#China Taliban relations

[shiningpakistan]

چین کے افغانستان میں بڑھتے ہوئے قدم، امکانات اور چیلنج

اگست 2021 میں افغانستان سے امریکی انخلا کے دو سال بعد، چین افغانستان میں سب سے بااثرملک کے طور پر ابھرا ہے۔ چین واشنگٹن کے افغانستان سے نکلنے کی وجہ سے پیدا ہونے والے خلا سے فائدہ اٹھاتے ہوئے اپنے سفارتی اور سٹریٹجک اثررسوخ کو بڑھا رہا ہے۔ چین خطے میں ایک نجات دہندہ اور علاقائی شراکت دار کے طور پر اپنی اہمیت اجاگر کرنے کی کوشش کررہا ہے۔ چین کا موجودہ نقطہ نظر بنیادی طور پر نایاب زمینی معدنیات کی تلاش، یوریشیا کے ساتھ علاقائی روابط کے کوششیں اور سلامتی کے خدشات کے گرد گھومنے والے اس کے معاشی مفادات پر مبنی ہے۔ سفارتی سطح پر بیجنگ اور کابل دونوں نے ایک دوسرے کے ممالک میں اپنے سفیر تعینات کیے ہیں۔ دنیا میں چین پہلا ملک ہے جس نے طالبان کے نامزد سفیر کو قبول کرنے کے ساتھ ساتھ کابل میں اپنا سفیر بھی مقرر کیا ہے۔ تاہم بیجنگ نے احتیاط برتتے ہوئے طالبان کی حکومت کو سفارتی طور پر تسلیم نہیں کیا۔ چین طالبان کے ساتھ اپنے تعلقات کو اس سطح تک مضبوط کرنے کا سوچ رہا ہے جہاں سب پہلے اقتصادی، معدنی اور قدرتی وسائل تک رسائی کے ساتھ مغربی ممالک کی موجودگی بہت کم ہو۔ 

طالبان کے لیے، چینی پیسہ اہمیت کا عامل ہے اور یہ طالبان کی حکومت کی معیشت کو پائیدار طریقے سے سنبھالنے کی صلاحیت میں عام افغانوں کا اعتماد بحال کرنے میں بھی مددگار ہو سکتا ہے۔ اقتصادی محاذ پر، چینی کمپنیاں سکیورٹی خدشات کے باوجود خاص طور پر کان کنی کے شعبے میں کاروباری مواقع تلاش کرنے کے لیے افغانستان کا دورہ کرتی رہتی ہیں۔ افغانستان میں چین کے سفیر واگ یو طالبان کے وزرا اور دیگر سرکاری حکام سے باقاعدہ ملاقاتیں کرتے رہتے ہیں۔ جولائی 2023 میں، طالبان نے اعلان کیا کہ فین چائنا افغان مائننگ پروسیسنگ اینڈ ٹریڈنگ کمپنی بجلی کی پیداوار، سیمنٹ، مینوفیکچرنگ اور صحت کی دیکھ بھال کے شعبوں میں 350 ملین ڈالر کی سرمایہ کاری کرنے کا ارادہ ظاہر کیا ہے۔ اسی طرح، جنوری 2023 میں، طالبان نے شمالی افغانستان میں دریائے آمو کے آس پاس تیل کی تلاش کے لیے سنکیانگ سینٹرل ایشیا پیٹرولیم اینڈ گیس کمپنی کے ساتھ ایک معاہدہ کیا۔ اقتدار پر قبضہ کرنے کے بعد یہ طالبان کا پہلا اہم اقتصادی معاہدہ تھا اور اس کا آغاز 150 ملین ڈالر کے سالانہ سرمایہ کاری سے ہوا، جس کا حجم تین سال میں 540 ملین ڈالر تک پہنچ سکتا ہے۔

آمو دریا وسط ایشیائی ممالک اور افغانستان کے درمیان پھیلا ہوا ہے جو 4.5 مربع کلومیٹر پر محیط ہے۔ معاہدے کے مطابق طالبان کو تیل اور گیس کی تلاش کا 20 فیصد حصہ ملے گا، جو مستقبل میں 75 فیصد تک بڑھ جائے گا۔ جولائی 2022 کے بعد سے، چین نے 98 فیصد افغان اشیا پر صفر ٹیرف عائد کیا ہے اور افغان پائن نٹ کی درآمد میں اضافہ کیا ہے۔ ٹیرف میں کمی افغان معیشت کو چین کی معیشت کے ساتھ ہم آہنگ کرتی ہے۔ افغانستان میں لیتھیم، تانبے اور نایاب زمینی معدنیات کے وسیع ذخائر میں بھی چین کو بہت دلچسپی ہے۔ خام مال کے دنیا کے سب سے بڑے خریدار کے طور پر، چین افغانستان کے غیر استعمال شدہ قدرتی وسائل کو اس کی اقتصادی توسیع اور تکنیکی ترقی کے لیے اہم سمجھتا ہے۔ چین سے عالمی سپلائی لائن کو الگ کرنے اور چینی ٹیکنالوجی کمپنیوں کی نینو چِپس تک رسائی کو محدود کرنے کی امریکی کوششوں کی وجہ سے یہ قدرتی وسائل تک رسائی چین کی اقتصادی استحکام اور عالمی سطح پر توسیع کے لیے اور بھی اہم ہو گئی ہے۔ یہ نایاب زمینی معدنیات برقی گاڑیوں، سمارٹ فونز اور الیکٹرانک بیٹریوں میں استعمال ہوتی ہیں۔

