Iranian citizens, it was also logical for them to boycott the orchestrated elections in order to delegitimize the results which were inevitably not going to sway in their favour Choosing not to vote was and has always been the Iranian citizen’s political statement of oppositiontoanoppressivetheocratic rule

In addition, many oppositions and reformists called to boycott the election, or at least displayed their refusal to participate, some of whom were part of the regime such as former regime president Mohamad Khatami Khatami’srefusaltocasta

voteinthenameofstandingwiththe discontented Iranian people has sparked major debates in the country Loyalist clerics have inevitably criticized his move, while otheroppositionmembersseethatit isamaneuvertopositionhimselfasa leader for the unrepresented people as well as the reformist, to whom he belongs The opposition criticizes himforremainingareformist,having not declared the end of his allegiance to the Islamist ideology and religious democracyofthesystem

Furthermore, even the opposing and reformist voters who still believe in the potentiality of change through elections did not have candidates to vote for In the AoE, after the Guardian Council had disqualified 366 out of 510 candidates, only 144 candidates were competing for 88 seats In other words, some seats did not have two competing candidates, thus limiting the voters to either the regime’s candidate or a blank vote, the latter which the regime disregardsastrivial

WhatAfter?

Despite the unchallenged victory of the regime, the low turnout sent a clear message: a strong majority of the people, given the chance to, will unequivocally express their resistance and dissatisfaction to the ruling regime Thus, in the upcoming years, the Islamic Republic will have to work on further consolidating their power internally to avoid any repercussions that would threaten its regional influence and internal grip

At the age of 84-years-old, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is set to be succeeded should he die or fall incapable of maintaining his duties Accordingly, the recently elected AoE, which is responsible to elect the supreme leader’s successor, might have to deal with this challenge in the upcoming eight years In this context, the massive number of candidate disqualifications that took place should be seen as only an attempt by the regime to suppress opposition to the rule It should also be perceived as Khamenei’s attempt to secure his own choice of his successor, which looks likely to be his son Mojtaba Khamenei even if no public designation has been made in fear of the successor’sassassination

Former president Hassan Rouhani, as well as other notable ministers like Ali Fallahian and Mohamad Alavi appeared on the list of disqualified candidates Hassan Rouhani, having not been a strong hardliner to the regime and having been elected by the people, was seen as a potential candidate should a shift in power take place between hardliners and reformists As to the ministers, both of whom served as intelligence ministers, it was a tactful move to avoid an internal revolt by the intelligence and the military after Khamenei’s death Indeed, little by little, Khamenei is assuring that his son, or the candidate of his choice like current president Ebrahim Raisi, will succeed him as smoothly as possible

In spite of all inter-regime politics, the regime still has the task to mitigate the public outrage if it wishes to lengthen its survival, especially post-Khamenei If Mojtaba, or any other candidate, reaches power with a strong public dissent to the regime, then it is likely that further economic collapse, as well as the weakening of aid to allied militant groups, like the Houthis and Hezbollah, will be seen Moreso, in this context of impoverished legitimacy of the cleric and an undecided successor, is it possible that military and intelligence leaders seize power in the case of Khameini’s death to ensure the survival of the regime? Could the Iranian Supreme Leader become only a symbolic face to a military-intelligencehegemony?