اس کے علاوہ، چین کو ترکستان اسلامک پارٹی (ٹی آئی پی) جسے چین مخالف عسکریت پسند گروپوں جسے مشرقی ترکستان اسلامک پارٹی بھی کہا جاتا ہے اور داعش خراسان کی موجودگی سے تشویش ہے۔ طالبان حکومت نے (ٹی آئی پی) کو کنٹرول کرنے اور چین کے خلاف حملوں کے لیے افغان سرزمین کے استعمال کو روکنے میں چین کے ساتھ تعاون کیا ہے اور اس کے باوجود اقوام متحدہ کی رپورٹوں کے مطابق، گروپ کی تعداد 300 سے بڑھ کر 1,200 تک پہنچ گئی ہے۔ اسی طرح، ٹی آئی پی نے اپنے آپریشنل اڈوں کی تشکیل نو کے ساتھ داعش خراسان اور تحریک طالبان پاکستان (ٹی ٹی پی) کے ساتھ آپریشنل تعلقات قائم کر کے ہتھیار بھی حاصل کیے ہیں۔ اگرچہ طالبان نے (ٹی آئی پی) عسکریت پسندوں کو شمالی صوبہ بدخشاں سے چین کی سرحد کے قریب منتقل کیا، لیکن وہ واپس بدخشاں چلے گئے ہیں۔ اب، چین طالبان سے کہہ رہا ہے کہ وہ ٹی آئی پی کے عسکریت پسندوں کو گرفتار کر کے ان کے حوالے کریں۔ تاہم طالبان اس مطالبے کو پورا کرنے سے گریزاں ہیں۔ 

ٹی آئی پی عسکریت پسند ایک دوراہے پر ہیں انہوں نے طالبان کے ساتھ اس کے بنیادی مقصد ایک خود مختار مشرقی ترکستان ریاست کا قیام کے لیے مدد حاصل کرنے کی امید میں تعاون کیا۔ طالبان نے چین کے کہنے پر ٹی آئی پی پر دباؤ ڈالا ہے۔ تاہم، دو سال کی خاموشی کے بعد ٹی آئی پی کے صبر کا پیمانہ لبریز ہو گیا ہے اور اس کے کچھ عسکریت پسند پہلے ہی داعش خراسان میں شامل ہو چکے ہیں اور اگر طالبان نے اپنی آپریشنل سرگرمیوں پر پابندی نہیں ہٹائی تو اسے مزید نقصان پہنچنے کا خدشہ ہے۔ انہوں نے پہلے ہی اس کے متبادل کے طور پر ٹی ٹی پی اور داعش خراسان کے ساتھ قریبی آپریشنل روابط قائم کر لیے ہیں۔ مختصراً، بڑھتے ہوئے تعلقات کے باوجود اففانستان میں چین کی سلامتی کے لیے خطرات بدستور برقرار ہیں، جس کی وجہ سے دونوں ممالک کے تعلقات ایک حد سے زیادہ مستحکم نہیں۔ آنے والے برسوں میں طالبان چین کے مستقبل کے تعلقات کا رخ یہی سکیورٹی مسائل متعین کریں گے۔

عبدالباسط خان  

مصنف ایس راجارتنم سکول آف انٹرنیشنل سٹڈیز، سنگاپور میں سینیئر ایسوسی ایٹ فیلو ہیں۔

بشکریہ انڈپینڈنٹ اردو

[apas-95]

Idk how to feel about China opening diplomatic relations with the Taliban. Yes Afghanistan's assets should be unfrozen and the entire reason the Taliban runs Afghanistan now is the fault of the US, but they are still an extremely brutal reactionary theocracy enforcing the most extreme gender apartheid in the world. It's not China's (or anyone's) place to change that obviously, but I can't bring myself to celebrate China opening diplomacy with them as a win for the third world.

So, in a word: non-interference.

You're right that the Taliban are a reactionary organisation, and you're right that they're in power because of US interference and invasion. Furthermore, you correctly point out that China should not attempt to change the internal political structure of Afghanistan, but the reason for that is much more than an abstract notion of sovereignty or respect - it is moreso a matter of practicality.

The Taliban are in power because they are the Afghan-nationalist group most favourable to US interests. The US would prefer its puppet government be in power, but failing that, there are groups it very much does not want to take power, such as Afghan communist organisations. The US directs more resources to undernining those groups than it does the Taliban. In any case, the Taliban are still better for Afghanistan than the US-comprador government is, but they are still ultimately in power due to continued US intervention. The US refusal to recognise the Taliban is an element in a continuum of intervention, attempting to tip the scale towards US-favourable groups - it is, counter-intuitively, an element of the exact strategy that is keeping the Taliban in power.

China's non-interference policy not only does not influence the internal affairs of other countries - inherently, it actively *weakens* US influence in those countries. If the threat keeping US-favourable groups in power is sanctions, blockade, and international non-recognition, then the credible promise that China, an incredibly useful partner, will engage with *whichever* domestic group takes power, no matter their ideology, allows for organic Afghan interests to express themselves and bring about organic Afghan political goals. Similarly, the provisioning of no-strings-attached investment, infrastructure, etc, makes US support of preferred groups less effective, as Afghanistan is both less desperate for support, and also has less incentive to take aid packages that include 'restructuring' demands.

In essence: refusing relations with the Taliban, like the US is doing, is part of the exact gradient of political-economic pressures that keeps the Taliban (the group least threatening to US interests, other than an unsustainable puppet) in power. Opening non-judgemental relations to *whoever* achieves power weakens that gradient, and strengthens the ability for the genuine interests of the Afghan people to determine who achieves and retains power. China refusing to open relations with the Afghan government because they do not align ideologically would not change that gradient at all, and could only add yet another set of foreign interests overriding those of the people (interests which could not be more commanding than those of the US military empire, in any case). Free and non-judgemental relations with a reliable trading partner is precisely the environment that weakens the political base of reactionary organisations, and strengthens genuinely revolutionary ones.

[zvaigzdelasas]

Afghanistan’s Taliban has signed seven mining contracts that would bring roughly $6.5 billion in investments to the ruling government, the Associated Press reported on Thursday. This figure, AP says, represents the biggest round of deals made by Taliban since seizing power two years ago. According to AP, the contracts are with locally based companies, many of whom have foreign partners in countries including China, Iran and Turkey. They include the extraction and processing of iron ore, lead, zinc, gold and copper in four provinces: Herat, Ghor, Logar and Takhar.[...]

In an official statement, Dilawar said that the agreement with a Chinese company for gold extraction in Takhar would bring the Taliban government a 65% share of the earnings over five years. He added that other contracts involving Turkish, Iranian and British investments related to mining and processing iron ore in Herat would earn the government a 13% share over 30 years. “It will eventually turn Afghanistan into an exporter of iron,” he said.[...]

Tamim Asey, a former official with the Afghan ministry of mines and petroleum, is more skeptical of the Taliban’s new dealings, calling the announcement “mere propaganda.”

31 Aug 23

[dzthenerd490]

News Post

Palestine

Palestinian killed in attacks by Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera

Man Arrested For Raising Palestine Flag On Independence Day In Bhopal: Cops (ndtv.com)

Malaysia, in solidarity ‘with people of Palestine’, welcomes wounded fleeing Israel-Gaza war | South China Morning Post (scmp.com)

Why Arab regimes' betrayal of Palestine may come back to haunt them | Middle East Eye

Ukraine

Ukraine war live updates: Kursk attack will force Russia to negotiate, says Zelensky aide - BBC News

Disarray in Putin’s military command exposed by Ukraine’s attack in Russia, says Zelensky’s chief adviser | The Independent

Russia-Ukraine war live news: Ukrainian unit with NATO weapons destroyed | News | Al Jazeera

Why Ukraine’s swift push into Kursk shocked Russia | AP News

Sudan

A just and sustainable peace in Sudan is possible | Conflict | Al Jazeera

South Sudan's security bill allowing warrantless arrests becomes law - ABC News (go.com)

Sudan ceasefire talks collapse - GZERO Media

Sudan government to reopen Adre border crossing amid hunger crisis | CNN

Other

US, Qatar and Egypt say mediators will work to finalise Gaza ceasefire deal | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera

Mpox has killed 548 people in DR Congo since start of 2024, says government (lemonde.fr)

Hundreds of cases of femicide recorded in Afghanistan since Taliban takeover are ‘tip of the iceberg’ | Afghanistan | The Guardian

The Taliban are celebrating 3 years in power, but they’re not talking about Afghans | AP News

Ethiopia, Egypt And South Africa: Pursuing Relationships Within And Beyond BRICS – Analysis – Eurasia Review

China's foreign minister meets with Myanmar's military boss as civil war strains their relations | AP News

Rights group claims Myanmar’s Rohingya being targeted in ethnic cleansing   (voanews.com)

What does China really want from Myanmar? - Nikkei Asia

Mauritania-Mali: a new point of conflict in the Sahelian hornet's nest (atalayar.com)

[beardedmrbean]

Unidentified gunmen shot and killed at least seven workers in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan, police said on Thursday.

According to police official Mohsin Ali, gunmen stormed into a house some 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of the port city of Gwadar, and shot the workers while they were asleep. 

The coastal town of Gwadar is the site of several Beijing-backed projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor investment, which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The victims, who were from the central Pakistani province of Punjab, were running a barber shop, Ali said.

However, police said they believed the attack was not related to their jobs. Previous attacks claimed by the Pakistani Taliban near the Afghan border in the north were believed to have been motivated by a militant ban on Western-style beard trimming and haircuts.

Incident follows similar attack last month

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the killings, it follows a pattern of ethnically-motivated attacks in the restive Balochistan province. 

Last month, the so-called Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for killing several workers who were abducted from a bus on a highway.

Balochistan, a mineral-rich region, is home to a decades-old insurgency led by ethnic Baloch guerillas fighting the government. 

The separatists, who oppose Chinese investments, have long complained that they do not get a fair share of the province's profits.

The Baloch are an ethnic group living on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border and into parts of southern Afghanistan in an area roughly the size of France. The Pakistani province of Balochistan forms the largest part.

Balochs accuse both governments of systematic discrimination and plundering their region. Several groups of militant insurgents have carried out attacks on both sides of the border.

[libertariantaoist]

News Roundup 6/13/2023 | The Libertarian Institute

Here is your daily roundup of today's news:

News Roundup 6/13/2023

by Kyle Anzalone

US News

The White House is developing plans to expand the number of permanent members to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the Washington Post reported on Monday. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield is spearheading the effort to enlarge the body by adding six new members. The Institute

Russia

US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith has said that Ukraine is unlikely to receive an invitation to join NATO at the alliance’s July summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. AWC

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that Ukrainian forces have started their long-awaited counteroffensive. AWC

A group of nine bipartisan members of the House is urging President Biden to supply Ukraine with longer-range weapons and expedite the delivery of M1 Abrams tanks to the country. AWC

Sweden on Monday approved the extradition of a man to Turkey who has previously expressed support for the PKK, a Kurdish militant group Turkey, the US, and the EU consider a terrorist organization. AWC

The Netherlands’ defense minister told Reuters on Monday that training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets could begin as soon as this summer. AWC

Polish President Andrzej Duda said Monday that NATO must respond to Russia deploying nuclear weapons to Belarus. AWC

China

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday denied allegations that China was spying on the US from Cuba and criticized the conflicting information coming from the US government and media outlets. AWC

Iran

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned the US would suffer economic consequences if President Biden retaliated for OPEC oil cuts that were announced last fall, The Washington Post reported. AWC

American bombers were joined by aircraft from Washington’s Middle East partners for war games last week. The exercises were said to showcase America’s “ability to deliver overwhelming power at a moment’s notice.” The Institute 

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday that there was “nothing wrong” with Iran reaching an agreement related to its civilian nuclear program as long as its infrastructure remains intact. AWC

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday said that Iranian officials held indirect talks with the US in Oman last month but dismissed the idea that an interim nuclear deal was on the table. AWC

Israel

The Taliban used American military equipment in a battle against Iran. Fox News

Israel’s military has created a new intelligence unit to prepare for war with Iran amid simmering tensions between the two nations, Ynet reported on Sunday. AWC

Israel has informed the White House that it intends to announce the planning and building of thousands of new settlement units in the occupied West Bank later this month, according to US and Israeli officials speaking to Axios. One of the sources told the outlet, at a minimum, the plan includes 4,000 new housing units being built in existing West Bank settlements. The Institute

Read More

[madtomedgar]

books read in january:

Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer: I wanted to like this a lot more than I did and I’m not sure why I didn’t other than there was a lot of fertility and motherhood stuff in a way that was alienating to me (I want to stress that this is a me problem. Not everything needs to be relatable to me lol), and a lot of assumptions about how rural life is better than urban life which, again, annoying to me but not a problem with the book. I think I also wanted something more concrete from it. It’s a very good book but it rubbed me the wrong way and I’m not really sure exactly why.

The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood: Writing was great, to the point where I actually mostly enjoyed that this was a book where the important thing was the world-building and the characters and plot were there to support it, which I usually don’t like. There’s a lot of her feelings about the Stasi in here (she wrote part of this while living in West Berlin) and about the Iranian Revolution and the rise of the Taliban. It annoys me that people treat it like prophecy. I can also see... hints, I guess? of her now well-documented anti-feminist protection of men who sexually harrass/assault people in here. The scene where the handmaids tear the “rapist” who is actually innocent apart points to a discomfort with mass public expressions of female rage, and I thought that was interesting.

Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China, Leta Hong Fincher: Really excellent nonfiction. I learned a lot, and it was nice that the book was both coming from a socialist anti-imperialist perspective and not acting like any regime that is the enemy of the US must be “good.” The author’s analysis of the connection between the Xi regime’s authoritarianism, militancy, oppression of ethnic minorities, and oppression of women was amazing. I am curious how the movement has fared since covid. It also really hit home the statement that under capitalism women are private property and under communism they’re public property.

The Daylight Gate, Jeanette Winterson: Very disappointing. I come to Winterson for her decadent, rambling explorations of interiority and romps through allegory, and this read like a screenplay. I think she couldn’t decide whether to stick closely to the history and make some social commentary about gender and power, or have fun playing with the idea of witches and morally dubious women, and so she wound up doing neither well.

[historyhermann]

Declassified Documents Describe China-Taliban Relations and Fears About Uighur Guerillas

Recent allegations that the Uighurs, a Turkic ethnic group native to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the Northwest region of China, are an “attractive constituency” for terrorist groups like Islamic State – Khorasan Province, warrant careful scrutiny, particularly at a time of increased U.S.-Chinese tension. The Chinese government strongly opposes the political movement that seeks an independent Uighur nation-state, in part due to purported concerns about political violence, and Beijing has been accused of violating Uighur human rights. The U.S., however, has indicated its support of the Uighur community in recent years. In January 2023, President Biden stated that ethnic minority communities, such as the Uighurs, continue to face “intimidation, violence, and unequal protection under the law,” a sentiment previously reflected in U.S. press briefings and other statements since at least March 2019.

This was originally published on May 8 2023 on Unredacted. I worked with Unredacted editor (and National Security Archive Director of Public Policy and Open Government Affairs) Lauren Harper to smooth out this article and make sure it flowed better, with edits back and forth from March 2023 to May 2023.

The U.S. stance on the Uighur issue has evolved across recent presidential administrations, and the assessments found in the declassified documents featured in today’s post, which were all released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), reflect those of the first George W. Bush administration. These documents are a selection from the new Digital National Security Archive collection, Afghanistan War and the United States, 1998-2017, which was published in December of last year. The five documents examined in this post primarily detail: friendly Chinese relations with the Taliban in the early 2000s in an attempt to secure assurances about Uighur guerrillas in Afghanistan; a U.S. assessment of threat posed by said guerrillas; and U.S. complicity in allowing Chinese officials to interrogate Uighur detainees held at Camp X-Ray, which was housed at Guantanamo.

Aerial image of Camp X-Ray under construction in January 2002. Photograph by U.S. Navy Photographer's Mate 1st Class Shane T. McCoy.

In March 5, 2001, the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research issued a one-page secret intelligence brief noting a meeting between Chinese diplomats and Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil. The discussion included recommendations from a Chinese fact-finding mission, including assurances that so-called “Xinjiang dissidents” were being trained to fight anti-Taliban groups inside Afghanistan, and not threatening China. The unnamed U.S. diplomat noted that such meetings were indicative of broadening engagement between the Taliban and China, and pointed to evidence of increased commercial contacts. Similarly, then-U.S. Ambassador to China, Joseph W. Prueher, stated in a March 9, 2001, confidential cable to Secretary of State Colin Powell that China’s “beautiful friendship” with the Taliban was rooted in a desire for “stability” and a resolution to the Afghanistan civil war. In his cable, Prueher examined why the Chinese accepted Taliban rule and cited increasing academic and official exchanges. When it came to the Uighurs, he noted Chinese fears that an unfriendly Taliban government could cause “mischief” in the Xinjiang region by supporting those termed “Uighur separatists,” and China’s hope that the Taliban would not support such guerrillas. However, he argued that although China would not formally recognize the rule of the Taliban, China was impressed by “performance and pledges” of the Taliban.

On September 18, 2001, Clark T.  Randt, Jr., Prueher’s successor as U.S. Ambassador to China, reported in a confidential cable to Secretary Powell, on a meeting with an ambassador to China who predicted possible Chinese support of the U.S. War on Terror. He also noted that “growing links” between Taliban and China might complicate such support. Part of this cable described Chinese provision of economic cooperation and development aid to the Taliban to accomplish political and economic goals. This included Chinese attempts at convincing the Taliban to “not supply arms and training to separatists in Xinjiang.” These guerrillas were later described as a non-threat to the U.S. A heavily-excised cable sent on September 20 from the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations summarizing the terrorist threat facing U.S. military forces in southern Kyrgyzstan stated this directly. On page three, it noted that Uighurs had proven “capable” in assaults, including against Chinese people, with the attack on an official Chinese delegation from Xinjiang at the Dostuk Hotel in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in May 2000. Despite this, the document said that Uighurs did not “threaten US interests in [the] region” even though some fought for the religious extremist group, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

This perceived lack of threat from the Uighurs could partially explain why the U.S. government granted Chinese officials access to Uighurs imprisoned in Camp X-Ray, which was a temporary detention facility inside the Guantanamo Bay detention camp that had been used by the U.S. government to house Cuban exiles in the mid-1990s. A remarkable passage buried within an unclassified October 2009 Department of Justice Inspector General report, “A Review of the FBI’s Involvement in and Observations of Detainee Interrogations in Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, and Iraq,” states that “several Uighur detainees” were subjected to cruel treatment such as sleep deprivation and “disruption” at Camp X-Ray, including food deprivation. These prisoners were either interrogated by Chinese officials or by U.S. personnel at the “behest of Chinese interrogators.” (See pages 183-184.) The lingering questions surrounding the interrogation of the Uighur detainees at Camp X-Ray deserve further scrutiny now that the Biden administration is expressing support of the Uighurs.

For related documents, see our previous blog post, “Declassified U.S. Intelligence Documents Describe Taliban History with Illicit Narcotics Trade,” the Archive’s Afghanistan Project, and the Archive’s China Documentation Project.

[momxijinping]

Is Pakistan about to join the BRICS in earnest? Is it stepping off its US-centric trajectory and reassessing its foreign policy priorities in response to Washington’s increasing interest in cozying up to India – or is there a tactic in play to force the Americans to revert attention back to Islamabad?

Experts and scholars believe that Pakistan is walking a tightrope and cannot afford to rock the boat right now, especially when it finds itself in dire need of financial support from its traditional partners. This is a critical moment for the economically depleted South Asian nuclear power. By all accounts, the US appears to have moved on from this relationship – for one, it no longer relies on Pakistan's assistance since pulling out of Afghanistan following a deal with the Taliban in Doha. 

[...]

Officially, Islamabad announced it applied for BRICS membership in late 2023. While confirming the move, the Pakistan foreign office described BRICS as an "important group of developing countries" and hoped that by joining the alliance, Pakistan could play an important role in furthering international cooperation and revitalizing “inclusive multilateralism.”

Even though Indian officials did not publicly react to Islamabad's declaration, Pakistan may face tough resistance from some founding BRICS members, including India, which, according to Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairperson of Pakistan Senate’s foreign affairs committee, may play a "spoiler" over Pakistan's application for membership. Not that this is something new.

[...]

"The US reacted sharply to Imran Khan's visit to Russia in 2022, but a decade ago, the US and its NATO allies preferred to ignore the country's rebalancing efforts with China and Russia—two rising powers in the region—because at that time relations with Pakistan were critical for their supplies in Afghanistan," Tahir Khan, a geopolitical analyst and expert on Afghanistan, tells The Cradle.

Khan says the US began to exert pressure on Pakistan to roll back its policy toward China and Russia shortly after its withdrawal from Afghanistan. Following the April government change in Islamabad, he adds, Pakistan has shown greater caution in terms of its relations with China and Russia:

"The perception of policy change in Pakistan does not hold water in the context of the lukewarm progress of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Islamabad's inability to address China's security concerns, deteriorating Pakistan-Afghan relations, and Pakistan's utter failure to match China's increasing thrust on investment and economic linkages with Afghanistan." 

Khan adds that engagement with Russia has remained dormant following unverified reports about Pakistan's weapon linkages with Ukraine. “On the contrary, Pakistan’s archrival India has done its balancing act more effectively than Pakistan."

The US State Department imposed sanctions on a Chinese research institute and several additional companies on 13 September, a move that appears to be a part of a continuous effort to exert pressure on both China and Pakistan. The US claimed that these companies were involved in supplying Pakistan's ballistic missile program.

Pakistan's Foreign Office vehemently denounced the US action as unfair and politicized, responding in a tone never heard before. In a statement on Saturday, September 14, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch claimed that the US had listed several commercial entities last year “merely on suspicion” because the items for which the companies were sanctioned were not listed under any export control regime, and they considered them sensitive under broad, catch-all provisions.

Without naming India and Israel, Baloch wrote, “It is well known that some governments have readily bypassed licensing restrictions for advanced military technologies to their favored states while claiming stringent nonproliferation laws for others." Baloch said US sanctions were "double standards and discriminatory" and "undermine the legitimacy of global nonproliferation regimes, raise military asymmetries, and jeopardize world peace and security."

How much longer will Islamabad tread water with Washington before switching sides to save itself? This is the very same sort of treadmill that countries like China, Russia, and Iran walked – all of them, at some point or other, sought to trust US goodwill before realizing that Washington had none in stock.

22 Sept, 2024

[animeraider]

Project 2025 will kill you. Yes, you. Sections 6-10 (of 30)

So I've been reading Project 2025 so you don't have to, and I'm going to report on everything I find that is alarming, which is a lot. Part One can be found here.

Section 6 - State Department

First of all they want from day one to have all political appointments start their jobs before they are confirmed. The confirmation process exists for a reason.- to investigate and vett the people filling the positions. Vetting would be bypassed. Only if rejected by the Senate would anyone not get the job. Also, they would place political appointees in positions that do not require Senate confirmation. No one in a leadership position on the morning of January 20 would hold that position at the end of the day.This means zero transition/training. 

There is a whole section entitled "Reboot Ambassadors Worldwide". Again, this would mean no transition period and no people holding offices as placeholders. That happened during the last Trump administration and it was a disaster.

Order an immediate freeze on all efforts to implement unratified treaties and international agreements. Realign the entirety of the State Department to implement the administration policies, not review them. Defer (the exact phrase is "radio silent") to the White House when it wants to take the lead on specific issues. You should really see the part of the last couple of episodes of The West Wing when Santos offers the Secretary of State job to Vinick. The arguments against this approach are striking and well thought out.

Put The State Department on WAR FOOTING when it comes to China. Strictly enforce the doctrine of reciprocity when issuing visas to all foreign nationals - they want to travel here? We have to be allowed to travel there on the same terms. Or we adjust to the terms you use. Suspend the issuance of visas to individuals from any country that does not take back persons expelled from the U.S. Reimplementation of the Remain in Mexico policy. 

Realign the student visa program to align with specific national security interests.

China, along with Iran and Venezuela, are to be considered enemies. Ukraine is to be considered a corrupt regime and only defensive military support should be given. It does acknowledge that Russia's invasion is unlawful, which is the only bright spot in the whole document.

Denuclearize North Korea with direct engagement. Negotiations in person.

Project 2025 declares Mexico as run by Drug Cartels and not any form of Mexican Government, and that a new government must be propped up/established. In the previous posting of this series I talked about the military plan to invade Mexico. I see that supported here.

Exert our influence over South America.

As for the Middle East, despite how it reads Project 2025 is pretty much the same policies that the last 15 Administrations have had: Protect Israel and allow them to protect themselves, deter Iran by any mean necessary, build up friendships with countries that have oil. The document states that this is not what Biden is doing, but in fact it is. He's not quite a blatant about bowing to the Princes and Kings as Trump is, but it still winds up being the same policies.

Leave funding in Africa to the free market. Accept the split of Somalia into two countries (I admit my personal knowledge is weak in this area). Eliminate Boko Haram and similar groups. Stay out of the way when African countries implement laws against the LGBTQAI+ community (this involves a lot of killing) and do not tie aid to policies regarding them or abortion policies. 

Intensify trade with EU countries, but at the same time implement policies that prevent the UK for re-entering the EU.

Greater cooperation with India and accept that Pakistan has issues (Taliban related) that are impossible to overcome. 

Here's a big one: Make the United States' continued participation in NATO reliant upon NATO recognizing that the Arctic Circle is part of the area it must defend. Insist upon open a free-trade routes through the Arctic region, defend from Chinese and Russian Aggression, and run the mission from the Embassy in Nuuk, Greenland. 

Another big set: Withdraw from, or terminated funding for, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and the WHO. Doing only a small amount of that last one under Trump the first time around is what led to COVID. Eliminate Human Rights as a litmus test for what international organizations we fund. Make certain that any funds do not go to groups that fund abortion or any non-"family oriented" goals. 

Come up with a Cyber-space version of "Voice of America". That one's kinda vague, but it's there.

Section 7 - Intelligence Community

I've read this entire section and the most that I can tell you about it is that it's the same horseshit as all the previous secgtions. Make certain posts not require Senate Confirmation, Stop all intelligence missions by the previous administration within 60 days, and reign in a ton of stuff that isn't actually happening but did happen under the previous Trump Administration.

The President directs who gets the daily briefings, and how narrow their focus must be. If he says ignore a situation, it must be ignored. It also demands the immediate use of etechnologies that don't yet exist, like 6G and Quantum cryptography.

And oh yes, more spy satellites. Lots more.

Section 8 - Media Agencies

Turn Voice of America into Fox News or worse. Reinforce the Office of Cuba Propoganda. Turn the MIddle East Broadcast Network into Fox News. Same for Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia. Shut down the Open Technology Fund.

Put up a censorship "firewall":on all stories generated through the United States Agency for Global Media. In other words, turn it into a political mouthpiece. Cut it's budget by nearly 20%. Restrict access visas for foriegn journalists. Reinvestment in short-wave radio. You know, the ham radios militias use.

Take away the journalistic independence of all agencies and put them under the perview of the NSA and the State Department.

One more thing. Eliminate the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Reduce its budget to zero.

Section 9 - Agency for International Development

This is the part of government that oversees international aid. When we send money to help disaster victims anywhere in the world, this is where it comes from. FEMA is for the US, but the AID (also known as the DFA - Directorate of Foriegn Aid) is for the rest of the world. It is meant to be non-partisan and to help those who need it on an as-needed basis.This is also where the country invests in business all over the world.

Changes here would eliminate all consideration of climate change when investing in other countries. Africa runs on 80% coal and it should stay that way. Any diversity issues are to be ignored. Any civil rights issues should be ignored. Re-emphasis on families at the expense of other agendas, especially those founded on specific religious principles that many people in this country would consider racist, sexist, misogynist, and anti-LGBTQA+.

No funding is to go to any agency that in any way whatsoever supports a pro-abortion agenda, even if they don't offer the service themselves. The Helms amendment is to be expanded to cover all foriegn aid. Specifically promote their own specific religious agenda. 

The office of the head of disbursements is to become a political appointment. Ignore grift by AIDs disbursement organizations in Africa. Focus on family-oriented aid instead of specific disease focused aid. Privatize health care aid in Africa. Take over the World Health Organization.

Tie humanitarian aid to any and all countries to the political agenda of the conservative administration. Farm out aid management to private organizations. Focus aid to countries that allow more American Businesses to establish footholds in their countries. Focus aid on undermining China's influence in southeast Asia. 

The Trump administration took the position that it "solved" the issue of Isreal and that thinking would return. The primary focus would become Iran. Use programs already established by (American) churches in the region to funnel aid through them. 

As for South America, lots of language about free markets and so on, but mostly it's all a disguise for "Fuck Venuzuela". 

The ultimate focus of all of this is to turn all international aid and investment into a political arm and an economic truncheon for the policies of the administration. Some fo that already does happen, but this would become the overriding and only guiding policy to be followed.

There is one thing I find funny in all of this section - it's a specific call out that Japan has invested $30 Billion in Africa in an effort to counter China. That's actually only kind of true. That $30 Billion is for a single project - a high speed rail in Saudi Arabia. Face it, Japan does this better than anyone.

Section 10 - Department of Agriculture

First off, eliminate any consideration of climate change issues in any and all policies within the DofA. Craft a new mission statement that focuses on the "removal of barriers" in terms of delivering food to the public. We're talking about safety regulations.

I know that regulations can be a pain to deal with. But take a look at ANY food regulation. Any of them. The reason it exists is because of a reaction to some people DYING. Policies up through thr Trump administration have all been a reaction to somethning terrible happening. After a few years people forget this happened and Republicans want that regulation gone.

The regulation always returns after people die again.

Defund any and all efforts to push sustainable agriculture (which is the reason people spend less of their income on food, by the way). Eliminate regulations that can have any impact on the cost of food. That's just about every regulation from pesticide levels to wages to working conditions to how much cockroach is allowed in your twinkee. 

The Commodity Credit Corporation is to be used only for farmers and ranchers. During COVID discretionary funds were used to stockpile various foods, which kept people from starving when various food production operations stopped. The ability to do this would be eliminated.

Repeal many of the farm subsudy programs that currently exist. Some of those are the only things that keep small farmers afloat in hard times. Reduce the amount that taxpayers pay in these programs by 20%. That burden would shift to farmers. 

Implement work requirements for Food Stamp and "Snap" aid recipients. Put in requirements for lunches and breakfasts for children in school that would eliminate about 50% of all children currently on the program. Also, move all of this to the Department of Health and Human Services and out of the DofA.

Eliminate funding for leaving land fallow for crop rotation purposes. I guess these people don't actually know farming. Hell, even I know this one and I'm a city kid. Allow farming and ranching in wetlands and federally protected lands. Eliminate Federal food inspections for foods sold accross state lines. 

Eliminatge all "checkoff" programs, which are meant to promote certain food industries and restrict monopolies by large corporations on specific commodities. This is meant to squeeze the small farmer out of business in favor of corporate farming.

Eliminate funding for trade promotion for foodstuffs to other countries. I find this one quite strange and very un-Republican. I don't understand it.

Promote an increase in Genetically Modified Foods. Repeal the federal mandate that genetically modified foods must be labelled. Promote Bioengineering of food as a policy.

Eliminate the funding of Dietary Guidelines. This includes the recommended calorie amounts per day, the food pyramid and even the "four food groups" I had as a kid. These things will no longer be taught.

The Forest Service is under the Agriture Department. Right at the top of the list for this department is increased logging anf forest harvesting to prevent forest fires. In fact that's the only thing they discuss in the document. The solution to forrest fires is to have less forrest. 

Next posting will cover the Department of Education, The Department of Energy, The Environmental Protection Agency, The Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

[dan6085]

Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst, leaked a significant amount of classified information to WikiLeaks in 2010. Here are the top 20 most significant leaks:

1. **Collateral Murder Video**: A classified U.S. military video from 2007 showing an Apache helicopter attack in Baghdad, which killed multiple individuals, including two Reuters journalists. The video raised questions about the rules of engagement and the conduct of U.S. forces in Iraq.

2. **Iraq War Logs**: Over 400,000 classified documents detailing the Iraq War from 2004 to 2009. These logs revealed unreported civilian casualties, instances of torture by Iraqi forces, and details of insurgent attacks.

3. **Afghan War Diary**: A collection of over 75,000 documents covering the war in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2010. These documents highlighted the difficulties faced by coalition forces, including friendly fire incidents, civilian casualties, and the influence of Pakistan's ISI in aiding the Taliban.

4. **U.S. Diplomatic Cables**: Around 250,000 diplomatic cables from U.S. embassies worldwide. These cables provided insights into U.S. foreign policy, including candid assessments of world leaders, negotiations, and secret deals.

5. **Guantanamo Files**: Documents detailing the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, including their backgrounds, the reasons for their detention, and assessments of their threat levels. These files shed light on the detention and interrogation practices at Guantanamo.

6. **Rules of Engagement for Iraq**: Classified rules of engagement for U.S. forces in Iraq, detailing when and how force could be used. These rules provided insight into the military's operational conduct and decision-making processes.

7. **Baghdad Airstrike 2007**: A separate video and reports of another airstrike in Baghdad that resulted in civilian casualties, including children. This incident highlighted the ongoing risk to non-combatants in conflict zones.

8. **Cablegate**: The release of over 250,000 diplomatic cables that revealed the inner workings of U.S. diplomacy. These cables exposed various political deals, espionage activities, and corruption in multiple countries.

9. **Apache Helicopter Attack Reports**: Additional documents and videos related to the operations of Apache helicopters in Iraq, providing further evidence of civilian casualties and the military's response to these incidents.

10. **US Military Incident Reports**: Detailed reports of various military incidents in both Iraq and Afghanistan, including friendly fire incidents, accidental bombings, and the deaths of soldiers and civilians.

11. **U.S. Embassy Reports on Corruption**: Cables from U.S. embassies revealing corruption and political machinations in various countries, including Russia, Afghanistan, and African nations. These reports often implicated high-ranking officials and governments.

12. **State Department Cables on Iran**: Documents detailing U.S. concerns and strategies regarding Iran's nuclear program, including diplomatic efforts to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and regional influence.

13. **Yemen Secret War**: Cables revealing that the U.S. conducted secret military operations in Yemen, with the Yemeni government taking credit for U.S. airstrikes to hide American involvement.

14. **Tunisian Government Corruption**: Cables detailing the corruption of the Tunisian government under President Ben Ali, which contributed to the public discontent leading to the Tunisian Revolution and the broader Arab Spring.

15. **Saudi Arabia and Terrorist Funding**: Documents revealing that wealthy individuals in Saudi Arabia were the primary source of funding for extremist groups, despite official Saudi efforts to curb terrorism financing.

16. **Hillary Clinton’s Orders to Spy on UN**: A cable that showed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered diplomats to collect biometric data and other personal information on United Nations officials.

17. **China and Google**: Cables suggesting that Chinese Politburo officials were behind the hacking of Google's systems in China, part of broader efforts to control the internet and suppress dissent.

18. **Libyan Regime Cables**: Documents providing insights into the inner workings of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in Libya, including details on his security apparatus and efforts to suppress opposition.

19. **Vatican Cables**: Cables detailing the Vatican’s handling of various issues, including the child abuse scandal and its diplomatic relations with other countries.

20. **BP’s Deepwater Horizon**: Cables revealing concerns about BP's safety practices before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including issues with the company’s management and oversight of drilling operations.

These leaks had a profound impact on international relations, military policies, and public perceptions of government transparency and accountability.

[novumtimes]

Pakistan to pay $2.58 million in compensation to families of 5 Chinese who died in suicide bombing

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan will pay $2.58 million in compensation to the families of five Chinese engineers who were killed in March when a suicide bomber targeted the vehicle carrying them in the northwest, the finance ministry said. The Chinese were attacked in the town of Bisham as they were heading to Dasu Dam, Pakistan’s biggest, where they worked. The ministry said in a statement Thursday night that the government will also pay $8,950 to the family of the Pakistani driver who also died in the March 26 attack. The government says the attack was planned in Afghanistan and the bomber was an Afghan citizen. Afghanistan’s Taliban government and Pakistani militants have denied the allegations. The compensation was approved at a meeting led by Finance Minister Mohammad Aurangzeb, the statement said. Thousands of Chinese are working on projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Some have been attacked in recent years by militants who accuse them of plundering mineral resources. The Associated Press Source link via The Novum Times

[garudabluffs]

Follow the Pipelines

Uncovering the Mystery of a Lost Spy and the Deadly Politics of the Great Game for Oil

Unraveling the mystery of a master spy’s death by following pipelines and mapping wars in the Middle East.

In 1947, Daniel Dennett, America’s sole master spy in the Middle East, was dispatched to Saudi Arabia to study the route of the proposed Trans-Arabian Pipeline. It would be his last assignment. A plane carrying him to Ethiopia went down, killing everyone on board. Today, Dennett is recognized by the CIA as a “Fallen Star” and an important figure in US intelligence history. Yet the true cause of his death remains clouded in secrecy.

In Follow the Pipelines, investigative journalist Charlotte Dennett digs into her father’s postwar counterintelligence work, which pitted him against America’s wartime allies—the British, French, and Russians—in a covert battle for geopolitical and economic influence in the Middle East. Through stories and maps, she reveals how feverish competition among superpower intelligence networks, military, and Big Oil interests have fueled indiscriminate attacks, misguided foreign policy, and targeted killings that continue to this day.

The book delivers an irrefutable indictment of these devastating forces and demonstrates how the brutal violence they incite has shaped the Middle East and birthed an era of endless conflict.

Follow the Pipelines also brings new questions to the fore:

To what lengths has the United States negotiated with the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and ISIS to secure Big Oil’s holdings in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen?

Was the Pentagon’s goal of defeating ISIS a fraudulent pretext for America’s occupation of Syrian eastern provinces and a land grab for oil?

Did the infamous double agent Kim Philby, who worked for the British while secretly spying for the Russians, have anything to do with Dennett’s death?

Why have the US and China made North Africa the next major battleground in the Great Game for Oil?

Part personal pilgrimage, part deft critique, Dennett’s insightful reportage examines what happens to international relations when oil wealth hangs in the balance, and she shines a glaring light on what so many have actually been dying for.

[zmojejperspektywy]

Dealing With Regional Conflicts of Global Importance (2024) offers a comprehensive examination of the post-Cold War global landscape, focusing on the outbreak and escalation of local and regional conflicts that have far-reaching implications. From the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan to the civil war in Ethiopia's Tigray Region and the Russia-brokered peace agreement in the Caucasus, these conflicts have shaped the international stage and pose significant challenges to global stability.

Policymakers and professionals in the fields of current affairs and security studies can find essential tools in this book for understanding and addressing the violent conflicts occurring since 1991. Drawing on geoeconomics, geopolitics, security studies, and humanitarian perspectives, Dr. Piotr Pietrzak, an expert in International Relations Theory, Conflict Resolution Strategies, and International Law, delves into the roots of competition and cooperation among states. He explores influential concepts and debates, including Francis Fukuyama's "The End of History," Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations," and Joseph Nye's notion of Soft Power, to provide a theoretical and analytical framework for comprehending the complexities of global power dynamics.

Covering an array of topics, from the regionalization of conflict and intervention to the role of international institutions, this book examines interactions between the United Nations, World Bank, regional organizations like CBSS, Vysehrad Group, and ASEAN, and geopolitical actors such as the European Union, Russia, China, and the United States. It also delves into critical issues such as human rights, genocide, wartime sexual violence, and the concept of humanitarian intervention.

Dealing With Regional Conflicts of Global Importance is an invaluable resource for courses in geoeconomics, geopolitics, conflict management, international relations theory, and more. It challenges readers to expand their explanatory horizons and confront preconceived notions of truth in the realm of international relations. By examining the emerging multipolar world, China's One Road One Belt initiative, and the changing rules of competition, this book equips readers with the knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of the global stage and work towards a more peaceful and stable future.

[pebblegalaxy]

Taliban's Chitral River Dam: Unraveling Regional Water Security and Relations in South and Central Asia

Taliban's Chitral River Dam: Unraveling Regional Water Security and Relations in South and Central Asia #TalibanDam #WaterSecurity #Geopolitics #ChitralRiver #KunarRiver #Diplomacy #RegionalRelations #SouthAsia #CentralAsia #IndusWatersTreaty #Taliban

The very essence of South Asia and Central Asia’s water security pivots on the lifeblood provided by transboundary rivers such as the Indus, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Amu Darya. These vital arteries sustain the lives, livelihoods, and ecological equilibrium of millions across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.…

[sciencedayforpeaceanddev]

Second Conference on Academic Freedom in the Americas.

Despite the growing recognition of the importance of academic freedom for free and democratic societies, higher education is under constant threat in the Americas. This includes the political control of higher education institutions, the use of force on campuses and in university facilities, administrative and criminal legislation aimed at silencing academics, ideological censorship of academic discourse and limitations on freedom of research and expression, and impunity with respect to sexual violence in university spaces throughout the hemisphere.

The Second Conference on Academic Freedom in the Americas will feature panels on academic freedom and contributions that highlight challenges and opportunities in protection, advocacy, litigation and best practices in academic freedom and university autonomy. It will also serve as the global launch of Scholars at Risk’s Free to Think 2023 report.Register and view programme

About the Free to Think 2023 Report

Free to Think 2023 analyzes 409 attacks on higher education communities in 66 countries and territories. These attacks occurred in the context of authoritarian entrenchment and democratic backsliding, and governments increasingly used their regulatory power to constrain higher education and limit university autonomy, academic freedom, and free expression on campus.   During the past year, Iranian authorities violently suppressed student and scholar participation in the “Women, Life, Freedom” protest movement. The Taliban took the extraordinary step of barring women from higher education and then brutally repressed the public opposition to those restrictions. Government crackdowns on dissent reinforced cultures of fear and self-censorship in Russia, China, and Turkey. Universities in Myanmar, Sudan, and Ukraine are on the frontlines of conflict as militaries and other armed groups have damaged and occupied facilities. In the United States, lawmakers have sought to restrict teaching and research related to disfavored topics and have undermined university autonomy.

These are just a few of the concerning developments in Free to Think 2023. Together, they document a global phenomenon that not only harms individuals, but also shrinks the space for discourse and sharing ideas. These attacks harm all of society and they must stop. 

Scholars at Risk calls for global action in defense of academic freedom and urges states, higher education communities, civil society, and the public to respond: to help protect scholars, students, and higher education institutions; to help protect everyone’s freedom to think, question, and share ideas.